Honoring and Caring for our Wounded Veterans
I waited in Harold and Kathy’s Diner for my friend to arrive. Finding a table in the small, but crowded dining area, I sat and looked around. I was surrounded by your average American, diner-eating crowd–a few workers, several retired couples, a few twenty-somethings, some suits, and a couple of moms. Every-day folks who enjoy the freedom that the hard-working men and women in our military provide.
The diner is located just a stone’s throw from Quantico, which is a base often referred to as the crossroads of the Marine Corps. There were also several military folks eating, both active duty and retired. I noticed that the military folks wear honor like a garment.
My friend, Leann Salas, arrived shortly. Leann and I were neighbors in Okinawa, Japan, and I am excited to continue our friendship. As part of honoring Veteran’s Day, I was interested to hear about Leann’s new job.
The Wounded Warrior Call Center
Leann is working at the call center for the Wounded Warrior Regiment of the Marine Corps. I was anxious to hear what her job entailed and how it was going. The Wounded Warrior Call Center, provides a variety of support to wounded, ill, or injured Marines. The center is dedicated to Sergeant Merlin German, who was severely burned in 2005, due to a roadside blast in Iraq. (The linked article is an inspiring read.)
The extent of his injuries gave little hope for survival, yet this young man came to be known as the “Miracle Man,” not only facing his own challenges, but also encouraging fellow wounded warriors. Reaching beyond his own painful injuries, German established, “Merlin’s Miracles,” a foundation supporting burned children and their families. Merlin passed away on April 11, 2008, due to complications from surgery.
His legacy of concern, support, and encouragement lives on through the Wounded Warrior Call Center.
A chat with my friend.
“So what do you do?” I asked my friend.
Leann answered, “I make outreach calls to the wounded or ill active duty Marines, who are transitioning out of the Marine Corps. Once a Marine is no longer fit for duty they undergo a challenging transition. The call center provides support for a variety issues including benefits, administration, insurance, employment, education, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).”
Although Leann has found it challenging emotionally, the reward of helping Marines transition out of the Marine Corps is a very special job.
Leann reviews cases, becoming familiar with each Marine’s story, and calls to see how things are going, to find out what they need. Providing a caring ear, answers for issues, and support in making the transition, she helps connect needs and questions with help and answers. She helps these brave souls navigate the difficult landscape of making the change to life after the Corps. She tells me, “Part of what I do is follow up and try to make sure they are getting the treatment and help that is available, both for the Marine and the caregivers.”
“What seems to be the most challenging injuries for Marines to work through?” I asked.
Leann answered, “Those that have active support from family and friends make the transitions a little easier. Amputees seem to overcome challenges with less difficulty than those with invisible injuries, such as extreme PTSD or Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI). Cognitive and emotional injuries bring many challenges, particularly with effects of medication and struggles with depression. Regardless of the type of injury, family support is a key factor in making a the transition.”
As we wind down our conversation, I was inspired as Leann stated that at the Wounded Warrior Call Center we want Marines to know we are here. “We care. We hear. No one is forgetting their sacrifice.”
Even though Veteran’s Day was earlier this week, let’s continue to take time to appreciate the brave men and women who have served our nation in the military.
My young friend, Corinne Lennard, a freshman in college, tells of her thoughts on wounded warriors and Veteran’s Day…
“Even though I’ve been around the military my entire life this was actually the first time that I saw a wounded warrior in person. He was so young, probably only a couple years older than me. When he joined the military, I’m sure he knew some of the sacrifices he might make, but yet he still put it all on the line….On that hot summer day, as this young man who was missing both of his legs was taken into the hospital, I realized what great sacrifices these men and women make for our freedom. It is more than the long work hours or the many months spent away from home, we celebrate Veterans Day because without these brave men and women, we could loose our freedom. They put the well-being of strangers ahead of themselves and they make incredible sacrifices for our nation…Without them, we wouldn’t have freedom because freedom isn’t free. So thank you!”
Feel free to leave a comment of thanks or a prayer for our veterans, particularly those who have been wounded and injured..
How Blessed Can You Get? 5 More Blessings from Allume.
Blessing #5–The Give Aways
Conference sponsors filled our Sway Bags to overflowing with books and goodies! Yippee!
The folks that gathered sponsors for Allume did an amazing job. I had the opportunity to learn about many wonderful ministries, such as Freeset Global, Sole Hope, Exodus Road, Vibrant Faith, Gospel for Asia, and Pure Charity to name a few. More on some of these in the future.
Blessing #6–Meeting with a Literary Agent
I had an unexpected opportunity to have an appointment with a literary agent that went well. God also sat an editor from Zondervan beside me for two meals, and it was fun to get to chat with her.
Blessing #7–Winning a Prize
This girl who never wins anything when it comes to raffles and such had a big day. I won a trip to Birmingham, Alabama for the premier of Mom’s Night Out! So excited!
Blessing #8 — A Creative Night of Worship
A great evening of worship that included the opportunity to be creative. Ashley shows her worship painting–expressing worship through creativity. Love it!
Prophetic painting: there were several painters that created images in response to visions by the Holy Spirit. Each painting reflected a specific idea. I have never seen this before, but it was cool to watch. One of my roommates, Amy J. Bennett, received one of the paintings. God really ministered to her through this. You can read her story here.
Blessing #9 –Remembering College Days at Furman University
It has been years since I walked the gorgeous campus at Furman. I enjoyed remembering sweet memories of days gone by. How amazing to think of the many things about my life that I never dreamed I would experience. So blessed.
Blessing #10–Visiting a College Roommate on the Way Home
Since I don’t get to South Carolina by myself very often, this was a great time to visit special friends. When you’re a military gal frequently moving away from friends, it is a special treat to spend time with friends you have history with. Bonnie Brunt is a talented cake decorator. If you need a wedding cake in South Carolina-she is the best! Several years ago Bonnie and her husband helped me get my blog going, designing the masthead and helping me get started. So grateful!
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In so many ways, I am thankful for God’s blessings that have been showered on me. Even more, I am bone-deep grateful to have a God who is the giver of such grace.
Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. –James 1:17
The Blessings of Attending Allume Blogging Conference
Blessing # 1–The Opportunity
Last weekend I had the opportunity to attend Allume, a blogging conference in Greenville, SC. I am so grateful that my family was willing for me to take off for a week. (I added a bit of visiting on the front and back end.)
Can I just say, it was SO FUN!
At Allume, I learned more than I can absorb, met more great folks than I can remember, and came away blessed up one side and down the other. >Tweet this.
Blessing # 2–Getting There Safely
My trip to Greenville had a few minor aggravations in that my license plate was hanging off when I stopped for lunch. Fortunately, the Subway I stopped at was next to an auto parts store! My GPS stopped working, so I had to find other ways of getting the right directions.
Then there were some not-so-minor car issues. On the outskirts of Greenville, I had some trouble with my car making one of those sounds it is not supposed to make. Thump-whack, thump-whack…
Made me nervous and thankful I was almost there. I called on my Greenville friend, Mary Denman, for a recommendation for a mechanic. She fixed me right up. Got my car taken care of, learning that God had been protecting me. I was down to two lug nuts that were about to come off. It goes without saying that am grateful beyond words to have arrived safe and sound!
Blessing # 3–The People
While my car was being fixed, I had a delightful visit with Mary and got underway with the conference. Fill up a hotel with 450 blogging women, and you have a recipe for a good time. I met so many wonderful, creative, and talented women called to do this crazy Bloggy Thing.
New friends.
Meeting other Military wives.
Connecting with writing buddies I met at Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference.
Blessing # 4–The Learning
The keynotes and workshops were wonderful all the way around. It was fascinating to see how God used each speaker to add to a cohesive message, especially since the speakers were not given topics.
You don’t have to be a writer to benefit from these take-aways:
Ann Voskamp said when you write for an audience of one, you always count.
Ann reminded us that we can give up the need to compete in the world when we accept being complete in Christ.
Ann encouraged us to shine like stars, holding out the word of life.
Melanie Shankle said God often teaches us in the quiet places of obscurity, just as David learned to be a man after God’s heart in the pastures rather than on the throne.
Melanie taught that just as God didn’t take the Israelite’s on the short route, God often takes us the longer path in which we learn who He is.
She identified today’s new take on legalism: the pressure of all the things that we think we’re supposed to be doing.
Holley Gerth said that your brand is a promise to people that you will be the same wherever they find you. It is simply identifying what is already there.
Holley broke down the steps to creating a mission statement and developing a brand in ways that are simple to understand.
Gari Meacham reminded us that Moses was trying to help God along, and sometimes we do too.
Gari told us that like Moses threw his staff on the ground, we need to throw down the fears that keep us from fulfilling God’s calling.
Jennie Allen challenged us to let go of sins that have us entangled, particularly the desire for approval.
Jennie emphasized that we don’t write because it is easy; we write because we are called by God. We can substitute that writing word with anything God calls us to do–marriage, parenting, obedience, giving…
Bianca Olthoff talked from Ezekiel 37 where God breaths life into dry bones and His power reveals, refreshes, and revives.
There were also great classes on the technical side of blogging.
There were many other blessings, but I am saving those for the next post.
Which one of these take-away encouragements hit home with you today?
Three Ways to Keep Out of the Free-For-All Frustration Zone
When was the last time you got out of bed saying, “I can’t wait to feel overwhelmed today? What a great day for chaos to reign!”
We just don’t say those things. Few folks plan to struggle with organization and order. Yet, we all have days when we feel like the roof is caving in. Days when the house is a mess and the family is out of sorts. Days when we run ourselves ragged just trying to keep up.
Cruising forward with our current series, today’s message is a definite sanity saver.
Avoid the Free-For-All-Frustration Zone.
What is this? Surely you don’t have to ask. You know those dreaded moments when nothing goes as planned and you think that life can’t get much crazier? Those are the times we are smack dab in the black hole of the Frustration Zone–and it can quickly become a free-for-all.
1. Don’t wait until The Last Minute.
Last-Minute-Itis is a state of mind and it is a bad habit. Believe it or not, we can learn a practical little trick called, Planning Ahead. Planning ahead is the great antidote for Last-Minute-Itis. When you’re in the Frustration Zone, it can be a challenge to make time to plan, but it is time that puts you back on the sanity track!
When it comes to paying bills, preparing assignments, packing for trips, getting the kids out the door, or any of the other countless tasks in our lives that run on time schedules, putting things off until the last minute puts you in the…free-for-all frustration zone. Best not to go there if you don’t have to!
2.Watch out for the tendency to Put it Off, procrastinating on tasks and decisions.
Ouch–it is humbling to write about areas that I struggle with. I’m often tempted to put off things that I don’t have the energy to deal with at the moment. It’s helpful to learn to recognize the difference between procrastination and making a choice. For example, never bring up a touchy subject for a quick discussion at bedtime when everyone is tired. Choosing to wait until a better time is not procrastination–that’s wisdom.
However, there are many tasks and decisions that we procrastinate simply because we don’t “feel” like doing them at the moment. Unwilling to make a decision, we put things off. I speak from experience when I share the truth that procrastination usually lands us in the Frustration Zone.
3. Avoid trying to do One More Thing before it is time to leave.
One More Thing is another bad habit that often creates frustration. The problem with squeezing in one more thing, is that it eats up any margin for the unexpected. I don’t know about your life but the unexpected routinely visits my house.
Case study: this is how my day has gone.
I had plenty of time this morning and all was going well. Working on an assignment, I decided to get one more section done. Working up to the last minute, I headed out to the car, right on time. Key in the ignition.
Key won’t turn.
ARGGG…
Fiddle with the key and the steering wheel five or six times, just to make sure.
I get out of the car and get back in–as if that is going to make a difference. No go.
Because I waited until the last minute, when the unexpected happened, I had no margin to solve the problem without being late. Fortunately, my neighbor, Jessica, came out at just the right time. Being the car-savy gal that she is, she told me the trick to unlocking the steering wheel. Presto, I was on way and made it to work on time. But not without a visit to the Frustration Zone, which is never a good way to start the day.
One last observation about the Free-For-All-Frustration Zone.
It is hard to get out of the frustration zone once you’re there. The rest of my day has been a long series of things not going right. Set backs. Inconveniences. Aggravations.
It is 3:30 and I am still in the Frustration Zone. I take a deep breath, choose to laugh, and say a prayer for patience and sanity. I press forward until I make your way out…of the Frustration Zone!
3 More Principles for Stay-Sane Home Management
1. Be intentional: set the atmosphere in your home.
Believe it or not, how things go in your home has a lot to do with you. We all have the opportunity to be the thermostats in our homes; we can set the temperature and the tone.
Where is your temperature set?
As a general rule are you frustrated and frazzled? Calm and content? Perky and fun? Rigid and no-nonsense? The general tone we sent in our home affects the entire family. This doesn’t mean that other folks don’t contribute, but as women we have the power to influence a positive or negative atmosphere in our home.
Attitude check–otherwise known as the Mom-i-tude.
If you find yourself skating on the edge of a constant blow-up mode, chances are routines and organization need a little attention in your home. Start with yourself, evaluating your own attitudes, needs, and routines. Find your happy, and then work outwards to the family.
2. Develop an As-You-Go mentality.
It is much easier to keep up with things as you go, rather than letting piles and messes build up to the disaster point. If you have to move a pile of papers to use your microwave, you are a prime candidate for this strategy.
When it comes to kitchen duty, keep soapy water in the sink to start dishwashing as you go, rather than the method below. Who wants to clean up a mess like this?
Throw away trash and put unused items away…as you go.
Keep cleaning supplies in each bathroom, so you can take a quick wipe or swipe…as you go. (Well maybe not literally, but you know what I mean.)
When you leave a room, put a couple of things away, straighten the pillows, or grab the trash…as you go. Train yourself, and your kids, to leave a room just a little better than you found it.
Paperwork and the mail–take care of it as you go. Then put it where it belongs. Make it your goal to handle a paper only one time. Open mail near the trashcan so you can ditch the junk, but don’t forget to shred any credit card applications or personal information.
See, working on this As-You-Go mentality can take you a long way to getting and staying organized.
3. Plan for Margin
Let me just confess, this one is really hard for me–hence, I truly understand the value of realistic planning. For some reason, I always think I can get more done in a given amount of time than is actually possible. I don’t have a GPS in my brain, and I seem to frequently under estimate how long it will take to go from point A to B.
Try your best not to overload your schedule and tasks for the day. I know it feels great to make this monster list of what you plan to accomplish for the day. However, if it isn’t realistic, and you only get a couple of things done… You feel like a failure at the end of the day. Been there?
Some days, we don’t have a choice. We do what needs to be done and hope for the best. But there are other days when we can use the power of planning and the ability to say “no” to keep a bit of margin in the day.
Plan realistically , then add 15 minutes as a general rule.
Make appointments with yourself to do the things that you need to do. If there is a child that you’ve been meaning to do something special with, put it on the calendar. This helps you to keep the extras in mind when scheduling things.
If we are always in catch-up or put-out-the-fire mode–the urgent things, then we will have no time or energy left for the important things. If it is important to you or to your family, plan for it…and allow a little margin to make it happen!
What is your best Stay-Sane strategy for managing your home? Don’t forget to share this post with a friend:)
3 Simple Principles of Stay-Sane Home Management.
Home organization is a popular and practical subject. We all need it, and most of us have some level of frustration when it comes to staying organized. Organization does not have to drive you crazy.
3 Simple Principles of Stay-Sane Home Management.
Here are some basic principles that have helped me over the years. All of these are areas I am still working on. Truly, I consider myself a work in progress.
[tweetthis]Give God your day…everyday.[/tweetthis]Give God your day…everyday.
Time with God is a necessity, not a luxury. Begin each day with prayer. Even if you don’t have time to read Scripture or a devotion at the beginning of your day, learn to pray as you get out of bed. Pray in the shower or talk with God as you take those first sips of coffee. This is a spiritual habit we can develop, and it makes all the difference.
Work to establish a time that you can sit down and spend a few minutes with God, reading the Bible and reflecting on what you read. Time with God nourishes our souls, inspires our attitudes, grounds our values, encourages our spirits, strengthens our weaknesses, and builds our wisdom. To me, these are non-negotiable things I am unwilling to do without.
I need God’s presence in my day. If you are struggling to find time with God, take it out of the if-I-have-time-left-over category of life. These days, time doesn’t come in left overs. We will always find something else to do if we don’t make spending time with God a priority.
When we give God our day, we invite Him into the adventure of our lives. We learn to do our work with a heart for God, which gives us a good motivation for all that we do. For more on this subject, read Wisdom for a Strong Life or Three Simple Ways to Listen to God.
[tweetthis]Keep organization simple: avoid elaborate systems.[/tweetthis]
Choose ideas that are do-able everyday, not just your best days. Choose simplicity that is sustainable.
There are boat loads of books, seminars, and articles on organization. And there are nearly as many different areas of life we can organize–drawers, closets, cars, finances, kids, schedules, food, grocery lists, paperwork, crafts, tools… and this is just the stuff at home. We can be overwhelmed amount of information, so pick and choose wisely. Find a couple of good sources…and keep it simple.
My best sources of help with organization have come from other moms–folks that I know that do it well. For me it is so much easier to see a good plan in action, rather than read an entire books of great ideas–though I have read plenty of book on the subject. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and start conversations on this subject.
Wherever you get information on organization, keep it simple. I have tried a few ideas that involved several layers of organization, and I found myself labeling my labels and making lists of my lists. If your system is too complicated, you won’t keep up with it over time, and this gets frustrating for everyone–particularly if you are trying to get the family to keep up with too many steps to achieve a result. Getting the family to participate in your organization is like herding cats anyway, so keep it simple for the best success.
For a laugh and a simple system for Meal planning, click the link. (The tip is at the end of this humorous post.)
[tweetthis]Work toward good routines. [/tweetthis]
When kids are young, a good routine is part of every mom’s survival plan. The younger the child, the more a consistent routine helps keep things running smoothly. Kid’s benefit from order, and tend to like knowing what to expect. If you don’t believe me, try skipping bedtime stories one night and see what happens.
Part of good routines with children involves keeping them fed and rested. Hungry and tired kiddies are miserable–and they will make you miserable too! Bedtime and nap times are important for lots of reasons, so do your best to keep structure and consistency when it comes to making sure everyone gets enough rest–(that includes you too:)
A few weeks of fighting nap battles and maintaining the line on bed time can bring long term structure to everyone’s day. It is worth the effort. And by the way, it is never too late to establish a bedtime, it just may take time.
When our first born was a baby, I was working to get him on a good schedule. The end goal was the coveted sleeping through the night. Somehow in my desire to establish a good feeding and sleeping routine, I began to evaluate my success as a parent by whether or not my child was meeting benchmarks. It was probably due to sleep deprivation, but when my routine became too important, I veered toward rigid rather than consistent.
One day, I commented to a friend that I felt like such a failure that I could not get my baby to sleep through the night. She gave me some great advice. My friend, Michelle, encouraged me to view establishing routines as building a framework. Each day we work on building the framework. Some days will go well; others will be challenging. If we keep our eyes on the goal–establishing a good foundation–then we can be flexible with the daily ups and downs.
This may not have been what you were expecting, but when we establish solid principles, we develop motivation and mindset that helps us to fill in the details.
Is there one of these areas that need your attention today? What one thing can you work on to make a difference in managing your home? Please use the facebook box in the side bar to like and share this post. How simple is that!
The Motivation of Order: The Stability of Balance
So where does organization begin?
Some folks seem to be organized from birth. These are the kids who eat neatly, and can play without making the room look like a cyclone hit. These are the kids who line up their toys because they like the way it looks. It’s just the way they are.
Then there are the kids that now matter what, they make a mess. They create clutter and chaos and can turn your house upside down in a matter of minutes (usually just after you have mopped the floor.) Doesn’t this make us wonder if organization an innate trait, wired deep into our DNA?
Believe me, I’d love to be uber-organized, but no matter how hard I try to get my ducks organized in a row, one of them always gets away. Maybe you can relate.
Personally, I have a love-hate relationship with organization. To me it is work, physical and mental, and I always seem to get partway there and run out of time, or run out of steam. It has been a long-term area of frustration and growth. This blog series gives me a chance to pass along a few things I have learned over the years, mostly out of desperation. Because I had so far to go, I can gratefully say that God has taught me a lot on this. All of these are areas I am still working on, because I’m just special that way.
Organization begins in the mind.
Beginning with motivation and thoughts, organization works its way out into the habits, tasks, and routines of our day. For me, it is helpful to remember that organization is a process and a tool to help us accomplish our priorities.
Organization is not the goal, and perfection isn’t the standard.
The years when my kids were small were the hardest to maintain any level of organization and order. Through trial and error and threatened loss of sanity, I came to realize that organization was not about having my house look like the cover of a magazine. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t squeeze my kids and home into a tight fool-proof routine. Kids make messes, and so do I.
I can remember days as a young mom.
I can remember the pulling uncertainty–was I doing this right?
I remember the questions–why can’t I get it all together? Why can’t I get my baby to sleep through the night?
I remember the frustrations–how did I leave the house without the diaper bag? I just spent 2 hours cleaning… I’m so tired I can’t see straight…
And I learned.
I learned that when I elevate the importance of organization over relationships, the house may be ship shape, but I fall short of what God desires for my family. I learned that nothing is perfect and that family life is an amazing, wonderful, frustrating, beautiful mess some days.
I learned that it is okay.
Life is like a bookshelf.
Think of a bookshelf. Books are all lined up nice and straight. One end is up against the rigid wall of the shelf. It is not going to budge. On the other end, there is no support and the books are falling over. Either end of the shelf is an extreme–one with no flexibility and the other with no support.
When it comes to maintaining order in our homes, aim for the middle. Whether it is organization, house work, schedules, discipline or parenting–aim for the balance point of the middle. Avoid the extremes of perfectionistic expectations or total lack of structure. <Tweet this.
As with most things in life, balance keeps us in a productive and healthy place.
Home life and parenting is often a bumpy process, and we have to learn to roll and flex with the needs of our family and demands of our schedules. Here again, balance and flexibility within a framework of organization and routine keeps us moving forward. <Tweet this.
This place of balance can help us recognize, accept, and embrace the boundaries of our current season of life. The baby and toddler years have very different needs, challenges, and joys. Life with teens looks completely different, and the schedule and needs of the family vary widely from the years with pre-schoolers. When we use organizational skills and maintain priorities, we can manage our homes with contentment and peace in each season of life.
Some of us need to tighten up (that would be me…) while others may need to lighten up. Seek the balance and the stability of allowing organization to be a helpful tool to achieve the priorities that are important to your family.
What level of organization does your family need at this season of life?
What level of organization do you need?
Is Organization the Priority?
Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. (Colossian 3:17)
We all need a certain level of organization to help us function in the whole of life—to get things done, to find things when we need them, to maintain a level or order in the home that helps us to function well.
[tweetthis]Life is just better when you don’t have to move a pile of laundry in order to get in bed.[/tweetthis]
Some of us need more or less structure than others. Some folks (not naming names here) have great need for order, but struggle with the practical skills and habits to maintain an organized environment. Others can be like Martha Stewart on steroids, slavishly bound to standards of perfection that rival any cover of a home magazine.
Order helps us to be productive.
God is a God of order—process, roles, and relationships. Order to the steps. Orderly systems are an aspect of His nature and His creation. In our homes, when there isn’t a functional level of order, chaos can run rampant. Quickly. In God’s design, motivation and relationships take priority over process.
When disorder takes over…
[tweetthis]Chaos breeds stress and provokes feelings of being out of control. [/tweetthis]I am often amazed at how fast pesky little piles of clutter grow and multiply. A good chore routine can fall by the wayside as busy schedules make it easy to neglect the smaller tasks that can wait until later.
[tweetthis]Sometimes later is a long time coming…[/tweetthis]
When disorder reigns, we can struggle with self esteem because things are a mess, the kids are misbehaving, and important details slip through the cracks. We can become cranky and impatient as frustration overshadows good intentions.
Order and peace provide a place for families, personalities, and relationships to grow.
Remember that we serve God through blessing our families and the attitude we have is important: Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men. Colossians 3:23
When we keep this verse in mind, the mundane tasks like folding laundry, preparing meals, and helping with homework take on a larger significance.
How does order help your family to grow?
The Can’t-Get it-Together-Guide to Home Organization
You know, I am very good at being disorganized. In fact, I just might be down right brilliant at it. What can I say, I am gifted. My husband often tells me so. Though I don’t really think it is a compliment.
Well, the drawback to being disorganized is that at some point out of sheer survival or necessity, you have to get it together. <Tweet this.
So for me, organizing works a little like this:
The Crazy Cycle
You bump along, getting by. Some days go well. Others…not so much.
With busy schedules, things slowy distentegrate into some level of chaos.
Then comes the day of no turning back.
You open the closet door and a ten pound weight falls on you head. You forget that today is early dismissal and end up leaving your child stranded in the carpool line at school. You show up on the wrong day for an appointment. When disorganization rises up its ugly head and bites you, out of desperation you have your come-to-Jesus moment.
You baton down the hatches, straighten up the closet, power clean the house, and go overboard in trying to fix all that is not going well. You have a field day with your neighbor’s label maker. Slowly, life returns to a sane level of chaos. All is right with the world and all the laundry is put away.
Organizational Bliss
You cruise along for a while, basking in your new -found organizational bliss. Life goes smoothly…until things begin to unravel.
Sound familiar anyone?
Just because you may have your moments of frustration with organization, I’d like to share with you a few of my best tips.
The Can’t-Get it-Together-Guide to Home Organization
I have three children and a husband, who despite my worthy efforts of training, somehow cannot seem to put things away. Shoes by the front door, pajamas on the kitchen chair, braces rubberbands everywhere. And the biggest nightmare of all—the dreaded kitchen counter—the free for all zone for clutter.
The Swat Method
Here’s my best tip for eliminating counter clutter. Don’t let it start. Stand guard over your counter with one of those big plastic spatualas and swat the hand on anyone or anything how tries to put something down on your holy space. Let me tell you. They will learn. Quickly. It only takes a couple of years, well, maybe 15 or so.
The Kid Bedroom Disaster Zone
And how about kids bedrooms? What to do about that disaster zone? I once knew a lady who flipped out because her child had left a lego (just one) under the bed. Just so you are clear on this. That is not me. My house doesn’t look like this all the time, but when it does, I am not above taking a few pictures (the Shame Method…)
So how do you achieve organization in the personal space of a child? What do you do when despite your best efforts, they will not put their stuff away?
For heaven’s sake, the stuffed animals are literally breeding and multiplying before our very eyes. What to do?
Simple.
The trash can method if you’re the House-Nazi type. If you’re more soft hearted, go for the box method. Anything left out is taking the easy way out. Into the box and on to never-never land. If you’re big into systems and rewards, you can make the little guys earn the toys back….
Is Time Really Manageable?
Now another problem area is the schedule—yes…that dirty word: Time management.
Oh mercy, we can get into some trouble with this one. Remember the kid left at school? Earned mother of the year award with that one. Or how about the time I left my teen stranded…on the morning of her AP English exam senior year? How was I to know her brother took the car that day…? A small scheduling snafu and miss-communication can go a long way to creating stress and chaos, can’t it?
The One-Thing-a-Day Schedule
The never-work fix for this one is this: simply schedule one thing a day. No more. If there’s only one thing, you can’t really get too confused, right? Just forget all about selling those girl scout cookies and the thirty-nine other items on your list.
Too bad if you’re out of cheerios and diapers, it’s not on your one-item-for-the-day list.
You’ll be amazed at what a breeze your schedule becomes when you don’t fill it up with all that extra stuff. Just tell your child that science fair project will simply have to wait until next Thursday. I’m sure the teacher will understand!
So the next time the roof is caving in and you thing you’re going to fall apart, whip out these Never Work Strategies of Home Organization and give it a try.
What’s your best Never-Work tip?
If you enjoyed chuckling with this post, check out these posts on home and family humor:
Kitchen Battles
Six Never-Work Strategies for Winning the Battle of the Clean Kitchen Counter
Winning the Battle of Kitchen Counter Clutter
Battle of the Dirty Dish
Still More? You Gotta Be Kidding!
One Anothering–Do you ever Just Get Tired of it?
