I have a friend who just shared on her blog about all the blessings that surrounded her daughter poking a pencil in her eye. Now, she was not thankful that her daughter poked a pencil in her eye or not joyful about having experienced it, but thankful that there were many things that made the experience easier and she felt blessed because the situation could have been much worse. (Her daughter is doing great, just in case you are concerned)
But last Friday, I had a similar experience - even though it was a much less serious situation.
On Friday, I had plans all day and I left the house at around 9:30 and didn't return until when the kids got home at 3:30. Before I left that morning, I got a few pieces of ice out of the freezer part of our side-by-side refrigerator to put in a glass of water. It looked a a little odd, like it was slightly melted. But since the water dispenser in the door had begun to leak a few days before, we had turned off the water leading to it and the ice maker, so I thought maybe the ice looked different from sitting there for several days with no new ice being made.
I got home and the kids were buzzing over a sock hop dance that they had at their school that day. They were wearing glow necklaces from the dance. Elias decided that he wanted to try to keep his glow necklace glowing until Monday for trick-or-treating, so he opened the freezer door to put the necklace in to freeze (supposedly it keeps it glowing longer).
When he opened the door, there were huge icicles hanging from the ice tray to the bottom of the freezer. As I investigated further, I discovered that everything above the ice tray was refrigerator temperature, but no longer frozen. Everything below the ice tray was still frozen, but definitely beginning to thaw. Luckily, because the entire bottom half of our freezer door was full of our ice packs we use in our coolers, the 2 bottom drawers stayed completely frozen, because the ice packs had created a cooler effect. The fridge was still cool, but definitely not the temperature it was supposed to be.
So the kids and I started packing up bags of food to carry downstairs to our refrigerator that we kept from our old house. I called Josh to tell him that we were going to need to go to the store to buy a new refrigerator and we just met him at the store on his way home from work.
Now here are all the things I am thankful for in this situation:
1. Obviously, for the huge blessing of having two refrigerators in the first place. Even though we had to throw away a couple things and cook a lot of the meat that had thawed, we were able to save most of the food.
2. Elias opened the freezer door. I had planned on having left overs for dinner and had no need to open the freezer, so I may not have noticed until it was too late that there was a problem.
3. We didn't have any plans for the evening and could easily deal with transporting the food downstairs and going to buy a new fridge. We had considered going with some friends to a costume party at the local library that evening, but at the last minute I decided to just stay in that evening and hadn't told the kids about the party yet. So they were happily helping me transport the food downstairs and didn't complain about going to the store. But, if they would have expected to go to a costume party, they would have been in much different moods.
4. I had planned on getting groceries that day, but ran out of time. Since the refrigerator downstairs is much smaller than the one upstairs, it was packed by the time we got everything into it. If I would have gotten groceries that day, there is no way everything would have fit.
5. We had already been planning on getting a fridge in the near future. Even though the ice maker had given us a few problems and I didn't care for the side-by-side style or the almond color, I still felt guilty over using money to replace a functional fridge. So because the fridge actually stopped working and it is really too old to put a lot of money into repairing, it took away all guilt over getting a new one.
6. Since we had been thinking of getting a new refrigerator for a while, we had already looked at them several times. We had narrowed it to 2 that we liked best. And, amazingly, one of those we had liked best was 50% off. Not only was it 50% off, but it was the only one that was 50% off, and it is the same brand and style as the dishwasher and stove we bought last year. It wasn't like they were having a store-wide sale, it was just that particular refrigerator in the sales paper - and we hadn't even known about it. It was almost unbelievable.
We had previously thought about getting one on black Friday, but after we bought the refrigerator the salesman said he doubted that we would have gotten a better deal on that refrigerator.
7. I was able to use it as a teaching moment for my kids. I told them how thankful I was to God for how things had worked out and that we had refrigerators and enough food and enough money.
So, even though the refrigerator quitting made for a hectic weekend, I feel tremendously blessed by how things ended.
And it was an opportunity to remind myself to be thankful that we have enough money to fill a fridge with food in the first place...
Monday, October 31, 2011
Friday, October 21, 2011
Believing the Best
In our small group, we just finished a series called "Staying in Love" by Andy Stanley. I would highly recommend it. You can actually watch the sermon series on-line on the North Point Community Church web site, because my explanation below won't fully do the series justice. It is specifically geared toward the marriage relationship, but I think so much of it can be applied to all relationships.
In the last of the 4 messages, Andy Stanley talks about the fact that in every relationship there will be a gap between expectations and behavior. You expect someone to act a certain way, but they won't always behave in a way you would like or expect.
In those situations you have a choice of what you place in that gap.
You can "assume the worst" or "believe the best".
If you assume the worst, you have a negative attitude and assume the person is doing or not doing what you expect for selfish reasoning and you are not very concerned about what their motivation was, because you may assume the person doesn't really care about your feelings, anyway. In fact, when they don't meet your expectations, it brings you satisfaction because it just proves your point.
When you believe the best, you realize there may be other factors you don't see. You genuinely want the best for the other person, even if they aren't meeting all your expectations. You give them the benefit of the doubt. Andy Stanley says this is something that couples do naturally when they first fall in love, but they stop doing it as time goes on - but that couples that truly stay in love continue to do.
But he says, if you believe the best in another, it draws that person to you. They feel loved and accepted and not so afraid of disappointing you. They know that they are safe with you, even if they don't meet all your expectations. And, if the expectations are realistic, the person will actually start desiring to do those things that he/she knows you'd like for them to do or not to do.
He explained it this way - When you believe the best, you create an upward spiral toward love, but when you assume the worst you create a downward spiral toward more disappointment and separation.
I realized that this is exactly what has been occurring in my relationships with my kids.
Over the last few days of re-training (of myself and the kids), I have realized that there is not that much variation between Elias and Bella in their behavior itself, but a distinct difference in the reactions to that behavior on both the kids' side and on my side.
I think that I came to "believe the best" about Elias' gaps between his behavior and my expectations and he did the same with me. But with Bella, I "assumed the worst" and she did the same back to me.
So I have been looking deeper into what motivates Bella's behavior and what motivates my reactions toward her. I have taken more time, much more time, to calmly discuss things with her and to listen. The key word is calmly. I have respected her feelings more by taking the time to let her calm down before expecting her to talk about what is bothering her, instead of having the attitude that she needs to "just get over it". And she has been seeing that I really am willing to hear her grievances, when she expresses them in the proper way. I think she had come to the conclusion that I didn't care about her feelings, because I wouldn't listen until the situation got to fever-pitch. So then, she would just initially address a situation at fever-pitch, since that is what she knew I would respond to anyway.
Since changing my tactic, she and I have had such a more loving relationship. It is almost unbelievable what a difference the last few days have made. She and I are like two different people! The behavior has changed slightly, but our reactions have changed immensely.
But it is going to take constant upkeep. It is so natural to drift into what is easier!
For example, last night I wanted Bella to try on clothes that I had bought over the summer at yard sales to see what would fit now. She was hyper and not wanting to participate and she began jumping up on her bed every time I tried putting a pair of pants on her.
After several times of calmly telling her to stop, I began to feel my anger rising. My voice took a different tone as she began to climb on the bed yet again.
Bella immediately looked at me with that glazed-over defiant look that I have become accustomed to seeing. But in that look, I saw deep down that she was thinking, "Here comes mean mommy again and I am going to protect myself by being mean too." So I took some deep breaths, and closed my eyes. I then said in a calm voice, "Bella, I am starting to feel angry because you are disrespecting me by not listening. I really don't want to be angry with you, so I would like you to listen to me now and put these pants on." Almost miraculously, she got down and put the pants on and even hugged me after she got them on. I am not saying she sat still for the rest of the fittings, but she listened to me and tried on the rest of the clothes. I realized that my expectation of her trying on one pair after another without some minor tangents of energy expenditure were probably not realistic, so for the rest of the time, we took little "energy" breaks. And we ended the task both feeling positive, instead of positively frustrated.
I am seeing that I "assume the worst" in so many of my relationships with others and it really does no one any good.
In the last of the 4 messages, Andy Stanley talks about the fact that in every relationship there will be a gap between expectations and behavior. You expect someone to act a certain way, but they won't always behave in a way you would like or expect.
In those situations you have a choice of what you place in that gap.
You can "assume the worst" or "believe the best".
If you assume the worst, you have a negative attitude and assume the person is doing or not doing what you expect for selfish reasoning and you are not very concerned about what their motivation was, because you may assume the person doesn't really care about your feelings, anyway. In fact, when they don't meet your expectations, it brings you satisfaction because it just proves your point.
When you believe the best, you realize there may be other factors you don't see. You genuinely want the best for the other person, even if they aren't meeting all your expectations. You give them the benefit of the doubt. Andy Stanley says this is something that couples do naturally when they first fall in love, but they stop doing it as time goes on - but that couples that truly stay in love continue to do.
But he says, if you believe the best in another, it draws that person to you. They feel loved and accepted and not so afraid of disappointing you. They know that they are safe with you, even if they don't meet all your expectations. And, if the expectations are realistic, the person will actually start desiring to do those things that he/she knows you'd like for them to do or not to do.
He explained it this way - When you believe the best, you create an upward spiral toward love, but when you assume the worst you create a downward spiral toward more disappointment and separation.
I realized that this is exactly what has been occurring in my relationships with my kids.
Over the last few days of re-training (of myself and the kids), I have realized that there is not that much variation between Elias and Bella in their behavior itself, but a distinct difference in the reactions to that behavior on both the kids' side and on my side.
I think that I came to "believe the best" about Elias' gaps between his behavior and my expectations and he did the same with me. But with Bella, I "assumed the worst" and she did the same back to me.
So I have been looking deeper into what motivates Bella's behavior and what motivates my reactions toward her. I have taken more time, much more time, to calmly discuss things with her and to listen. The key word is calmly. I have respected her feelings more by taking the time to let her calm down before expecting her to talk about what is bothering her, instead of having the attitude that she needs to "just get over it". And she has been seeing that I really am willing to hear her grievances, when she expresses them in the proper way. I think she had come to the conclusion that I didn't care about her feelings, because I wouldn't listen until the situation got to fever-pitch. So then, she would just initially address a situation at fever-pitch, since that is what she knew I would respond to anyway.
Since changing my tactic, she and I have had such a more loving relationship. It is almost unbelievable what a difference the last few days have made. She and I are like two different people! The behavior has changed slightly, but our reactions have changed immensely.
But it is going to take constant upkeep. It is so natural to drift into what is easier!
For example, last night I wanted Bella to try on clothes that I had bought over the summer at yard sales to see what would fit now. She was hyper and not wanting to participate and she began jumping up on her bed every time I tried putting a pair of pants on her.
After several times of calmly telling her to stop, I began to feel my anger rising. My voice took a different tone as she began to climb on the bed yet again.
Bella immediately looked at me with that glazed-over defiant look that I have become accustomed to seeing. But in that look, I saw deep down that she was thinking, "Here comes mean mommy again and I am going to protect myself by being mean too." So I took some deep breaths, and closed my eyes. I then said in a calm voice, "Bella, I am starting to feel angry because you are disrespecting me by not listening. I really don't want to be angry with you, so I would like you to listen to me now and put these pants on." Almost miraculously, she got down and put the pants on and even hugged me after she got them on. I am not saying she sat still for the rest of the fittings, but she listened to me and tried on the rest of the clothes. I realized that my expectation of her trying on one pair after another without some minor tangents of energy expenditure were probably not realistic, so for the rest of the time, we took little "energy" breaks. And we ended the task both feeling positive, instead of positively frustrated.
I am seeing that I "assume the worst" in so many of my relationships with others and it really does no one any good.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
I Corinthians 13:4-7
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Helping Compassion is just a couple clicks away!
My friend Jill just posted this message on her blog and I wanted to share it. Helping Compassion is just a few clicks away. And unlike other contests, you don't have to submit any of your personal information or agree to get any spam mail to vote.
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Earlier this year I nominated Compassion to be one of the organizations that is on the receiving end of donations coming from One Million for Good. I was thrilled to see Compassion made the final list of nominees.
I need your help.
More specifically, I need your vote. VOTE HERE
I also need your voice as you can help spread the word. Would you help me? If each one of us spreads the word, more and more people will have the chance to vote for Compassion.
Here are some things you can do:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Earlier this year I nominated Compassion to be one of the organizations that is on the receiving end of donations coming from One Million for Good. I was thrilled to see Compassion made the final list of nominees.
I need your help.
More specifically, I need your vote. VOTE HERE
I also need your voice as you can help spread the word. Would you help me? If each one of us spreads the word, more and more people will have the chance to vote for Compassion.
Here are some things you can do:
- post this on your blog
- email your friends and family
- post this on facebook
- tweet
- whatever else you can think of
Thanks!
Monday, October 17, 2011
Learning...but no longer as frustrated
I have been being really proactive about getting to the root of Bella's behavior this weekend and addressing the motivations of her actions, instead of just the behavior itself.
I have learned two things.
1. She gets her quick temper from me (which I knew already) and when I stay calm over a long period of time, she stays calmer. But if my fuse blows just once, then the whole process starts over again.
2. We have let Elias be the "big brother who picks on her" a little too much. He is very covert about how he does this sometimes, so we don't even notice that he is doing it, until she completely loses it. Elias doesn't like it much when we focus on what he may be doing wrong to instigate her behavior, so he has been more volatile and upset this weekend.
Oh, the joys of raising kids and all the things (and flaws) it reveals to you about yourself!
I have learned two things.
1. She gets her quick temper from me (which I knew already) and when I stay calm over a long period of time, she stays calmer. But if my fuse blows just once, then the whole process starts over again.
2. We have let Elias be the "big brother who picks on her" a little too much. He is very covert about how he does this sometimes, so we don't even notice that he is doing it, until she completely loses it. Elias doesn't like it much when we focus on what he may be doing wrong to instigate her behavior, so he has been more volatile and upset this weekend.
Oh, the joys of raising kids and all the things (and flaws) it reveals to you about yourself!
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Frustrated, disappointed, confused...FRUSTRATED!
My daughter and I see things differently and we are often upset with each other about it. I don't like feeling like we are on a different page, but I can't seem to bridge the gap. I had originally started this blog with the statement, "My daughter and I see things differently. She thinks the world revolves around her and I disagree." But that is not true and was not fair to my daughter. I really believe that our relational conflict is mutual, but it still does not help me to know exactly how to solve it.
I have tried talking to her, talking more loudly to her, talking even more loudly. I have tried smacking her bottom after I talk to her. I have tried spending one-on-one time with her. I have tried to ask her about her feelings. I have tried telling how her behavior makes those around her feel. I have read books and more books and more books. I have prayed and prayed and prayed about it. I have prayed with her about it.
She is often a fun, independent, and friendly child. But I feel like she is always on the verge of an eruption and you never know when she will spew her anger and upset and who it will be directed toward - but she seems to do it worse with her immediate family than anyone else. Because of this, when she gets home from school, she seems to have all this pent-up angry energy built up and it always comes out on me.
I am at a complete loss as to what to do. She just has such a quick temper and anger seems like it boils under the surface always in her heart. She also stuffs her feelings inside.
I know that my reaction makes it worse - since she knows where every last one of my buttons are and proceeds to not only push them, but to jump on them for a while.
I have been trying really hard to control my reaction to her because I know that she gets some sort of satisfaction from making me blow my top. Maybe it gives her feel justified to do it herself. I also know that I allowed her temper to increase by ignoring it in the beginning because I thought that it was a phase or, more appropriately, I just didn't know what to do about it, except ignore it. Also, since she was the baby of the family, I allowed her to be selfish from a small age, so now she thinks being selfish is normal.
I say all this not to be negative to my daughter, but to be real and share an area that I really need wisdom and guidance and prayer. I know that it is my responsibility to "train her in the way she should go" and I feel like I am really failing at it!
When she got home from school yesterday at 3:30, she was in rare form and was in time out and had been talked to 3 times before Josh got home at 5. I am tired. I am worn. Did I mention that I was FRUSTRATED?
I love her and I want us to be loving to each other. I thought I would be having these issues when she was a teenager, not when she was 5!
Please say a prayer for me.
I am currently on book number 1,238 (not literally, but it feels like it!). But can I just call in Super Nanny? She gets the kids (and adults) whipped into shape in a matter of a few days.
I have tried talking to her, talking more loudly to her, talking even more loudly. I have tried smacking her bottom after I talk to her. I have tried spending one-on-one time with her. I have tried to ask her about her feelings. I have tried telling how her behavior makes those around her feel. I have read books and more books and more books. I have prayed and prayed and prayed about it. I have prayed with her about it.
She is often a fun, independent, and friendly child. But I feel like she is always on the verge of an eruption and you never know when she will spew her anger and upset and who it will be directed toward - but she seems to do it worse with her immediate family than anyone else. Because of this, when she gets home from school, she seems to have all this pent-up angry energy built up and it always comes out on me.
I am at a complete loss as to what to do. She just has such a quick temper and anger seems like it boils under the surface always in her heart. She also stuffs her feelings inside.
I know that my reaction makes it worse - since she knows where every last one of my buttons are and proceeds to not only push them, but to jump on them for a while.
I have been trying really hard to control my reaction to her because I know that she gets some sort of satisfaction from making me blow my top. Maybe it gives her feel justified to do it herself. I also know that I allowed her temper to increase by ignoring it in the beginning because I thought that it was a phase or, more appropriately, I just didn't know what to do about it, except ignore it. Also, since she was the baby of the family, I allowed her to be selfish from a small age, so now she thinks being selfish is normal.
I say all this not to be negative to my daughter, but to be real and share an area that I really need wisdom and guidance and prayer. I know that it is my responsibility to "train her in the way she should go" and I feel like I am really failing at it!
When she got home from school yesterday at 3:30, she was in rare form and was in time out and had been talked to 3 times before Josh got home at 5. I am tired. I am worn. Did I mention that I was FRUSTRATED?
I love her and I want us to be loving to each other. I thought I would be having these issues when she was a teenager, not when she was 5!
Please say a prayer for me.
I am currently on book number 1,238 (not literally, but it feels like it!). But can I just call in Super Nanny? She gets the kids (and adults) whipped into shape in a matter of a few days.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Organization through Duplication
There are times when I can't share quickly enough all of the blog posts that I have running through my head. There are other times, like now, that I can't think of a single thing that I have a desire to share. During these times, sometimes ideas for blog posts seem like butterflies. The idea will come close for a minute and I will just get a good look at it and then it will flutter away again.
I have toyed often with the idea of being a professional organizer, so I thought I would share some little organization tips that I use in my personal life. And, from lack of anything better to share, I will give you some unsolicited information (but I guess that is what blogging is all about!).
I love to organize and I have little things I do to make my life go more smoothly and be more organized that I think just seem natural or obvious to me. But I have found that they may not seem so obvious or natural to someone else. Also, I am not a clutter person and I think many times duplication can be unnecessary, but I have found that there are some things that it helps me to have more than one (or three) and more than one (or three) places for it. Sometimes organizing can be a creature of its own and keeping things organized can become more of a burden than a help. I love to organize, but I also think that organization should make your life easier and be an integral part of your life and how you live it. That is why one organizing technique that works for one person may not work for another person.
A lot of these things don't really cost that much more or take up that much space, but saves us a lot of headaches, literally!
Here is a random list of things that I keep duplicates of and it may or may not be helpful to you.
1. Headache Medicine. I keep Tylenol and ibuprofen in both the bathroom closet and in the kitchen. Since drinks are in the kitchen and I spend a lot of time there, it just makes sense to have it in the kitchen, too.
2. Facial Cleanser. I keep facial cleanser in my shower and on my sink. I used to only keep it at the sink. Then, if I was in a hurry and wanted to just wash my face in the shower, I would have to remember to put it in the shower. Then at night, I would have to take it back out of the shower again. It doesn't really cost me any extra to have it in both places, since I just use each bottle twice as slow. And an added bonus is that I don't run completely out of it, since I always have some left in one of the bottles.
3. T.V. Remotes. We bought an extra t.v. remote and keep it in a drawer in the kitchen. I will admit, we did this first because we had lost one and then after we broke down and got another universal one, we found the other. But after we had two, I have found that it is very helpful. If we need to turn the t.v. off quickly and don't want to locate the remote, I always have one in the drawer that I can use. Also, if the kids are too focused on the t.v. and not listening to me say it is time to turn the t.v. off and do homework or get dressed, etc., I can just open the drawer and turn it off.
4. Hairbrushes and hairbands. In the same kitchen drawer with the remotes, I keep a brush with hairbands around the handle, in addition to a brush in each of our bathrooms and in Bella's bedroom. Since our kitchen is the hub of activity, especially in the morning, it is easier for me to keep a brush there, so I am not running to the bathroom or trying to get Bella to come back to the bathroom or bedroom to get her hair fixed. I also keep hairbands and a small comb in my purse and in the van, just in case I forget or need to do a quick fix of Bella's hair while we are out.
5. Scissors. I keep scissors on both sides of my kitchen and in both bathroom closets and in my container that I keep my thread and needles in. This saves me so much time from having to run from one place to cut something and then have to remember to get the scissors back to the right location. And, again, if you can't find one pair or they are being used (which happens often with kids), I know I have another pair. I also keep a small pair of sewing scissors in the van console. This has been very helpful to get tags off of purchases that the kids can't wait to use until we get home or last minute gift wrapping. They also came in handy when someone was trying to tie something to their car and needed to cut some twine!
6. Pens and paper. I have pens and paper everywhere. Whenever I print something, if I end up not needing the page, or it was a coupon or something that only took a small portion of the paper, I always immediately cut the paper up into small note size sheets. That way, I can keep from wasting paper and I always have paper to make quick notes on and I don't feel too bad about throwing it away, since it was already re-used once.
7. Recycling bins. I think that the number one reason people choose not to recycle is because it isn't easy or convenient. When we first moved to this house, I didn't really want the ugly blue recycle bin in my kitchen. It quickly became a pain to run recyclables downstairs all the time, but I didn't like them sitting on my counter either. So, I got a regular kitchen trashcan with a lid that I keep in my kitchen and I just put all the recyclables in there together and just take them downstairs to the blue bins about once a week.
8. Craft containers. I rarely use things like traditional jewelry boxes or other organizers that are made specifically for one thing. I frequent the craft aisle and get containers that are practical for my purpose I am using them for now, but they could also be re-purposed if I found that I didn't really need it for the original purpose anymore.
9. Baggies. I have baggies in every size (which sounds strange for a person who is a major recycler!), but I think it helps to have multiple choices, so that you can have one that is big enough for what you need it, without having extra unnecessary bag. I even get small baggies from the craft aisle that are made for beads or small jewelry that are great for really small things, like when I need to carry one or two pills or a button or other small misc. thing that doesn't even require a snack size bag.
10. Books. I have books everywhere, for me and the kids. We have baskets in the living room and on my night stand, shelves in the kids rooms, hidden in the bathroom drawers, on a bookcase by the door (so I can grab it on the way out, if I am going to an appointment and need something while I wait), and some in the back of my van seats. This is an area that I have to battle clutter in constantly, but it helps to have books available everywhere, so we don't have to carry books constantly from one room to another.
This is not an exhaustive list and there are many other ways that I try to streamline how I do things, which I may share in future blog posts, but this is just an idea of ways that I am super-crazy-obsessive, but timely and organized in the process!
I have toyed often with the idea of being a professional organizer, so I thought I would share some little organization tips that I use in my personal life. And, from lack of anything better to share, I will give you some unsolicited information (but I guess that is what blogging is all about!).
I love to organize and I have little things I do to make my life go more smoothly and be more organized that I think just seem natural or obvious to me. But I have found that they may not seem so obvious or natural to someone else. Also, I am not a clutter person and I think many times duplication can be unnecessary, but I have found that there are some things that it helps me to have more than one (or three) and more than one (or three) places for it. Sometimes organizing can be a creature of its own and keeping things organized can become more of a burden than a help. I love to organize, but I also think that organization should make your life easier and be an integral part of your life and how you live it. That is why one organizing technique that works for one person may not work for another person.
A lot of these things don't really cost that much more or take up that much space, but saves us a lot of headaches, literally!
Here is a random list of things that I keep duplicates of and it may or may not be helpful to you.
1. Headache Medicine. I keep Tylenol and ibuprofen in both the bathroom closet and in the kitchen. Since drinks are in the kitchen and I spend a lot of time there, it just makes sense to have it in the kitchen, too.
2. Facial Cleanser. I keep facial cleanser in my shower and on my sink. I used to only keep it at the sink. Then, if I was in a hurry and wanted to just wash my face in the shower, I would have to remember to put it in the shower. Then at night, I would have to take it back out of the shower again. It doesn't really cost me any extra to have it in both places, since I just use each bottle twice as slow. And an added bonus is that I don't run completely out of it, since I always have some left in one of the bottles.
3. T.V. Remotes. We bought an extra t.v. remote and keep it in a drawer in the kitchen. I will admit, we did this first because we had lost one and then after we broke down and got another universal one, we found the other. But after we had two, I have found that it is very helpful. If we need to turn the t.v. off quickly and don't want to locate the remote, I always have one in the drawer that I can use. Also, if the kids are too focused on the t.v. and not listening to me say it is time to turn the t.v. off and do homework or get dressed, etc., I can just open the drawer and turn it off.
4. Hairbrushes and hairbands. In the same kitchen drawer with the remotes, I keep a brush with hairbands around the handle, in addition to a brush in each of our bathrooms and in Bella's bedroom. Since our kitchen is the hub of activity, especially in the morning, it is easier for me to keep a brush there, so I am not running to the bathroom or trying to get Bella to come back to the bathroom or bedroom to get her hair fixed. I also keep hairbands and a small comb in my purse and in the van, just in case I forget or need to do a quick fix of Bella's hair while we are out.
5. Scissors. I keep scissors on both sides of my kitchen and in both bathroom closets and in my container that I keep my thread and needles in. This saves me so much time from having to run from one place to cut something and then have to remember to get the scissors back to the right location. And, again, if you can't find one pair or they are being used (which happens often with kids), I know I have another pair. I also keep a small pair of sewing scissors in the van console. This has been very helpful to get tags off of purchases that the kids can't wait to use until we get home or last minute gift wrapping. They also came in handy when someone was trying to tie something to their car and needed to cut some twine!
6. Pens and paper. I have pens and paper everywhere. Whenever I print something, if I end up not needing the page, or it was a coupon or something that only took a small portion of the paper, I always immediately cut the paper up into small note size sheets. That way, I can keep from wasting paper and I always have paper to make quick notes on and I don't feel too bad about throwing it away, since it was already re-used once.
7. Recycling bins. I think that the number one reason people choose not to recycle is because it isn't easy or convenient. When we first moved to this house, I didn't really want the ugly blue recycle bin in my kitchen. It quickly became a pain to run recyclables downstairs all the time, but I didn't like them sitting on my counter either. So, I got a regular kitchen trashcan with a lid that I keep in my kitchen and I just put all the recyclables in there together and just take them downstairs to the blue bins about once a week.
8. Craft containers. I rarely use things like traditional jewelry boxes or other organizers that are made specifically for one thing. I frequent the craft aisle and get containers that are practical for my purpose I am using them for now, but they could also be re-purposed if I found that I didn't really need it for the original purpose anymore.
9. Baggies. I have baggies in every size (which sounds strange for a person who is a major recycler!), but I think it helps to have multiple choices, so that you can have one that is big enough for what you need it, without having extra unnecessary bag. I even get small baggies from the craft aisle that are made for beads or small jewelry that are great for really small things, like when I need to carry one or two pills or a button or other small misc. thing that doesn't even require a snack size bag.
10. Books. I have books everywhere, for me and the kids. We have baskets in the living room and on my night stand, shelves in the kids rooms, hidden in the bathroom drawers, on a bookcase by the door (so I can grab it on the way out, if I am going to an appointment and need something while I wait), and some in the back of my van seats. This is an area that I have to battle clutter in constantly, but it helps to have books available everywhere, so we don't have to carry books constantly from one room to another.
This is not an exhaustive list and there are many other ways that I try to streamline how I do things, which I may share in future blog posts, but this is just an idea of ways that I am super-crazy-obsessive, but timely and organized in the process!
Only 20 more days!
In just 11 more hours, the number of days I have left in "The Boot" will begin with a 1! I am so excited. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Though, I have to admit, I have gotten quite used to it by now and I will miss the fact that I am hardly ever cold!
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