Daily Declutter Challenge #30 - Where Stale Cereal Goes to Die

Did you ever have one of those days that felt like you started a million things but didn't finish any of them?  That was how my day was.  The fact that I stayed up till 1:30 AM cleaning up after our girls night probably didn't help.

But I was determined to conquer one area and the kitchen has been my main focus lately so I went with the "bulk" cupboard.  Assorted cereals, bags of flour & sugar strewn in disarray.

 I seriously cannot believe I am posting these photos.  This is humbling AND motivational!

Anyway, I hauled everything out, put all I could into other containters (Large bags are really quite useless in a cupboard.)  Wiped out the debris, and put it all back (minus the stale cereal that no one was eating), and this time I maximized it all into ONE cupboard rather than two!

There are other bottom cupboards that are desperately needing my attention....hopefully tomorrow I am a little more awake to attempt them!

Daily Declutter Challenge #29 - Organizing Cable & Cord Chaos!

I'm sure many of you are like me and suffer from a little something I like to call, "cord anxiety".  You know how it goes.  You own multiple electronic devices & they all have completely different USB cables and charging plugs.  Finding what you need can be a nightmare!  It is shocking how many of these items we have stuffed in our drawer.  Add cameras, memory cards, headphones, various batteries, and whatever else that can be deemed, "Audio Visual" and you have this result.

 

Can you blame my heart palpitations when I see something like this?

Thus, for the past month I've been squirreling away every little cardboard box that we used.  I would cut them down to size, and would tape up the open end as well so that I got two boxes out of the deal.

I cornered my husband into helping me decide what we needed to keep and what we could toss.  He didn't want to toss anything, protesting "You can never have too many cords and cables!  You never know when one might break and you need a replacement.  And I may need to cobble together a gaming system or connect three computers together to a projector."  He safely tucked away whatever cables that we didn't use ALL the time into his box full of cords and other computer peripherals.  That one is right next to his other box full of RCA cables and speaker wire.  I never new such boxes existed in the world until I married my husband.  And thank goodness for his geeky ways!  As I like to say, "I'm sleeping with my I.T. Guy"

Back to the declutter.  I arranged the little boxes into the drawer and neatly wrapped all the cords, and this is the result!

I'm feeling MUCH better now!

Daily Declutter Challenge #27- Top of the Fridge

At only 5 ft 2 & 3/4" I can't see the top of my fridge.  One time, one of our very tall friends was over for supper and I realized his head stood higher than my refrigerator.  I said to him, somewhat embarrassed, "You can probably tell it's been a long time since I've cleaned the top of my fridge." To which he answered, "It's been a long time since ANYBODY has cleaned the top of their fridge!"

Like this picture.

To be fair to myself, most of the stuff up here was crafty items that I didn't want my four year old getting into.  But since I have been reorganizing my cupboards I had some some space freed up, so it was all safely put away.  Also, do you notice another pen that escaped my Pen Gathering?

It was time for a clean sweep!  Everything got put away in proper spots, and the grime wiped away.  This was one of the quickest declutters yet!

 My goal now is never to put anything on top of my fridge.  It looks too cluttery, and also blocks the cabinet doors.  So, if you're ever over at my house, and see something on the top of of there....give me the shakey fist!

Daily Declutter Challenge #26 - Back Door Pile

We have a patio door in our kitchen that we use as a back door entry of sorts.  It mostly gets used in the summer when we eat on the patio, cook on the BBQ, or play in the backyard.  So, the area needs a little "mini mud room spot" to store shoes and also for the kids to hang up their backpacks.

But I don't think it needs to look like this!

 Ack!

The folding chairs were handy for company, but we didn't need them for daily use, so I managed to find some space in one of our few storage closets for them.  The large basket for shoes was the main problem.  It had become a huge clutter nest!  After I dumped out the pile of shoes, (most of which didn't fit my kids anymore) I found a bizarre assortment of items that had found a secret little home in the basket, never to be seen again.  Till now.

A bag of empty spray paint cans that needed to be taken to recycling, a lone ski glove, 2 work gloves, a pen that missed my pen roundup, strap from a booster seat, a beach shovel, and a plastic baby spoon.  It was time to get rid of stuff or actually put it away where it belonged!

I did need something to put shoes on for the back door, especially once warmer weather comes.  I went with a simple boot mat.  It's not quite big enough, but it's definitely better than the giant basket of debris.

Anyone else have back door solutions?  Do you have an exit from your kitchen that gets cluttered?  I'd love to hear your ideas!

Daily Declutter Challenge #25 - Tupperware Cupboard

I couldn't avoid this one forever.

 

Believe it or not, I actually thinned out this cupboard in a MAJOR way about a year ago.  I think I got rid of 50 yogurt containers.  But this corner cabinet is such a nemesis.  I don't have enough cupboard or drawer space to house my tupperware, so you know how it goes.  Things get tossed in, the door hurriedly shut, and then later you're on your hands and knees trying desperately to find a LID!!!!  Why does nothing ever match?

First things first, I pulled everything out, gave the cupboard a good wipe down, and then set about matching lids to their mates.  There's no way avoiding a huge mess on the kitchen floor, but the secret is that if you plan it right, you surround yourself with an inescapable sea of tupperware, from which you cannot be freed until the task is complete.  Thank goodness my 4 year old was in good spirits today and painted happily at the table while Mommy was occupied.

Then, I purged all the pieces that weren't matched (into the recycle bin) as well as any that were warped or broken.

Who needs to pay for organizers?  You know what I did!  Cut down some cereal boxes to house the lids!

You can see I have terrible printing....I wish I could make these look cutesy, but by this point into the process I just want to get it done!  I am no perfectionist....is there such a word as "good enough-ist?".

Then I nested the containers together according to shape and size.

I probably kept too many, so maybe I'll do another purge before our garage sale this spring.

Almost 15 years ago, I received at my bridal shower a giant cake tote.  I've never put a cake in it, but it has held baby rattles, books, and now large tupperware lids.  Since these are rarely used it got pushed to the back corner.

Large tupperware bowls (which usually end up as popcorn bowls) are on the bottom shelf, as well as items that aren't often used.

This little project took me two hours.  How quickly do you think it will become undone?

Keepin' it real....taking on a project like this means that the rest of my kitchen is a mess, my daughter's painting project has spread across the kitchen table, my big girls are now home from school and are scrounging for snacks and making their own hot chocolate, we leave for swimming lessons in half an hour and company is coming for supper tonight.  (Taco Soup is in the Crock Pot....easy, easy, easy)  But I must fly!

Daily Declutter Challenge #23 - Spice Cupboard

Today’s Daily Declutter Challenge is a work in progress.  My spice/baking cupboard is in serious need of help.  I could hear the frustration in my husband’s voice (and he is the sweetest, gentlest, most patient man I know – good thing since I’m such a crazy!), when he was looking for the cinnamon.  It was enough to motivate me to tackle this area next.

BEFORE:

While I was at the thrift store the other day I picked up this little rack...

It was $6, which is more than I would usually spend on something like this at a second hand store – but I knew I needed to get organized.

Once I got home though, I was hit by a brainstorm.  What if I stored my spices in the drawer instead and shuffled some things around?  I was sure I could start maximizing my space better.

I decided to store spices/seasonings in the drawer & baking spices (cinnamon etc) in the cupboard.  I transferred spices into the new jars so they would fit standing up in the drawer.  Much better use of space!  I'll simply sell the not needed wire rack at my spring garage sale.

AFTER:

This is still a work in progress, since my plan is to pick up some chalkboard paint to cover the lids, and then write the name on the top in chalk.

As for the baking cupboard, I am in serious need of more jars for all my dry good.  I’m cooking so much more from scratch now, so this is an area that needs a plan.  The plastic bags from the bulk area just don’t cut it!  I don’t want to fork out all the dough to buy a bunch more, so I’m hoping to collect some here and there from garage sales.  Mason jars are  NOT to be found anywhere on Craigslist or Freecyle anymore; a lot of weddings and homes are using them for décor!  Guess I should just eat more pickles….

NEXT ON THE HIT LIST!

Annnnd on another note….

Mom Starting From Scratch will be taking a digital sabbatical this week since Grandma is coming to visit!  My mom is an amazing woman – she loves projects, cleaning, painting, thrift store shopping, and generally being a busy bee.  She has gotten better at learning to rest while she’s visiting, so admist all the little projects we’ll be doing, I’m sure there’ll be lots of tea drinking, magazine purusing, and chick flick watching.

I’ll try to take pics of any decluttering I get accomplished over the week and just do a mega post next Monday.  Until then, I hope you have a fabulous week and you keep on with  daily clearing out the clutter.  One drawer, cupboard, surface area at a time….remember…it’s a marathon, not a sprint.

Daily Declutter Challenge #22 - Back on the Wagon

Totally skipped decluttering yesterday.  Well, that's not entirely true - decluttering piles of laundry was accomplished!  We had the first bout of sunny weather for a long time and adventure was awaiting.  Important decluttering of wintery cobwebs in our souls happened there too.

Today was another full day of adventures, but I did have a chance to declutter a shelf in our en suite bathroom.  This room is often the messiest in the house since no one else has to see it!  It's also very small and serves as our laundry room, so keeping it clear of clutter is pretty important.

BEFORE:

I know with bathroom organizing you should only leave stuff in the open that you use daily.  Everything else should go in a cabinet.  Well tons of stuff on that shelf were items we hadn't touched in years.  Literally.  I tossed out a bunch of expired medicine and relocated other first aid stuff to my newly organized medicine cupboard.  ('Cause there was so much more room there!)  Some items got put under the sink (another declutter challenge ahead, that's for sure!), and this is the end result....

AFTER:

You may be thinking, "That doesn't look any emptier!"  It's true, it's not empty.  But I decluttered so much stuff from it that I was able to take the two white containters off my bathroom counter that were holding my hair supplies and make-up.  My bathroom counter is tiny, and you should see what I had crammed on there!  Actually, you can't see.  I didn't take a before pic.  Sorry.


P.S.  You know Altoid Tins?

They are the perfect size for these....

Organizing Junkie

There's a great website called,  I'm An Organizing Junkie, and she has some fabulous inspiration and ideas.  This week she featured "Mom Starting From Scratch" in  this post.   So I'm sending a big shout out to Laura - you help motivate me to keep going in my challenges!  If you're looking for great organizing ideas, you should pop by her site!

Daily Declutter Challenge #21 - Pair of Silver Candlesticks Anyone?

I love the fast, easy, soothing (and romantic!) atmosphere that candlelight provides.  But I had an entire drawer jammed full of tealights and assorted holders that I had been given over the years. Not to mention candle holders scattered on shelves all over the house that were quite simply, collecting dust.

I decided to simplify by only keeping a couple favourite holders, a handful of clear glass votive holders, and some glass hurricane holders.  They are so versatile, go with any decor and are unfussy in style.

But I did meet my nemesis.  A pair of tarnished, silver candle holders that I received as a wedding gift.  I held them in my hand for the longest time and silently debated keeping them.

But for the life of me I could not recall who gave them to us, or when the last time I used them.  10 years ago maybe?  Seriously.  They weren't even out on display and were one of the items jamming up the candle drawer.

Don't get me wrong.  I know someone would love these.  I know these are worth money.  But honestly, for me, they are worth nothing sitting in my drawer, taking up valuable space in my little home.

Anyone want them?

Guilt free goodbyes.  Lovin' it.

Daily Declutter Challenge #20 - Too Many Jackets!

My mother has an amazing life story. She grew up as a farm kid in the 1950's in rural Alberta with seven other brothers and sisters.  They had very little money and she can still recall the sting of poverty. She vividly remembers the feeling of feeling "damp and cold".  As a result, I'm sure she has made it her life's mission to ensure her grandchildren never feel the same way.

She is our champion thrift store shopper and has pretty much clothed my entire family with her amazing finds. I am truly blessed to have a mom who helps us out in such a way.

But she has one weakness! Any time she finds a pretty, warm, coat in great condition at a second hand store she buys it for one of my kids. And my weakness is that I keep them all!

There is another closet FULL of coats too!

So today's Declutter Challenge was to thin our bulging coat collection.I went through our downstairs closet, the winter clothes bin, and our coat hooks and got rid of the duplicates and not needed items. My four year old had 4 winter coats the exact same size! I was able to bag up for our garage sale the ones we didn't need and keep the favourites. I found I was really torn when it came down to 2 raincoats for Ellie. They were both adorably cute, the same size, and same thickness. I was tempted to keep them both, thinking, "Well, what if one gets really dirty, or we lose it, or it gets ruined...". Then I recalled the mornings of indecision and game playing on Ellie's part, "No I want the polka dot jacket! No I want the other one!" and that was enough to seal the deal. She's got one. It's adorable. Mad dashes out the door will be simpler.

I know it's not that dramatic looking, but now there aren't coats layered on top of coats.  And this is also AFTER my girls came home from school, so they added more coats to the mix as well!

Daily Declutter #19 - Another Clutter Nest Eliminated

I shared in a previous post about how I got rid of a cozy, little nest for clutter at the top of the stairs.  It's been working remarkably well!  I'm not saying that the cabinet always stays perfectly clear, but without a basket for random items to accumulate, I'm forced to deal with the items more frequently.  What's the mantra?  "Don't put it down, put it away!"

So I decided to tackle another Clutter Nest.  There was a basket at the bottom of the stairs, in our mudroom, filled with random items.  Bags & purses were also getting piled onto the post!  Not such a nice homecoming, is it?

Really, the only oft needed items in the pile were my husband's drumsticks (in their black case), my keys, and our dust buster.  Everything else (roller blade elbow pads, travel Sudoku game, shoe polish, a book, reusable bags, bungee cord, two purses, and used napkins) either got put away, thrown away, or given to the garage sale pile.  I'm sure some of the items have been in there for months and months!

After:

I've found that if I give clutter a convenient, cozy nest then it never, ever, ever leaves.  Goodbye nest.  Goodbye clutter.

Daily Declutter Challenge #18 - Creating Chaos to Get Rid of Clutter

Today I spent some time with my big girls going through a bag of clothes that was passed along to them.  It's always so much fun getting things that are "new to you", isn't it?  But of course as my kids get older, they get more particular about their own personal style and choices.  Some of the clothes were not their taste, but they were still pretty nice.  So we sorted through them all and put a bunch aside for the "Garage Sale Pile".

And when I say "Pile" I mean it.

 

Since we live in a small house with no garage or basement or extra storage to speak of, any extra, temporary items get put in the hallway outside our homestay student's bedroom.  I'm sorry Brittany!  Good thing she's so sweet and patient.

Which leads me to the point.  Sometimes you need to create a little chaos to get rid of clutter.   Often I simply fill bags to donate to the Sally Anne, but if I feel ambitious enough for a garage sale, then I just have to deal with the pile in the hallway.  Or at least Brittany does!

I was chatting with a friend last week who was in the middle of reclaiming a bedroom that had turned into a storage area.  Since she lives in a little apartment, she needed to accept the fact that she'd have to pull boxes and items into her living room area and deal with the clutter to reclaim the room.  There's nothing like having boxes in your living room to make you rethink the items they hold!

I know it's easier to hide things in a bin or box or cupboard or attic or basement or shed or garage, but every now and then it's worth it to pull them out, create some chaos and then get rid of clutter!

Daily Declutter Challenge #17 - What to do with all Your Kid's Art & School Stuff

My friend, Lisa, asked me what I do about kid's art projects.  With three kids in school and Sunday school, the amount of stuff that comes home is huge.  It  does lessen over the years though.

Here's a few things I do.

1.  I don't keep everything.
2.  I don't keep EVERYTHING.
3.  I DON'T KEEP EVERYTHING.

I guess that was what I DON'T do.  Anyway, now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's move on.

1.  I keep things that express love - like mother's day cards saying, "I love you because you make me cookies."  (I'll accept narcissistic, self-serving love.)

2.  I keep things that celebrate momentous occasions like "My First Day at Kindergarten".

3.  I keep things that really show their personality and heart.  So a lot of the generic art projects aren't kept because they were just doing what the teacher told them.  Ditto for getting 100% on a spelling or math test. A lot of their creative stories and journals are kept.

4.  I had a "genius" moment with report cards while I was decluttering their school stuff.  I cut out the teacher comments and keep those.  I always tell my kids the things that matter most to me are when the teacher says, "Faith is a kind, and encouraging student to all her classmates."  or "Jaira uses wonderful expression in storytelling."  Those sort of things make this momma's heart smile.  Will we really care whether or not they got a 1, 2, or 3 in shape concepts 17 years down the road?

5.  If you love a piece of your child's art - frame it!  I loved this peaceful, watercolour that my daughter did when she was 8.

So with my daughters' help, we went through all their school stuff that was haphazardly lying in a basket, and we had a great time with it.  I simply filled a big manila envelope for each of them following the guidelines that I mentioned above.  But if you are SUPER organized, and keep way more papers than I do, here's a post showing what one mom did.  (I am not this kind of Mom, but you might be!)

If you've got great ideas about how to decide what to keep & how to store it - I'd love to hear about them.

Daily Declutter Challenge #15 - The Bell Has Tolled for Tole Painting Art

Just a super quick declutter today as I'm off in a few minutes to teach a group of young adults I mentor about relationships.  Tonight's topic - Character Counts:  AKA - It's All Gonna Sag Anyway.  It's been such a busy week that I've thought about going to once weekly declutters, but I'm on a roll, and even if I do just a little area a day, then I can make more progress.  Posting it on the blog keeps me very motivated and accountable.

Got rid of one thing today!

Sometimes you just get so used to something being on your wall that you forget it's there.  Then you stare at it one day and think aloud, "Where did I get that?  A garage sale 10 years ago?  Do I even like it?  What IS that thing?"  And when your husband replies, "It's a rabbit with a bonnet on it's head", those words are enough to make you think, "Am I drawn to the kind of art that features bonnet-wearing rabbits?"

Nope.

Then I realized I had a lovely print my mom (who lives in the far North of Canada), sitting in a cupboard because I had nowhere to put it.

Voila!

From...."What IS that THING?" to "Sweet Whimsical Art by a Northern Artist Whom I Admire From My Mom Whom I Love."

Daily Declutter Challenge #14 - Just 2 Things

Today has been a very full day.  Donation solicitations in the morning for a school fundraiser, preschool drop off and pick up, catching up on laundry & housework, daughter's friends over for afterschool playdate, company coming for supper, conversations with the staff from the School District who are waiting and wondering just what in the world am I planning on doing with my little one for Kindergarten this year, "If you don't register, you'll lose your spot.  Your daughter may not receive the support she needs."  Talk about pressure!

I considered skipping my declutter challenge - but in the midst of a crazy day, isn't it good to lighten up?

I looked in a cupboard and noticed I had lots of flower vases.  Not too often that I have need of those, (isn't there a Barbara Streisand song about that??).

There were two plastic, and two glass.  I didn't really like the overly fussy style of the plastic one.I decided to keep the simple glass ones, one bud vase & one for a bouquet.  The other two went into my garage sale stack which is growing by the day!

 I'm sure they'll hold flowers again one day.....hint.  hint.

Daily Declutter Challenge #11 - Medicine Cupboard & Repurposing Boxes!

I'm pretty late to the whole repurposing party.  I'll admit, I was feeling pretty smug about all the recycling that I was doing.  I faithfully flattened all my cardboard into an offering acceptable to the recycling gods that come by every week.  I rinsed my cans, plastic containers, & glass bottles and stuffed as much newspaper and paper items as I could into the bag.

But really, deep down, I just was giving my stuff for someone else to deal with.

But I'm starting to wake up to the fact that I can give something new life without it having to go through all the steps at a recycling plant.  And I don't HAVE to buy something to meet my needs.  I usually can repurpose something at home!

This started when I was staring at my medicine shelf yesterday, thinking, "I really need to declutter & organize that shelf.  But I can't do it till I can head to the dollar store and buy some sort of baskets.  My little one is sick and I don't really want to drag her out...."

Not a great cupboard to have when you have a child with a chronic illness...

Then I gave my head a shake and thought, "Do I really NEED to buy some cutesy container to store medicine?  Surely, I can find something around home!"

I dug around in my recycle bin and found some cereal boxes.  Which led me to this this awesome link!  I know this isn't rocket science, and others have been doing this since the invention of the cardboard box, but I never, ever thought of it.  What can I say?  Thank goodness for google.

It's perfect!  You can cut the box down to any height you want and have custom boxes perfect for your organizing needs.  So I cut down three boxes for the medicines, covered them with some contact paper I had and voila!

I'm not crafty & artistic, so they don't look like Martha Stewart's boxes, but they work!

As I was going through the medicines, I was able to get rid of a Cepacol box that was just PERFECT for my iPod charger that was laying around in my desk drawer.

I did all this organizing in the time it took for my sickie girl to take her nebulizing treatment while she watched Blues Clues.  Bit by bit, every day, my home and life is getting more manageable.

Do you have any great repurposing ideas?  I'd love to hear what you've done!

Daily Declutter Challenge #8 - A Special Kind of Chaos

For the last  4 & 1/2 years my life has been filled with a special kind of chaos.  We were so blessed and thrilled to have our third daughter Elianna Rose enter our family, but along with all the love and joy, she also came with her own unique set of differences.  She was born with a rare genetic syndrome called "Fraser Syndrome".  Instead of having you go to "The Google" to find a bunch of info that will seem scary and intimidating, I'll just tell you the basics.  She was born with only one, itty bitty functioning kidney, really narrow airways, webbed fingers (oh her little froggy hands - so tiny & sweet!), narrow ear canals resulting in moderate hearing loss, slow growth, low appetite, a high palate, dental issues, fused eyelid, kidney reflux, strabisimus, far-sightedness, malformed tear ducts, ummmmm....there may be more that I'm forgetting right now.

But she was born with oh, so much more than that!  Joie de vivre!  Love of singing & music!  Sense of humour & show offy spirit!  Sweet yet stubborn temper!  Daredevil attitude and willingness to try new things!  And the love - how much love she has carried with her into our world!  She is, without any doubt or bias, the best thing that has ever happened to our family.

But of course, having Fraser Sydrome means Drs, therapists, surgeries, appointments, appointments, appointments....did I mention appointments?  And paperwork that is generated by all of the above.  Ellie's pediatrician recommended that I get a binder to hold all of her medical paperwork.  Since I was a little preoccupied at the time, it took me a while to get one.  Like, about a year.  Then another two years to buy a three ring whole punch.  By then the paperwork was so overwhelming and all encompassing that I would feel anxiety symptoms any time I had to fill out some sort of forms for Ellie, requesting this, that, or any other thing.  My heart would start to race, my mouth would get dry, and I'd feel overwhelmingly.... overwhelmed.

This is only the stuff that was ON my desk - the other half was in a folder in the filing cabinet.

But I was determined to lessen the chaos in this area of my life.  So while Ellie sat on the floor with me and sang songs from her preschool, I went through all the papers - reread, sorted, piled, and tossed.  It was no small Declutter Challenge, let me tell you.

I got rid of this much paperwork.

And this was the end result!  Goodbye paperwork induced anxiety!

The red one is the medical reports binder.

I cannot begin to tell you what bliss this triumph has brought me.

But I know you can experience the same bliss!  We all have some certain paperwork clutter that has gotten the best of us. It's gotten out of hand, and it needs to be conquered.  I know you can do it.  It took me four and a half years to conquer mine, but I'm hoping that you can do it in less!  Buy some binders, buy a whole punch (very important!), go to that pile on your desk & start sorting.  Make sure to only keep what is absolutely necessary.

And let me know what you take on!

Daily Declutter #6 - One Pen Challenge

The other morning I was filling out a form for my daughter that she needed to hand in to school that day.  I grabbed a pen, started writing....and it didn't work.  Tossed it out, grabbed another....argh!  Didn't work!  Grabbed another.  Arrrrgh!  Another dead pen!  By then I was really scrambling around to try to find another pen.  How come it's always so hard to find a pen that works in this house?  I finally found one that worked, filled out the form and dashed my daughter out the door.

I decided to find a solution to the mystery of the disappearing pens & pencils in our household.  I hunted in all the usual crooks and crannies they hide in, all the desks, the kitchen drawer, the bedside table, etc.etc.  I scrounged up 66 pens & pencils!!!!  Why was it so hard to find one when I really needed it?

There were 35 pencils and 26 of them were busted or dull.  That means whenever my kids break the tip of a pencil, they don't bother sharpening it, they just get another one.  There were 31 pens, and 12 of them didn't even work.  All these pens and pencils helped me realize that because we had an excess of writing instruments, they had no value.  Pencil broke?  Toss it back in the drawer & grab another.  Who cares what you do with a pen after you use it - just drop it and forget about it, 'cause there's lots more in the house.  It's a great example of our materialistic, careless, throw-away society.

You may be thinking, "Whoa - materialistic, careless, & throw-away?  Those are harsh words when you're just talking about a handful of pens, Lynn."

But let's think about it.  If you only have one of something, and you need it - then it has a lot of value, right?  It doesn't matter if it's "only a pen".  I was reminded of a story from the "Little House on the Prairie" book series.  There's a chapter where Mary and Laura go to school for the first time.  Their parents give them some money (of which they had very little!) to go to the General Store and buy a slate, so they could learn to write.  They had to share the slate, because they couldn't afford one each.  The store owner reminded them that they would need to buy a slate pencil as well, and that it would cost one penny.  Here's what happened next.

"Pa had already spent so much for the slate that they hated to tell him that they needed another penny.  They walked along soberly till suddenly Laura remembered their Christmas pennies.  They still had those pennies that they had found in their stockings on Christmas morning in Indian Territory.  Mary had a penny and Laura had a penny, but they needed only one slate pencil.  So they decided that Mary would spend her penny for the pencil and after that she would own half of Laura's penny.  Next morning they bought the pencil at Mr. Beadle's store."

Can you imagine how careful those two sisters were with their slate pencil?  I'm sure they had a special spot to keep it, and made sure that they didn't break it.  Who knows how long that one pencil lasted?   Without it, Mary and Laura Ingalls couldn't do their school work; therefore it had great value.

So, I decided to create a One Pen Challenge for myself.  I sharpened all those dull, broken pencils, put two in my daughters' desk drawer for after school homework, along with a good eraser and PENCIL SHARPENER!  Then I tested out all the pens, tossed the ones that didn't work and picked out two of my favourite pens.  I put one pen in my husband's box on his dresser, and the other pen (for me) I tied to a string and attached to a magnet on the fridge.  One pen or pencil for each of us.  My four year old still got to keep her box of crayons and markers.  Then I bundled up all the extras with a rubber band and hid them far, far away in a place I will not tell my family.  The good news is, I shouldn't have to buy back to school pens or pencils for YEARS!

Now, does my pen have value?  Yep!  Will I be more careful with it?  Yep!  Will I always know where it is?  Yep!  Will I replace it when it runs out?  Yep!

I might sound a little weird, (okay a LOT weird), for doing this and you may be thinking to yourself, "Baaaaack awaaaay slowly from the crazy woman who's obsessing about pens....".  But if this one change helps me avoid the chaos of scrambling around looking for a pen that works, and helps me and my children to become more mindful, careful people, then this one change is worth it.

Let me know if you decide to go for just one pen!