THE JUNK - Doing the Pile Shuffle

Last week, since it was March break, I had time to do a bit of organizing around the house. I tidied and cleaned the babies room, as that had become the dumping ground of things we weren't sure what to do with when we were doing a quick clean before guests came over. It was amazing the things that came out of that room. I also had the opportunity to tidy the older girls' room. It was ridiculous, I swear my 7 year old is going to be on the show Hoarders when she gets older. By the way a shout out to makers of all children's movies, you made my job going through their stuff much easier. I thank you.

While I was going through the rooms I made the inevitable piles. Piles of clothes to go through to see if they still fit or not. Piles of stuff to go to different rooms in the house. Piles of papers to file, recycle, or shred. Piles that have been sitting there for months waiting for you to do something about and you just get complacent and don't. Piles, piles everywhere.

In a perfect world there would be a place for everything and everything would be in its place. When we were using something we would put it back in its aforementioned place. Life would be quite peachy. When spouses or children asked where an item was we could tell them with confidence instead of racking our brains retracing its steps and trying to remember the last place you saw it. I call that stuff utopia.

I do not live in stuff utopia. Instead I deal with the pile shuffle. No matter what room you tidy there always seems to be a pile of things that made the great migration out of their spot into a room they do not belong. It seems that tidying is just a shuffle of stuff and that it seems to be a never ending shuffle of stuff. The worst is when you are in the middle of a tidying or organizing project and you can't finish it. You have to leave your piles and hope you get back to them soon, otherwise the stuff in the piles want to have a party and start moving and making new friends in piles that are not their own. Or sometimes you simple don't know where to put the item, or don't have the storage set up to house the item. These items are in pile limbo, being shuffled everywhere.

The worst culprits for the pile shuffle are toys. With three kids ranging from 7 to 1 we have toys for different ages and interests. Some toys I have in their bedroom, others are in the living room, the rest are in the playroom in the basement. Yet without fail, the 5 year old wants to play with the babies toy, or their Barbies in their room need to have a movie party downstairs etc. etc. The worst is when they are playing and then want a snack so they bring their toys into the kitchen put them down while they get a yogurt and then leave them there on the floor for me to step on when I do my cooking stuff. I had to ban toys from the kitchen, and so far, so good.

While, we cannot get rid of the piles altogether as they do come in handy, there are somethings they can do to use them as a help and not a hinderance. Here are some tips I thought of while in the middle of the chaotic pile shuffle.

1. Put piles in baskets. This is super helpful for piles of things that don't belong in that room. It makes transport of these items to their proper home so much easier. It also helps keep the piles contained. They won't become the leaning tower of Pisa and merge with other piles. It also helps break up your cleaning. Once the basket is full you can take a break and walk around returning items to their homes. It is nice to be able to take a break to help you feel refreshed and ready for the next round of organizing.
2. Make sure you actually deal with the pile. I know I have just dumped a pile onto the couch or the dining table and then just left it there. If you don't deal with it immediately the items will disperse, get ripped, wrinkled or lost. I know after a long day of organizing it is the last thing you want to do, but your sanity will thank you later.
3. Be honest. If there is an item that always seems to be in a pile, ask yourself "do you really need that item?" If it so important to you it should have a home, or making it a home should be your top priority. If you don't, maybe you shouldn't have that item. (This does not count for files that are needed for taxes or other necessary things like that. Bite the bullet and get a filing system, seriously.) Also, if there is an items that are always in your bedroom but it's home is really in the living room, perhaps you should change its home to the bedroom. Some battles are worth fighting but where a certain toy or magazine is kept is not worth it. Ask yourself "is this really the best place for this?"
4. Give away piles need to leave immediately. For items that are giveaway it is best to put them directly into the box or bag you are going to take to the donation place. As soon as the tidying is done or the bag is full put that bag into your car or out in the garage so no one is tempted to pull things out. You want those items gone, make it as easy as you can for yourself. We are saving items for a yard sale. We have a dedicated spot for those items. It is in a closet so we cannot easily see what is in there. This makes it easier for those items not to get back into the rooms.
5. Be realistic. Right now I have three young kids. My expectations for what I can get through, organizing wise, is quite low. My 1 year-old is quite fast at emptying baskets, getting rid of piles, finding the quickest way to make the biggest mess. It is a true art really. Don't give yourself a huge pile to sort through unless you know you have the time to do it, without interruptions or "help" from little hands. It will make you feel frustrated if you are constantly not able to get it done. Accept what you can do with your limitations and be happy with that. Also accept that you might need help and do what you can to get that help.

Remember the less your things go on vacation the less rounding up of them you will have to do. Make their homes a place that makes sense for their use and try to educate others in your home of where they belong, but listen to your families input as well. What might make sense to you, will not always make sense for others. Work together on this.

What do you do to reduce the amount of time you have to do the pile shuffle?

March Break!

Here in Ontario it is March Break. The kids have a week off school. It can be a busy time of traveling, doing interesting things and visiting with family. This year we just stayed at home, but we definitely haven't been bored. It is amazing the fun things we can do, that aren't that expensive, if we really put our minds to it.

We have a yearly family pass for our local museum. Right now they have an exhibit on about shipwrecks. My husband took the kids to see it, leaving me time alone to get things done around the house. It was so nice and the kids had a blast. There were pirates there that put on a show, they got to enter a hurricane tube that showed them what a category one hurricane felt like. They got to see real treasure from real shipwrecks. It is pretty amazing.

We are lucky this winter to have lots of outdoor ice rinks. The past few winters it have been too warm for outdoor ice rinks. We went to one at city hall and we went to a neighbourhood one. It is amazing how the kids skills have improved this year, even though we have only gone skating a handful of time. I am hoping to go one more time, maybe tomorrow. We would have gone skating today but it is too cold. Tomorrow looks much better.

We have had some fun times playing with friends. It is nice when kids have good friends and they get along so well. It is hard when they have arguments and fighting amongst themselves. So, when they play for four hours and have fun and are happy and being kind for that long, man, it's magical.

Today we are going swimming at our local pool. It is nice when during holidays and breaks they make extra swimming time available. We went on Tuesday as well and the kids had a blast. I love seeing them being brave and exploring the water. They are now willing to try new things in the water and actually put their face in without fear or trepidation.

So that has been our March Break. The house work has been put on hold and the family time has been ramped up.

What do you like to do during school breaks or holidays?

THE JUNK - You Have a Give Away Pile. Now What?

It has been awhile since I have written my junk series. Probably because I am in the midst of dealing with my junk and am trying not to be too hypocritical.  ;-)

So, you have gone through your stuff. You have put all the recycling in recycling and all your garbage into the garbage. Now you are left with all the other stuff that is still useful, just not useful to you at this moment. What do you do? This is a tough question to answer. A lot of this stuff you paid for with hard earned cash. You don't want to simply give it away. Yet sometimes we are so desperate to have it gone, or fear if it doesn't go away that instant it is doomed to be plucked from the giveaway pile and will forever be part of your household.

Here are some ideas.

Take items of good quality/repair to a consignment shop

I do this with my kids clothing that still has a lot of wear left, but my kids just don't want to wear anymore. I am lucky to have a great kids clothing consignment shop just down the street from me. Their store is set up so you get a percentage of what the item sold for. You can either get the money in cash or save it as store credit. Since I buy a lot of my kids clothing there I keep it as store credit. There is nothing as satisfying as walking out of a store with lots of nice clothes and not having to spend an penny on it (ok, a nickel as our penny has gone the way of the dodo).

There are other consignment stores for adult clothes, furniture, or other good quality items. That is the thing with consignment stores. They are more picky about what they take in because they want the item to sell, so, if they turn away your stuff, don't feel bad, it's just not in their niche.

Consignment stores also have different agreements/contracts. Most have a set time they will allow that item to be in the store. And then either you let them dispose of it how they will or you have to go and get it. At the kids consignment store I use, they have the item on their racks for 3 months. After that they slash the price by 50% and have it their for another 3 months. If is still hasn't sold you can come in and get your item or just leave it there (you just won't get a commission for it). I usually just leave my stuff there if it hasn't sold. My mindset if I can get money awesome, if not, well at least it is out of my house!

Host an item swap

This is a great way to get rid of things but still getting something in return. My kids' school just hosted a book, movie and game swap. I got rid of some of the icky children's books I loathe to read, and we got to pick up some that are cool and don't fill me with loathing.

There are many ways you can do a swap. You could make it an item for item thing. So if you bring in three items you can leave with three items. Or you can bring in your items and leave with however many items you want. You can make it for just clothing, or just books, or just toys, or just kitchen gadgets. Or have it be a smorgasbord event.

A church near me has a clothing swap. You bring in a bag of clothes and get a ticket for either a small bag or a big bag depending on what you brought in. This allows you to take that size bag of stuff home for free. If you didn't bring in any items  you can still bring stuff home it just costs you $1 for a small bag or $3 for a big bag.

A swap is great because you can either do it on a small scale with friends, or on a huge community scale. It's up to you, but it is a great way to get new to you stuff, for free.

Yard Sale

This is a great way to get cash for your junk without needing a middleman. Sometimes you can get your whole neighbourhood together and have a neighbourhood yard sale. You will get more people coming by and it is fun to do things with others.

Make sure you do yard sales when the weather is warm and people want to be outside. This might not be a big deal for people who live in climates where it doesn't snow, but here in Canada, please wait until May, it will be too cold otherwise.

When you are putting a yard sale together make sure you have clear prices. This doesn't mean you have to label every single item. You could have signs that say, Books $0.25 or Fill a bag of clothes for $1. When you do this people can prepare their money and won't constantly be asking you "how much". Be prepared for hagglers. At the end of the day you are not having a yard sale to make a million dollars, you just want some compensation for your junk, so make some deals.

Another tip is be ready for the early birds. Hardcore yard salers start combing the streets early, like 7ish early. Sacrifice sleeping in and be ready for them. Have money ready to make change. If possible make your sale a rain or shine event, that way you don't have to plan on spending another Saturday with the yard sale, this could mean hosting it in your garage or putting up some sort of shelter.

Put item on Kijiji or another online sale website

My husband is the king of kijiji. He can sell anything, and have it sold fast. His tips are take lots of pictures of the items from a variety of angles. People want to see what you are offering without having to come see it physically. We get lots of contacts because people can see from the comfort of their own home what exactly we are offering.

Another tip is to make your add interesting. My husband comes up with some of the funniest little lines when making up his add. It takes him an hour to put it together, but it gets results. We have never had to wait longer than half a day to get someone interested in our item and usually it is sold within two days.

I have done all those things now what?

If you have done those things and still have items left over this is when you need to make a decision. What is more important, trying to get money back on these items, or having a house with less clutter and junk? At the end of the day it is your decision. There is no right or wrong answer. Though I will admit, having less clutter and junk around definitely helps my blood pressure go down and I can spend more time with my family than worrying about what to do with items that I don't love.

This spring we are going to have a yard sale. I have a closet in the basement where I have been putting various items we want to get rid of. My husband and I have decided that as soon as the yard sale is done we are gathering all the items that haven't sold and donating them to charity. For us having less clutter is the answer for us.

Patience is a Virtue

Patience is sometimes hard to come by. It is something I am working on. But honestly! When I've asked five times for my one daughter to get her coat on I see red! But, as I said, it is something I am working on, and somedays are better than others. I think that is something we can say for most things.

The more I live (or try to live) my simple life values, the more I realize how much being patient plays a role. This is not the life for instant gratification. You can't plant your tomato plants one day and expect to find fully ripened tomatoes the next. We need to be patient, nurturing and learning individuals. Our gratification comes from hard work: keeping and maintaining our home, raising children, gardening, baking, cooking, keeping on budget, making items ourselves learning new skills... All essential, all hard work, all require patience.

This was brought home to me as I was tracking our spending and making sure we were on track with some of our financial goals. When my husband and I made our budget we chose a few household projects to accomplish this year and figured out how much money would be needed to be set aside for them. That's great. Look at us being all adulty and responsible. But, the waiting game starts. We know we have a plan, unfortunately the plan takes time and I want to get going right now! I want all the money saved up now. I want other projects to be happening now. I know I need to just stick to the plan and everything will work out, but, it is hard to fight off this sense of urgency. I guess I need to shut off that part of my brain somehow. I need to know I have a plan, feel confident in my plan and wait for everything to work out.

There will always be a to-do list, a repair list, a renovation list, a things to save for list. And, as much as it would be nice to get all those things done at once, it is an impossibility. We need to be patient, prudent and prioritizing. All our dreams can come true with patience and hard work. I guess the simple life isn't always so simple. But, it is worth it.

February Blahs

I don't know what is happening, but I think it is safe to say that I have the case of the February blahs. I am just not feeling as excited about things as I normally am. Even the Olympics, which I love, are becoming a bit, meh to me. It's not that I feel really depressed or anything, but, just, blah.

Perhaps it is because I'm tired of the extreme cold we have been having her in the 'loo lately. It is way below seasonal and that wears you down after awhile. Although, this morning it was such a nice warm temperature, well, warm for winter standards. I chatted with some of the moms after school drop off for about 30 minutes. Maybe things are going to start looking up.

I am definitely tired of the bundling up routine we have going in the mornings. First I put on my boots and then my jacket. Then I have to get a squirmy 11 month old into her snow suit. Put her hat on, which she promptly tries to take off, and sometimes succeeds. Then I have to finagle her mittens on. I then put on my Boba 3G carrier. (It is the best baby carrier ever. I love it! Ergo Smergo. Bobas are where it is at.) Then I have to put in said squirmy baby into the carrier. I put the house key in my pocket. Put my hat and mittens on, and then I'm set. The whole time I am getting myself and the baby ready I am searching for lost mittens, helping with stuck zippers and in generally trying to urge along the other two, who would much rather be playing then getting ready for school. So, all of that for a 5 minute walk to school. Gak!

February is also the month where we are trying hard to stick to our austere budget, when really we would much rather be having fun doing other things. It is tough to balance what the kids want to do and what we want to do for our kids, with the reality of budget constraints and knowing what they actually need. But it is also nice to have a plan and financial goals. You know you are going someplace and are not depriving yourself for now reason. It is the whole appreciating the simple things, the things that really matter.

Having the February blahs seems to magnifies everything you are not exactly content with in your life and makes it a bigger issue than what it really is. Example, daughters socks not getting into the laundry hamper. Usually not a big deal, though it would be nice for the socks to be together in the hamper than separated on the floor. This month it is the world greatest catastrophe, well, at least to me.

I guess this is just part of the ebbs and flows of life. Seasons will change. The gray icky snow will soon melt and bring beautiful daffodils and tulips. And already I am starting to get some of my usual cheerfulness back and getting out of my meh drudgery.

What do you do to get out of your February blahs?

Olympics! Yay!

from flags.net

I don't know why, because I am not the most athletic person in the world, but I love the Olympics, specifically the winter Olympics. I love watching the skiing and the skating and the luge and the bobsleigh. I love seeing nations coming together, putting aside differences and competing. Of course there is always controversy. It wouldn't be life without it. But there is something about the Olympics that gives it an almost mystical quality.
As you can see, Olympic fever is running through our house. Since we don't have cable t.v. we watch the events we want online. CBC is doing a superb job broadcasting here in Canada. I am so glad they got the rights back. The great thing about watching online is I don't have to watch hockey if I don't want to. I know Canada is supposed to be this hockey nation, but I don't get it personally. I would much rather watch the finesse of a perfectly thrown curling stone, than see a hockey player hack away at the puck. It is just not that exciting for me. And, as the stations usually broadcast hockey games, making me miss other events, I can just skip all that and watch the events that I like. Isn't it great that we live in a time of such a technological marvel?

Even the dentist office is in Olympic spirits. I went to get my teeth cleaned today and they had a t.v. with the Olympics on. So much for reading my book. All the staff were in their Canada gear and there were flags everywhere. It was so neat to see.

I think that is what is so special about the Olympics. Whether you are athletic or not. It binds us together. Our nation, no matter how divisive we are during the rest of the year, comes together in support of something that is greater than ourselves. We look outside ourselves and we send our collective support to people we don't even know.  Other nations, who are smaller or less well off than our own, we cheer and celebrate them, wanting them to do well. I guess what I am trying to say is the Olympics helps us remember that we are more the same than we are different. That we all want love and support and worthy goals.

So enjoy the Olympic season. Cheer for your nation. Cheer for competing nations. Cheer for being part of this amazing global village!

Kids Making Meals Check In

So it has been four weeks now since the kids have been taking turns to make one meal a week. And so far it is going really well. At first I thought that it would just be my oldest two alternating weeks. But, my husband has decided it was time to add some well balanced meals to his cooking arsenal and asked to be added to the rotation. I am very excited about that!

Week one was fun. I took my middle daughter to the grocery store with me. This is a bit of a sacrifice for me because I loved having my alone time at the grocery store. It was a chance for me to just relax and be by myself. But, this is one sacrifice I do not mind making. It is fun teaching them about what tomatoes to choose or teaching them the lessons between buying cheap and buying quality. The meal that this daughter chose was hot dogs with watermelon and a mashed banana dip. Yummers! I let her pick out her own hot dog buns (cheaper the better), and wieners (quality is nice). She chose the no preservative natural wieners and I was very cool with that.

When it was time for her to prepare the meal I fully expected to be in the kitchen helping her. But, to my great surprise my wonderful husband helped her instead. So I got to sit back and relax. It was very nice.

Week two was my oldest daughter's turn. She chose to make macaroni and cheese. But, not the homemade kind with the grating and the white sauce and the baked goodness that comes out of your oven. Nope. Macaroni and cheese from a box, with the weird cheese powder that is so fluorescent you wonder how it is even food. One the plus side she picked the store brand box so it was $0.50 instead of $1 or more.

Once again I was fully expecting to be helping in the kitchen. But, my husband stepped in and helped her too! I must say I am feeling pretty spoiled.

I know that the meals that they chose were not the most healthy, or complex, but, my kids are four and six. I think it is just great that they are cooking and that they are excited about this. And, as this is their first meal, simple is good.

Week three was my husbands turn. Now I love my husband, but I was a bit apprehensive when he was making his selection. He is notorious for loving and wanting the blandest food known to man. Pasta with grated cheddar, or perogies, that are just boiled and that's it. I need sauce, or onions or something with a little bit of flavour. At first he was going to have penne with grated cheese. Something that he already knew how to make. With a little bit of persuasion I was able to convince him to branch out a bit more. Keep the penne but add a new element. He loves sausage and pepper penne from East Side Mario's so that is what he decided to make. He found the recipe himself told me what to buy and then he did it himself. He only asked me one question. And man was it delish! I think I will have to put it into my regular menu.

Week four was back to the middle daughter. This week she chose tacos! As already said before in a previous post, I love tacos! I was very excited. She put the meat in the pan but I cooked it, she then grated the cheese herself, prepared the lettuce, made the seasoning mix, but the shells on the cookie tray and put everything on the table. Pretty good for a four year old!

All of them, even my husband, felt so proud of their accomplishments. The girls loved helping and contributing to their family. So if you have young kids, or young at heart ones, I encourage you to give this a try. It is so fun to see their smiles and looks of pride when they know they have made a delicious meal for their family. Mommy having a break from cooking once a week doesn't hurt either!