Talk About Attachment Planning

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Really big candy bar anyone?


You know how lazy I am right? It says so right up there. I am also very forgetful. I'm so forgetful that I can't remember if I'm organized or not.

I was on my way to a meeting a couple weeks ago and I started having a panic attack because I had forgotten to write down the address of the meeting before I left. I pulled out my planner to see if there was any hope for me and low and behold not only had I previously written down the address but I had googled detailed directions and I had a phone number in case I still got lost (which can happen because Google maps is not all knowing). I was prepared and didn't even know it!

I can't even tell you how many times my compulsive organizing has saved my lazy, forgetful behind. Many.

Question from a reader:

How long did it take you to become attached to your planner? I've
been trying for over a year, and I just can't seem to keep track of it, or
regularly turn to it.

I'm so over scheduled right now, and not
surprisingly, overwhelmed. I really need to keep organized so I don't forget and
regret.

Dawn

Let me start by saying it was not easy and it took years so don't lose hope.

I use a method I call Attachment Planning; wearing your planner, co-sleeping with your planner, and spending every minute of every day with your planner. The two of you cannot ever be separated by time or space. This will help create an unbreakable bond with your planner that will foster healthy dependence and security. I write everything in my planner that I can think of. Everything. I keep my planner in my purse and it goes everywhere with me; to the store, to the gym and even to bed. I wouldn't be able to do that if I had a big full sized planner. Which brings me to my next point.

Find a planner that will work for you. I'm sure most planners out there are good but I believe the most important feature of a planner is the size. Whether paper or electronic, if your planner is too small or too big for your needs then you won't use it. I have tried electronic planners and as much as I like gadgets and computers, paper works better for me. The number one reason is probably because it is cheap. Or I'm cheap. Whatever. Meet my old planner. Meet my new planner. My old one worked great but I like my new one even better and it's oh so pretty too.

You need quality and quantity time with your planner. Every day. Make it a habit. I did that over a year ago in January with Smart Habit Saturday and haven't looked back. I have a longer planning session with my planner every morning and every night and then I consult with it again several times a day as I make needed notes.

I need to address a very important issue regarding planners. According to the Gospel of Lazy, Thou shalt have no other planners above your ONE and ONLY planner. If you are trying to juggle five different calendars you are just asking for trouble. If you want to keep a calendar on the wall for your family to look at that is fine but things must be scheduled into your personal planner first and then transfered onto the family calendar, not vice versa. If you are a person with different planners for home and office and kids and it's working for you then just ignore me. Most people are not that talented.

Additionally - Thou shalt NEVER make plans with anyone without checking thy planner first. Though shalt NEVER leave thy home or office without looking at thy planner first. Thou shalt NEVER read thy e-mails or talk on the phone without thy planner right beside thee. Thou shalt NEVER overschedule thyself. If you are married then thou might also want to apply Stranger's Law in thy life.

Ok, enough of that.

I feel like a different person since I have finally made Attachment Planning work for me. Take the time to make it work for you too and watch it change your life!

An additional note.

My ten year old is obsessive compulsive about our schedule. He wants a repeated, detailed, play-by-play of every upcoming moment of our lives. This has always been annoying for me to say the least but it is getting worse as he gets older. Finally I had him (made him) buy a small planner this year where he can write everything down so I don't have to repeat myself fifty times. The added benefit is that he tells me fifty times a day what we are supposed to be doing and when. I'm not sure if I am contributing to his obsessive complusiveness or if I am helping it but we haven't missed a dang thing since.

Oh, and how do I get him to write things in his planner because he is as lazy as his Mom and doesn't naturally want to take the time to do it on his own? When he asks me questions about our activities I won't answer him unless he has his planner in his hands and is ready to write.

I know. I'm mean and I like to torture him like that.

What are you talking about this week?

*Important - Please link to your individual Talk About Tuesday post instead of your home page or else my Obsessive Compulsive Disorder will have to spend time fixing the links. Here is how you link to an individual post if you’ve never done it before: Right click on the date at the bottom of the post you want to link to (or the post title depending on where you blog) click “Copy Shortcut” and then paste it into Mr. Linky.

I Totally Have This Birthday Thing Figured Out

First of all, what kid doesn't love to bake, design and decorate his own birthday cake?

Birthday Cake - check

Second of all wait until a friend plans a fun day of sledding, invites all your other friends, borrows a snowmobile so her husband can haul everyone up the hill, cleans HER house and makes hot chocolate for everyone. Then ask her if you can bring a cake because it just happens to be your son's birthday.

Birthday Party - check



Lastly, telepathically convince your piano teacher Jane to schedule the Christmas recital the same evening so you can enjoy entertainment with even more friends and family and then have your husband make yummy Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Thingies for a late night snack when you get home.

Entertainment - Check
Party Food - Check

Later the birthday boy could be heard saying, "I must have the best family in the whole wide world."

Deliriously happy ten year old - Check!

I will admit to making an Oreo Cheesecake for the after party party and to putting dinner in the crock pot before all the festivities began but really, I just sat back and enjoyed the rest of it. It may be pure evil genius but it was genius all the same. Or good luck. Whichever.

Kids Love to Organize

I suggested to my nine year old yesterday that we go through his many handed-down clothes. He has older cousins so he gets lots of great clothes but he couldn't possibly wear them all. Well, he does try to wear them all that's why he always has a mountain of dirty clothes in his room.

He was all for the idea of getting rid of some of them. While he was trying them on for me he said, "I really love how I'm making all these great changes in my life Mom."

Wow! Who knew that organizing clothes could be such a life changing experience for a nine year old boy!


P.S. What do you think of my little baby ticker in the sidebar? (If you click on it it will change from days to weeks etc.) Is it cute or creepy? I can't decide.

Organized Toys

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I am thankful for the changes I've been able to make in my life because I've learned to get organized. I'm also incredibly thankful that my MIL had Thanksgiving dinner at her house and I didn't have to cook a thing. My nine year old made rolls which, if you must know, we let rise all over the inside of the oven. What can I say, I got started on a project, he was washing dishes and we both forgot to check them. We rescued them however and they were still wonderful even if a few of them may have had bits of burned flakes from the bottom of the stove.

More about my current project tomorrow...

Today it's Jane again. This is a toy shelf she keeps in her basement so kids have something to play with while they're waiting for their sibling's piano lessons. Isn't Jane so thoughtful? Don't forget that I didn't ask her ahead of time if I could take photos of her house. It looks picture perfect all the time.

Someone asked if she had children. She has one daughter that is eleven and some grown children. Don't let that fool you though because my house was a disaster even before I had children. What was my excuse? Jane has always been organized, small children or none.

Join me every day this month for GeMoOrgNo - Get More Organized Now! I started an official group at NaBloPoMo. If you would like to join you may go there and request an invitation.

More Participants - Make sure you check out their fun photos and posts!
Multi-Tasking Mommy
My Pursuit of Happiness
Just About Perfect
Tyler's Triumph

Rules of Gift Giving

Christmas is coming!!!

Are you getting excited yet? I'm not! I think a perfectly wonderful holiday has been ruined by commercialism. Maybe it's the organizer in me or maybe I'm just a pessimist but I can't stand all the clutter, the shopping, the noise and the over spending. Luckily we don't watch TV so we are saved from the worst of it but as of Friday I won't want to step a foot outside the comfort of my own home.

Last year we spent two weeks in California to escape it all and spend time together as a family. Christmas day on the beach was wonderful!!! I'm trying to talk everyone into doing it again this year. I don't think I'm going to have to talk very hard. Yes we spent a bit of money on the vacation instead of on presents but I'd rather pay for memories than a bunch of junk that no one will remember in five years let alone 50. My kids will always remember the trip we took.

After reading this article, Cristina asked me what we give our kids for Christmas. Not a lot. They get a stocking full of useful trinkets like school supplies, puzzles, fun bandaids and shampoos etc. Then they usually get one present from us. Something useful of course. I'm not saying we never give toys because to a small child, toys are useful. But when we give toys we try to pick something that will be played with over and over and will last close to forever. Here are some things that have worked for us for Christmas or Birthday presents. I'll add to it as I think of things.

• Puzzles, games (as long as they are kept in a cupboard and put away after each use they will last a long time)
• Dolls (but not all the little crap that goes with them and will end up cluttering your house)
• A doll stroller or a shopping cart for a boy (they might not last forever but they get played with to death)
• Ride on pony (My girls love theirs but we bought them after Christmas when they were $10 instead of $60)
• Toy kitchen with minimal dishes
• Little tykes gym with slide (This would be great. We have something like this.)
• Trampoline (this may not work for you but our kids live on ours)
• Swingset
• Building blocks or a wooden train set
• Legos never go out of style
• Bikes, scooters, roller blades, helmets etc.
• Cd players (I won't buy my kids MP3 players because I don't want them tuning out the world around them.)
• Snorkel set with fins and mask (We swim a lot.)
• Books of course
• Tool box with REAL tools (you can add tools to it every year)
• Sports equipment
• Sewing machine (My kids won't get one until they are ready to leave home because they can use mine until then.)
• Craft projects and supplies
• Art supplies
• Clothes (I almost never give clothes for Christmas because we have already bought our winter clothes by then. I don't see the point in giving a new coat for Christmas when the kid needed it in October.)
• Gardening supplies (Please don't give this to your child in the middle of winter! Wait for a spring birthday.)
• A musical instrument if it's something they have been wanting. Although it might make a better family gift in case the child doesn't stick with it.
• Quilt or blanket they can drag around the house. My kids got these two years ago and they are great because I don't have to worry about my nice quilts getting ruined in a fort slide.

Of coure you aren't going to buy your child a gift if it doesn't fit with your family standards but also don't buy it for him just because it's something YOU want him to have. If your child isn't into sports, don't buy him/her a new basketball. This sounds obvious but I have done it before so I'm sure some of you (or your spouses) have too.

Another obvious one is to give age appropriate gifts. Don't buy your thee year old a cd player. Don't buy your four year old an adult sized soccer ball. Not that anyone I know has ever done that.

Also don't give a gift to one child that the whole family will want to use. For instance a game will go to the whole family not one child that will pitch a fit when they're mad and tell their sister she can't play it. The rule in our family is, if something belongs to someone then they don't have to share it if they don't want to. Ever. Of course I have my own exceptions to this rule. If someone owns a book and they choose to keep it on the family bookshelf than anyone is free to read it. Things like that.

As far as Grandparents go, there is not much you can do about their generous spending and gift giving. We've tried to encourage family gifts or paying for lessons or classes but that hasn't gone over well. You can make all the suggestions you want but they are are still going to buy what they want to buy.

Chris is doing a Gift Guide on her blog with some fun toys and games you might be interested in.

I think what I should do for the whole month of December is a daily post of Stupid Gifts I Had Better Not Catch You Paying Good Money For. Would that be fun?

If you're playing by my rules of gift giving then once the Holidays are over you will need to keep your kids locked up so they don't hear about all the loot their friends got that they didn't. Either that or you can teach your kids about spending money wisely and appreciating what they have. If you talk they WILL listen. This is just my observation but sometimes the more you give your kids, the more ungrateful they will be. Go figure.

My favorite places to shop are garage sales, thrift stores and Ebay. I know a lot of people are trying to buy only handmade gifts these day so you may want to spend some time over at Etsy as well.

Happy gift giving! Or better yet...find other ways to spread the joy of the season.

Organized Playroom

This is what happens when a friend with six kids comes to visit! Victor cleaned it up last week and then the two older kids and I went through and organized all of it. Persistence is ruthless when it comes to throwing things out because it's usually her job to clean it all up. She was trying to throw some things out that made me say, "No! We have to keep that!"



Much better. There was a basket full of things that belonged in other rooms. We got rid of a box of stuffed animals and another box of dress-ups and junkie toys.



This is a tiny room that doesn't even have a closet so it doesn't hold much. Some day it will be a guest room but I like it as a toy room. (And some day I will make a real curtain for the door!) It is just off the living room so it's easy to put things away that wander out and we can shut the door when we don't want to look at the mess. Better yet we can lock the mess in and the kids out! It's been nice to get all the clutter out of the girl's bedroom. We kept two boxes of dress-ups and costumes, one box of stuffed animals and dolls and one box of dishes.



We have one cupboard in the living room that's full of puzzles and games and my kids have a box of Lego's, a box of trains and a box of cars under their beds but these are the only toys the kids own. Are you feeling sorry for them yet? I'm not and you can be sure we won't be buying them any toys for Christmas. I think they already have more than enough.



Really, what more does a cowgirl need?

A note about our tumbling mat in case anyone asks. I keep it in this room to give the kids a soft place to play. We bought it the year I was pregnant with Lovely and it just about saved our sanity that winter. The kids tumbled away the cold dark days. Anyone with little kids should get one if they have the space to spread it out. It folds up neatly in a corner when you're not using it and it's also great for forts. We got a good deal on ours because it was damaged but they can be pricey. It would make a great Christmas present for the whole family. Haven't you always wanted to see your husband do a cartwheel?

Join me every day this month for GeMoOrgNo - Get More Organized Now! I started an official group at NaBloPoMo. If you would like to join you may go there and request an invitation.

More Participants
Multi-Tasking Mommy
My Pursuit of Happiness
With an Angel on my Shoulder
Just About Perfect
Tyler's Triumph

If you also want to join me in posting your own organizing photo every day leave a comment here and I'll add you to the list.

Talk About Kid's Responsibilities

Welcome to Talk About Tuesday! If you are new you can check out the Guidelines before posting. Thanks for joining us!




The kids have been taking piano lessons for about a month and their teacher has the most organized home I have ever seen. There is a place for everything and everything is in its place.

When we were there this afternoon she let me snap a few photos. I have to pace myself since I'm posting photos for thirty days but there are more to come.



I thought some of you might be interested in the lists she keeps on her fridge in case you want to make your own.



Unfortunately I don't have any great projects to report since Halloween took up most of our energy. What do you have to talk about this week?

Join me every day this month for GeMoOrgNo - Get More Organized Now! I started an official group at NaBloPoMo. If you would like to join you may go there and request an invitation.

More Participants
Multi-Tasking Mommy
My Pursuit of Happiness
With an Angel on my Shoulder
Just About Perfect

If you also want to join me in posting your own organizing photo every day leave a comment here and I'll add you to the list.

*I'm sorry my permalinks aren't working for November. This has never happened before so I have no idea what the problem is! You will have to link to my home page instead of individual pages until I get it figured out. Thanks!

*Important - Please link to your individual Talk About Tuesday post instead of your home page or else my Obsessive Compulsive Disorder will have to spend time fixing the links. Here is how you link to an individual post if you’ve never done it before: Right click on the date at the bottom of the post you want to link to (or the post title depending on where you blog) click “Copy Shortcut” and then paste it into Mr. Linky.

Assigned Seating

Some of you might remember an old WFMW that I posted last year about curing sibling rivalry. It worked for us for years but now that my kids are a little older I have had to think of a new system. They just don't care that much anymore whether or not they get to answer the phone or say the prayer before we eat. Either that or I just got too old to keep track of whose week it was.

We have a new system now that works even better and I call it Assigned Seating. One thing all parents soon discover about kids is that they will fight about anything and I mean anything. This is news to me of course because I never fought with my siblings. No, of course not.

My children are expert at it though. Even if my daughter likes to sit in the back seat of the van she is willing to fight her brother to the death to sit in the middle row of seats just because she knows that's where he wants to sit and he will do the same. With Assigned Seating there is almost no fighting. My daughter sits in the back and my son and two year old sit in the middle, exactly where they wanted to sit in the fist place but without any fighting. The also have an assigned seat at the dinner table and they each have their own seat in the living room.

Assigned Seating goes beyond just seating arrangements however. It also includes chores around the house. We do not change jobs every day or week or month. The kids negotiate their responsibilities in our family counsels, I have final word and that is what they are stuck with until a new deal is struck.

We have had a new saying at our house ever since our two year old was potty trained. "He feeds her, she pees her." Quaint isn't it? It means that my son is in charge of feeding Lovely in the car (which I'm ashamed happens as often as it does) and my daughter is in charge of taking her potty. There is no arguing or complaining about it. They just do it.

There is no argument about whose turn it is to do dishes. It's my son's turn. Every day. For the rest of his life. Until I change my mind. We don't have to wonder about whose turn it is to feed the chickens or the cats or water the horses. We always know whose turn it is to vacuum out the van or put laundry away. They are all assigned jobs.

Any time the kids think they can whine and complain to get out of doing something they will. Once they know their fate is sealed there is no reason to argue. They just do it.

I might sound like a tyrant but any time I ask my son if he would like a different jobs besides washing dishes he tells me, "No way! Washing dishes is way easier than cleaning the rest of the house!"

And we live happily ever after.

Till the brother smacks the sister upside the head the next time he passes her in the hall. Does anyone have a cure for that?

Try it and see if Assigned Seating works for you too! Check out more WFMW tips at Rocks in My Dryer.

More tips on teaching kids to work.

Thou Shalt Not Overschedule Thyself

A couple years ago I was tired of making bad scheduling decisions and my husband was tired of hearing me complain about it so he finally laid down the Law.

Thou Shalt Consult Thy Husband Before Making Any Plans with Friends and Family

Of course I don't always follow Stranger's Law but I save myself a lot of frustration when I do. Stranger isn't a controlling husband, he just wants my life to be as happy and stress free as possible so here's how it works.

Alice calls and asks if I would like to use her extra tickets to take my kids to the Symphony the next day and by the way could she and her kids catch a ride with us because her car is in the shop? I would love nothing more than to go to the symphony and Alice's life might end if I don't take it upon myself to drive her there so instead of checking my planner to see what I already have scheduled for the next day I say, "Of course!"

But then I looked down at the *tattoo on the top of my right hand that says "Thou Shalt Consult Thy Husband First" and say, "Oh wait a minute Alice, I need to talk to my husband to see if that's going to work for us."

So I call Stranger and he says, "What else do you have planned for tomorrow?"

"Oh, I didn't think of that. (Because that would be too easy.) It looks like I'm having a root canal in the morning and then I'm babysitting the neighbor's two year old triplets for six hours while she has her hair and nails done. I guess I can't really fit the symphony into any of that." Apparently I didn't consult with Stranger when I scheduled babysitting after a root canal. See what I mean?

So I call Alice back and tell her that the symphony isn't going to work for our family tomorrow. (Who can argue with that?) She cries for a minute and I offer to pay for her to rent a car to ease my guilt about not being everything for everybody and then we're both happy again.

Now that's just one scenario. The other one would be where Alice asks me to join her six person team in running 157 miles to raise money for some great cause. After I tell her I need to talk to my husband about it first, I sit and think about all the good that will come from raising money for such a great cause and then I think of all the good that will come from my staying alive to raise my three kids and I don't even have to call Stranger. I just call Alice back and tell her that my premature death isn't going to work for our family this week. She cries for a minute and I offer to pay for the ambulance should anyone need it during the run. This eases my guilt about not being everything for everybody and then we're both happy again.

Discussing and planning my life with my husband works for me. If you don't have a husband to consult I suggest a good friend or buying a **parrot named Bill. "I would love to Alice but I need to talk to Bill about it first." Hey, you'll never know what good advice Bill might have for you if you never ask.

*I don't actually have that tattoo yet but I seriously considering it.
**I'm not suggesting that a parrot is as useful as a husband but in some cases one may be. Don't tell my husband I said that.

More posts on planners and schedules.


If you're here for WFMW you might want to move along now before things get out of hand but if you want to read footage from an actual conversation to see how Stranger's Law really works in our family keep reading.

Stranger - We're going to call that lady to tomorrow.

Lazy - Kay.

Sranger - Are you just saying that?

Lazy - Yes.

Stranger - No you're not. We really going to call that lady tomorrow.

Lazy - Kay.

Stranger - Are you just saying that again?

Me - Yes.

Stranger - Don't get mouthy with me because I'm running the show here and we are calling that lady.

Me - Kay.

Stranger - What?

Me - Kay. You run the show and I'll run the mouth.

Stranger - That's not funny. And you're not blogging about this either.

Me - Kay.

Apparently Stranger's Law is easier made than followed.

My Husband's Fantasy

And why he married the wrong girl.

My fantasy is that I could be the kind of person who could handle having 17 kids!

I forgot to mention that I followed that link from Becky's place. Isn't her blog adorable?

Sugar N Spice

Looking at my two girl's hair in this post, one blond and one brown, made me think of sugar and spice. Not only does it describe their coloring but their personalities as well!

Karen at Family Briefs asked me to show how I do the ponies in their hair. It made me laugh that someone asked for my advice on hair because I am not a primper, on myself or my girls!

Two High Ponies

I see so many cute girls wearing ribbons and bows with everything coordinated but the most I can manage is a few pony tails to keep their hair out of their eyes. Persistence is growing her bangs out so it's a necessity and Lovely wants her hair "pretty" too.

Four Diagonal Ponies

I found the elastics at a hair supply store for half the price I was paying at Walmart and was so excited to find clear and black and brown for a change which look good with any outfit.



The elastics are so cheap that I just cut them out of their hair at night. It fast and easy and painless. Just make sure your girls know not to try this themselves or they will be growing out more than their bangs. Ask me how I know!

Five Diagonal Ponies

Yes those are tweezers Lovely is picking her nose with. What else would they be for but booger extraction?

Two High and Two Low

I use a rat tail comb and a spray bottle and with the little Lovely I have to work FAST! That means things aren't always straight and even but I'm getting better at it.

And she is getting better at holding still. Well, I wouldn't say holding still but at least she's not climbing off the counter. I sit her in front of the mirror while she "organizes" our baskets of clips and elastics. It's great practice for her to learn how to put the basket of clips away before she gets out the elastics or the "Barbie" pins. (Do your girls call them that too?)


Cleaning the mirror with the spray bottle and a wash cloth is also a great diversion.

Three and Two Bigger Ponies

I've even been known to hide a baggie full of Craisins in our stash for her to munch while she gets pretty.

Three and Two Smaller Ponies With Side Curls

Three Two One

I'm sure all you creative types can come up with your own fabulous versions of these ponies with ribbons and bows and the works. Show me what you've got!

I forgot to mention how cute it is, when you have a tiny girl, to make little ponies all over her head. Especially if her hair has some curl to it. I did this a few times with Lovely's hair but I never got a photo of it. If you start when they're little they get used to having things in their hair and they don't complain. One year olds are the worst at pulling things out!

I keep remembering new things to tell you!

If your girls are going to be outside with these hair styles make sure you put sunscreen on every single part.

I try to be as careful as I can when I'm doing the girls hair but it still hurts them sometimes and they would like to cry. What I have taught them is to say, "Ow!" instead, which doesn't hurt my ears as much. Just because their head hurts doesn't mean my ears should have so suffer! I always use conditioner in their hair to make it easier to brush the snarls out but I will still often hear, "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow," and on and on. Which I can handle!

Oh, and one last tip. I put a tiny bit of regular, not leave in, conditioner in our hair when it's wet and I don't wash it out. It's very dry here so our hair needs it. If you have dry hair like we do this may work for you too. The bonus is that one big bottle of conditioner lasts us for years!

For more fun tips visit Shanon at Rocks In My Dryer!

Things I've Organized Lately

Can you see all the photos now?

It was time to re-organize the toy cupboard again. It didn't look as bad as it started out last time but Lovely has been getting into all the games and puzzles so I had to move everything out of her reach except the things she is allowed to play with.

Yes, there is an empty container in there but I'm sure it won't take us long to fill it up. There are also

Empty drawers!!! Since I ran out of toys, I guess they will stay empty until Lovely is a little older. I'll spend the next few months (years?) dreaming about what I will put in them when the time comes.

The bottom drawers are for her books and stuffed animals. I like baby books in drawers or baskets because they would never stay organized on a shelf. She used to only have access to the board books but she doesn't tear books apart anymore so I have added to her reading pleasure.

I keep all her toys in the living room since that is where we are always working and studying. It doesn't make sense to drag things back and for from her bedroom. And since they are right were I can see them I know what she is getting in to.

I am working really hard with her to help her pick up one mess before she makes another one. I am determined she won't turn out like my older messies! Oh yes, they are great at cleaning up their messes after they have destroyed the entire house but that is not exactly the skill I am going for. I'm hoping for more preventitive maintainence with my third child.

Now that Lovely is potty trained I have another empty drawer in my house. This is what my bathroom drawer looked like before. It was a great spot to organize diapers. I kept a changing mat on the counter to make diaper changes convenient. I have never been one to change diapers on the bed or the floor like I see other people do. It seems easier just to take babies into the bathroom where it's easy to wash up afterwards and also easy on the back.

Now I'm just waiting for the inspiration to fill it.

Oh, it just hit me. Hand towels and wash cloths! Now they'll be closer to the sink instead of across the room which works great for lazy people. And wet people.

I have a new plan for Persistence that I will tell you more about another day but she is my new cleaning buddy. We spent the morning cleaning her closet and bedroom, tossing out clothes, toys and a very impressive garbage collection. The old adage is really true. You can give a girl a garbage can but you cannot make her throw her garbage in it.

It's refreshing to see a clean floor in there again. Our plan is to do a different room every day until the whole house is spic and span. Although I don't know what spic and span means. I don't even know if I'm spelling it right so how are we going to know if we are doing it right?

Organize Your Toys

My point exactly.

I already said this.

Are you sick of picking up toys? Then get rid of them and stop buying more! Seriously. Why are you letting them control you and ruin your life?

People just don’t seem to get that kids don’t need a lot of toys. I actually think most parents buy them to make up for their own sad childhood. Toys do not equal love. When my kids were little I started asking myself, “Am I buying this for them or for me?” I think I have finally stopped buying things for myself and pretending they were for my kids. Except for their clothes that is. Those are all for me.

4 Secrets To Lazy Potty Training

Did I say my two year old was ready to potty train? Was she ever!!! She has just spent two days using the potty and we are not turning back. We bought new panties at the store today so no more diapers for us. Can you believe we went to the store in our undies? Yes! All of us were wearing undies. Of course we had clothes over them too but not one single one of us wore diapers to the store. It was scary but true.

I am feeling like an expert potty trainer at this point so I'm going to post all my secrets before I figure out that the entire day was an accident and I have no idea what I'm talking about.

1. First of all you must have a two year old that obeys everything you say and never argues. If you don't have a child like that I highly suggest you get one. We were successful on our third try. Results may vary.
2. Next, you know your child is ready to potty train when she is interested in watching other people go potty, when she can clearly communicate with you, "You go poo poo Mommy? Huh? You need wipe your bum Mommy? You use toilet paper? Huh Mommy?", when she hides to poop in her diaper and when she screams, "WET DIAPER!" while ripping the offensive article from her body each time she pees .
3. Thirdly you will want to get several potty books and read them to your toddler for two weeks straight. Get one with songs you can memorize. You won't actually be allowed to sing the songs while your child is going potty but they are fun to learn anyway. Wait until you're driving your nine year old and his friends around. That might be a more appropriate time to display your potty musical skills.
4. Lastly you must have a 7 year old who thinks it's fun to take your toddler to the bathroom 27 times a day and read stories to her while she goes potty. She must enjoy helping her wipe her bum and wash her hands and know all the right moments to clap and cheer. If you don't have one of these then you can borrow mine. She is booked through next week so get on her schedule as soon as possible.

That's it! Just follow these four easy steps to potty training and you will also find yourselves going to the store in your undies. Just please don't try on your new undies in the middle of the pantie isle while you're there, no matter how cute your bum bum is.

Never mind. If it's that cute then go ahead.

The Victor's Organized Closet

Before, I started with an unfinshed closet and dresser.

During

After!

Thanks to Laura and her awesome Challenge we now have another organized closet! (The Fall Challenge) Don't you just want to sit and stare at it all day? Ok, probably not, but I do!

Some of the features I built into it are (and when I say built, I mean with power tools and my own two hands):

1. A spot for the dirty clothes basket with enough room above it to throw the clothes in.

2. Shelves for toys. I bought the containers before I started so I could get the width and height of the shelves right. There is just enough room to slide them in and out of the closet. My nine year old doesn't play with these toys. He is just storing them for his little sister. Isn't he so sweet?

3. A spot for the dresser. He doesn't need space for long hanging clothes but I made the dresser space a little bit wider and added a bar for company to use since his room is where they always sleep. It made a perfect spot for the guitar to slide next to the dresser. If one of my daughters ever move into this room she can move the dresser out and have more space for hanging clothes.

4. I built around the secret door that leads into his sisters' closet. When he gets too old to use the door and wants more space for clothes then he can use the lower rod.

5. I put a storage container on top of the dresser to put outgrown clothes in. Its empty because we just sent clothes home to his cousin this weekend. Hopefully the container will keep him from piling junk on his dresser.

6. A high shelf for long term storage of clothing and suitcases.

Now for the questions.

1. What was the hardest part of the challenge for you and were you able to overcome it?

The hardest part was just commiting to the design I've had in my head. We've lived in this house for a year without closets and the reason I didn't build them sooner was because I didn't want to make a mistake! I knew I would have to live with it forever so I wanted plenty of time to think about it. I had to get over thinking it would ever be perfect and just do the best I could.

2. Tell us what kind of changes/habits you have put into place in order for your area/room to maintain its new order?

Since this is my nine year old's closet I don't know how well it will stay organized but Victor has been taking time to clean his room every morning as part of his Personal Time. He has a couple containers just for "treasures" so he will need to work on keeping his treasures in the boxes instead of all over his room. And of course I will help him re-organize as its needed.

3. What did you do with the "stuff" you were able to purge out of your newly organized space?

He didn't have a lot of stuff to begin with so we didn't get rid of much but when we went through it he was able to give a lot of out-grown clothes to his younger cousin.

4. What was the biggest lesson you learned from this experience?

That I should have finished this closet sooner so we could enjoy it! Also that I know why it is so hard to do projects like this. I had to neglect my kids for a week to get it done. I'm lucky that my son is a great baby sitter.

5. Now that you have completed the PROCESS, do you think having and keeping your space organized will make a difference in your life?

I know it will make a huge difference in my son's life now that he has a place for everything. It has been frustrating for him to try to keep his room clean when he didn't have anywhere to put anything. I am so happy that I was able to do this for him to relieve some of his stress!

Now his room is almost completely finished. Thanks again for the motivation Laura!!!

30 Day Challenge

I am honored that Laura has asked me to help with the judging of her Spring Organizing Challenge! I'm excited to see so many of you participating. It's going to be fun to watch what you come up with this time. The projects that you tackled last time were amazing and I'm sure we will see even better stuff this time around!

I'm not competing for prizes but her last challenge was so motivating that I have to play along again. I am going to build my son's closet. We've lived in this new house for a year so it's about time don't you think? I've got about four mo