A HOME OR A PLOT OF LAND???

A few months ago on a bright and early Saturday morning, my good friend Crystal called me and said..."CALLI, I now understand completely why you say "does that have a HOME." So I asked Crystal to explain her theory of why she thinks I came up with that phrase.
Needless to say... SHE HIT IT RIGHT ON THE NOSE!!!! I have asked her to write down what she told me, because I feel that coming from someone who is just starting the process of making "a home for their things", will make more of an impact on you.

SO HERE IT IS...

“Everything has a home”, Calli says. And her words ring in my head often. I am trying to make changes for myself and my family with her help. We desperately need more order in our lives. So as I’m going throughout my day recently, I found myself hearing Calli’s voice. As I was setting down another object on our kitchen counter we affectionately call our C.C. (crap-collector), I heard her voice. “Is that it’s home”, she asked. “Yes”, I answered, “this is where I always put it”. But as I walked away I realized for the first time in all these years that it really, really wasn’t it’s home. In fact, I realized that almost ALL of the items in my house do NOT have homes, they might have a plot of land, but not a home.

Let me explain by asking what is a home for anyways? Well, in regards to my family, we live here, we gather, share love, different opinions, we grow and make memories of course. But our home also offers us protection, security, and consistency. So can we apply these last adjectives to the homes of our possessions? Do we provide a consistent place for our items where they are safe, secure and protected? Or are you stacking stuff on your C.C. (I know you have one somewhere).The items we place on our land plots are just waiting to be bumped, trampled, spilled on, or lost. If you are going to keep it, maintain it, keep a mental and physical place for it in your house and lives, you better find a home for it. Land does not provide safety from our life’s storms. It is just a spot where we stick things. Now I do believe in temporary homes for items. My winter clothes go to a temporary home (secured, safe, and not forgotten), until it’s winter again and they can join us in a more permanent home. But winter clothes thrown into a pile on a plot of land in the corner of my laundry room is not doing any of us any good. (I do have a plot of land in the corner of my laundry room that calls for things to stay awhile when I’m feeling lazy). Calli’s helping me with that.

So, I share this experience with a suggestion. Perhaps the next time you are sorting through your items, or just placing things down in a temporary spot- maybe you could ask yourself, “is that it’s home or a plot of land?”. If you love it, need it, care for it, please find it a home. Nobody likes to be homeless.

One more suggestion that seems to decrease tension in regards to my kids- in our home if I see my kids item left out, I will sometimes say, “ahhh, poor thing, it’s homeless. Won’t someone help that shoe find a home? It’s lost.”

SEE WHAT I MEAN!!! Thank you Crystal...YOU ARE THE BEST!!!

Homework: Get rid of your CRAP-COLLECTOR!!! (I know you have one.) Have a great and ORGANIZED weekend!!

Tip of the week #9

PAPERS PAPERS PAPER...How many papers do your little monkeys bring home in there backpacks?? TOO MUCH!!!! Don't you all agree?? So many papers, so little time...What do you do with them??

•Place a cute basket or bin by the door or on your desk or counter top, and teach your children to use it to put the papers that need mom and dad’s attention. This will prevent papers from piling up on counter tops. The cute and adorable crafts that your amazing kids bring home and want to save...SAVE THEM FOR A WEEK...HANG THEM UP, do whatever, but then throw them away. I keep 5 projects a year! If they want to keep more take a picture and label it. I have bins for each of my kiddo's to save their treasured art work!! BUT ONLY 5 A YEAR!! Then I take pictures if they can't live without their life size portrait of them selves!!! ;) It works out GREAT!!!

HOMEWORK: Make a basket or bin for your kids to place all their work they need us to look at! Have a great and organized week!!

Back To School Shooping!!!

I am finally back!! I had to get my kiddos ready for school!! Plus my teenager has been really sick for 3 weeks, so I have been taking a bloggers BREAK!!! I wanted to write something about getting ready for “back to school shopping!!” I know most of you have already had your kids in school for a couple of weeks…BUT there are still some of you who haven’t started yet!!! So here are some tips on “back to school shopping.”

This year I get to shop for a kid in High school, middle school, elementary and pre- school!! Yep that’s right 4 different stages of life…LUCKY ME!!!! Shopping with four kids, ages 15 and under, is not a fun adventure, that’s why I try to find the best deals and

have a plan of attack before I even leave the house.

Here’s what I do. I take all of my kids supply lists and highlight everything that’s the same on the lists this way I know to double my count. At their school they need typical things like paper, scissors, and glue sticks. I know that I will be able to find these at just about any store that sells school supplies.

I like to create one big master list with everything on it for the kids back-to-school needs, including things like backpacks, lunch boxes, and water bottles. Next to each items I include the quantity and any specific notes like brand names, specials like buy 3 get I free.

If you find that you really do have to go to more than one store make a separate list for each store. This will keep you on task and save you time.
I also must add that I started my list in June…I know CRAZY!!!! BUT I listed each of my kiddos names. Underneath I made a list. For example… Avery needed new socks and tennis shoes. I realized that back in June and I didn’t want to forget so I wrote it down right then. In July I went through each of their rooms to figure out what clothes they each needed, and listed them.

The best way to know that you are getting the cheapest price possible is to just head to Wal-mart. They will price match their competitor prices. Any store that will price match is a guaranteed best bet as long as they carry what you need.

Good luck with “BACK TO SCHOOL SHOPPING” I know it can be dreadful but you can make it fun!!! Growing up I always would looked forward to August because my mom would make it unforgetful, with lunch and a GREAT new outfit for the first day of school!!! I have since carried out that tradition, I take each of my kids to lunch and school shopping alone. They each love it and every year ask “when is it my turn to go school shopping?”

Homework: Make your supply list!!! Have a great an ORGANIZED week!!!

TIP OF THE WEEK #8

Tip of the week #8...

Find a home for all your electronic games!!!

How many of you have your WI game, Play Station, X Box, or Nintendo out for the whole world to see???

Find a place on your entertainment center, or somewhere in the room where you play them. So when company comes over they wont know they are even there.

Last week I had an organizational job, and she said her family doesn't play the WI very much...so I found a basket that fit all the accessories to the game, and also all her games she had for the WI. We found a HOME in a closet by her playroom, so when the family wants to play WI they just have to grab the basket...when they are finished they put everything back in its proper spot in the basket, and put the basket back in its HOME!!!

Homework: Find a home for all your electronics. Have a great an ORGANIZED week!!

3 MAGICAL QUESTIONS, THAT COULD HELP YOU!!!

From a site I was on, I came across 3 questions the writer would ask herself, when she was De cluttering her house. They are...

Do you love it?

Do you use it?

Do you have the room to store it?

Those are some of the questions you need to ask about your stuff on a regular basis. If the answer is no to any one of those questions then it’s time to share that stuff with someone else or trash it. Otherwise it’s just going to pile up in your home, you are going to trip over it, you are not going to be able to find what you need, the pile is only going to continue to grow and you are going to get frustrated and overwhelmed when the weight of it becomes more than you can bear…physically and mentally.

So when you are cleaning a room in your house, or helping someone De clutter...ask yourself or them those 3 wonderful questions!!!

Homework: Clean out your junk drawer, (we all have one), and put those 3 questions into practice!!! Have a great and organized weekend!!!

YES!! MY BABY LOST HER FIRST TOOTH...check out my blog http://www.fuzzystreasures.blogspot.com/ to read all about it!!!

Keeping kids on task...Is it really as easy as 1-2-3??

Keeping kids on task, is not always as easy as it sounds. Most kids have a little chaos and disorganization. Yours might go from one thing to the next — forgetting lunches at school, forgetting to do chores, not finishing projects they have started. wouldn't you like them to be more organized and to stay focused on tasks, such as homework?

Theb keep reading...

Some kids are naturally organized, but for the rest, organization is a skill learned over time. With help and some practice, kids can develop an effective approach to getting organized.

The website kidshealth.org, there is an article called...Easy as 1-2-3. I actually thought the steps were great. Here they are...

Easy as 1-2-3

For kids, all tasks can be broken down into a 1-2-3 process.

1.Getting organized means a kid gets where he or she needs to be and gathers the supplies needed to complete the task.

2.Staying focused means sticking with the task and learning to say "no" to distractions.

3.Getting it done means finishing up, checking your work, and putting on the finishing touches, like remembering to put a homework paper in the right folder and putting the folder inside the backpack so it's ready for the next day.

Once kids know these steps — and how to apply them — they can start tackling tasks more independently. That means homework, chores, and other tasks will get done with increasing consistency and efficiency. Of course, kids will still need parental help and guidance, but you probably won't have to nag as much.

Not only is it practical to teach these skills, but knowing how to get stuff done will help your child feel more competent and effective. Kids feel self-confident and proud when they're able to accomplish their tasks and responsibilities. They're also sure to be pleased when they find they have some extra free time to do what they'd like to do.

I hope this helps get your kiddos ready for school. Some of my friends kids start next week...as for mine they don't start until August 8Th. Good luck to all those that start soon!!!

Homework: Help your kids finish a project they have already started. Have a great and ORGANIZED WEEK!!!

Tip of the week #7

Dump Something Daily!- Every day, throw one thing from your house away, recycle it, or set it aside for donation.
I always say if you buy something then get rid of something!! For example this week my sister was in town and we always go shopping!! I bought the cutest sweater shrugs for only $4.94. I had to buy 2 because they were a screaming deal!!! OKAY... So that means I have to part with 2 of my shirts. YES, it is usually the ones I have not worn for a couple months...in fact I ended up parting with 3!!!

Homework...get rid of 1 item of clothing this week!!! (I know you have something to part with!)