So Mimi's school had a fundraiser Friday night called "Hollywood". Not too much info came home about this but from what we could gather it was a chance for the kids to dress up and dance to a DJ in the Hollywood-themed cafeteria.
As parents of a kindergartener and therefore first timers at this event, we weren't quite sure what to expect. Mimi wanted to dress up as (big surprise) a princess. She put on her favorite purple dress-up dress with lots of taffeta, all of her necklaces (mostly Mardi Gras beads, very colorful!), all of her bracelets, some lacy gloves and her pink sparkly shoes. Oh, and her pointy pink princess hat and a white "cape".
We walked in the door of the school and didn't really see any "costumes" that we recognized. I think we are just out of the loop on what the 'tweeners are into these days. I think we saw lots of Hannah Montanas and High School Musical "characters" but we're really not quite sure. Mimi got uncharacteristically quiet while we were waiting in line to pay -- I think she was a little puzzled at the apparent lack of costumes.
She really brightened up when she saw a friend from Daisies (that's the kindergarten version of Brownies/Girl Scouts) also dressed up as a princess. Then her friend Helen came in as a beautiful princess. That was all it took! The three little girls had a great time admiring each others' dresses and gawking at all the big kids running around like wild animals.
John picked Mimi up and took her out on the dance floor and I was kicking myself that I didn't have my camera. There they were dancing cheek-to-cheek, Mimi's pointy princess hat askew, smack in the middle of a pack of hyper 10 and 11 year old girls bouncing straight up in the air to an unfamiliar song.
My heart caught in my throat as I watched them knowing that these delicious opportunities wouldn't really last much longer. In a few years she will be one of those 10 year old girls who doesn't have the slightest interest in dancing with Daddy. Sigh.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Poop to Paper
I bet that headline caught your attention! In a nod to Green Month, here's the scoop behind the poop:
The company "Mr. Ellie Pooh" is Co-Op America's 2008 Green Business Leader Award Winner. Mr. Ellie Pooh's paper products are 100% recycled. They are made up of 75% elephant dung and 25% post consumer paper. There are no toxic chemicals used in the paper making process. Natural vegetative binding agents, along with water-souble salt dyes for coloring are used. Mr. Ellie Pooh's papers are handmade, acid free and as organic as it gets.
You can read more about one man's adventure into finding his true purpose in life here!
If you've listened to the radio, read a paper or magazine, or gone anywhere near the Internet in the past couple of weeks, you've probably figured out that February is Green Month. The Mennel family recycles to the tune of three bins every week. We have a programmable thermostat that keeps us nice and chilly in the winter, and warm and bothered in the summer. We've started using CFL light bulbs throughout the house. Our regular dry cleaner is now a "green" dry cleaner.
I also have a personal Green Goddess, my friend Darla, who has introduced me to Freecycle.com, plastic bag dryers and low VOC paint! She is also a regular composter which is something I aspire to be. Maybe this spring. She is also really good about only using natural cleaning products. I'm not sure I can give up my Windex but I have tried one of the new "greener" Clorox products.
Reduce, reuse, recycle can also become part of your organizing routine. Whether you toss junk mail into the recycling bin on a daily basis, get rid of unwanted items in your home via your local Freecycle.com group or favorite charity, or just put a little extra thought into your purchasing habits (do I really, really, really need this?!), you can be green and more organized!
Friday, February 6, 2009
Valentine Feng Shui
Ran across this funny tidbit in my NAPO e-newsletter this morning:
Clear Out Your Closet
Having your closet jam-packed with your own clothes is a sign that you're not ready to share your life with someone else. Put off-season items into storage, donate clothes that don't fit to charity and rid your wardrobe of things you don't love. Both your closet and bureau should be one-third empty if you're serious about finding love.
Source: Dempsey, S. (2009).
Valentine's Day Feng Shui.
http://www.tarot.com/articles/fengshui/valentine/valentine-fengshui.php
You probably know that feng shui is an ancient Chinese system of aesthetics believed to utilize the laws of both heaven (astronomy) and earth (geography) to help one improve life by receiving positive Qi. You can read more about it on Wikipedia.
Feng shui gained popularity a few years ago as an element of interior design -- you know, always face your bed toward the door, keep your front doorway clear so that wealth can enter easily, etc. It looks like it has been further co-opted as a technique for improving your love life!
Even if you have already found love, it's a nice feeling to have an uncluttered closet! I suggest that my clients ask themselves three "closet weeding" questions about every item in their closets:
1. Do I love it?
2. Is it flattering?
3. Is this the image I want to portray?
Anything that doesn't get a resounding yes should be set aside for donation. Perhaps the recipient of the item will be able to answer yes to these three questions! Now that's what I call positive Qi!
Clear Out Your Closet
Having your closet jam-packed with your own clothes is a sign that you're not ready to share your life with someone else. Put off-season items into storage, donate clothes that don't fit to charity and rid your wardrobe of things you don't love. Both your closet and bureau should be one-third empty if you're serious about finding love.
Source: Dempsey, S. (2009).
Valentine's Day Feng Shui.
http://www.tarot.com/articles/fengshui/valentine/valentine-fengshui.php
You probably know that feng shui is an ancient Chinese system of aesthetics believed to utilize the laws of both heaven (astronomy) and earth (geography) to help one improve life by receiving positive Qi. You can read more about it on Wikipedia.
Feng shui gained popularity a few years ago as an element of interior design -- you know, always face your bed toward the door, keep your front doorway clear so that wealth can enter easily, etc. It looks like it has been further co-opted as a technique for improving your love life!
Even if you have already found love, it's a nice feeling to have an uncluttered closet! I suggest that my clients ask themselves three "closet weeding" questions about every item in their closets:
1. Do I love it?
2. Is it flattering?
3. Is this the image I want to portray?
Anything that doesn't get a resounding yes should be set aside for donation. Perhaps the recipient of the item will be able to answer yes to these three questions! Now that's what I call positive Qi!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Long Live the Coupon!
I've been a coupon user off and on my entire adult life. Long before grocery store loyalty cards were popular, using coupons and studying the weekly store inserts were the only ways to really get that thrill of saving during your shopping excursions! I guess I've always had a thick enough skin to not be embarrassed to be seen using coupons even in good economic times. There was a recent tidbit in the Post about coupons even being "cool" during these not-so-good economic times.
There are entire websites and blogs devoted to using coupons, some with very elaborate instructions on tracking sales and coupons via spreadsheets. Sample claim: "Hey look, CVS actually GAVE me money today!" While I'm not willing to devote that much time and energy to the process, I don't mind spending a few minutes perusing the sale papers and clipping a few coupons here and there for products I already use.
My thoughts are on coupons today because I actually won the door prize at the monthly NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers) meeting I attended this week. The door prize was "The Couponizer" which is simply a coupon "system" (including a purse-friendly, wirebound book with pockets for sorting coupons by category) that helps you keep track of your coupons. It even came with a cute, blue-handled pair of scissors. You can see exactly what it is here:
Long live the Coupon!
John asked me what I was doing Tuesday night as I was spreading all the "Couponizer" materials out on our kitchen table. After my usual lengthy answer (I answer his questions in paragraphs, he listens in sentence fragments!), his response was, "I didn't know you clipped coupons." (Somewhat related sidenote: I lay the blame of his occasional inattentiveness squarely at the power cord of his omnipresent Blackberry! As Mimi and I finished our breakfast this morning, I said, "I wonder where Daddy is?" Her matter-of-fact response, "Mommy, he's probably on his Blackberry.")
Anyhoo, I'm going to give the Couponizer a whirl. I see its main benefit as helping you organize your coupons and then actually using them before they expire.
Oh, before I forget -- my update to the Kitchen Utensil Upload project:
Last night we had chicken fajitas, quesadillas and pinto beans for dinner. I used one of my two pizza cutters to cut Mimi's quesadilla and the manual can opener for the beans. My intention earlier in the day was to cook dry beans in my recently Freecycle-acquired pressure cooker but time ran out on me. Note to self: post blog about most interesting Freecycle giveaways and acquistions.
There are entire websites and blogs devoted to using coupons, some with very elaborate instructions on tracking sales and coupons via spreadsheets. Sample claim: "Hey look, CVS actually GAVE me money today!" While I'm not willing to devote that much time and energy to the process, I don't mind spending a few minutes perusing the sale papers and clipping a few coupons here and there for products I already use.
My thoughts are on coupons today because I actually won the door prize at the monthly NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers) meeting I attended this week. The door prize was "The Couponizer" which is simply a coupon "system" (including a purse-friendly, wirebound book with pockets for sorting coupons by category) that helps you keep track of your coupons. It even came with a cute, blue-handled pair of scissors. You can see exactly what it is here:
Long live the Coupon!
John asked me what I was doing Tuesday night as I was spreading all the "Couponizer" materials out on our kitchen table. After my usual lengthy answer (I answer his questions in paragraphs, he listens in sentence fragments!), his response was, "I didn't know you clipped coupons." (Somewhat related sidenote: I lay the blame of his occasional inattentiveness squarely at the power cord of his omnipresent Blackberry! As Mimi and I finished our breakfast this morning, I said, "I wonder where Daddy is?" Her matter-of-fact response, "Mommy, he's probably on his Blackberry.")
Anyhoo, I'm going to give the Couponizer a whirl. I see its main benefit as helping you organize your coupons and then actually using them before they expire.
Oh, before I forget -- my update to the Kitchen Utensil Upload project:
Last night we had chicken fajitas, quesadillas and pinto beans for dinner. I used one of my two pizza cutters to cut Mimi's quesadilla and the manual can opener for the beans. My intention earlier in the day was to cook dry beans in my recently Freecycle-acquired pressure cooker but time ran out on me. Note to self: post blog about most interesting Freecycle giveaways and acquistions.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Kitchen Utensil Mania, the proof
So, a pretty interesting experiment. I totally filled a fairly large bin with kitchen utensils. I also had an overflow bowl consisting solely of "chip clips", cookie cutters and corn on the cob holders! I've already used my rolling pin and thin, metal spatula making gingerbread cookies with Mimi and Lili. I'll keep you posted on what I'm using daily and returning to its rightful place in my kitchen drawer!
I'll post an "after" pic this afternoon. I've spent a frustrating hour or so trying to upload a video clip. Apparently, Blogger does have some known issues with video uploads. I'm still going to try for the video clip -- it's much more interesting!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Kitchen Utensil Mania
Some time ago while perusing the website portion of the Oprah-Industrial-Complex, I came across the Peter Walsh "Peter's Clutter Crew" monthly project, er, project! Walsh is the organizing guru who wrote the books "It's All Too Much" and "Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?".
Of course I immediately signed up for the monthly project assignments to be delivered via email. I received my email the other day and this month's project is the kitchen and the dining room. He had a video clip about decluttering the dreaded kitchen utensil drawer. Or in my case, and probably yours, make that a plural drawers!
Here is Peter's suggestion:
Try the cardboard box test. See what utensils you're really using. Take all the utensils out of your drawers and put them in a cardboard box. For the next month, whenever you use one of these utensils, put it back in the drawer. If after four weeks it's still in the box, you don't need it.
I will be posting a video clip later on today of myself dutifully doing this part of completing my February assignment. I know Mimi and her friend Lili (they are always looking for an art or craft project -- this qualifies as such, right?!) will enjoying "helping" me so I will do the utensil dump after school.
John's response this morning when I excitedly shared the details of this project was, "Hmmm. Interesting.". While he enjoys the fruits of my organizing skills (most of the time without even realizing it), I think that he is still somewhat puzzled by my exhuberance about organizing!
On a Life and Love note, it was really cute this morning watching John and Mimi do ABC Kid yoga together. I attended a NAPO-WDC meeting last night in Bethesda. When I got home John was already in bed (still a bit jet lagged from his trip) but he told me this morning that Mimi wanted him to get her up early this morning so they would have time to do yoga together before school. She was also enthusiastically sharing her plans with him to organize her snow globes and books in her room! That's my girl!
Of course I immediately signed up for the monthly project assignments to be delivered via email. I received my email the other day and this month's project is the kitchen and the dining room. He had a video clip about decluttering the dreaded kitchen utensil drawer. Or in my case, and probably yours, make that a plural drawers!
Here is Peter's suggestion:
Try the cardboard box test. See what utensils you're really using. Take all the utensils out of your drawers and put them in a cardboard box. For the next month, whenever you use one of these utensils, put it back in the drawer. If after four weeks it's still in the box, you don't need it.
I will be posting a video clip later on today of myself dutifully doing this part of completing my February assignment. I know Mimi and her friend Lili (they are always looking for an art or craft project -- this qualifies as such, right?!) will enjoying "helping" me so I will do the utensil dump after school.
John's response this morning when I excitedly shared the details of this project was, "Hmmm. Interesting.". While he enjoys the fruits of my organizing skills (most of the time without even realizing it), I think that he is still somewhat puzzled by my exhuberance about organizing!
On a Life and Love note, it was really cute this morning watching John and Mimi do ABC Kid yoga together. I attended a NAPO-WDC meeting last night in Bethesda. When I got home John was already in bed (still a bit jet lagged from his trip) but he told me this morning that Mimi wanted him to get her up early this morning so they would have time to do yoga together before school. She was also enthusiastically sharing her plans with him to organize her snow globes and books in her room! That's my girl!
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