So here I am week 2 of back to school life and on my road to being organized and less stressed. I must say that last week was a challenge. In my glee of having 6 hours to myself each day when the girls are at school I way, Way, WAY overscheduled my week leaving no room for the little things that come up. And last week there seemed to be a lot of little things. That’s ok – the socks are still sorted and finding their way into the appropriate dresser drawers. (see blog posting for full details. 😉
This week’s tip came by inspiration. I was helping Caitlyn tidy her room and becoming frustrated by the books everywhere. Books and reading are LOVED by the women in my household. (The girls tease Dave because he has read 3 books in the last 4 years, all of them business textbooks, lol) Books are to be respected, honoured, loved and most importantly ….. put back on the shelf!!!! I felt myself becoming frustrated, but checked the emotion and asked Caitlyn, “Why are your books all over the place? Why are they not in your bookcase?”
Caitlyn answered, “Mom, there is no room, I can’t fit the books.”
“Well I can solve that problem”, I answered. Quickly, Caitlyn and I went to work purging her bookcase. In 5 minutes we had a stack of 25 books that she no longer reads, a beautifully organized bookcase and tidy room that could be easily dusted and cleaned.
The books were placed in a bin for people to select from when they come by. Lucky for me I was entertaining some East Gary Mom’s and their kids that afternoon. I placed the bin in the backyard on the deck and invited the younger kids to peruse…….End Result…..two very happy little girls went home with armloads of books. 🙂 How great is that. Organized bookcase and therefore a floor I can vacuum and books finding their way to new homes to be loved. Not a bad way to end a weekend.
Organization Tip #2 – purge your books, then ensure that the items find their way immediately out of your house. I love that in 3 minutes I was able to solve a problem. I just do not have the 2 solid days available to tackle every square inch of my home. Doing it in little bits and pieces is making the task far less overwhelming. 3 minutes will save me tonnes of aggravation down the road.
A special shout out in this blog to Tanya at Pottery Parties in the Hills. Shown is only a small number of Caitlyn’s cherished painted figurines created from numerous visits to Tanya’s. Be sure to visit her new store on Mill Street in Orangeville!
