
When I think of the word "situation", it no longer carries the same meaning to me. I remember the word situation referring to set of circumstances, not an actual person. Before you know it, we are going to start referring to getting a good tan as gettin' a "snooki".
Picture this... You are invited to a friends house for the first time. She is having a dinner party with a small group of friends. You feel slightly at ease knowing that most of the people attending are mutual friends. You have brought with you a nice bottle of wine and as you are walking up to the front door, you mind starts wandering. You think...
Is her house cleaner than mine? She is probably more organized than me? I wonder if she has... or maybe she's....
Frequently, I find myself answering the door to these types of guests. Just recently I invited a friend over who had never been to my house before. When I answered the door, we chatted the usual greetings of hellos and did you find the house okay. I noticed her eyes darting left then right, up the stairs and around the corner. I didn't get much of a chance to pick up before her arrival and the usual random toys were all over the floor and a thin layer of dust coated the piano. To make things a little easier for her... I said as I chuckled, "I may be an organizer by trade but I am human too." She laughed and I could tell felt a little more at ease.
That night, after my friend left and I told my husband about our initial greeting, he too laughed and said that "it's like you have to live by a different set of rules just because your an organizer." I wonder sometimes, do you think that all lawyers live by the letter of the law every minute of the day? Do you think that all chefs come home from a long day in the kitchen and cook for themselves?
I think the reason why I enjoy helping people get organized is because I am human too and I wear my baggage for all to see. It makes the reality of trying to get organized seem a little more attainable for those that struggle to attain it. Here's my baggage...
I have two kids... who need a lot of guidance and care when it comes to managing their lives.
I have a husband... who, God love, him doesn't see things the way I do (not that he should have to, but just that he doesn't) and also requires a little help in managing.
I have a cat... who leaves more hair behind each and every time I vacuum the floor no matter what!
I have my job... that requires more attention and time than I am ever able to give it because I am too busy doing other things.
I have bad days, dirty laundry, dishes in the sink, weeding in the yard, cloths on the floor, magazines in a pile and on occasion bills laying out to be paid... just like everyone else does.
There is more but you get the idea. The point is that I am just like everyone else. Just because I am an organizer doesn't mean I don't have baggage too. Just because I am an organizer, doesn't mean I struggle to get back up when I fall down.
We all have struggles. It's how we choose to respond that makes us more capable in maintaining our lives. So remember, that if today didn't work out the way you wanted, tomorrow is always another day to try again!
Yes, I am still here! I've been enjoying my summer and believe me it's been great! Things will get back on track soon... thanks for hangin' in with me!
Every now and then the boys will ask me to look through their box of artwork. We love to go back and look at some of the adorable things they have made over the years. With school coming to a close it seems like everyday they are bringing home stacks of art, worksheets and papers that require us to make a decision...
do we keep it or do we toss it?
I have tried to get into the habit of managing papers throughout the year as they come in, but for some reason I still end up with a HUGE stack of papers to deal with. Just the other day, I noticed piles of papers in both kids rooms, there was a stack on the piano and another stack in my room. They tend to just take over...
Artwork is a sensitive issue for me. I don't know if it's because I kept very little from my childhood or if I am trying to capture every single moment of their childhood. Either way, if I kept every piece of paper they brought home, we would fill our entire house with papers. So today the kids and I sat down and sorted through it all...
Making the decision to get rid of the toss pile was all them. I felt that they needed to make that choice, not me (although I will note that I did "guide" them to that decision). We discussed that if we keep everything, then nothing is really special.
When I asked my seven year old how he felt about it all he said, "mom, I think it's great to get rid of some of our papers because then we know the ones we have are the best of the best."
Teaching kids to sort and organize is an important skill. They start to understand that you have to manage your things and that to be organized (or as my five year old says... so you can find your stuff) you can find what you are looking for.
Can you believe that it's almost June. I am amazed at how quickly this year has flown by. It seems like yesterday when I sat down to write out my goals for the year. Most of us start the new year in the same fashion... Full of ambition and motivation, ready to challenge ourselves and take it to a new level. All our intentions of achieving various goals quickly fades as fast as the snow, and now we are stuck. 
It's not that I don't love to read newsletters. I actually love to read junk mail. We are getting ready to celebrate Earth Day. It's such a good time to remind ourselves that our Earth is only as good as we maintain her. However lately, I have been feeling like things are a "little cuckoo for coco puffs" here on our Mother Earth.
Between the earthquakes in Haiti, Chile and now Los Angeles, and the crazy weather happening on the East coast... I just have to wonder. What the heck is going on? Can a disaster really happen in my backyard, in my lifetime?
I live about 25 or so miles from the top of Mt. Hood, which is still an active volcano. I also am about 200 miles from the Oregon coast, where there is always potential for plate shifting on the fault lines. Not that I am complaining, I love where I live, but I do feel as though the potential for disaster to strike is probably pretty good in my lifetime. So, what do we do?
For years, I have blogged about getting a preparedness kit together and so this past month I finally got it started. Thus far, I have collected:
What's always held me back from getting this started is that we are "campers," so we have all the gear and equipment to survive a disaster in the garage, already packed up. Now that I have my kit started where do I put all this stuff I have packed? I have a nice sealed container, but what if the house comes crumbling down, will I be able to find it? Will we be able to get to it? Will it get destroyed? All valid questions that make you really stop and think.
So help me out here, do you have a kit? Where do you keep it?
There is no greater job in the entire world than being a parent. When that joyous day finally comes and that little bundle of joy makes their grand entrance, no one tells you what comes next. Sure, there are lots of nurses and doctors (and sometimes family members) sharing their expert opinions on what you are "supposed" to do, but really there is no step by step manual to tell you what comes next.