Picture It: De-Cluttering, Part 2

One stumbling block I hit when trying to organize and de-clutter is what to do with all those items that have real sentimental value, but that I don't use or want to display. Do I just accumulate "stuff" for my entire existence, and leave it all to my kids to sort out (and ditch) when I kick off? Hmmmm....

Then someone suggested, "Take a picture of it. Then pass it on or throw it out." (Actually, to be honest, I've heard this idea from several sources.) What a great solution! I can pull the picture out any time I feel nostalgic, but I no longer have to store the object!

One of the first things to undergo the transformation from 3D entity to 2D memory was my collection of dolls from my own childhood. I had kept them in order to pass them on to my own daughter. ... Then I had four boys.

You might say, "Boys can play with dolls." Yes, they can. But mine don't. A couple of years back, I picked up a Caillou doll (i.e. a boy doll) at a yard sale. Zero interest. Absolutely zero interest from three out of the four boys (the fourth being too young to be interested in such toys; he thinks eating sand is the best activity in the world).

And now my guys have entered that stage where every plaything is crashed, bashed or smashed. I want my dolls to have a better life than that!

So I've opted to pass on my dolls --along with the wardrobe that my grandfather built for their clothes-- to a good friend whose daughter is the same age as our oldest son. She's excited to receive them, and I can imagine that she'll play with them for many years.

It feels good, of course to reduce my hoard, but more to share my treasures with someone who'll appreciate them and to give her the delight of having something lovely. And I'll always have the pictures to remember "my girls" by.

Real Simple: De-Cluttering, Part 1

Alright, I admit it: I'm a sucker for anything that promises to help me conquer the outrageous --and often precarious-- clutter that is found throughout our home.

Real Simple magazine

This time, the June edition of Real Simple magazine caught my eye at our local library. So of course I checked it out.

As usual, my illusions of a quick and final solution to our messiness were soon dispelled. Magazine before and after photos look sooooo much better when you can throw lots of money at your organizational problems. (Or does everyone spend $60 on dividers for a single drawer?)

Nevertheless, I was struck by one part of the cover picture, namely the bottom right corner. A small box... no, a tiny box of matches and a few simple candles.

"Wow," I thought. No great collection of themed or numbered candles, elaborate cake decorations or such. I have a whole drawer full of do-dads like that. But I don't really need all that, do I?

Birthday cakes need candles. But simple candles do the job just as well as the boatload of stuff I have. And I could free up space for tidying away some of that aforementioned clutter. I was inspired...

I didn't actually start with my drawer of candles. But I did gather up a few boxes worth of stuff I've been hanging on to "just in case," for all those occasions that don't --and likely won't-- come to pass. Then I sent those boxes packing!

Don't Worry, We All Stink

In the past few weeks, I've had several mummies confide that they've been feeling like they're not measuring up. These are great mothers --loving, conscientious, hard-working, generous-- but they feel like everyone else is in on a parenting secret that they're not. Well, I have three secrets of my own to share:

The Realistic Mummy's 3 Secrets of Parenting:

1. No one does it all. Certainly not all the time.

2. Most questions or quandries in parenting do not have one right answer.

3. All mothers --at least all the ones I know-- periodically feel really insecure about how they measure up compared to other mothers.

These realities are, in fact, the very reason I started this blog. Because there's lots of information out there on how we can do better, and that's great. But there's not a lot on how we just make it through. And a hefty portion of being a parent boils down to surviving.

When I'm out with my four boys (and sometimes a dog) I regularly have people comment, "I don't know how you do it!" Well, I'm not exactly sure what "it" is, but I am sure that "it" is NOT what I'm doing. What I am doing is surviving, and being the best loving mother that I can.

I look at other mothers and their areas of strength, and I am inspired and intimidated all at the same time. I try to be realistic in adopting and adapting new ideas. And I feel despair when I fall short of the targets I set.

We all feel this way.

When that nagging self-doubt hits, remember that kids (and families) are unique entities; what works for one family doesn't mean it works for you. Give yourself a fighting chance by taking care of you; it's amazing how some rest, a shower, a chat with a friend or a brisk walk outside can change your thinking. Remember the ways, big and small, that you show your kids you love them; that's what really counts.

And, don't forget, we ALL feel this way.

PetFinder.com - Adopt a Pet, Get a Friend

A friend recently commented to me that I haven't posted anything in a bit. Sorry! In looking back, it seems that I spent the moments that I usually use to write posts, searching for a second dog instead.

Our handsome boy, Dunlop

"What!?!" you say. Yes, probably crazy. (I was saved from myself by the fact that the various dogs I was interested in invariably got adopted just before I made an inquiry.) But with the good weather, I'm being constantly reminded of Dunlop, our border collie/German shepherd mutt who died last fall.

Loved to hike...

In one corner of the garden are the baby bleeding heart plants that somehow survived Dunlop digging them up last summer, just after I'd put them in the ground. Over in another corner is the spot that we filled in, and filled in, and filled in again when Dunny in his crazy way kept digging a barrel-sized hole in the earth. And who's going to pee all over my sprouting coneflowers and tender coral bell, killing everything touched by the acidic stream?

...and share a good cuddle. (That's me, pregnant with our first.)

We're fortunate enough to still have one dog to hog the duvet at night. And we do feel very lucky to have had Dunlop as part of our family for seven years.

Hangin' with grandma

But I have returned to periodically checking petfinder.com. It's an umbrella website that hosts postings by various shelters and rescue groups of adoptable animals: dogs, cats, small furry things, farm animals... There are babies, youngsters, adults. Breed specific or lots of different mutts! Your search criteria can be wide open or really narrow.

Loungin' with the kid

Both Dunlop and our surviving dog were Pet Finder scores (as was one of our cats). So, if you're looking for a pet, save a life and adopt a rescue! You'll be more than compensated with love in return...

Both our dogs, at the beach

Recipe Link: Pumpkin Pancakes

AllRecipes.com

At ball hockey after school today, a friend brought out some leftover pumpkin pancakes for snacks for the younger siblings watching on the sidelines. Obviously, these were room-temperature and un-dressed (i.e. plain). The kids gobbled them up!

What! Something yummy that contains a vegetable, and that my kids love to eat?! And it can work as breakfast, lunch, dinner or anything in between?!? I'm in!!

I found a recipe from All Recipes here. Thanks, "Ladybug"!