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Preemie Books
Living Miracles: Stories of Hope from Parents of Premature Babies
by Kimberly Powell &
Kim Wilson
Life on the Reflux Roller Coaster
by Roni Maclean
The
Pregnancy Bed Rest Book by Amy E Tracy, Richard H Schwarz
The
Preemie Parents Companion: The Essential Guide to Caring for Your Premature Baby
in the Hospital, at Home, and Through the First Years by Susan L Madden M.S,
William Sears MD, Jane E Stewart MD
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A Clutter-Free
Basement OR Attic
By
Maria
Gracia
A friend called me
the other day and said, "I really have to organize my basement and attic,
one of these days."
There's that old,
"one of these days" phrase once again, rearing its ugly head. I'll be
honest with you. The only way that "one of these days" ever comes, is
if you schedule it on your calendar, and keep that appointment with yourself
when the day rolls around.
Here's some of the
advice I gave to my friend. Perhaps it will help you get your basement or attic
organized before the holidays.
MINI-GOALS
If the basement/attic is just too big of a job for one day, break it up into a
few days. Perhaps:
DAY 1: Toss out anything outdated, old, broken, things you never use, etc.
DAY 2: Pick up some storage containers and put up some shelving and/or hooks.
DAY 3: Organize everything you are keeping in closets, on hooks, on shelves, etc.
SENTIMENTALS
If you haven't organized the basement or attic in awhile, be prepared to take a
trip down Memory Lane--old photographs, games that haven't been touched in
years, ice skates, granny's silverware, and so on. Try to put these items to one
side until you've reached your organizing goal for the day. Then reminisce with
your family later on that night after dinner, rather than right now. This way,
you'll finish what you set out to accomplish.
FAMILY FUN
Get the family to chip in. Make it a game, with responsibilities assigned to
everyone. You can even time the tasks with an alarm clock, and give small prizes
for getting the task done ahead of time. Play music-fast music--to get everyone
in the organizing mood. You can plan a fun, family pizza-party afterwards as
your reward for a job well done!
USE YOUR SPACE
WISELY
Don't forget all that wall space. Hang hooks and pegboards. Add shelving. Have a
big, empty closet? Put a utility shelf unit inside. Turn an old, unused bar
stool upside down and put all of your tall items (baseball bats, curtain rods,
etc.) inside. Pick up some translucent, plastic Rubbermaid containers and store
out-of-season clothing, holiday decorations and other things you're not using
right now inside.
WIDGETS
Resist the urge to save every little thing-a-ma-jig and what-cha-ma-call-it you
come across. If you (and your family) don't know what it is, or what it belongs
to, it should probably be trashed.
DONATION BOX
Set up a large donation box. As you're organizing, when you find things you no
longer have a use for, simply put it in this box. Then, bring the box to the
Salvation Army the next day. Some GoodWill and Salvation Army headquarters will
pick up your donation at your doorstep if you call them. And there will be a lot
of people happy and grateful for your "gifts."
DON'T FORGET WINTER
STORAGE
Squirrels store goods for the winter. You might want to do the same. Basements
are great for storing canned goods. If you live in a cold climate, you'll be
happy it's there--especially on those ice cold days when you'd rather stay home
than venture out to a supermarket. And it will give you extra needed space in
your kitchen and pantry.
Reprinted with
permission from Maria Gracia's FREE Get Organized Now! Newsletter. FREE
Idea-Pak, Ezine, Slideshows, Articles, Tips, Inspiration and ideas at the Get
Organized Now! Web site.
http://www.getorganizednow.com
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