My Grandmother, Mama' was an amazing woman. She gave birth to 13, go ahead count that again, 13 children!! Between the 40s 50s and 60s they had 9 boys and 4 girls, not everyone made it to adulthood or further. She and my Papa' contributed to a chunk of the population of San Pedro Ca, a small fishing town that is part of LA county. My family was semi-famous amongs the neghibors. I recall hearing a story from one of my older uncles. He was sitting in class minding his own business when there was an announcement to his classroom. Mrs. McC had just given birth to sibling #12. (which would have been my mother.)
Now being a mother of two - in an age of convenience and extravagance, my question is simple. How did this amazing woman do it?
This Ceramic Tile seems to say it all!
"I finally got it ALL together, but I forgot where I put it." When I was a kid I used to stare at this tile and laugh at it. It alway hung with others of its series on the wall over the stove top. I used to think that it meant that my Mama' was a little like me. Forgetful, flighty, and always losing things. But now as an adult with two kids around, I have figured out what it really means.
Mama had a place for everything, and everything was in its place. Moreover, my mother was a neat freak who spent her kid/teen years helping Mama with this. But even then you would think, that many kids running around a house had to drive her batshit crazy, right? Well, this is also part of my theory. The part about forgetting where it all is...See she had to forget so she could keep her sanity.
Let me explain. Organization seems to be a never-ending battle in a house with kids. As soon as you think you have everything down pat, one of the little buggers comes in and messes it up and rearranges your organization. So if you set it, and forget it...so will they. There is a theory about cycling toys, well I think more than toys need to be on rotation. The less you have out the more room you have for getting the rest of your life together. If something doesn't fit "put away" then it doesn't need to be in your home. It's just contributing to clutter in the home and making you nutty for no reason!
So in my opinion Organization should consist of only a few rules:
Unless its special occasion related, don't store anything you haven't used in a year.
Don't let your kids be around when you are "decluttering" they can slow up the whole shebang.
Keep out vitals, and then find a way to hide away most everything else. Find some Fengshui type remedies for this. Pinterest is great for more than just Pinterest Fails.
Keep bags handy at all project junctures. It really feels good to donate or throw stuff away that you know is no longer of use to you, but has been hanging around.
And Finally... This is an important one. Mama' grew up during this time frame and I know the mentality was different then.
Try to imagine yourself living in the Great Depression. Literally, survive like you'd have to if everything you ever knew crashed. (Watch some movies for reference if you can't picture it - Cinderella Man is a great one!) Then think would I still use this if another Depression hit? Cause if you don't think you would use it then, chances are you don't really need it. It's more than likely cluttering up your counter space collecting dust. Trust me this makes for a simpler and easier-to-breathe lifestyle.
The best thing you can do for yourself is to find a system that works for you. When you declutter and organize your world, you begin to declutter and organize your head; making room for you to achieve greatness.
Or at the very least, you will finally figure out for yourself, where the heck you put it. Oh! And don’t forget a glass of wine! Thanks for reading and I hope you liked this post, let me know what your favorite tips for organization are and what inspires you to be less cluttered and more sane. And don’t forget to follow us for more.