I usually blog around this time of the week, but some of us have been chillin’ at the cottage. I’ve had no time to write – far too busy shoving smores in my gob, pulling leaches off little feet and enjoying an icy beverage from the campfire cooler.

So, all is well in dreamy cottage country. All will be shattered when I have to face the hard reality of cottage laundry – but we won’t think about that now.

Oh, and as for the title of this post – probably more accurate to say that at this point in time you can smell us from distances far and wide!

When you’ve been changing diapers for almost 11 years straight and you have been pregnant for about 250 weeks, it is fair to make claim to a bit of brain mush now and again. Sleep deprivation can make a mama foggy at times. Going to the grocery store and leaving without the item I went for is a common occurrence. Once, I was driving down the street with a van load of kids and had to pull over for a minute to think. You see, I had forgotten which child was being driven to what activity. When I looked in the rear-view mirror, I noticed one in a soccer uniform so I was able to carry on without actually having to admit anything to the kids.

But there are bigger things that I don’t remember – the things that I did before I had kids.

What did I do in the evenings? What did I start questioning at 4:00pm every day if not “What am I going to feed them?” To remove that daily dilemma from my brain space would leave quite a gap. Along with “feeding time at the zoo”, my evenings consist of organizing homework, packing school lunches and shuttling people to sports and dance classes. If not doing that, what would I be doing? I just can’t remember. Maybe I watched the 6:00pm news. Maybe I had a hobby. Whatever it was, it’s long gone from my immediate memory.

Waking up naturally because my body has had enough sleep.
Actually, I can’t even remember what it’s like to wake up to the sound of an alarm clock. I vaguely remember that sensation of a Saturday morning sleep- in, dozing in and out of lazy slumber, eventually crawling out of bed when it suited me. Yeah, vaguely.

Eating in a civilized fashion.
I can’t remember what it’s like to sit down and eat an entire plate of food without having to get up half a dozen times. What is it like to sit around a table enjoying food and chatter without springing up regularly to fetch things and cut up food on other people’s plates? I’ve been to dinner parties and left without actually having had dinner myself. And I’m told food is normally served hot. Imagine that – it’s actually HOT when served! By the time I get to my food, “hot” would not be a suitable description.

But from what all the weathered mamas tell me, these busy mama days go too quickly and before you know it, they too will become vague memories. So I think for the moment I’ll just clutch onto my cold dinners and hectic evenings for as long as I possibly can.

Meal planning is a great way to cut out some of the chaos in your week. There is nothing worse than trying to figure out what to make for dinner at 5pm. And when you do finally decide on something, you realize you don’t have a key ingredient!

You can save money with meal planning. In order to save money while meal planning browse the weekend sale flyers before planning your meals. Base the plan on what is on sale instead of picking random recipes from a cookbook. Maybe there is a great deal on chicken this week. Once you discover that, then see what meals you can make with chicken.

Another way you save money with meal planning is by making fewer trips to the store. If you’re constantly running back to the store for that key ingredient you are most likely picking up other unnecessary items along the way. If you meal plan you won’t be tempted to spend extra money during the week.

Meal plan weekly or monthly. There are people that successfully meal plan for the week and the month. If you are a buy-in-bulk shopper, you may be able to pull off making a meal plan monthly. Just imagine, a whole month of meals laid out in front of you! Perhaps you are a weekly shopper and prefer to do a weekly meal plan. Either will work; it just depends on what works best for you!

Here are three sorting, stacking and memorization games that are fun, but at the same time they help teach children the basic skills of organizing. Shhh, I won’t tell them if you don’t.

Sorting - Find common household objects like buttons, coins and keys and let your kids sort. They can sort by size, type and color. Have them sort the items first to see how they might arrange things. A lot of visual learners will sort by color if given the choice.

Stacking – Did you know there is a stacking sport? It’s called speed stacking and it is growing in popularity across the US. Simply put, it is a game of stacking cups extremely fast in order to build a pyramid and then taking it back down again. Kids love it but really it is teaching them some great skills like hand-eye coordination, focus, and creativity to name a few!

Memorization – My kids are loving the game Memory right now. You lay all of the cards out and turn over two at a time until you make a match. I am surprised at how well my 3 year old can recall where the hidden match is and she even shows me up every once in a while!

Teaching these basic skills early on will help your children conquer their organizing journeys in the future!

I don’t know how many homes I have gone into to organize only to come across a client’s beloved memories packed away in a box. A favorite trophy or knick-knack that hasn’t seen the light of day in years. A token from a trip taken years prior sits in a box labeled “memories” and collecting dust.

For many people there are strong emotions attached to “stuff”. It brings back a memory, a feeling, or perhaps a dream we once had. Some are considered prized possessions yet they sit there in a box untouched and unloved. We fill our lives with clutter that remind us of the past, all the while trying to make room for the future.

I’m going to share with you one of my favorite tips for dealing with sentimental clutter.

Take a picture, it will last longer.

Next time you come across a box of sentimental items, ask yourself if you can use it or display it. Do you really love it to have it displayed on your wall? Does the item work now or can you put it to good use? Otherwise these items just sit in a box and take up space.

I want to challenge you to let these items go. It is time to reclaim your space! Instead of hanging on to the physical item, take a picture and journal your thoughts. This would make a great paper journal or even a blog! Each time you revisit these pictures you can write down your thoughts. Imagine passing down pictures and thoughts instead of stuff!

What are you hanging onto and why? How would you feel about letting the item go in exchange for a photo?