Janice

The Transition from Summer to Fall

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Each weekday my dog starts barking at the school kids running to the bus stop. Then I hear the beeping of the bus backing up at the corner to turn around for it’s journey out of the subdivision. School is back in session.

My youngest is away at college so the familiar rushing around to catch the bus doesn’t happen here anymore. But that doesn’t mean I have lost the old feelings that come with a new start. From the time we were little and got excited about a new school year to when our own children went through school is a good portion of our lives. We become conditioned to looking at this time of year as a fresh start.

Then again maybe it’s because the end of summer is here and now is the time to get back to taking our lives a little more serious. Or maybe it’s because we follow nature (at least in the northern hemisphere) with the impending fall and winter we need to prepare for it. Sort of like the squirrels gathering nuts for the winter.

Any or all of these reasons may make us feel like it is time to get back to the business of taking care of our homes. In Spring we spring clean to make our homes clean and bright for the summer. In Fall we prepare our children for the long school year ahead. We start putting our gardens to bed for winter. We put away the summer clothes and bring out the fall clothes. We even start thinking about the holidays and what our plans will be.

September seems to be that transition month where in the beginning it’s hard to let go of summer but by the end we are ready to move forward to the fall and winter months.

How do you transition from summer to fall during this month?

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

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Change Your Attitude, Change Your Life

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Although it is only August 25th, it feels like the start of a new year for millions of families with children heading off to school. Even if you don’t have children yet or yours are grown and out of the house all the advertisements and news on the TV reminds us.

This is a good time to take stock of your attitude towards home organization and routines. During summer have you found house cleaning more of a chore that takes time away from playtime? Have you eased up on daily routines with your children because of lack of schedules? With the start of school and end of summer are you having a hard time shifting gears and feel overwhelmed?

It’s time for a fresh start and a new attitude. Look at cleaning your home as a blessing for you and your family. You are creating a clean and clutter free environment so everyone, including yourself, can accomplish homework or work, enjoy creative activities, or just relax as a family.

When you decide to clear out some of the clutter look at your unused items and think how you can bless other people by giving them a chance to use them. Sell or donate the items.

When you take the time to plan, shop and cook nutritious foods you are blessing yourself and family by helping everyone try to stay healthy.

So when you have something you have to do but dread it, think of how you can change your attitude towards it. In other words, find the silver lining in the chore and it will become easier to do. Flylady always talks about changing your attitude from looking at something as a chore to looking at it as a blessing. This kind of attitude will make any chore as something you want to do instead of dreading it.

Take the start of the new school year and change of seasons as a time for a fresh attitude. It can change your life from dreading and procrastinating chores to doing them with a smile on your face. That can set a good example for your whole family. They won’t want to miss out on the fun and will be happy to help you.

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://facebook.com/CutClutterWithScissors

http://twitter.com/jlscissors

 

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Back to School Tips

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I sent out a newsletter yesterday that had a lot of links to help you set up routines to get the school year started on the right foot. For all those readers that are not signed up to receive the newsletter I am posting it on today’s blog post. To receive future newsletters in your email box, please sign up on the right sidebar.

Decluttering Tips Newsletter
Volume 1, Issue 13

Back To School Time
As I hear the school bus pick up the children at the corner of my street I am reminded that many schools are already in session. My youngest is away at college in his last year so I tend to lose track of the start of school days for younger children.

Some schools haven’t started yet so those parents are still in the back to school shopping mode. One reader, Sue, had some back to school shopping tips I wasn’t aware of. The main one was that some schools do not allow solid fabric backpacks or book bags. Since it has been awhile since my children were in the elementary and secondary schools the safety rules have changed. Some schools that are in high risk areas are more strict on what is allowed on school grounds. If you are not aware of these rules, which also include dress codes, you should contact your children’s’ school for a list of them. It could save you from buying things that are not allowed and the hassle of having to return them. It can also prevent arguments with your children if it is school rules and not just your rules on not allowing your children to have certain clothes or other items.

Whether your children have already started classes or about to now is the time to set up routines to make this transition a lot smoother. The Flylady web site (http://FlyLady.net) has a great control journal just for students. It will teach your children to take responsibility to follow routines that will help them learn to take care of themselves.

Here are some other sites for you to check out ideas on how to prepare your children and yourself for the upcoming school year. Work on keeping your children’s routines as simple as possible. That will help reduce the emotional clutter and keep them and you from being overwhelmed.

http://www.familycorner.com/homegarden/organize/back_to_school.shtml

http://holidays.kaboose.com/back-to-school/

http://www.nasponline.org/resources/home_school/b2shandout.aspx

http://childcare.about.com/od/behaviors/bb/backtoschool.htm

http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/schoolage/going_back_to_school.html

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice Scissors

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com
http://facebook.com/CutClutterWithScissors

 

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Being Organized Is A Journey, Not A Destination

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We all have hopes of reaching the “point” of being organized and our lives run smoothly. Anything before that “point” feels like we aren’t there yet.

The problem with this kind of thinking is that even if we reach that “point” we won’t be able to stay there for long. Life is always changing. Sometimes we hit a bump in the road and with a small adjustment we can quickly get back to being organized. Sometimes we hit a major lifestyle change, good or bad, and we get completely derailed.

Once a lifestyle change (such as adding a new baby to the family or a major illness or death) has derailed you, you will have to change your old organizational plan to a new one. You may feel like you are living in chaos for awhile but you will get back on track. It will just be a new track.

This is why it is better to look at organizing as a journey. You will always be improving and/or changing your organizational plan to fit your current lifestyle.

If a bad lifestyle change occurs the journey way of thinking will help you get through the crisis with a lot less stress. You will know you have to be flexible and adapt to the change.

Just remember there are plenty of good changes in our lives, not just bad ones.

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://facebook.com/CutClutterWithScissors

http://twitter.com/jlscissors

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Moving Clutter and Trash

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Have you ever noticed that when someone has just moved out of their house the trash waiting for pick-up is a mile high? Have you ever wondered where they were keeping all that trash? Why did they keep it?

My theory is that things get stored out of sight and are forgotten. Even if they are in plain sight they can be forgotten amongst all the other things that are just sitting there. We may be saving it for “someday” when we have time to fix it or clean it up so it can be used again. But when we move we decide it isn’t worth bothering with and throw it away.

The more items we keep because of this thinking the more difficult our move will be. So if you are planning a move soon you may want to start cleaning out all those “someday” things. You old home will be easier to pack up when the time comes. You new home will be easier to unpack if you don’t have to mess with the clutter.

If you are not planning a move then you can still pretend like you are. Go through each room and ask yourself the following questions about all your things.

  • Is this item worth paying good money for to move to a new home?
  • What wouldn’t you take because you don’t like it or use it?
  • Why are you keeping it in your current home?
  • If it isn’t worthy enough to be in a new home what makes it worthy enough for you current home?

You deserve to live in a clean “new” home even if you are not planning on a move. Clear out the clutter and you will feel like you are in a “new” home. Add some new paint or other decorative touches and you’ll have a fresh start in your home.

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

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