The Pile High Club--how NOT to become a member by Heather Lambie
Managing Household Paperwork
Initially, when asked to write about organizing paper at home, I wasn't sure how to attack it. Yes, I'm an organizer, but (gasp!) filing doesn't float my boat. But then I actually thought beyond filing, about all the ways that paper enters and impacts our homes and our lives, leaving miles of piles in its wake. Every day we are faced with sorting and filing mail, magazines, books, catalogs, student projects, medical records, bills, photographs, invitations, money, recipes, and of course, origami! OK, so maybe I won't cover origami in this blog, but I do promise to keep it light, laughable and true to life. Hope you check me out, and often!
I have always loved graphic wallpaper (2Modern has some gorgeous ones!), but have to admit I am too conservative to use it in an entire room. While I do have a wallpaper "backboard" behind my bed, I didn't have the guts to cover my entire room in teal paper emblazoned with a white peacock feather print. ...
My kids start school tomorrow (crazy, I know!), and like every
other parent, I have been diligently getting my ducks in a row. But UNlike most parents, this year, the
Lambie household is doing a "green" back-to-school. What is that, you ask? Well, we're not buying the kids any
new school supplies.
My kids will not have new LL Bean backpacks and lunch bags with
their names embroidered on them. They will not open their desk to that "new
crayon smell." Nope, my kids will
come to school wearing used uniforms, carrying last year's backpacks and lunch
pails and using a recycled Tupperware full of half-used glue sticks and
pre-sharpened pencils.
Modern society (or at least the majority of mommies at my kids'
private school) would say I'm not a good mother. "How embarrassing for your
kids! You can afford to buy them new school supplies, why wouldn't you?!" Yes,
I can. But why should I when what they have is still in working order? Their backpacks are a little dirty, but
a toss in the washer and a good scrubbing can fix that. And why should I purchase new folders
when I happen to have several (with corporate logos on them) that I received
from different conferences I attended this year? And a quick, Back-t0-School scavenger hunt around the house
revealed that we do in fact have enough pencils and crayons to rule the world…
or at least to scribble our way through second grade.
Full disclosure: I am currently on a 30-day Spend Freeze, and it just happens to
fall during the first week of school.
So I cannot buy anything that's not 100% necessary, which, most of their
supplies are not since we already have them—in spades—around the house. I did buy them both new school shoes,
but that was 100% necessary because
they both grew like weeds this summer and I'm not into toe-binding like the
Chinese.
Still, even if I wasn't on this Spend Freeze, I don't know if I
could justify consuming just for the sake of consumption. I'm just too
practical for that. I have raised my kids with enough love and self-esteem that
(hopefully) they will be able to brush off any bullies who give them a hard
time about wearing last year's backpack, using a freebie pencil with a "Five
Star Flooring" logo, or not having the latest swag hanging from their lunch
bag.
I think it's a great lesson in using what you have—completely.
Imagine if we all used everything up until it was gone or not usable anymore.
Think of all the money we'd save. Think of all the packaging we'd not throw
into our landfills.
Did any of you take the use-what-you-have approach with school
supplies this year? If not, would you consider doing this if last year's school
gear was still in good working order?
...
One bit of email clutter I will cop to: blogs. I have quite a
few on my RSS feed. Some days I
don't read them all, some days I do.
One I really dug for a while was Seth Godin's. (stick with me, this is
going somewhere…)
This past Saturday I held my 5th Annual Closet Swap.
If you're a regular reader, you know that I love holding this event as it is a
chance for me to help friends clear our their closets and bring in items they
no longer wear or use, as well as a chance for all of us to get free clothing,
shoes, handbags, accessories, etc. in exchange. Who wouldn't love that?
While I do love the idea of FREE stuff, recycling, and finding a
good home for items you no longer wear, one of Seth's blogs has stuck with me
and I think it fits well with regard to the Closet Swap. He writes,...
As a certified professional home organizer, I see firsthand
the physical effects of procrastination (i.e. paper and clutter piles). Here, a few ways to "swallow the
frog" as we say in the biz. This means pausing in the moment when you are about
to avoid the task at hand and redirecting your attention to what really
matters. This is just like dieting-you pause in the moment that you reach for
the Oreos and instead redirect your muffin top to the yogurt. But I digest, er,
digress.
I don't know how
your summer is going so far, but mine is whizzing by. In the interest of saving
you time and allowing you maximum time in the sun/with your kids/with your
friends-whatever-I'm just gonna give you ten fast and dirty tips that will
make your day, your week-and possibly even your summer-the best it can be. (bold
promise, no?)
1. Little reminders. The next time you have to pick a password (or update an old one)
choose a phrase that refers to a trait you want to develop (BeStr0ng!
Lose12Lbs! Make250000!). Typing these little "reminders" will reinforce your
motivation and make you smile every time you log on.
Listen to my recent radio interview with author and life coach Sherry Sexton to hear more about how I started Your Home Editor and see (rather, hear) how it alllllll...
Just saw Toy Story 3 with my family. Wow. What a message. First of all, I wept like a baby through much of the movie. Second of all, I think most of the themes in the movie are aimed at adults more than children so while I was choked up, my 5-year-old was bored. Third of all, I am torn about the ending.
SPOILER ALERT! If you care about surprise and intend to see Toy Story 3, do not read on until you've seen it....
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