DiamondAir

> From: "Bobbie" <insomniaaks@...>
> Hi, I'm Bobbie, and I'm a packrat.
> No, there isn't a cure. Sorry. <g>

Well, there's hope. I used to be a packrat, and we have a fairly junk-free
house now. The only thing I still have too many of is pictures and books,
but everything else is under control. My hubby is a neat freak who has won
me over slowly but surely and weaned me off of my packrat ways. I come from
a long line of packrats though. We just spent the weekend at my mom's house
(ugh!) and this cracked me up: she said to my son "Don't step on that pile
of magazines. Do you just stand all over the magazines at your own house?"
In my mind I'm thinking "No mom, because we don't HAVE piles of magazines
all over our house", honestly, the word "childproofing" means nothing to
her, she has piles of stuff everywhere and I have a 16 month old - ack!. My
grandma's house is worse. She can no longer use one of her bathrooms because
it is full of stuff, and hasn't eaten a meal on her dining room table in at
least 15 years, it's been buried in stuff. She just has little pathways
through everything, piles of old newspapers, magazines, sheet music, etc..
We don't go over there anymore. My niece (age 6) said the funniest thing the
last time we were there, she said "If there was an earthquake when we were
all visiting Grandma M's house, we'd all die of paper cuts"

In any case, there's hope. I listened to a talk radio show on my way back
from my mom's house. It had the author of "Clutter's Last Stand" on as the
guest. He just wrote a new book called something like "Lose 200 pounds this
weekend" (meaning 200 pounds of stuff) and he had a bunch of great tips for
de-cluttering, if anyone's interested...

Blue Skies!
-Robin-
Mom to Mackenzie (8/28/96) "This is a great life!"
and Asa (10/5/99) Who walks backwards
http://www.geocities.com/the_clevengers Flying Clevenger Family

Lynda

Now, Robin, we need to clear one thing up here. There is no such thing as
too many books and pictures <g>

And I'm sure your mother uses the VIP filing system -- VeryImportantPiles
<g>

Lynda
----- Original Message -----
From: "DiamondAir" <diamondair@...>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, February 14, 2001 9:16 PM
Subject: [Unschooling-dotcom] Re: Laundry Is Fun


> > From: "Bobbie" <insomniaaks@...>
> > Hi, I'm Bobbie, and I'm a packrat.
> > No, there isn't a cure. Sorry. <g>
>
> Well, there's hope. I used to be a packrat, and we have a fairly junk-free
> house now. The only thing I still have too many of is pictures and books,
> but everything else is under control. My hubby is a neat freak who has won
> me over slowly but surely and weaned me off of my packrat ways. I come
from
> a long line of packrats though. We just spent the weekend at my mom's
house
> (ugh!) and this cracked me up: she said to my son "Don't step on that pile
> of magazines. Do you just stand all over the magazines at your own house?"
> In my mind I'm thinking "No mom, because we don't HAVE piles of magazines
> all over our house", honestly, the word "childproofing" means nothing to
> her, she has piles of stuff everywhere and I have a 16 month old - ack!.
My
> grandma's house is worse. She can no longer use one of her bathrooms
because
> it is full of stuff, and hasn't eaten a meal on her dining room table in
at
> least 15 years, it's been buried in stuff. She just has little pathways
> through everything, piles of old newspapers, magazines, sheet music, etc..
> We don't go over there anymore. My niece (age 6) said the funniest thing
the
> last time we were there, she said "If there was an earthquake when we were
> all visiting Grandma M's house, we'd all die of paper cuts"
>
> In any case, there's hope. I listened to a talk radio show on my way back
> from my mom's house. It had the author of "Clutter's Last Stand" on as the
> guest. He just wrote a new book called something like "Lose 200 pounds
this
> weekend" (meaning 200 pounds of stuff) and he had a bunch of great tips
for
> de-cluttering, if anyone's interested...
>
> Blue Skies!
> -Robin-
> Mom to Mackenzie (8/28/96) "This is a great life!"
> and Asa (10/5/99) Who walks backwards
> http://www.geocities.com/the_clevengers Flying Clevenger Family
>
>
>
> Message boards, timely articles, a free newsletter and more!
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>
>

dawn

i haven't read this entire thread, but along the lines of decluttering,
has anyone suggested FlyLady? I was *so* opposed to her when i first
heard about her, but, i have to admit, she has helped me work wonders in
my house....and I hate housework....


dawn h-s
**********
Some who support more coercive strategies assume that children will run
wild if they are not controlled. However, the children for whom this is
true typically turn out to be those accustomed to being controlled--those
who are not trusted, given explanations, encouraged to think for
themselves, helped to develop and internalize good values, and so
on. Control breeds the need for more control, which is then used to
justify the use of control.

---Alfie Kohn, Punished by Rewards, p. 33.
**********

Bobbie

too many co-ink-i-dinks!
yup it would turn out that my boyfriend is a neat
freak and places sentimental value on nothing that
can't be carried in his own mind. *I* on the other
hand save ticket stubs from nearly every movie I go
to... collect leaves, rocks and sticks from nearly
every place I visit (including the park down the
street....or just the street, if I took a walk there
that meant something to me)...a habbit my kids have
now picked up....a gum wrapper a guy I had a crush on
gave me when I was 14....dried rose petals I've saved
for who knows how long...etc...

I don't mind my degree of packratism.
I am way worse at heart but when it comes down to
it... clothes and books and....sentimental items...and
maybe decorating things...(pics for walls, etc)are my
main thing. ok, mostly clothes. I have gotten sooo
much better though. maybe being pregnant and thinking
I had to get rid of two thirds of them anyway cuz I
was forever going to be three times my usual body
weight helped out in that area. :)

I think like you said being with a neat freak has
helped...but...*snicker*...I think I'm rubbing off on
him just a teeny bit too. He is now volunteering the
ticket stubs from the movies we see over to me so I
can save his for him too. :) ...

BUT I also come from a long line of packrats...my
mom's gotten better....
my dad was sentimental but also liked moving ALOT and
sometimes if they couldn't fit it in thier car/truck
thing when he felt the urge to move they just left it
behind...so that cut down on "stuff". :)
But my GRAMMA, oh my goodness, you had to bring it up.
she has soooo much stuff in that house...I think she
stopped using her back bathroom too. papers and stuff
like yours, but then other STUFF too. old antique
stuff, jewelry, gifts, books, coupons, you name it...
she just won't get rid of anything. She figures it
will either be valuable someday or it is now or she
can give it as a gift to one of her kids or grandkids
or something (she's a bit wacky, btw)
for awhile my sister (very into going through things
cleaning out and throwing away things) was going over
there once a week and helping her cut down on the
clutter and clean and stuff. It got more organized but
still ALOT of stuff. That is a bit much for me.
Though....if I had a big enough mansion of a house...
I might keep all that stuff too.

heeh, the problem, apparently is not too much stuff,
but rather, not enough space to put it in.

:)
oh and my other sis has that losing 200 pounds book on
tape. I heard part of it. funny. :)
-Bobbie

--- DiamondAir <diamondair@...> wrote:
> > From: "Bobbie" <insomniaaks@...>
> > Hi, I'm Bobbie, and I'm a packrat.
> > No, there isn't a cure. Sorry. <g>
>
> Well, there's hope. I used to be a packrat, and we
> have a fairly junk-free
> house now. The only thing I still have too many of
> is pictures and books,
> but everything else is under control. My hubby is a
> neat freak who has won
> me over slowly but surely and weaned me off of my
> packrat ways. I come from
> a long line of packrats though. We just spent the
> weekend at my mom's house
> (ugh!) and this cracked me up: she said to my son
> "Don't step on that pile
> of magazines. Do you just stand all over the
> magazines at your own house?"
> In my mind I'm thinking "No mom, because we don't
> HAVE piles of magazines
> all over our house", honestly, the word
> "childproofing" means nothing to
> her, she has piles of stuff everywhere and I have a
> 16 month old - ack!. My
> grandma's house is worse. She can no longer use one
> of her bathrooms because
> it is full of stuff, and hasn't eaten a meal on her
> dining room table in at
> least 15 years, it's been buried in stuff. She just
> has little pathways
> through everything, piles of old newspapers,
> magazines, sheet music, etc..
> We don't go over there anymore. My niece (age 6)
> said the funniest thing the
> last time we were there, she said "If there was an
> earthquake when we were
> all visiting Grandma M's house, we'd all die of
> paper cuts"
>
> In any case, there's hope. I listened to a talk
> radio show on my way back
> from my mom's house. It had the author of "Clutter's
> Last Stand" on as the
> guest. He just wrote a new book called something
> like "Lose 200 pounds this
> weekend" (meaning 200 pounds of stuff) and he had a
> bunch of great tips for
> de-cluttering, if anyone's interested...
>
> Blue Skies!
> -Robin-
> Mom to Mackenzie (8/28/96) "This is a great life!"
> and Asa (10/5/99) Who walks backwards
> http://www.geocities.com/the_clevengers Flying
> Clevenger Family
>
>


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Karen

Dawn wrote:
 
i haven't read this entire thread, but along the lines of decluttering,
has anyone suggested FlyLady?  I was *so* opposed to her when i first
heard about her, but, i have to admit, she has helped me work wonders in
my house....and I hate housework....
I am a FLYBaby, Dawn....  Still not doing much more than baby steps, but it has made a difference!
 
Karen
Mama to Emily (12/91), Noah (12/95), Halle (10/98), and Joel (9/00)
http://www.geocities.com/heartland/2358
mailto:careermom@...



dawn

On Thu, 15 Feb 2001, Karen wrote:

>
> I am a FLYBaby, Dawn.... Still not doing much more than baby steps, but it has made a difference!
>
i've been a flybaby for a few months now...I was doing so well until this
semester started...somehow, having to leave for work, even though it is
only 2 evenings a week, has thrown all of my routines for a loop.
dawn

DiamondAir

> From: Bobbie <insomniaaks@...>
>yup it would turn out that my boyfriend is a neat
>freak and places sentimental value on nothing that
>can't be carried in his own mind

LOL, I always said that if we ever split up, my DH could move out in 2
suitcases or less. 7 T-shirts, 2 pairs of jeans, 5 pairs of shorts,
underwear, socks, wallet, keys, the baseballs from the Little League
Championship game he pitched, 5 photographs, a few CDs of Elvis, Frank
Sinatra, and some jazz and blues and a cel phone.

> oh and my other sis has that losing 200 pounds book on
> tape. I heard part of it. funny. :)


I liked the guy's criteria for whether or not to keep something. Just ask
yourself "Is this enhancing my life?" and if you can honestly answer yes,
then keep it. Otherwise it goes. Of course, the answer differs for everyone.

Blue Skies!
-Robin-
Mom to Mackenzie (8/28/96) "This is a great life!"
and Asa (10/5/99) Who walks backwards
http://www.geocities.com/the_clevengers Flying Clevenger Family

Bobbie

--- dawn <dawn@...> wrote:
>...... has thrown all of my
> routines for a loop.
> dawn
>
>


"routines?"
what are those?
(she asks with a most naive *Bambi* sort of look on
her face....)




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Valerie Stewart

She just has little pathways
through everything, piles of old newspapers, magazines, sheet music, etc..
We don't go over there anymore. My niece (age 6) said the funniest thing the
last time we were there, she said "If there was an earthquake when we were
all visiting Grandma M's house, we'd all die of paper cuts"

***Okay, this cracked me up. Die of paper cuts. This kid's a comedienne.

Valerie in Tacoma