5 Easy Ways For Natural Families To Get Clutter Free
September 18, 2009 by Monica
Filed under Green Household
When you first move into your home it seems like you have so much space. As the years pass, it´s common to find yourself surrounded with unnecessary clutter. So how do we get rid of all the stuff we have accumulated?
Natural families tend to live with less baby gadgets and toys, right?….Well, not always.
Just in case you need some organization tips, I’m listing some easy ways to get back on track. It will take more than a day or even a week to get everything manageable, but once you do staying organized is an easier task.
Here some tips to get you on the clutter free track:
1. Start with the high traffic areas. The living room and kitchen are usually the two most used rooms in the house. Everything gets dropped on a counter or the couch in these two places. Concentrate on getting everything set up the way that you like it before moving on to another room.
2. Divide items into categories. You can use large cardboard boxes for this part. Everything that you find can go into a pile: KEEP, THROW AWAY, GIVE AWAY, and RELOCATE. Items that will stay in that room are to keep. Things that you don’t need or are broken can be thrown away. Clothes or furniture still in good condition can be sold at the second hand shop or donated to a charity organization. Anything that definitely belongs in another room can be labeled for relocation when you get to that room.
3. Remove everything from drawers and cabinets. This is a time-consuming process but it is easier to start with an empty space and fill it instead of simply pushing things around. If you line things up on the counter, someone else can help by putting the items in some type of order.
4. Make good use of of your available space. In the kitchen, for example, appliances or extra containers can be stored on top of the cabinets provided they don’t extend all the way to the ceiling. Keep objects with similar shapes together to maximize space usage.
5. Label your containers. Use tape and a marker to identify the contents of your storage containers. Avoid writing on the actual container in case they are reused and the contents are changed. Labeling also makes for easy identification if you decide to sell or give away a container. You won’t have to open each container to locate them.
Organizing your entire house takes time. But, once you get rid of all the clutter, returning everything to its proper place will maintain that same level of organization.
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Think you need more help with home organization and cleaning? Go check the Secret Confessions Of A Clean Freak to learn more on how to get clutter free so your cleaning time is reduced to just some minutes a day.
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Building Communication Bridges With Your Teenagers
September 17, 2009 by Monica
Filed under Parenting Traditions
I’m the mom of a presschooler, but also the older sister of a preteen and a teenager. I’ve noticed that some communication hints that work for toddlers and preschoolers do work for teens. They are living a time of transitions and discoveries of their own selves, so it shouldn’t surprise us to face similar struggles with both age groups.
It’s not always easy to improve the communication bridges with a teen but it’s important to try to get through as these years and the choices they make now will have a vital impact on their future.
Here Some Hints On How to Build Communication Bridges with Your Teens
1. Watch your body language. How you move says a lot about you. When a person is tired, they tend to slump. When angered, your jaw muscles tighten and your eyes narrow into slits. Teenagers are good at interpreting body language. Yours will betray you when you are talking to them. Keep it open and honest. Avoid sitting with your arms crossed, eyes looking away from them or squirming in your seat.
2. Make eye contact. When you don’t look at the person you are talking to it says that you are either hiding something or you are not at all interested in what they have to say. Your teenager will shut down emotionally when they suspect that you are not “tuned in” to them. Sit comfortably and give your teen undivided attention with consistent eye contact. Isn’t it the same for toddlers? …Just saying 
3. Keep your emotions in check. Remember back to when you were a teenager. Some of the things you said to your parents were aimed at freaking them out. Teenagers will push your buttons if they can. Don’t go overboard and get upset. Instead be creative and do the opposite of what they expect. In fact, what they really want is you to see through their ploy and find out the real problem.
4. Ask them about their day. Even if your teen only grunts or says the obligatory, “It was okay,” ask anyway. Your show of caring will go a long way to convince them that you are interested in the things that they do and how they feel.
5. Be honest with them. If you don’t understand the situation they are talking about then say so. Kids know when you are being insincere. Discuss the situation until you get an idea of where they are coming from. Your teen won’t mind explaining as long as they know you are listening.
6. Allow them their privacy. Teens value their time alone. While the policy in your home may be that there are no locks on the doors, always show respect by knocking before entering. If they don’t want to be pressed about a situation, wait until they are ready (if it’s not urgent) and then talk about it.
Parenting a child or teenager any age takes a tough skin, a willingness to be vulnerable and lots of love. We all make mistakes, and go thru difficult times, but don’t ever stop talking.
Fire All Around Us
These days I’ve learnt to really appreciate firemen and women.
Last week when we were in Quito, at Tumbaco Valley where we live, I witnessed several fires on the surrounding wood and crop hills. One of them was visible from my bedroom window, and I saw the hill burning during the morning to the night, to the next evening. The brigade finally managed to put out the fire.
Amazing! I’ve never seen such a fire so close to me, and it left me a very sad feeling, especially when I saw the small crops, almost ready for harvest, disappearing in a matter of minutes.
This weekend we were back home and again, fire and smoke were present in the area.
Firefighters got busy again.
But the most impressive events were on Sunday morning and evening. 3 relatively big fires were burning very near the populated area, so that by noon the valley was all covered with smoke.
According to a local newspaper, by September 14th there were 230 hectares burnt in Quito, a matter of weeks, fortunately with no tragic victims.
These relatively manageable events had got me thinking about larger fire tragedies around the world, and the courage of firemen and women. Isn’t it amazing how these people put their lives at risk to minimize damages when these events happen?
I would run away as quickly as possible, while these courageous people would run INTO the fire place and fight until putting it down. I was thinking about this while watching the fire thru my window, and though we all are so blessed to have people like this in our societies around the world.
photo credit: nateOne
