In preparation of posting this blog, I just zip-tied a scarecrow to my front stair railing. And threw away 3 tattered Fall colored dried flower… things.
This may sound odd, but this week is a GREAT TIME to get rid of your Halloween Decorations. And Easter, and Independence Day and Arbor Day (though I don’t believe we decorate much for Arbor Day), etc.
Look around your home this week. Are you decorated for Halloween? Or for Fall, in general?
Yes? Great.
Are there still Halloween / Autumn themed items in the bins/ boxes/corner of the basement or garage where you store such things?
Yes?
Why? Why are you keeping decorations you don’t use? If your house is decorated satisfactorily, and there are leftover decorations that did not get used this year, please take the time to think about just WHY you are still keeping these leftovers. Let me be the voice of reason here, and suggest that if these decorations didn’t make the cut this year, they are even less likely to be the Decorations of Choice in years to come.
True? Yes, you know it is.
The same logic can be applied to other holidays, too! Don’t tackle Christmas decor this week, though, the other holidays are enough for now, and Christmas Decor tends to be a much bigger project! It’s easy to be objective about your Easter and Spring decor in October, trust me. This week, look at your items – REALLY look at them – and decide now if you want them to stay or go. Bag them up, donate them, sell them on FB, etc., just make the clutter leave your home.
We, and our seasonal decor, have evolved over time. These days, seasonal decor runs toward cut flowers in a favorite vase, door wreaths, table runners, linens and scented candles. The last two Christmas grab-bag exchanges have kept me well supplied with festive dish towels, see photo (thank you, family! These make me laugh!). All are: easy to transition; easy to store; appealing to the senses (smell, sight, touch); and personal, collected with care over time.
Check out your seasonal decorations this week, and toss all the left-over and unloved seasonal decor. Clearing the clutter now will make putting away your Halloween and Autumn decor so much easier, and will ease the transition into the next season.
needs a name and a purpose. If you call your drawer a junk drawer, or your room a junk room, junk will end up there. So, as you assign a home for your items, group them logically and by purpose. Perhaps you end up with:
Getting your Tech and Home organized for family productivity is a great idea any time, but especially for Back To School! Read on for 11 tips for getting your Tech and Home in order!
kitchen counter where you need to make dinner; add storage for cords not being used; and a surge protector (new ones include USB ports). We mounted ours on the wall, to cut down on counter clutter. And here’s an idea – if your cords “wander off” sometimes, like mine, label the chargers and cords with a sharpie or label maker, or choose a color per person (once I started buying pink earphones and cords, they stopped disappearing. Go figure!).
good habits and keep her motivated to keep up the good work. A star for each day a certain task is completed, and a full week of stars on the chart earns a prize for the weekend (Special outing with a friend, fresh flowers for her home, perhaps a special snack or prize?). This tried and true motivator works for kids AND adults!
Are you or a loved one a visual learner? As you establish new Good Habits, use visual reminders like lists, post-it notes, highlighters or REALLY BIG CLOCKS, or have your technology send you text messages.
labeled folder in the command center in the kitchen. I shared the location and purpose with them, I will add to the folders as mail or info comes in, and they will check the folders every couple of days (at least that is the plan!!). No more counter piles – yeah!!
and birth certificate, so he learned where we keep them (a small fireproof portable safe) and how to access them. The very nice lady at the Sec of State also reminded him that he needs to learn his Social Security # (we’ve told him this, but it means more coming from someone else!!).
He mentioned that he had thrown a lot away (hooray) and sorted the rest into broad categories, like school and music and college. I suggested 2 other categories, Boy Scouts and bank statements. We went to Office Depot, bought a $15 file tote, and made hanging file holders for each of his categories.
presentation at a local library.
don’t you think? That before I sat down to write this article, I was moving our laundry through the process, too?!
Get the dirty laundry to the laundry room.