Flight Plan – Recovering from Vacation and Moving Forward

Today is that day after vacation when life must move forward.  Coming home on a Friday night, after 2 full days in a van with 5 people, 5 suitcases, 3 coolers, and a couple of plastic bins, meant getting to sleep in on Saturday and moving kinda slow the entire weekend.  That being said, my overachieving husband unpacked the entire van himself between Friday night and Saturday afternoon and left the inside of the house settling in for the rest of us to accomplish.  Here’s what was left of our large rolling cooler for me to deal with today and what I was able to change this to in 15 minutes of sorting and storing.

Nestled in the bottom of this cooler are a zip lock bag of grapes and two FridgeSmart containers of cherries and grapes, all with melted ice water in them. Time to sort the good from the spoiled!

1 zip lock and 2 FridgeSmarts reduced to this one nicely labeled contained we can snack from today – all in 15 minutes!

Another 15 minutes …

to turn this…

freshly purchased unwashed strawberries

into this…

Flight Plan – FLYing while on vacation

CHASA (Children’s Hemiplegia & Stroke Association)

Over the past week my family and I road tripped to Arlington, TX for the annual CHASA retreat for families of kids with hemiplegia or one-sided weakness.  CHASA = Children’s Hemiplegia and Stroke Association.  I might have mentioned in an earlier post about our youngest child, Emily age 10, who has right-sided hemiplegia.  More to come on that…

Okay, the best I can say about our family organization on our recent week-long vacation is that we did indeed have organization!!!  Did I feel entirely organized?  Well, no.  But I’m still working on why and what to do about it.

I coded my 4 lists all in purple for CHASA (hemiplegia awareness) so I could find them all easily in Color Note.

I had 4 different lists in use while packing – one for the cooler we use to avoid eating out all the time, one for the bin of general supplies for picnicking and living away from home (including pool toys), a small first-aid bin, and the general packing list we use for any overnight trip (you know – socks, underwear, toothbrush, etc.).  I always knew what was in each bin.  Yes!!!

I did not personally pack the coolers or decide which items went in each one – one large on wheels, one medium-sized, and one smaller.  That was a problem!  The drinks and snacks that should have been accessible while traveling were not!  We had to dig out a drink from a hidden cooler during a rest stop and decide right then what we wanted to have for the next few hours.

 

The bins and coolers worked well when we stayed in one place for 4 days.

My bin system worked well.

 

I really appreciated the organization of my bins during our hotel stays, but we really needed some kind of system for placement of the bins in our rooms.  We stayed in two different hotels on the way to Arlington, one room at the retreat hotel for 4 nights, and one more hotel on the way home to MN.  I knew what was in every bin and learned what was in each cooler, but the order and placement of the bins and coolers varied from one hotel room to another.  I had to look right to left and back again each time to decide where the one I wanted was placed.  I guess my brain needs a pattern to follow from one place to the next to keep my sense of order.

Hotel desk or “flat surface”!!!

More hotel desk or more flat surface!!

 

As you can see from the pictures, my family followed their usual pattern of placing random objects on flat surfaces.  It didn’t take long before I felt like my brain was on overload with all the visual clutter around me. Aaaahhhh!  Where do you put random objects in a hotel room?

So, organization was improved over trips of the past.  I had my lists and I used them religiously.  But there’s definitely room for more improvement.

On return home at 10:00 p.m., the first thing I did…  swept and mopped the kitchen floor, dirtied by shoes coming in and out and sorted the mail accumulated over a week’s time to make it easier to deal with in the morning.  15 minutes!

Flight Plan – July 11, 2012 Getting the family to FLY

Yes!!!  I started the FlyLady’s habit a couple of months ago of making the bed as soon as I get out of it, at least my half on days DH is still there.  DH fell right in and finished his side after I left for work during the school year.  Today I remembered that I haven’t been making my side this week since I wanted to strip the bed and haven’t gotten there yet.  I found that DH had made the whole thing (pulling up the sheet and one thin blanket – which is all we do in the summer) and realized that he has been doing this for some time.  Yes!!!

It takes 2 minutes or less!  We can do this!  Kids too!

We’re still getting ready for our trip.  My morning started with looking for a travel organizer I had purchased a couple of years ago, but now I’m afraid it’s lost in the garage right when we could really use it.  I did find a couple of empty bins that we can use once the cobwebs are washed out.  Yuck!  Then I vacuumed the dust and bugs out of a bin of stamping materials I’ve been tripping over.  They’re out in my space to remind me to store them or post them for sale.

(Now there’s an important question….  How do we quickly decide what we’ll keep, including how to store it, and what we’ll sell/donate and how much it’s worth/we should ask for it?  I would welcome any answers……..)

Come on! I want that window, not the one you already opened.

To return to topic….my morning so far has been somewhat random, even though I have a list (a bit too long today) right in front of me.  But after cleaning the stamping bin, I found the bin of gaming manuals that DS was asking me about just yesterday, dusted it, and put it out for him.  Now the cat wants to get to her window.  Is she okay with the window on the right side of the desk where I cleared the space the other day?  No,…. she thinks she needs the window on the left side of the desk, and that side isn’t scheduled for decluttering until after our trip.

Flight Plan – July 10, 2012 Preparing to FLY on vacation

I’m FLYing (or at least babystepping) with my routines.

I’m carrying on with the regular mid-summer routine of summer school, instrument lessons, TaeKwonDo along with the, hopefully organized, chaos of preparing to leave on vacation.  As my title states, I am attempting to continue to FLY (Finally Loving Yourself) through this week and this whole process.

One of my favorite organizational tools – lists, lists, color coded lists ColorNote on my Droid and my Kindle Fire helps tremendously.  I have my lists made and color coded from previous years so I didn’t have to reinvent the wheel this time.  I’m prepared to grocery with the kids tomorrow, or at least 2/3 of them.  They can each pick their own healthy snack to take along as well as help decide on other food items.

We’ll stay overnight 2 nights on our way to our final destination, the annual CHASA (Children’s Hemiplegia & Stroke Association) retreat for families in Arlington, Texas.  We’re counting on continental breakfast in hotels, packed lunch, and eating out for supper.  We’ll have a large cooler, a bin with food and food-related items, another bin or box of other needed items such as flippers and floaties, and a suitcase and tote bag apiece for 5 people.  I fully intend to continue to post organizational progress while traveling.

The bench by my desk before clearing

Meanwhile, my desk area gets encroached on so easily.  Time for some bench clearing so I can move in my space.  Also, keeping up with dishes and laundry makes for continuing good habits and allowing us to easily invite our pet sitter into the house.

Here’s the newly cleared bench by my desk.

About 15 minutes later…

Flight Plan – July 9, 2012 On or off the flight plan?

I’m a Butterfly Baby!

I am happy to report that I have my first few followers.  It’s encouraging to know that someone is following my efforts and that I could have feedback on what I post.  Here is part of one of the comments I have received, along with my response to it.

“Your decluttering efforts are admirable.  Having a decluttered house should make for more peaceful children.  But where does the stuff go that is moved?  I have a big problem with this too.  Where to put it?”   My response:

Much of the clutter in our house is stuff that needs to go anyway.  Kids’ toys that our kids have outgrown, projects kids have brought home from school, etc.  We have a local area Facebook group where people post things to buy and sell, like Craigslist.  I’m planning to take pictures of everything and post them on the site.  If they’re not worth selling, we can put them out on the curb for free.  I put clothes out for the Epilepsy Foundation recently, along with a doll cradle complete with doll & clothes.  Someone stopped by and picked up the doll cradle for themselves.  I call that blessing others with what we no longer need.

There are people like my dad who want to keep everything, including things that no one else will want even for free!  I think the rule is that if you haven’t used it in 5 years, it’s likely you’re not going to.  I’m having to decide that we can throw things away if no one will ever use it.  What I do is put things out for free.  If no one else wants it, I can feel free to throw it.  We got rid of some things last year when we had a roof redone and had an industrial sized garbage bin in our driveway.  I feel bad about what’s going into the landfill.  Then I firm up my resolve not to bring anything into the house that we don’t truly need.

I’m FLYing with the FlyLady – babysteps.

I get daily e-mails from www.flylady.net.  She is very encouraging and gives daily missions and monthly zones.  You build routine, babystepping your way to a peaceful, organized home.  The other day the FlyLady said that a mother duck does not make her ducklings follow her.  She takes the lead and they get in line and follow.  Once the family sees the changes happening, they are supposed to get in line with it too.  I live in the hope that my children and husband will pick up the routines so we can all make it part of our daily life.

So far, cleared surfaces are staying clear.  My worst “hot spot” is my desk where papers collect, but I’m clearing that more often too.   Every little bit makes a big difference.  It makes the rest easier, just seeing the progress.  Having the accountability of posting my progress makes a difference for me too.  I feel like I have to do at least 15 minutes of something that I can post.  Someone could be seeing it even if they don’t comment.  It would be great though to have someone who is posting their progress also, so we can keep each other accountable.

Asparagus & black beans on rice – something I accomplished today

My flight plan today:  I dropped off my youngest for the bus to summer school, then had some breakfast and took a 20 minute walk.  Walking is a goal I had made that I haven’t done very well at.  By the time I checked e-mail and talked with the insurance company about tween DD’s upcoming surgery (more on that to come), it was time to pick her up from summer school and whisk her over to her baritone lesson.

Following baritone lesson, all 3 kids registered for 4-H projects at our local Extension office, followed by lunch at home.  Tween DD Emily and I visited neighbors down the street with little girls that we wanted to get together – an important goal for Emily who doesn’t have many neighborhood friends.    Then DS off to TaeKwanDo , supper at Godfather’s buffet, off to watch DH’s softball game, then home to get Emily to bed so she can get up for summer school again in the morning.

So did I accomplish my Flight Plan for today?  I needed to make SWAPS for our upcoming CHASA retreat for families of children with hemiplegia, and I wanted to clear the bench by my desk that is becoming a “hot spot”.  Neither of these things happened.  I did accomplish things that needed to happen – yes!  Going to have to work fast  tomorrow to make the real Flight Plan fit into my day!  It will work!  Even though the only change between today’s and tomorrow’s schedules is that teen DD has an oral surgery appointment instead of tween DD having a friend meet and greet.  Oh, no TKD either.  Okay, it will work!

Flight Plan – July 6, 2012 Heat wave breaking…Can I reach the window for fresh air?

My 15 for the day, well, maybe it was half an hour today.  Organizing bins of teaching and office supplies.  My bins have been stacked to overflowing in front of the window.  With our recent heat wave, this hasn’t been an issue.  But the 99 degree temps are supposed to break overnight, and I’ll be happy to welcome the fresh outside air again!  Now I can reach the window!

This is the continuation of sorting out the bins of teaching materials in the corner by my desk. They have been overflowing, and therefore not looking neat and organized. Besides the block easy access to opening the window.

I sorted out materials to post for sale, shifted other materials between bins so that I have 2 bins of teaching materials that will return to classrooms and 1 bin of office supplies for home. Looks much better, and I can open the window now.

Flight Plan – July 5, 2012 Flying partners ??

Aside

DH’s turn this time!  He organized the refrigerator, including the meat and cheese drawer, and threw out outdated food items.  Looks good!

No before picture, but you all know what your refrigerators usually look like. You know… when it’s hard to find what you know is there, and science experiments are growing somewhere in the back – long forgotten.
Hey! This looks great! Now to post this picture somewhere so we can refer back to it when things start to slip. This is what an organized refrigerator can look like!

I spent my morning picking up teen DD, Cierra, and friend from a sleepover; taking tween DD, Emily, to pick up her new glasses frames and teen DS, Jordan, to get his glasses adjusted; dropping off friend at home; picking up hay for our 4-H rabbits; shopping for sunglasses for all 3 kids for our upcoming vacation; and bringing Jimmy John’s home for lunch.

Pretty pink glasses with green bows and sparkles on the corners
Pretty cute!

My afternoon was spent helping kids finalize their registration lists of 4-H projects and taking Emily to her adaptive swim lesson.  This evening I washed the day’s dishes and mixed up a strawberry ice cream recipe to put in the ice cream maker in the morning.

Homemade strawberry ice cream – Yum!

20ish minutes to fresh homemade ice cream – One way to bless my family!

Tomorrow is scheduled to be our last record-breaking hot day for awhile, so we’ve scheduled a waterpark day.  So when will I make the cards for our SWAPS that we will share at our upcoming CHASA family retreat, fold the waiting laundry, and post items for sale online?  They will get done!  I am not behind!  I will jump right back in when the time is right.  After all, it’s summer vacation for the kids and myself.  I will regret it when they’re away from home if I don’t do the fun things with them right now.

Flight Plan – July 4, 2012 Haven’t seen this surface in a very long time

I signed a new teaching contract yesterday and met my new teaching partner while teen DD ran the siblings to their instrumental lessons.  Got home in time to bring sandwiches home for lunch, check e-mail, and run off to tween DD’s swim lesson. Sooo…..

I did two FlyLady missions today (www.flylady.net).  I wiped the dining room windows and set the timer for 15 minutes while I cleared the top of our mini fridge.  This is a little dorm-size refrigerator we keep in a corner of the dining room to store bags of milk for restocking the regular fridge, as well as pop, beer, flavored waters, etc.  The top, of course, creates a flat surface.  Any flat surface in this house is susceptible to having junk piled on it as you can see from the before picture below.  Can you believe the difference that one 15 made to this flat surface?  Now, what can I put there that will deter people from piling junk on it again?  I’ll take all suggestions.

Mini fridge before – with over a year of accumulation on it

Mini fridge 15 minutes later – Woo hoo! Now, really, what can I put on top to keep this space clear?

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Flight Plan – July 1, 2012 School bin decluttering 15 + 15 + 15 ….

Let’s see…. how many 15s are there in 3 two-hour movies?  That’s the time I spent today decluttering a bin full of teaching materials.  This bin was meant to hold binders of photocopied materials, most of which needed to be paper punched and placed into the binders.  As you can see from the “before” picture below, various and assorted other items have been added in and around the binders, and there are also two more bins stacked next to this one which are equally as cluttered.

Bins of teaching materials stored next to my desk and blocking easy access to the window in the corner, especially when wanting to open it wide enough to accommodate a cat

One neatly organized bin with 3 binders all filled with paper punched materials, some organized with Post-It notes and flags – In the middle are a variety of teaching items that may be relocated as I declutter other bins. A couple of additional binders were set aside to be filed in a different bin, since they are for home use while these are to take to my fall teaching assignment.

Oh, and last night I hung my son’s art work and certificates for achieving yellow and orange belts in TaeKwanDo on our dining room wall.  I had promised to do that when he brought them home at the end of the school year almost a month ago.  Several more items are on another wall that I refer to as our “art gallery”.  This 15 minutes honors my promise to my son and clears his waiting art from my desk.

J’s art work and TaeKwonDo certificates