An "Aha!" Moment

I'm only two chapters into Julie Morgenstern's book Organizing from the Inside Out but it has been really good so far. And today I had an "Aha!" moment while reading about the six "technical errors" that keep people from being organized.

Here is my problem (Error #5):

"Many people leave things out as visual reminders of what they have to do--e.g., a book that has to go back to the library, bills to be paid, or a coat that needs repair. This would be okay if there were only a few items strewn about, but once the volume builds, everything begins to blend into your environment, becoming a sort of visual "Muzak" that renders all your visual reminders invisible, defeating their purpose."

Apparently Chapter 5 will show me how to create a less obtrusive system for reminding me what things are important and where they are stored.

Maybe I'll just skip to Chapter 5. Seriously, you should see my kitchen counter top right now--there are items to be addressed for mailing out, coupons I need to look through to clip out the good ones, summer reading program forms that need to be filled out, seeds that need to be planted (I'm about a month late already!), and a receipt for an item that needs to be returned. These items have all been sitting there for about a week already. This is my biggest organizational problem, I think.

Okay, should I tackle that counter top first or read Chapter 5 first? Oh wait, the kids need attention ... maybe I'll do one of those things tomorrow!!

________________

Oh, in case you were wondering, the six technical errors are:

1. Items have no home
2. Inconvenient storage
3. More stuff than storage space
4. Complex, confusing system
5. "Out of sight, out of mind."
6. Organizing is boring

A story of backyard camping ...

The daddies set up the tents ...

 

The girls hang out while the hot dogs cook ...

 

Fishing is great fun!

 

Meredith reeling in her catch ... Oh look! Are those storm clouds brewing in the background?

 

The temperature drops 15 degrees and the wind kicks up. Little girls freak out and start running toward the neighbor's house ...

 

Waiting out the storm ... when you have true friends, you can have fun no matter what you do.

 

Watching for when the storm will blow over ...

 

By George! We are going to roast marshmallows no matter how late it got! We had to scrap the "hike in the dark" idea, but there WILL be s'mores no matter what!

 

In the end, the tents got soaked, the girls had a slumber party with their sleeping bags laid out in the neighbor's toy room, and a great time was had by all.

Dear Dad and the Rainbow

I love that Kevin woke the kids up last night to show them the full rainbow in our backyard. I definitely married the right man for me. Like he told them, "You just don't get to see a full rainbow very often." You've got to seize these moments.

 

 

Pictionary Jr., Silly Bands, etc.

Have you all played Pictionary Jr. with a four year old lately? If not, you're definitely missing out!! We've played with Meredith several times in the last week and it's a riot!! It seems that about 1/3 of the time she is able to read the card correctly and draw the right picture (she figures it out based on the category, which we read to her). The rest of the time one of us tells her what to draw and the other adult(s) guess(es). It's so hysterically funny!! And Clara is even starting to pick up on the concept of the game. I love that our kids are getting old enough to move beyond Candy Land. (!!!)

 

And what is the deal with the Silly Bands craze? All I can say is that I sure wish I were the one to have thought of it. Someone is getting seriously rich right now.

 

And here is a recent picture of Sophia. Just because babies change so much and she's just so adorable right now I can hardly stand it!

 

And here is a bouquet of flowers that a friend dropped by my house. Isn't it lovely? Peonies are one of my favorite flowers. And the roses smelled amazing, even from across the room.