Perfection

 

Perfectionism is a twenty-ton shield that we lug around thinking it will protect us when, in fact, it’s the thing that’s really preventing us from taking flight.

Brené Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection

Organize U is here for YOU this Fall



Back To School Tips!

It's hard to believe it's that time of year again! The aisles at Target and numerous office supply stores are bursting with supplies for the upcoming school year. A new season of fashion is drawing in the eyes of your kiddo's who are asking for that new dress and those new shoes and a cool new backpack. I remember those days so well. I can still smell my new box of crayons like it was yesterday! It's all very exciting and it can be somewhat overwhelming too if you don't have an organized plan in place. The first day of school will be here before we know it, so let's focus on some tips that will help you and your family be prepared for another outstanding new school year.

1. After a summer of staying up late and spending long hot days in the sun, our kids sleeping patterns get a bit off track. A week or so before school starts, get back on track with your school year bedtime routine.

2. BEFORE you go shopping for those new tops and pants and shoes, block a morning to do a whole family closet purge. Purge/donate clothes that do not fit, clothes that are torn or soiled, and the few that were never worn. Go through drawers, hanging clothes and all shoes to make room for your new things. Make a list of what the essential needs are and try to stick to that list. Go ahead now and schedule a clothes maintenance day quarterly throughout the year. This will make your next year an easier transition.

3. Many teachers provide School Supply Lists for their students. If this is the case, stick to that list. This can save you time and money. Some things on the list will need replenishing throughout the year, like paper, pencils and notepads. Go ahead and buy some of those items in bulk so that you save yourself a trip later. Make sure you have an organized place to store your supplies.

4. Save time on busy school mornings by making lunches the night before. Have a drawer in your kitchen that is the lunchbox drawer for snacks and lunch bag/box supplies. This way you will know when you are low on your supplies (because you have one place to look as opposed to a cluttered pantry) and your kids will know where to go to make their lunches.

5. Putting clothes together for the week is another time saver for those morning outfit decisions. Fold together pants, tops, underwear and socks in a drawer or a closet organizer. This will save you time and fashion stress on those busy school mornings.

Be sure to include your kids in the Back To School organizing process and use these opportunities to teach them the importance of planning and being prepared.  Getting back into the school rhythm is such a hectic time of year. A little preparation and teamwork will help you and your family have a successful start of the 2012-2013 School Year! 

Cheers to a wonderful school year kickoff!

Yours truly,

Kim B.

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Organize U is partnering with BungoBox this summer to help you and your family/business with your next big move. Organize U can help get your homes show and sell ready (purging room to room) and packing efficiently and then set up your home organized on the other side. 

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The Lost Art of Letter Writing

I am a letter writer.  A letter writer who is trying hard to keep the tradition alive. I am also a letter lover.
It's a rare thing in this age of social connectedness to actually receive a handwritten letter from someone you love, isn't it? We text, we email, we send messages via Face Book, we are Linked In, and we Tweet. Would you have ever believed all this craziness would consume our world 5 or 10 years ago? Me neither. Believe me, I'm a fan of social media to an extent, but there is nothing quite like getting a REAL letter in the mail. Don't you agree? Something to hold and touch and open gingerly and read with a hot cup of tea. A gift that keeps on giving.
Not only am I a letter writer, but I'm also a letter saver. Not to be confused with letter hoarding because thankfully I am not spilling over nor out of control.  There is a purging process in place of course : )
I save letters that have the most personal message written to me with much care and love. I save letters that are fancy and cards that make me laugh, and cards sent to hold my heart, and letters that are handmade and cut and pasted together with glue.  I save letters from old friends (grandmothers in their mid 90's) who also share the love of letter writing, but whose letters are hard to read because the hand that writes them shakes. But they STILL write to this day. Precious. I have one box dedicated to my oldest and first friend, Mary, who has written me letters for over 40 years. Some of our first letters began shortly after we learned to write! You can imagine the spelling. Off quite a bit, but darling indeed.
Believe it or not, I even have my letters organized by name. I know you're shocked. If you are a friend or family member who has written me consistently over the years, you have a designated tab with your name on it and all the letters that I treasure that came from you. On a rainy night, I pull out my bundles and my box and go down memory lane. Ain't nothin' like reading and re-reading a good letter from a kindred spirit. Nothin'. It is a tradition that is near and dear to my heart and one that I believe the world needs a little more of, don't ya think?

The lost art of letter writing is making a comeback. I feel like there are more letter lovers out there like me that truly do "care enough to send the very best". It's not that difficult to write a letter once a day or a few times a week to encourage someone. It takes a few minutes of your time, and it could mean the world to someone who treasures your words for a lifetime.

Here are some things that I do to keep my feet to the fire with my letter writing. Being well prepared is half the battle.

1. Keep a variety of note cards or personalized stationary on hand that make you happy.
2. Find a cool place to store them so they don't get smudged or wrinkled. Pretty colored box or an organized drawer in your desk.
3. Carry a few in your book bag/purse at all times and store in a zip pouch filled with stamps, a pen, and return address labels.
4. Buy a nice pen at your local art supply or office supply store that feels good in your hand and makes you feel like Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice (ultimate letter lover) when you write.
5. Buy card boxes (at Costco or Sam's) with ready made greeting cards for seasonal occasions.
6. Order stamps online and save yourself a trip to the post office.
7. Set a date(s) on your calendar as a reminder for your letter writing day.
8. Make it a goal to send between one and three handwritten letters a week (or month).
9. Start a "happy file" for all the cards and letters your receive.
10. Keep your address book up-to-date and on hand (hard copy or Smart phone) for those letter writing occasions.

What are you waiting for? Get busy. There is a world of hearts out there waiting for you to send em' some encouraging news and some love in the form of a REAL LETTER.

Happy Writing!
Kim B.

I think everyone should paste this up somewhere for the entire family to See and Do!  Don't YOU? Thank you Simple Organized Living.  Simple...easy...reminder.

Contentment

Walking across the threshold of hundreds of homes for over 12 years gives a person a whole new perspective of the sense of contentment....and the lack thereof.  I've worked in homes the size of small arenas and homes the size of a shoebox, and no matter the size, there is always a battle for CONTENTMENT.

Holman Bible Dictionary defines contentment like this...“An internal satisfaction which does not demand changes in external circumstances”.  I want that. Don't you? Satisfaction with who I am, what I have, and where I live. Life would be so much easier if we would embrace contentment every single day.  There is much freedom in living a content life. Freedom from feeling the need to know and to have and see what the world is doing all the time. Freedom from needing MORE. Ya see, that's where the problems begin. When we think we NEED more stuff to be content. When we have the more that we think we need, then we have to deal with it.

When we live a discontent life, we are often caught in a position of comparison. Years ago I heard a pastor say.."Comparison is the thief of joy". And it's so true. When we compare our lives with the lives of others, we lose our joy for the gifts we have been given. Everything in the world belongs to God. We are only managers of all this stuff on planet earth.  How well are you managing what you have been given? So often we take on more stuff when we cannot seem to manage what we already have. And we lose our peace, and we lose our joy.

So how does one find a life of contentment?  In the Book of Philippians, the Apostle Paul writes..."I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. " Philippians 4:12 NIV  - His secret was that he had found where true joy exists. Not in the things of this world. Not in popularity or fancy living. Not in the wisdom of this world, but in all things eternal. In things that are lasting. In Jesus Christ. I think Paul was a pretty cool dude. He had found the secret after many years of living a discontent lifestyle.

We can't take one thing from this life with us into the next can we?  So why do we waste so much time fretting over what we don't have and taking on more than we can handle? Well, because sometimes, we are just dumb sheep in need of some clear direction. This week while you walk around your home "doing inventory" of all that you have been given, remember to do these things too:

1. Give thanks the Lord for what He has already given to you.

2. Tell Him you are sorry for thinking that it was not enough.

3. Find joy in the season of your life that you are currently living.

4. Create fun spaces with the things that you already have to make your heart happy.
5. Make a check list of the things that create discontentment in your heart and keep it up on your mirror as a reminder of where you don't want to be.

6. Think less about what you want and more about what you already have.

7. Stop comparing yourself to others!

8. Donate to a worthy cause (fundraiser, Good Will, a single mom in need).

9. Rearrange your furniture. Sometimes re-purposing what you already have, makes you feel like you got something new.

10. Be content.

Finding real peace is a process.  The Apostle Paul could tell you that ! He was the most discontent man on planet earth. Until he met Jesus.  Then everything changed. It can change for you too!  A life in Christ will bring contentment to every area of your life.  Home and Heart : )

Press on towards that PEACE y'all!

Faithfully yours,
Kim B.