"Lose It!"
* eleven picture frames -- nothing wrong with them, but I don't have any more horizontal spaces for frames so I took out the smiling faces and will find another way to enjoy them. This particular group of frames has been in a box for at least seven years. I think I was hoping that "someday, when we move and have more space," I would get them back out. I'm okay if these frames never come out of the box. It's the pictures that matter and, more than that, the memories I have of good times with the people in them.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Sin or Can
There are four canisters that rest on the ledge behind our kitchen sink. Years ago, I tried storing things like flour and sugar in them. But then, I found some itty bitty critters in my flour once and gave up on that. Now, they are mostly empty, except for the smallest which houses matches.
I have a bad habit of using the top of the canisters to store things--you guessed it--that I don't want Bub to get his hands on: medicine droppers, infant motrin, antibiotics, Little Bit's toothpaste and toothbrush (Bub is obsessed with it because it is just a little thumb cover thing), prenatal vitamins (dangerous for children you know because they have so much iron in them), and the fenugreek I no longer need (see this post for explanation of why I ever did).
Anyway, it looks like crap up there. So, I decided that they medicine droppers and medicine would all fit nicely inside one of canisters instead of strewn on top of them all. The fenugreek could go inside one as well, along with the pacifiers I was also storing up there. I moved the antibiotics to a corner of the counter Bub tends to overlook because I didn't want to put them in the canister and forget to give them to Little Bit. I tucked the vitamins along the side of one canister for easy access. I left LB's dental stuff on top so I don't forget to brush his lil chompers.
The pictures (again, crappy ones taken on computer web cam) show the before and after. These changes are not amazing, but it is really pleasing me to see these little pockets of tidiness and order around the house.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
A Tisket, A Tasket
My focus right now is on attacking the "holding zones" around here. I want to make my spaces more useful and more tidy. On Sunday, I attacked the top of the fridge. I started storing treats up there when Bub started hauling kitchen chairs to the counter and trying to climb up to get to stuff and busted through the safety knob on the pantry to help himself in there as well. Then, it just became my habit to start storing all kinds of food above the fridge: boxes of cereal, multiple boxes of crackers, bags of chips, pretzels, candy, infant rice cereal, leftover Halloween candy. It looked like a bulimic's buffet up there.
On Sunday, I threw out the expired/stale stuff and divided the rest into snack bags and placed them in a large basket. When we're on our way out, I can grab a snack to go. If we eat one at home, I can pour it into a bowl and then throw the baggie back in the basket to be filled again. There's another basket that continues to house potty treats.
I wish I had a before and after shot for you. I offer instead an after (not the best picture, but the best I could do with the camera on my laptop) and a glimpse of another holding zone--the area above our toaster oven. Take the level of disorder and visual junkiness in the above-the-toaster zone and multiply it times fifty and you will have a sense of how chaotic things were above the fridge.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Mommy, you eat the key?
We have a nice-sized walk-in closet in our living room.* A few weeks ago, I set to trying to organize some of Bub's toys in there--things like puzzles, bean bags, paints, play doh, and anything else that has lots of pieces or a high mess factor. The organization is still in process, but a problem presented itself a few days ago. Once Bub realized a lot of the "good stuff" was in the closet, he began going in there and, because he can't reach the closet light and can't reach the shelves housing a lot of the good stuff, he began making even more messes and risking injuring by trying to climb and reach. Plus, he inadvertently unplugged the television and Dish Network box twice.** Unacceptable.
Thursday, I walked to the hardware store and purchased a door knob that locked.
Today, the hubby installed the new door knob so that the closet can be locked from the inside. The key is just one of those little stick things and it is above the door frame, though Bub thinks it is in my tummy because he asked Daddy where the key was and heard, "Mommy ate it."
All of this is just to say that I plan to make better "use" of this closet now that whatever organization I do in there will actually be protected.
*and two of the smallest, most awkward-sized closets ever in our bedroom
**yes, these are plugged into our closet, don't ask
Thursday, I walked to the hardware store and purchased a door knob that locked.
Today, the hubby installed the new door knob so that the closet can be locked from the inside. The key is just one of those little stick things and it is above the door frame, though Bub thinks it is in my tummy because he asked Daddy where the key was and heard, "Mommy ate it."
All of this is just to say that I plan to make better "use" of this closet now that whatever organization I do in there will actually be protected.
*and two of the smallest, most awkward-sized closets ever in our bedroom
**yes, these are plugged into our closet, don't ask
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Papa Toile
"Use It!"
* light blue, tan, and brown toile fabric I purchased six years ago at Old Time Pottery
* two wooden chairs (originally refurbished by my great grandfather, who wrote his name on the bottom, along with the date March 27, 1973) that I have been carting around from place to place for most of my post-college life
I moved the ugly, black leather desk chair to the basement. I did not move it because it is ugly (though it is) or because it is uncomfortable (it is not), but because it is too big to fit nicely under the desk the way it should. Plus, our office is doubling as a nursery and the amount of furniture crowding things up in there is starting to get to me. So, I recovered the seats of two of my Papa's chairs and placed one at the desk.
* light blue, tan, and brown toile fabric I purchased six years ago at Old Time Pottery
* two wooden chairs (originally refurbished by my great grandfather, who wrote his name on the bottom, along with the date March 27, 1973) that I have been carting around from place to place for most of my post-college life
I moved the ugly, black leather desk chair to the basement. I did not move it because it is ugly (though it is) or because it is uncomfortable (it is not), but because it is too big to fit nicely under the desk the way it should. Plus, our office is doubling as a nursery and the amount of furniture crowding things up in there is starting to get to me. So, I recovered the seats of two of my Papa's chairs and placed one at the desk.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Broom Broom Pow
"Lose It!"
* broom stick -- broom attachment for end of stick is long gone and Bub took to taking the stick and pounding the kitchen floor earlier with an end result of unpleasant noise and possible damage to floors
* more plastic crap as toy bin purge continues bit by bit
* two more books
"Use It!"
* inspired by LAP's comment on my recent post about reusable grocery totes, I did some organizing this evening and used the totes for stuff that needs moved to other locations: one for stuff that goes in basement, one for stuff that needs to be upstairs, and one for stuff that gets hidden from Bub in main floor closet. When I head to bed tonight, I'm going to take the upstairs tote upstairs . . . really I am.
* broom stick -- broom attachment for end of stick is long gone and Bub took to taking the stick and pounding the kitchen floor earlier with an end result of unpleasant noise and possible damage to floors
* more plastic crap as toy bin purge continues bit by bit
* two more books
"Use It!"
* inspired by LAP's comment on my recent post about reusable grocery totes, I did some organizing this evening and used the totes for stuff that needs moved to other locations: one for stuff that goes in basement, one for stuff that needs to be upstairs, and one for stuff that gets hidden from Bub in main floor closet. When I head to bed tonight, I'm going to take the upstairs tote upstairs . . . really I am.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Unsafe at any speed
Alternate Title: Dis"cart"ed
"Lose It!"
* plastic shopping cart -- no longer effectively holds groceries or stuffed animals and is definitely not sturdy enough to serve as a walker for Little Bit
* more plastic toy crap from bottomless pit o' crap in back room
Friday, April 17, 2009
Bag of Tricks, Trick for Bags?
"Use It!"
I don't know about you, but I have quite a collection of the reusable totes they now sell at grocery and drug stores. Indeed, I have enough of these bags to easily accommodate any shopping trip. The problem is that I never seem to have a single one of them when I am actually at the store, likely because I am usually racing to the store when I realize we need milk or Diet Coke or when a convenient child-free window presents itself. I barely remember to bring my wallet and my scribbled list.
Though I don't often use those bags at the grocery store, I do use them. Here some recent uses for my grocery totes:
* diaper bag -- I don't bother with a diaper bag very often these days and usually just stuff a diaper and pull-up in my purse when we leave the house, but if we are going on a more "major outing" (ex., playdate more than ten minutes away, visit to children's museum) then I have taken to throwing diapers, wipes, food for Little Bit, snacks for Bub, and whatever else I can think of into one of these totes.
* surface cleaner -- if you are expecting guests, these bags make nice storage containers for the mail, magazines, and other random papers and junk cluttering your flat surfaces.
* car trip bag -- we drove from Chicago to Cincy today, and I used a grocery tote to hold all our "car emergency stuff" which includes: DVD's, frosted animal crackers, corn puffs, veggie booty for Little Bit, baby bottles, sippy cup, pretzels, and etc.
What about you? Do you use the grocery totes? At the grocery store? Any tricks for remembering to bring them to the store? If you say "keep them in the car," any tricks for remembering how to put them back in the car after you put your groceries away? Please tell.
I don't know about you, but I have quite a collection of the reusable totes they now sell at grocery and drug stores. Indeed, I have enough of these bags to easily accommodate any shopping trip. The problem is that I never seem to have a single one of them when I am actually at the store, likely because I am usually racing to the store when I realize we need milk or Diet Coke or when a convenient child-free window presents itself. I barely remember to bring my wallet and my scribbled list.
Though I don't often use those bags at the grocery store, I do use them. Here some recent uses for my grocery totes:
* diaper bag -- I don't bother with a diaper bag very often these days and usually just stuff a diaper and pull-up in my purse when we leave the house, but if we are going on a more "major outing" (ex., playdate more than ten minutes away, visit to children's museum) then I have taken to throwing diapers, wipes, food for Little Bit, snacks for Bub, and whatever else I can think of into one of these totes.
* surface cleaner -- if you are expecting guests, these bags make nice storage containers for the mail, magazines, and other random papers and junk cluttering your flat surfaces.
* car trip bag -- we drove from Chicago to Cincy today, and I used a grocery tote to hold all our "car emergency stuff" which includes: DVD's, frosted animal crackers, corn puffs, veggie booty for Little Bit, baby bottles, sippy cup, pretzels, and etc.
What about you? Do you use the grocery totes? At the grocery store? Any tricks for remembering to bring them to the store? If you say "keep them in the car," any tricks for remembering how to put them back in the car after you put your groceries away? Please tell.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Navy beans, navy beans, navy beans
"Use It!"
* leftoever ham from Easter -- made some Congressional Bean Soup from a Mabel Hoffman cookbook (but no credit on the Cookbook Challenge because I've made it before).
"Lose It!"
* large ziploc bag full of plastic crap -- Happy Meal toys and other junk revealed when Bub tipped over six toy bins this afternoon (he found his stuffed Blue's Clues dog, so you can all sleep well tonight, and after much prodding, picked up the mess).
There are so many more toys and pieces of toys that need to be purged, but I have trouble releasing . . . Are you able to purge toys? How do you get over the "but this was a gift" and "he sometimes plays with this" or "but he might enjoy this one day for two minutes" feelings?
* leftoever ham from Easter -- made some Congressional Bean Soup from a Mabel Hoffman cookbook (but no credit on the Cookbook Challenge because I've made it before).
"Lose It!"
* large ziploc bag full of plastic crap -- Happy Meal toys and other junk revealed when Bub tipped over six toy bins this afternoon (he found his stuffed Blue's Clues dog, so you can all sleep well tonight, and after much prodding, picked up the mess).
There are so many more toys and pieces of toys that need to be purged, but I have trouble releasing . . . Are you able to purge toys? How do you get over the "but this was a gift" and "he sometimes plays with this" or "but he might enjoy this one day for two minutes" feelings?
Monday, April 13, 2009
Butt they don't fit . . .
"Lose It!"
* big Costco-sized sleeve of size 3 Huggies -- Little Bit outgrew them before we used the whole box. I was thinking of holding on to them for the future (don't read anything into that, except that we hope to have another child SOMEDAY), but decided the smarter thing would be to offer them to my sister LAP whose daughter might fit into size threes. What do you say, LAP?
* big Costco-sized sleeve of size 3 Huggies -- Little Bit outgrew them before we used the whole box. I was thinking of holding on to them for the future (don't read anything into that, except that we hope to have another child SOMEDAY), but decided the smarter thing would be to offer them to my sister LAP whose daughter might fit into size threes. What do you say, LAP?
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Oxymoronic Mac
"Use It!"
* cookbook entitled Super-Fast Slow Cooking -- was short on oven space for our Easter meal so I tried a recipe for mac and cheese using the crock pot, not as good as the oven baked recipe (my mom's) I usually use, but good enough . . . when butter, cheese, and pasta are involved, it is difficult to go too, too wrong
Cookbook Challenge Stats: 9 down/44 to go
* cookbook entitled Super-Fast Slow Cooking -- was short on oven space for our Easter meal so I tried a recipe for mac and cheese using the crock pot, not as good as the oven baked recipe (my mom's) I usually use, but good enough . . . when butter, cheese, and pasta are involved, it is difficult to go too, too wrong
Cookbook Challenge Stats: 9 down/44 to go
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Hip Hop Hooray
"Use It!"
* plastic eggs filled and hidden two years ago at Easter
* adorable Elmo-with-bunny-ears Easter basket
* adorable little chick Easter basket from last year
It's an Easter miracle that I was able to locate these items so as to re-use them.
* plastic eggs filled and hidden two years ago at Easter
* adorable Elmo-with-bunny-ears Easter basket
* adorable little chick Easter basket from last year
It's an Easter miracle that I was able to locate these items so as to re-use them.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Clip Artist
"Use It!"
* full-sheet printer labels
* free Dover computer clip art
There's a project in the works . . .
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Unpack and Play
We have two pack-n-plays, even though most of the time, we don't necessarily need two or even one of them since Little Bit is out of the stage where we had it set up basinette/changing table style all the time, but it is nice to have the option . . .
"Use It!"
* one pack-n-play -- Little Bit is sleeping in it as he has taken to standing in his crib and sometimes falling and hitting his head. He can't hurt himself in the p-n-p so he's going to stay there for a few weeks until the novelty of standing in one's bed wears off.
* one pack-n-play -- set up like a "play pen" (is that a dirty word now?) for when Mom needs to keep Little Bit safe while she pees, tidies up, or checks her email
"Use It!"
* one pack-n-play -- Little Bit is sleeping in it as he has taken to standing in his crib and sometimes falling and hitting his head. He can't hurt himself in the p-n-p so he's going to stay there for a few weeks until the novelty of standing in one's bed wears off.
* one pack-n-play -- set up like a "play pen" (is that a dirty word now?) for when Mom needs to keep Little Bit safe while she pees, tidies up, or checks her email
Monday, April 6, 2009
I tooted, oops, I mean tutored.
"Lose It!"
* some sub-par tutoring resources -- I tutored for several years in the recent past and mostly really liked it. I stopped accepting new clients in the interest of finishing my graduate degree and taking care of those kids of mine. I have about four hours a week when it would be convenient for me to tutor so if any new clients available during those hours fall into my lap, I would consider doing some tutoring, but not with these junk resources that I've never used anyway.
You "Use It!"
You may want to check out The Clutter Diet blog, which I just recently started reading. Its author Lorie Marrero has some cool things to say. One that resonated with me is that de-cluttering is more about motivation than anything. Mostly, people know what they need to do, but just need impetus to do it. This blog has been my motivation, and I'm thrilled if my feeble efforts are motivational to anyone else. Also, she has a post about thinking about herself in two tenses. Her "present self" is the best friend of her "future self" and tries to make decisions about stuff/clutter that will make life better/easier for "future self." I think this insight will help me when I'm looking at some of the crap around here. The decisions to "lose" I make now will save me time, energy, and hassle later.
* some sub-par tutoring resources -- I tutored for several years in the recent past and mostly really liked it. I stopped accepting new clients in the interest of finishing my graduate degree and taking care of those kids of mine. I have about four hours a week when it would be convenient for me to tutor so if any new clients available during those hours fall into my lap, I would consider doing some tutoring, but not with these junk resources that I've never used anyway.
You "Use It!"
You may want to check out The Clutter Diet blog, which I just recently started reading. Its author Lorie Marrero has some cool things to say. One that resonated with me is that de-cluttering is more about motivation than anything. Mostly, people know what they need to do, but just need impetus to do it. This blog has been my motivation, and I'm thrilled if my feeble efforts are motivational to anyone else. Also, she has a post about thinking about herself in two tenses. Her "present self" is the best friend of her "future self" and tries to make decisions about stuff/clutter that will make life better/easier for "future self." I think this insight will help me when I'm looking at some of the crap around here. The decisions to "lose" I make now will save me time, energy, and hassle later.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
sNOw
"Lose It!"
* one sweater that I wore quite a bit after Bub was born but never since
* one ugly winter scarf
Both items are sacrifices to the gods of spring weather. Come on already. The mini hail storm this afternoon was depressing, but the snow falling right now, unacceptable.
* one sweater that I wore quite a bit after Bub was born but never since
* one ugly winter scarf
Both items are sacrifices to the gods of spring weather. Come on already. The mini hail storm this afternoon was depressing, but the snow falling right now, unacceptable.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Blackout
"Lose It!"
* black fuzzy-type fleece jacket -- purhcased a few years ago, lost and forgotten, rediscovered and worn yesterday over white shirt, ended up with black lint all over shirt, already have enough fleece in my life.
* black fuzzy-type fleece jacket -- purhcased a few years ago, lost and forgotten, rediscovered and worn yesterday over white shirt, ended up with black lint all over shirt, already have enough fleece in my life.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Shredding Makes Me Feel Good
"Use It!"
* the shredder my husband got me for my birthday last year (don't knock him for the unromantic gift, I asked for it) -- I'm not obsessively worried about identity fraud but worried enough not to throw credit card and bank statements away without ripping or cutting them up which, let's face it, gets tedious. Since I received the shredder, I have been using the shredder as a receptacle for to-be-shredded items. I was hesitant to plug it in because I did not want Bub to shred his fingers (though it seems hard to do). Anyway, I moved it to the basement and got to shredding. It takes more time than I thought, but it is satisfying.
The next step is to go paperless on credit card and bank statements. The bank ones I could do easily because I don't usually open them (not because I have so much in my account that I don't need to, but because I keep careful track of my checking account already). The credit card statement will be more difficult to give up because I need the physical statement cluttering up my purse or the area near my computer as a reminder to take care of the charges.
Have you gone paperless on bank and credit card statements? Are you pleased?
* the shredder my husband got me for my birthday last year (don't knock him for the unromantic gift, I asked for it) -- I'm not obsessively worried about identity fraud but worried enough not to throw credit card and bank statements away without ripping or cutting them up which, let's face it, gets tedious. Since I received the shredder, I have been using the shredder as a receptacle for to-be-shredded items. I was hesitant to plug it in because I did not want Bub to shred his fingers (though it seems hard to do). Anyway, I moved it to the basement and got to shredding. It takes more time than I thought, but it is satisfying.
The next step is to go paperless on credit card and bank statements. The bank ones I could do easily because I don't usually open them (not because I have so much in my account that I don't need to, but because I keep careful track of my checking account already). The credit card statement will be more difficult to give up because I need the physical statement cluttering up my purse or the area near my computer as a reminder to take care of the charges.
Have you gone paperless on bank and credit card statements? Are you pleased?
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Fancy Schmancy
If it seems like I repeat myself on this blog, it's because I am a little slow in learning certain lessons, particularly those lessons that have to do with acquiring stuff and being reluctant to release it when I no longer use, enjoy, or need it. Once again, I need to get un-dressed. Pardon the pun.
"Lose It!"
* four more dresses from 2000-2003 era -- Whether or not these dresses fit now or will fit again is less of an issue than the fact that I don't love them and won't ever wear them again. Just because some of them were purchased for special, fancy-type occasions does not mean that they are worth keeping if, cue the broken record, I know for sure that any time in the future when I need something to wear to a wedding or any sort of formal occasion, I will NOT choose to wear one of these dresses. I know that for sure. I don't know why I've been hanging on to some of these dresses for so long.
"Lose It!"
* four more dresses from 2000-2003 era -- Whether or not these dresses fit now or will fit again is less of an issue than the fact that I don't love them and won't ever wear them again. Just because some of them were purchased for special, fancy-type occasions does not mean that they are worth keeping if, cue the broken record, I know for sure that any time in the future when I need something to wear to a wedding or any sort of formal occasion, I will NOT choose to wear one of these dresses. I know that for sure. I don't know why I've been hanging on to some of these dresses for so long.
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