Buried by Toys
Posted by Arwen Mosher in Homemaking on Monday, September 19, 2011
Lately, I’ve been pondering the Toy Problem.
I try to begin by rolling my eyes at myself. We’re so fortunate that our problem is an excess of stuff, when we could be having to worry about feeding or clothing or housing our family. The Too Many Toys problem is not a Problem in the real sense.
But still, we have MANY toys. The playroom is full enough that the kids rarely play in there. Most of our once... READ MORE
One Organized Mama
Posted by Rachel Balducci in Family on Thursday, September 15, 2011
This clip really helps me want to do better.
Chore Chart Happiness
Posted by Arwen Mosher in Family on Wednesday, September 07, 2011
Okay, this is funny: I wrote this piece and went to post it, but when I checked I noticed that Rachel already covered this topic today. It’s the time of year, I guess! I decided to post my piece anyway - I feel like her musings on the topic have something completely different to offer. The voice of experience to contrast with my voice of idealism, if you will. Make sure you don’t miss what she has... READ MORE
Mountain of Papers
Posted by Robyn Lee in Just me on Thursday, March 24, 2011
I hate filing.
I’ve hated it since I was a summer intern working at a corporate office. I remember the paper cuts, the sore back, and the endless piles ...
When I got my first real job I thought: “now I’m a full-time employee. I won’t have to do any busy work.”
Boy, was I wrong. Not only did I have to file, but I was in charge of filing for the entire department!
I remember collecting the files... READ MORE
Baby Needs
Posted by Arwen Mosher in Family on Wednesday, February 16, 2011
I have a few friends who are currently expecting their first children, and they’re navigating the world of baby registries and must-have lists. I don’t envy them.
It can be overwhelming, preparing for a first baby. You get so much advice and a lot of it contradicts other advice you’ve gotten, and you really can’t know ahead of time what your baby will like or what you as a parent will be comfortable... READ MORE
Christmas Tree, Staying
Posted by Arwen Mosher in Homemaking on Thursday, January 20, 2011
“Tree? All gone?”
Blaise was confused this morning, pointing to the spot in our living room where our Christmas tree was standing until we took it down yesterday evening. He misses it, although he’s mollified by my promises that we’ll have another next year.
January 19th is our personal record for the latest we’ve left the Christmas decorations up. Usually we take them down after the Feast of the... READ MORE
Christmas Storing
Posted by Arwen Mosher in Homemaking on Thursday, January 13, 2011
Now that we’re back into Ordinary Time, it’s confession time.
Here’s mine: although December 25th was almost three weeks ago, we STILL have Christmas presents sitting in boxes in our living room.
I know!
I’d love to claim the stress of pregnancy as the reason for my disorganization, but I can’t lie. It’s like this every year. In fact, before we had kids, we were even worse at putting away the gifts.... READ MORE
Fighting Digital Entropy
Posted by Arwen Mosher in Just me on Tuesday, October 26, 2010
My hard drive almost died last month.
Once I found out the data was safe, I was actually relieved.
My laptop is sporting a brand-new (free! thanks, Apple) hard-drive now, and the old one is stored away, waiting for us to get the data off it at some future point. I’m planning to enlist the help of my geek-proficient brother when he’s home for the holidays.
In the meantime, I’m really enjoying my new... READ MORE
Learning to List
Posted by Arwen Mosher in Homemaking on Thursday, June 10, 2010
Before my husband and I had kids, we travelled often, and packing for trips was no big deal. I gave very little thought to it.
I subscribe to the theory that the job of packing expands to fill the time available for it. My general approach was to wait until, say, an hour before we had to leave for the airport, and then start throwing things in a bag. It worked pretty well.
Until we had kids, that... READ MORE
How to Stop Paying All Those Library Late Fees
Posted by Danielle Bean in Homemaking on Thursday, June 03, 2010
Yesterday, when I posted on Facebook about the lovely, predictable silence that encompasses my house following a trip to the library, my friend Betsy asked a good question:
“How do you keep the books straight? After a trip to the library, we might have 30 to 40 books, which always results in late fees. I’m just not organized enough! Its hard to keep them in a designated spot!!”
Now, anyone who knows... READ MORE
