Organize Yourselves!

Last night was my class on organization. It went fairly well with the evening beginning in a way I think should become a tradition for "Enrichment Night"a. Fondue! In the familiar LDS exclamation: OH MY HECK!

Is there anything as delicious as naked fruit dipped in chocolate and caramel? So simple, yet yumminess was at it's height. Who knows, maybe I was the only one who wanted to take their shoes off, grab a snorkel and just swim in the pot with fresh pineapple rings as my water wings.

I have never visited the wardb where I taught last night and I must say the ladies there were interesting and welcoming, as well as fun and interactive. The speaker before me gave a very informative talk on tackling the paper tiger we all seem to cage on our desk. Simple file systems followed by a question and answer period. There was a small debate over how long to hang onto bills and other documents for legal and tax purposes, other than that -smooth sailing!

One sidebar: The question of a home safe came up. Advice from our Fire Fighter son came to our family quickly after the large CA fires a while back. If you store your precious papers, documents or belongings in a "fire-proof" safe know that the safe will indeed be fire proof, your item inside will not be. It makes sense when he explained why. The fire proof safe is made to withstand a certain degree of heat before becoming invalid. If the fire becomes hotter than the safe is made to withstand, the hinges and locks, etc. can melt and weld the safe into a huge metal block without means of entry. Something to think about. Your items inside are not made to withstand those same degrees of heat without becoming baked to a cinder! Imagine taking your insurance papers and baking them for an hour in your oven set on broil. They would come out very fragile if at all. It works the same in the safe. Most home fires get pretty hot and you should not risk truly important unreplaceable papers anywhere other than a safety deposit box. Last night one lady brought up that banks also catch fire, what's the difference in safety? Banks and bank vaults have fire sprinklers which if they don't eliminate the fire will at least keep the heat degree down and the articles inside the vaults have a better chance of survival.

The meeting was to end at 8, and it was 7:45 before I even began, so it was a rather short and hurried version, but went well. The gal in charge gave me an extra 10 minutes, but I could have gone on for much longer and there were so many unanswered questions! I stayed afterwards and caught up as many queries as they wanted and still made it home in time to watch the Donald say "your fired". (yeah, I know, but for whatever reason I like that stupid show)

As always the big hit was a chart I made for our family to eliminate arguing and disobedience. It, basically, is a training for mom! I think when we realize that we are indeed the mom, the kids will catch on and that's where the change begins.

I don't have the space to review all my personal ideas and tips but a great resource on line is

organize tips

Organize tips . com has great FREE down loads for all kinds of "stuff", check lists, schedules, charts, and articles to help get you started. It also has a gazillion things for you to purchase, so puruse carefully and enjoy!

More on the whole organization later. I need to send some good mojo vibes to Flickr and see if I can help them get back in gear! ugh!

a. Formerly "Homemaking Night" or "Work Meeting", a once a month meeting where LDS women (18 and older) gather together to be enriched and educated on a variety of Spiritual and Temporal subjects. Usually very informative, fun and social, sometimes with dinner being served or refreshment. b. An LDS term having the same meaning as "congregation".

Going to the Snailbox

Movie night. Our favorites include a pretty eclectic mix. We go from "Little Nemo" to "Pride and Prejudice". "Il Postino" to "The Hunt For Red October" "Chocolate", "Life is Beautiful", "Princess Bride", and "Young Frankenstein". Pretty much anything with Johnny Depp, Tom Hanks, or touched in anyway form or fashion by Tim Burton, all three in the Red Curtain Series by Baz Lurman - especially Strictly Ballroom, and too many oldies to mention. We even go for the occasional documentary and absolutely dive into anything that would only be seen on PBS. (My kids are the only ones in their peer groups who know most of the programs on NPR, but that's another post - geek alert!)

Tonight is, once again a replay of "You've Got Mail". I am not sure what the appeal is other than the sweet story that you don't need to think about later. For S'mee, part of it is relating to the opening sequence where both lead characters anticipate receiving mail. It goes back to when I was a little kid. Who among us didn't run to the mailbox everyday in anticipation of someone, anyone sending us mail? It stays with me still. Each day I head out to the snail box and search through the bills for a piece of friendly correspondence. The elation that bursts forth when finally, after a long period of time there is a surprise address to me!

Now I am the mom. Heck I'm 47 flippin' years old. When will this hoping end? Probably never. Because I am a hopeless romantic I will continue to search for the illusive piece of information that comes miraculously to my house from far away giving me a five minute reprieve from daily life to sit and "chat" with an unexpected guest from my past. I love that! "Who will it be today?" I wonder.

People have stopped writing like they used to. No more letters in the mail, just flyers and bills and odd random letters from my congressman encouraging me to vote for this or that, like his or her newsletter will influence me in a different direction. Martha wants me back and will give me a deal I won't be offered again. And then there are the missing children/$5.00 off oil change coupons. What a waste.

I have a friend, Sheri. She is a dream. She was a (hearing) friend of one of my (ASL) students who is this gorgeous bright friendly gal. She sat across from my student in a class and became a friend to both of us. She has this riot of rust coloured hair that I would die for and a face that reflected her inner love of life. On top of this she is one of the most creative people I have ever met. I used to receive letters from her via the snail. They would come on receipts or torn grocery bags. Sometimes on the back of a shard of cardboard. Each time they would be decorated with her penmanship and drawings. I treasured them for more than the words. They brought her personality back to me as well. She continues to correspond, just via the net... so no more art pieces disguised as letters. Her Keroppi stickers have been replaced by cc notations and work related addresses, but I love them still.

When things in my life go wrong, again I identify with the saddened and confused Kathleen after she has been "stood up" waiting for NY152 in the cafe. I long for friends to be there and reassure me things will be o.k. I hope for relations to somehow convey their love across e-lines and for me to have the ability to so the same. And, I must admit there are those who I long to have a relationship with, who frankly, could care less. But that's the wonder of e-mail; there's always hope.

This blog will eventually bring me more friends, most of whom I will never meet. My shopgirl, my NY152, my anonymous lurker who will say something profound and then disappear once again.

I go to the computer now, just like Jo Fox and Kathleen Kelly, waiting for family and friends to drop me tidbits of their lives. I like hearing about their dogs and husbands and the bragging about children who, less than perfect, are perfectly adored by the authors. Someone cluing me onto a great page or product or information I would have missed otherwise. I like hearing about the mundane things, the eye appointment that still hasn't helped the situation. It's like sitting on the porch stoop waiting for the rumble of a jeep starting and stopping as it rolls slowly down the block. "You've Got Mail!" I am ten again.