A New Theme

As promised, some changes are underway, though please don't expect them to be fast or furious.

You may have noticed at the top of your page that I have a much-shortened "mission statement": Musings on managing the stuff of life.

When I was a young girl, there were times when I'd lament to my mother, "I'm bored." She explained (warned) me that someday I would not be bored. In fact, during this season of mothering three and one-year old boys, there's not much I wouldn't give to find myself bored for an afternoon!

While I was driving the other day, I reflected on some of the technological changes that I've seen in my 32 years. (I heard a radio report about seminars for seniors who wanted to text their grandkids and learn to use iPads which started this line of thought.) I remember playing Duck Hunt on the neighbors' Nintendo, which was so much more advanced than our Atari--you know, color and all. Someone handed down their electric typewriter. My family bought our first PC--a Gateway 2000--when I was a freshman in high school. I received my first cell phone right before I got my driver's license; it rang from my Christmas stocking. Then came my own first desktop computer, my laptop, my netbook, etc., etc. It's just amazing, really.

The first clothing that I bought with my own money was purchased in order to fit in. Then it was a uniform for my first job, then career clothing for my first real job. A wedding dress followed, then maternity clothes, then baby clothing, and now I'm buying clothing that fits a woman with a "new" shape, if you know what I mean.

 With life seems to come the accumulation of stuff. Some of it--no, a lot of it--is material possessions, but there are also friendships, memories, ideas, hopes. There are things we need, things we want, things we hate to part with. Things we have no idea we had (more on that at the end).

We have infinitely more choices than men and women in previous generations. Yet, with so many products, devices and amusements available to us, we must work hard to squelch the clutter and reclaim the important and meaningful aspects of life.

So here, in this blog corner, is a place to make conversation about how to manage the stuff and find balance.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Do and Don't for Today


Do: Think about subliminal messages. A quote from this article was so pointed that it really got my attention today: "The entire point of broadcast TV is to make you dissatisfied with your life so that you'll buy more stuff."

Don't: A retired couple I worked with during a downsize was going through their attic and figuring out what had to go. Amongst the memorabilia they found a life-sized statue that their son had created in a college art course!

Ewww...

Well, once again I am posting with a confession. I had no idea just how gross my kitchen sink had become.

Here's the back story: My very gracious mother-in-law had my boys the other morning so that I could run errands. I didn't intend to stop at Lowe's, but it's a lovely store, AND it opens before 9:00. I had 15 minutes to kill, and I saw they had hanging baskets. I needed grandmother gifts for Mother's Day.

Can I just say that it's amazing what I can accomplish when I don't have to get little people in and out of the car all the time? Especially at stores without carts where I shop for a maximum of 5-10 minutes. On the other hand, it's also amazing how much money I can spend so quickly, even when I have a list that I'm supposed to stick to? (Honey, if you're reading this, it really wasn't THAT much...)

Anyhow, back to my story. I still had some time after looking through the flower display, so I went to the cleaning aisle. I have been struggling for months to find a solution for my poor stainless steel tea kettle. You see, a certain woman in my house boiled water and forgot about it right up until the water was evaporated and the house began to acquire an odd smell. The kettle survived, but it acquired a yellowy hue and the previously-not-that-noticeable grease splatters turned black.

So, I was in the market for a stainless steel cleaner. I came across Hope's Perfect Sink. $4? Okay!

Here is how my kettle turned out. I'm not exactly sure what the yellowing is in the picture, but I assure you that's what the camera sees and not what I see.

I am blessed with some lovely sunlight in my kitchen during the early afternoon, which inspires me to clean for some reason, so I decided to see what this stuff could do for the sink.

Here's a shot midway through the process. You can see that I started at the upper left.

Now here's the embarrassing photo. This is only one of the nasty paper towels that cleaned up the mess. (Yes, I probably should have used rags, but I had no idea it would require so many paper towels.)

 













Ah, look at the way the water beads now!

And, the finished product. Drum roll, please!

Oh, wait, there's more! I couldn't help myself, so I cleaned the final piece of stainless steel in my kitchen--the center part of my toaster. It was quite dull and yellowed. Now check it out!

No, I didn't clean the tray inside with the polish, but I did make an effort to empty out the crumbs. That probably is a year overdue. (You did know your toaster had a tray in the bottom to catch crumbs, right? If not, you better go empty yours right away!)

Thus ends a long post about chain-reaction shopping and cleaning. From 15 minutes to kill clear through to a clean toaster.

Cosmetic Bag Clutter

I decided I was fed up with my cosmetic bag the other day (and yes, some of you will laugh at this because I probably own less makeup than the average woman). 

Before

Anyway, I don't spend a lot of money on beauty products, but one of the things I splurge on (with a 20% off coupon, of course) is mineral makeup. I am very fair-skinned and have found it to be nice and light with a more believable skin tone match than traditional foundations. The problem with this nice powder makeup is that it gets everywhere, creating a pale orange dust.

It was time.

To get everything clean, I emptied out the bag for a trip through the dishwasher. I do this often with things that might not hold up in the washer (great for baseball caps!) but I am also aware this can void the dishwasher warranty and potentially cause a fire hazard.

I also grabbed a microfiber towel and used it to wipe the dust off everything in the bag. Here's a picture of everything laid out before it was cleaned:

That lineup includes two caps that no longer have a pencil to cover, two pairs of tweezers (don't like the angled ones!) and scissors, and most embarrassing, a contact lens in package from two prescriptions ago.

After

I took a few things out of the bag that I only use on occasion--the nail scissors, double-sided tape, hand lotion--and put other things back where they belong (safety pins in the sewing kit, etc.). I still debate about putting my razor in the shower.

Aside from the dishwasher cycle and a little extra time for photography, this process really only took 10 minutes. And after about 10 days of telling myself this needed to happen, it's good to have it cleared off my mental list. And, just for fun, I took a few extra minutes to look at the over-the-counter medications in my medicine cabinet and ended up throwing about half of them away. One expired in 2007. Eeek!

What do you use every day that could handle a good cleaning?

Let's Clear Something Up...

I think it's time for me to clear up a common misconception. It's one that seems to be perpetuated by home magazines and pretty much EVERY publication in January (trying to capitalize on New Year's resolutions). It's also one that "they" don't want me to tell you:

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BUY A TON OF BINS, BINDERS, FILE FOLDERS OR A LABEL MAKER TO "GET ORGANIZED."

I've been questioned about this by several friends and/or customers and what makes me crazy about this philosophy is that it just leaves you with more stuff to manage and find a place for. It's a very good marketing program, selling you a promise of organization, no clutter, and a perfect home if you just buy the products. (Look what I just saw an ad for!)


Okay, so maybe you do want to color code stuff for each of your kids to keep it straight, or you need a basket to corral shoes in the foyer. There is nothing wrong with that. Go shopping with a list, or better, repurpose something you have around the house. You could also pick up a pretty container at a yard sale or thrift store. A hundred pretty boxes and magazine files only encourage you to accumulate clutter rather than sort and use it. I promise! There's room for cute things, but function has to trump design.

Just remember to let YOUR home, lifestyle, and personal habits dictate what you buy.  Don't work to maintain a system; let the system work for you.

Look What I Found!

Here's a nifty tip that you might not have known about...but someone at the factory has been thinking!

Did you know there's a cool little panel on each side that you can press in to keep your foil roll from always popping out of the box?

There's also a pair of tabs on the front that (at least in theory) hold the box top down.

I checked, and this is true for the foil, the cling wrap, wax paper, and parchment paper that I have. Maybe I really can store these in a stack inside my cabinet, without it constantly falling over!

So Many Errands!

Just about everyone I've talked to this week has spring fever. Enough of the winter, dashing from heated house to hopefully warm car, trying to avoid the bone-chilling cold. Doing errands in this weather is no fun, bundling up and toting a toddler around. I'm freezing or sweating, and there is no happy medium.

So, let me share with you my new, favorite way to do errands: Amazon.com. I've been a longtime Amazon buyer for books, but a few months ago found out about Amazon Subscribe and Save and Amazon Mom. Silly me thought a lot of people knew about this, but I've mentioned it a handful of times in recent weeks and no one knew what I was talking about. So, here we are.

Amazon Subscribe and Save lets you order consumable stuff and have it shipped to you at regular intervals. Cereal, shampoo, diapers, Sonicare toothbrush heads, and pretty much any personal hygiene item you can think of. Set it up to ship any quantity at one, two, three or six month intervals, and automatically save 15% with no shipping charge. Plus, you can change the shipping pattern or cancel at any time. Just be sure you stop the subscription before you have a garage full of cereal. You only have a short window to tell them to stop a shipment. On the bright side, you can also speed up a shipment if you are running low on something. The full details are here.

Amazon Mom is especially cool, because you get the free two-day shipping that is part of Amazon Prime, with no minimum purchase (normally $79 a year if you sign up for that program outside of Amazon Mom). For every $25 you spend on baby stuff, the Prime benefits are extended another month. For instance, I bought a $100 item with Christmas money and the benefits were extended four more months. Plus, it's better than subscribe and save because you get an additional 15% off (total 30% off) many items, including diapers! Plus the stuff comes right to your door.

Due to the two-day free shipping, I have been seeing a lot of my UPS guy. He's a very nice man, and with all the visits he has been making, I'm thinking he's going to deserve a Christmas gift this year!

Seriously, if you are tired of running to the store for the stuff that runs out--vitamins, makeup, coffee--take a look at these programs. I bet you will save some time and cash, not to mention the chance you'll have to develop a special bond with the guy in brown!

Carry it with You, Stylishly (Reisenthel Carrybag)

I am in love. My parents got me this carrybag from Reisenthel as a birthday gift. Okay, I picked it out and emailed them the link. But still, they bought and wrapped it!

By now, I hope you have caught on to the trend of using your cloth or sustainable grocery bags when you shop. Target gives you five cents off for every bag you take in, my grocery store takes off three. Legislation in California has been aimed at banning plastic bags. And did you know that in Europe, they charge you if you need a bag? Learn more.

Green and Clean Products

Have you ever heard of essential oils? These are often used in aromatherapy because they capture the essence (scent) of different plants. Some oils like thyme, lemongrass and cinnamon have recently received buzz for their antibacterial qualities.

A few months back, I was treated to a sample of a non-alcohol antibacterial hand wipe, and the active ingredient was thyme oil. It was nice, but I didn't think I needed to buy something special since I usually just wash my hands unless there isn't water readily available (camping, etc.).

Still, I was excited to learn that there was a plant-based and natural way to disinfect starting to hit shelves. I've never felt like I had a good system for cleaning my kitchen sink. After putting things down the garbage disposal (including raw meat trimmings) and hand washings, it just never seems very clean. Since I know that everything I use to clean sinks and bathrooms with with ends up going down the drain and into the water supply, I was hesitant to try bleach or other commercial sprays.

Imagine my delight when I was shopping at Target today and found a thyme oil based antibacterial cleaner from Method! I even had a coupon! So far, I am sold on it. I even used it on some of my son's toys. A few things to note:

1. There is a distinct herbal smell to the product, but after a few minutes I was used to it. It even made me hungry!
2. Carefully read the directions so that you let the area/object air dry after spraying; there is no need to wipe. If you spray and wipe immediately, it will not have time to kill the germs.
3. Cold season is coming soon, so this will be a blessing. It kills 99.9% of common household germs including flu, rhinovirus, e. coli and staph on hard, non-porous surfaces. And the smell might even open up a stuffy nose!

Going Paperless

Remember the promises that computers would create a paperless society? We certainly aren't there yet! Nonetheless, today I want to challenge you about going as paperless as possible. We all have different comfort levels, but even a few steps in the right direction can make a difference.

At our house, we are now receiving all our bills online. It was a pain to set up at first--DH had set up some accounts with utility companies before, but so rarely logged in we had to reset passwords, etc. It was worth the effort though; I can now pay bills without touching paper!

Another blessing in disguise came when our printer died a few weeks back. We replaced it with a printer-fax-scanner combo, so we've planned to start scanning semi-important documents and shredding the originals. Why not consider doing that with most of the stuff in your file drawer? And remember, you may not need to save everything that you think you do. See this previous post on saving documents.

Here is what I really want to talk about today: Every time I see this commercial I get agitated and vow that I will never, ever buy their paper towels. Let me first say that I don't believe there is an ethical dilemma in having paper towels, paper plates and toilet paper in your home, but I am afraid we've become mindless in our use of them. Environmental concerns aside, the price of such products is astonishing. A nice hand towel might cost you $10 and mine are still going strong after five years. As of this writing, 360 of the Kleenex towels are $21.14 on Amazon. If you have a family of four that washes their hands a mere four times a day, that supply is gone in less than a month--22.5 days!