Category Archives: Graditude

I Felt Like A Fraud

Posted on November 13, 2012 | Leave a comment

Have you ever felt like a fraud?  When someone compliments you do you feel like you deserve it?  Or do you feel like you’re keeping a great big secret from everyone? Are you always fearful that they will find out you’re not as good as they think you are?

This is what happened to me recently.  The other day I was visiting my mother-in-law (MIL) at the rehab center she is in.  She fell down her stairs on Halloween night (some trick!). Fortunately nothing was broken. She is just badly bruised and stiff.

Anyway, her niece (my husband’s cousin) was visiting at the same time.  We were talking about some of little things I do to help stay organized. One was keeping track of how much water I drink during the day.  I have a quart bottle that is filled with water in the morning.  I put a rubber band around the middle of it.  When I fill the bottle for the second quart of the day the rubber band is moved to the top of the container. That way I know if I’m on the first 4 cups of water or the second 4 cups.

I also printed out labels for my MIL to put on her belongings such as lotion, shampoo, books, make-up bag,  etc.  I learned to do this when my mother had her stroke 2 1/2 years ago and was in rehab for several months.  When things are labeled it discourages people from walking off with them and also makes it easier to identify what is hers.

Anyway, my cousin complimented me on how organized I was. Considering that I write a blog and website about organization I should have been thrilled with the compliment.  Yet, inside I felt like a fraud.  All I could think about was how I had a large stack of papers on my desk that needed filing. Then a picture of my sock and underwear drawer flashed across my eyes.  It is a total mess.  I’d picked up some clothes for my MIL when she went to the rehab center and noticed how neat and uncluttered her drawers were. It didn’t matter that she had 6 drawers to put her clothes in and I only have 3. I still felt like a fraud.

Life happens, but sometimes we can be so hard on ourselves.  I’ve had several rough life changing events over the past 4 1/2 years.  They are legitimate excuses for not keeping my home as decluttered or organized as I would like. Yet I still feel guilty about sharing my tips and lessons on organizing when I’ve struggled so much with it lately.

I know I’m expecting way too much from myself.  I’m sure there have been times that you have felt this way also.

The point is life has it’s rough spots.  And when it gets rough there are plenty of lessons to be learned.  We need to look for them.  We need to learn the wisdom they offer us.  We need to use this wisdom to improve our lives. Then we need to pass this wisdom on to others so they can benefit from the lessons.

During the course of our lives we will get knocked off our track many times. Sometimes we accidentally throw ourselves off our own track.  But we need to pick ourselves up and dust ourselves off.  Then we need to figure out what to do to either get back on our track or figure out how to navigate the new track that life has put us on at this point in time.

I know this post has been rambling on but I want to pass on the wisdom I’m learning from this.  I’m practicing on not being so hard on myself.

When we feel like a fraud we’re expecting ourselves to be perfect, a standard no one can reach. We’re focusing on what we haven’t gotten done instead of what we have already accomplished. When someone compliments us they are obviously seeing something we’ve done that is good.

Maybe it’s time to see what they are seeing!

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice

The eBook “Tips To Simplify And Organize Your Holidays” is filled with 25 tips that can help you reduce the stress of the holiday season. You’ll learn how to manage your spending and gift buying. This eBook is available for your PC, Kindle, or Nook.

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Posted in Decluttering, Graditude, Organizing

Remembering the Lessons Learned After 9/11/01

Posted on September 11, 2012 | Leave a comment

As we go about our hectic daily lives have we lost some of the lessons 9/11 taught us? With the election coming up are we focusing too much time and energy on the petty differences and not what’s really important?

Two years ago I wrote a post about remembering 9/11/2001.  I’ve reposted it here because it’s a good reminder of how we should be grateful, caring, and have empathy for our fellow man/woman.  Read the post below and then look back at how you may have treated others in the past week or so.

Remembering 9/11

We go about our days getting irritated by the little things such as someone else’s car accident causing heavy traffic making us late for work. Or we’re behind someone in the grocery store line who doesn’t have enough money and has to decide what to put back, slowing everything down. Now we have to rush to get home so dinner can be served on time.

It’s when we remember tragedies like 9/11 that we put the human factor back into our thinking. Instead of being irritated about being late for work, be grateful you weren’t the one in the accident. Have empathy for the people who were. Their lives will be forever changed, whether it’s only a bad memory of a minor accident or a life changing event due to major injuries or even death of a loved one or friend.

That person in the line at the grocery store may just be unorganized. Or they may be struggling to put food on the table for their children after a job loss or other financial struggles.

We never know what is going to happen to us nor do we know what other people are going through. In the days, weeks, and months following September 11, 2001 most people in this country showed more empathy towards their fellow man/woman. The little irritating things became unimportant. Family, health, friends, a sense of community, caring about others, pride for our country, became the important things.

Unfortunately we seem to have forgotten these things. Since that time we have become a country of people divided on both sides of the fence with a them vs. us attitude. Whether it is the war, health care, the economy, or any other area we are affected by or have an opinion on, maybe it’s time to at least try to see what the other side is seeing. Step into their shoes for just a moment.

We don’t need another 9/11 to remind us of what is important. Just remembering, truly remembering, the feelings we felt that day and beyond can help us get back to recognizing what makes this country great – it’s people caring about each other in spite of their differences.

Janice

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Posted in Calendar, Graditude, Simplicity

How to Pay the Love of Reading Forward with the Gift of Books

Posted on May 1, 2012 | 2 Comments

During this past month there have been so stresses in my life I haven’t spent any time on writing blog posts. I have spent some time taking care of myself to heal some of the emotional wounds that have been building for a long time.

One way I took care of myself was to go to the annual St. Louis Book Fair. It is sponsored by Macy’s as a fundraiser to benefit local non-profit education and literacy programs. It’s been going on for 60 years. I remember going with my mother and sisters when I was a child.

Because I have way too many books for my current bookshelves (their double stacked already) I have avoided going to the fair for about 5 or 6 years. This year was different. It was time to get back to doing something I love. But it also required making a promise to myself to declutter some of the old books so I don’t feel guilty about buying new ones.

With some birthday money (my birthday was last Thursday) I went to the book fair on Friday. I ended up buying 19 books.  Some were cookbooks (3) and the rest were non-fiction books.  I didn’t even go over to the fiction book section because I still have a few I haven’t read yet.

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On Saturday I found a box and started going through one shelf at a time to pull out some books I could get rid of. If you’re a booklover like I am you know how hard it is to let go of them. Since the majority of my books are non-fiction I always feel like I’m giving away a valuable resource. Even with so much information easily available on the internet I still find it had to let them go.

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So far I have 23 books in my box. Yea me! Since I bought 5 books last week at Goodwill (first time there in over a year) plus the 19 books bought at the book fair I feel I have done pretty well so far. Even with pulling that many books off the shelves I still don’t have enough room for the new books.  Therefore I will get another box and work on filling that one.  I have four more bookcases like the two below.

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My local Macy’s store collects books year round for this book fair. My goal is to have a least 30 and hopefully 40 books to take to the loading dock by next week.  I’ll be paying it forward so those books can be sold next year to help support the education and literacy programs. That way more children and adults will be able to learn how to read all the magic and knowledge that books contain between their covers.

There are lots of ways to pay the love of reading forward.  I remember one year I had a garage sale and because it was cold and rainy there were very few customers. Right before closing up a young woman came in looking for children’s books which I had a few. She said she was going to be a new 1st grade teacher in the fall and was buying reading books for her classroom. I gave her the whole pile of books for free. It felt so good to help out a new teacher that would be able to instill the love of reading to her many students.

So pay the love of reading forward by donating your books to a charity, local school, or a new teacher starting out. If you’re not reading them anymore then they aren’t doing anyone any good sitting on your shelves.

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice

 

If you’re planning on having a garage sale be sure to check out the eBook:

“How To Declutter With A Garage Sale”

It will help you from start to finish with clearing the clutter out of your home.

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Posted in Clutter, Decluttering, Graditude, Organizing

Decluttering Craft Supplies

Posted on March 5, 2012 | Leave a comment

March is National Craft Month. If you are a hard core crafter, occasional crafter, or even if you used to do crafting you probably have a lot of supplies stored in various drawers, containers, or closets.

yarn_&_needlesIf you enjoy multiple crafts like I do that can add up to a lot of supplies. Over the years my interest in different crafts have changed. Many times those supplies get stashed away in a container, not seeing the light of day for a long time.  If this has happened to you it may be time to declutter some of those supplies.

Clipart from Clipartheaven.com

Unused supplies and unfinished projects are a red flag telling us it is time to make some tough decisions.  Here are few questions to ask yourself when trying to determine if you should keep them or not.

  • Do you love this kind of crafting?
  • Is this unfinished project due to you not liking this particular project or the kind of craft?
  • Did you used to love this kind of crafting but are no longer interested?
  • Do you feel bad about wasting good supplies and don’t want to throw them out?

If you have decided you no longer enjoy a particular kind of craft then it’s time to declutter those supplies. You don’t have to throw everything out in the trash. There are plenty of places you can donate them.  This includes those half finished projects as long as you have the materials to finish them. You will be blessing others while at the same time cleaning out your craft area.

Here are some suggestions on where to donate.  I’m sure a few phone calls will give you several local places happy to take those craft supplies.

  • Local schools – nursery schools through colleges.
  • Nursing homes, assisted living, and retirement homes.
  • Women’s shelters – both children’s and adult craft supplies are wanted.
  • Certain charities (see below).

 

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Clipart from Clipartheaven.com

 

If you enjoy sewing or knitting and have a lot of extra supplies/materials there are several ways you can use your skills and supplies for a good cause.  Many charities donate finished projects to help newborns, children, cancer patients, and elderly people. I have done this before by sewing bibs, burp pads, and changing pads for my local Newborns In Need chapter. These small projects helped me clear out some extra fabrics I had sitting around.  If you don’t want to do the sewing or knitting these kinds of charities would love to have your fabric and yarns so their members can make the projects.

It feels good to use your skills to bless others. Here is a site that lists charities that are looking for donations of finished projects.

http://www.craftforcharity.com/charities.html

It’s time to get your creative juices going or pass those supplies on to someone else so they can get their creative juices going. Either way you’ll be clearing out some of that craft clutter laying around the house.

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice

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Posted in Clutter, Crafts, Decluttering, Graditude

Giving The Gift of the Holiday Spirit

Posted on December 1, 2011 | Leave a comment

From the news reports about Black Friday and Cyber Monday people really got an early start on the shopping.  The numbers were up from last year. People are in a buying mood and gift giving mood.  That is all part of the holiday spirit.

I was reading an article in my local paper that talked about ways to enjoy happier holidays by spreading that gift giving to help others not so fortunate. It doesn’t mean just buying things for others it also means giving your time, your compassion, and your friendship.

It can also mean giving your unused things that are gathering dust and cluttering up your home to someone who can use them. Many churches and synagogues have coat drives, food drives, and toy drives at this time of year. You’ll feel happier knowing your unused things will make holidays a little brighter for someone else.

Here is a list of many things you can do to make the holidays a little happier for others. Get your family involved and you may find yourself creating some new traditions of giving.

  1. Write a “Letter from Santa” to a child. Check your post office, local church, or charity to see if they sponsor this kind of program.
  2. If you have an elderly neighbor you can offer to help them put their decorations up or help clean up their house for the holidays.
  3. Visit a nursing home with your children. Have your children make ornaments or other small decorations to give the residents. This is a creative way to use up some of those craft supplies. Be sure to call the nursing home first to get permission. This is also a great activity for girl scouts or boy scout troops. I still have fond memories of doing this when I was a girl scout.

There are lots of little things you can do that don’t take any extra time on your part. But they could have a big impact on both the recipient and you.

  1. Smile at someone. It just might change their mood if they are having a bad day.
  2. Hold a door open for someone who’s arms are filled with packages, a child, etc.
  3. Tell a fast food employee or other hard worker that they are doing a good job. They rarely hear this.
  4. If you see someone struggling to get an item off of a high shelf offer to help if you can. They will appreciate it and you’ll feel good helping.

There are lots of other things you can do to help give the holiday spirit to others. If you have any suggests to help brighten someone’s holiday spirit, please share in the comment section. Thanks.

For it is in giving that we receive. ~ Francis of Assisi

No one has ever become poor by giving. ~ Anne Frank

Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need. ~ Khalil Gibran

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice

 

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Posted in Calendar, Graditude, Holidays, Simplicity

Honoring Veterans on Veterans Day

Posted on November 9, 2011 | Leave a comment

Note: I want to let you know that I went slightly off my normal topic of decluttering and organizing in the following post. The website links are for info and ideas to help you celebrate Veterans Day. My opinion below is something I just had to write.

This Friday is Veterans Day.  It’s also 11/11/11. I didn’t really know much about the significance of the date (11/11/11) but after looking it up on the internet I found some interesting facts. Here are a few links if you want to find out more.

http://www.timeanddate.com/date/11-11.html

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45195313/ns/technology_and_science-science/#.TrlajLLZeuI

Maybe because this Veterans Day  is 11/11/11 it seems more special.  It also might be because of the current withdrawal of our troops from Iraq. Whether you are for or against the withdrawal is not what we should bring up on Veterans Day. We should honor all of our military, past and present, who have sacrificed some of their own freedoms to protect the rest of us.

It also doesn’t matter whether you are for or against the wars we have been in. What does matter is that we treat these returning soldiers with honor and respect. 

I remember back in the mid 70’s when I was attending a local junior college that many of my classmates where veterans of the Vietnam war. Because the war had been so unpopular the veterans were taking the heat from their fellow citizens. It was hard to understand how people could treat these veterans in such a bad way. Although I never said anything bad I hate to admit that I felt uncomfortable around some of these classmates. I was guilty of being influenced by the media into feeling like these classmates were more like ex-cons instead of United States War Veterans. 

Many of my classmates did not even want to talk about the war. I’m sure the horrors they experienced where bad enough but I also believe they kept the facts private out of fear of criticism from their fellow citizens.

It was a double whammy!  There was no way of knowing whether they had enlisted or were drafted. It didn’t matter to the protesters. They blamed the veterans as much as they blamed the politicians.

Although we didn’t have a draft during the current wars many people enlisted at a time we were at peace. None of us had a clue we would be attacked on our own turf. And those who enlisted after 9/11 did so to protect their fellow citizens.

So let’s celebrate this year’s Veteran’s Day by honoring all veterans. Put the blame and the heat on the politicians who decide whether to go to war or not. Don’t blame the veterans. They are our neighbors, fellow workers, teachers, etc. who have experienced things we ordinary citizens have not.

Here are some sites for you to read more on Veterans Day. Share this information with your family and friends. As the saying goes, “United we stand, Divided we fall”. This is one day we can show our unity.

http://www1.va.gov/opa/vetsday/

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/veterans/

http://www.teachervision.fen.com/veterans-day/teacher-resources/6674.html

http://www.butlerwebs.com/holidays/veterans.htm

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice

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Posted in Graditude, Holidays, Planning

Mother Nature Can Clear the Clutter the Hard Way

Posted on August 30, 2011 | Leave a comment

Mother nature sure has a way of reminding us of what is important. The pictures of the wind and flood damage from hurricane Irene show how quickly all our belongings can be destroyed.  But ask anyone who has survived a disaster what they are grateful for and it’s always that their loved ones are safe, not the loss of their “things”.

I remember a few years ago when heavy rains caused flooding and sewer back-up at my mother-in-law’s condo basement.

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She had a lot of photos, clothes, and other things she stored down there. She also had a lot of clutter that she never got around to getting rid of.

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After it was all cleaned up she missed the photos and other memorabilia but that was all. She even felt relieved to be rid of all the junk. But she also felt bad because a lot of the things could have been given to a charity to bless others. Instead those items were wasted and ended up in the dumpster.

Now is a good time to take a look around your home and see what you can get rid of. Ask yourself a couple of questions.

  1. Would you miss this item if it was destroyed in a disaster?
  2. Do you even use this item or can you get rid of it now?
  3. If you aren’t using the item would it be something that someone else could use?

With all the flooding in the east coast I’m sure there will be many families in need of some of your extras you aren’t using.  Check to see who is gathering up donations of clothing, household items, etc. in your area.

This is a great way to get rid of some of your clutter and share your good fortune and abundance with those who weren’t so lucky this past week.

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice

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Posted in Decluttering, Graditude, Organizing

Clutter Free Mother’s Day Gifts

Posted on May 5, 2011 | Leave a comment

Mother’s Day is this coming Sunday. Have you bought her a gift yet?

Mother’s Day is one of the most commercial holidays in the United States. Lots of cards and gifts are given on this day to honor our mothers. The problem arises when these gifts add clutter to their homes. When celebrating the holiday this year think of all the things you can give or do that don’t add clutter. Here are some ideas.

You may want to pass this list to your own children and/or spouse and ask them not to buy you anything that adds to your clutter. It’s the thought that counts. And even more important it is to honor mothers for all they do.

  • Give flowers. They are beautiful to see first thing in the morning and last about a week.
  • Take her out to eat or have her over for brunch. Spending this precious time together is what counts.
  • If you want to buy a gift make sure it is one she either wants or is something she can use up. Bubble bath, candles, or lotion would work.
  • If she likes candy but is watching her diet than look for a small but special candy she wouldn’t buy for herself.
  • You can give her a gift card for the theater or a movie. No clutter there.
  • Print out gift certificates for services you can do for her. You can promise to wash her car or trim her hedges. Make it things you can easily do for her when she turns in the certificate for your service.
  • You can buy a gift certificate for a day spa so she can pamper herself.

There are lots of things to do or give your mother without adding clutter. The best thing you can give her is your time.

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice

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Posted in Graditude, Holidays, shopping

Take Time To Enjoy The Moments

Posted on April 23, 2011 | Leave a comment

I wrote the following post a couple of weeks ago before I had technical problems with my blog. It seems that this post did not get restored from the back-up so I’m sending it out again. If you read it the first time it was sent, thank you. If not, then here it is again. The link sent with the original email is not longer working for this post.

I’m still trying to get the email notices set up correctly. Thank you for your patience.

Post originally sent 4/10/11:

I’m sitting on my porch in the late afternoon on an April spring day writing this blog post. The birds are talking up a storm. A gentle breeze is tickling the newborn leaves on a nearby tree.

I’m trying to relax and enjoy the moment. Life is all about the moments but so often we miss them in the pursuit of taking care of the things that should be done, have to be done, or need to be done.

As Willy Wonka said: “So much time, and so little to do! Strike that, reverse it.”  We rush through our lives trying to take care of all those little things we feel are so important. But how important are they in the big scheme of our lives?

Right now I’m replenishing my soul by enjoying the moment of this Spring afternoon. I’m working hard to not feel guilty because I’m not taking advantage of the nice weather and cleaning out the perennial beds. Or spaying the weeds in the lawn. Or pruning back the wayward branches on the shrub roses. There are so many things I could be doing or should be doing but instead I’m sitting here just taking in the sights and sounds of my back yard.

So many of us have been brought up to believe that we are lazy and selfish is we take time for ourselves. So we keep  ourselves busy doing all those “shoulds”, “have to’s”, and “need to’s” so we can feel like productive people.

It’s time to stop the madness! We aren’t perfect! We aren’t machines! We are living beings. We are suppose to rest, renew, and replenish. Not work ourselves into a grave. We need to be more like nature and learn from her.

Get outside and take a good look at the trees, grass, shrubs, and flowers. The leaves aren’t all perfectly shaped. The shrubs don’t grow the same length branches. The yellow dandelion blooms amongst the purple violets in a sea of green velvet grass. We may consider them weeds but you can’t deny the beautiful picture they paint.

If we can look past natures’ imperfections and see the beauty she offers us then why can’t we look past our own imperfections and see the beauty we have to offer the world? Have we set impossibly high standards for ourselves?

Take the time today to enjoy the moments that are offered to you. Take the time to see the beauty in yourself. Not only do you deserve it you have a duty to show your beauty to yourself and the world. Nature does it everyday.

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice

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Posted in Calendar, Graditude, Simplicity

Big Resolutions vs. Little Changes

Posted on January 5, 2011 | Leave a comment

It’s that time of year where most people make New Years resolutions to improve or change some aspect of their life. After all, we recognize that we aren’t perfect, yet we believe we should be. It’s the all or nothing attitude that makes us feel like we have to make sweeping changes to our lives or else everyone including ourselves will see us as failures.

It’s time to stop this destructive thinking. So this year instead of big resolutions I propose we all think about the little things we can do to make our lives better.

At first glance the little things don’t seem to add up to much. I found this poem, which many of you may be familiar with, that can help but the little things into perspective.

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Little Drops of Water

Little drops of water,
Little grains of sand,
Make the mighty ocean,
And the beauteous land.

Little deeds of kindness,
Little words of love,
Make our earth an Eden,
Like the heaven above.

And the little moments,
Humble though they be,
Make the mighty ages,
Of eternity.

by Mrs. J. A. Carney (1845)

So this year I’m making a resolution to focus on the little things I can do to declutter my home and life. It could be each time I go in a room I’ll take a moment to stop and look around to see what 5 things I can put away, throw away, or give away.

I will focus on drinking a glass of water instead of grabbing a piece of candy or cookie in the middle of the afternoon. If I’m truly hungry I’ll have one piece of fruit. As I keep adding more small changes I know the extra pounds will slowly go away.

These “little” changes, like the little drops of water or little grains of sand are what will add up to make our lives more of what we want them to be.

So what little change can you make today, and tomorrow, and the next day? Please share the changes you want to make. Your ideas may be that little deed of kindness that can help someone get out of the “all or nothing” destructive way of thinking.

Janice

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Posted in Decluttering, Graditude, Simplicity