Wordless Wednesday: In My Yard... Again

Wordless Wednesday: In My Yard

Clutter: My (old) Purse

This is a blog post I did on another blog years ago. Last weekend I was talking about my old purse with a friend and told her I would send her the post b/c it is pretty funny (now that I can look back and laugh about it!) so I thought I would just post it here instead. Maybe you will get a kick out of it too. And if you know anyone who writes women's fiction, pass it on. Maybe they can snag a tidbit or two about a real-world mom with an extremely cluttered purse. LOL!

An if anyone is wondering after reading the article, I ended up hosting a Miche Bag party and switched to their classic size purse, and bought a smaller wallet!

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From April 2010...

My purse.  What an amazing and horrible mess!  It is hard to tell from this picture how much stuff is in there, but just read on...

I went to a baby shower last year and they had a game where the lady with the heaviest purse wins a prize. I knew right away I would win, and not only because I had a full bottled water in there!  Other ladies had bigger, bulkier bags but mine tipped the scale and won!  So apparently I have known about my little purse problem for a while but have chosen to let it get worse and worse. There have been times where it has taken me a good minute to find my keys in this veritable black hole.  Several times I have actually given up, looked elsewhere for them, only to find they were in my purse the entire time... dropped into the wrong pocket or just hiding in a deep corner.  Uuugggh!  How frustrating.  Not to mention the red marks the straps often leave on my shoulder after a long shopping trip.  Children's backpack studies have shown the direct relationship of heavy backpacks to shoulder and back pain.  While not as heavy, I'm sure my purse is no different.  And since I already have hereditary back issues, I am definitely not doing myself any favors here.   

So, I decided to sit down last night and clean the darn thing out.  I made a list as I went, and while some of these items are a little embarrassing, I am posting it here for "the blogging world" to see.  Maybe if I record it, and come up with a few "rules of the purse" to make sure this won't happen again, I will have some motivation to hold myself accountable.  We will see.

The List: (cringing a bit here)

1. Comb - most likely from the kids' school pictures last fall.  It was dirty so I threw it out.
2. Small pencil from putt-putt last summer.
3. Dairy Queen kids meal bag, coupon already torn off.
4. 2 round pins from a visit to the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in August 2009.
5. Alex's achievement ribbons from her last TOPS gymnastics meet earlier this month.
6. 2 leather coasters and 1 leather key chain from a hands-on demonstration at the county fair in August 2009.
7. Thank you note for a girl who attended Alex's birthday party in February, on the off-chance we see her at gymnastics.
8. Fred Meyer rewards coupons - expire 4-24 which I would still like to use.
9. Very old (and crumbling) check holder with two empty books of checks, old receipts and a check register I haven't used in eight years!
10. Wrapped fortune cookie and wrapped chocolate chunk cookie from Panda Express three weeks ago.
11. Lollipop, band aid.
12. Point and shoot camera in a case and the battery charger.
13. Kids' shot records.
14. Blank deposit slips from two different banks.
15. Business cards for my photography business I closed over a year ago.
16. Business cards for MOMS club - they are dirty and I would never hand them out in this condition.
17. Metal business card holder - empty.
18. 3 free ice cream cone coupons for McDonalds.
19. Key chain w/eyeglass screwdriver.
20. REI report to members which had the dividend and 20% off coupons I used a week ago.
21. 2 empty (cardboard) gift card holders.
22. List of locations for lunch after bowling league (through 12-29-2009)
23. Receipt for the headboard in Brandon's room from one year ago.
24. Printout of vision benefits from 7-09
25. Free pass & schedule for the Gravity classes at the fitness center.
26. Oil change papers from 5-22-09.
27. Oil change papers from 8-21-09.
28. Receipt from tennis shoes ordered last week.
29. Written list of things to do in Washington D.C. for a trip last June.  I forgot to bring the list.
30. Spoon used for a yogurt snack... I know, gross.
31. Old grocery store shopping list.
32. Small journal to record quotes from the kids.  Pen.
33. MOMS club name tag and lanyard.
34. 9 small bow hair clips, which were taken out of Alex's hair at gymnastics several months ago.
35. 2 bobby pins, 2 AAA batteries, 1 screw, 1 rock, 1 nerf bullet, and 2 hair bands.
36. Feminine hygiene items, more band aids, and very old hand cream.
37. Cell phone.
38. Tickets to a Jon Schmidt piano concert from 1-7-2010.
39. Small pouch with a pearl from San Francisco, who knows how many Januarys ago!
40. My Wallet.  It deserved a picture.  See below.  It is ridiculous.

So now that my purse and wallet are cleaned out, what should I do?  I like my purse, but maybe I need something smaller.  I also like my wallet, but maybe I need a separate holder just for "the cards" and then one for my cash.  I will have to take a look somewhere this weekend and see what is out there.  As far as rules.... I think the first thing is to obviously keep less receipts.  At least some of the gas stations now give you the option for no receipt, which I gladly take!  I know I hold onto some receipts because I am afraid I will need to return something but there are several stores that have such a good return policy you really don't need to have the paper receipt.  Target and Costco for example... they take back anything it seems!  Another rule - if the kids give me something to hold onto while we are out, give it back to them once we are home.  And it would not be a bad idea to sit down once-a-week and clean out what is not needed.  I will be back with an update... for now, a few things I found searching the internet.

Purskeet - the Original Purse Organizer

Chic Fashion

The Butler Bag 

The first two above are purse inserts.  This allows you to take the insert out and change purses easily.  The Butler Bag is the purse and insert together, and a little more pricey.  I see there are a lot of other inserts out there, just search "neat purse" or "purse organizer" and a bunch of options come up! 

MMGM - Keeper of the Lost Cities

It has been quite a while since I have posted but I thought it was only fair that I pop in for MMGM with a short review on Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger! While I have not read the book myself, both my kids (ages 11 and 9) have read and LOVED it. My son read it in two and a half days (during the school week) and my daughter read for about three hours each day until she was done. To say they are excited for October and the release of the next book in this series is an understatement. They want it NOW!

Book Description - Twelve-year-old Sophie has never quite fit into her life. She’s skipped multiple grades and doesn’t really connect with the older kids at school, but she’s not comfortable with her family, either. And Sophie has a secret—she’s a Telepath, someone who can read minds. But the day Sophie meets Fitz, a mysterious (and adorable) boy, she learns she’s not alone. He’s a Telepath too, and it turns out the reason she has never felt at home is that, well…she isn’t. Fitz opens Sophie’s eyes to a shocking truth, and almost instantly she is forced to leave behind her family for a new life in a place that is vastly different from what she has ever known.

     

But Sophie still has secrets, and they’re buried deep in her memory for good reason: The answers are dangerous and in high-demand. What is her true identity, and why was she hidden among humans? The truth could mean life or death—and time is running out.

In my daughter's words - This book is about Sophie Foster, a 12-year-old girl who discovers she is an elf from another world. She also finds out she is a special elf. I liked Sophie because she risks her neck to save her family. Another character I liked was Fitz. He is the elf who finds Sophie on Earth and helps Sophie multiple times. I also liked Keefe who is another friend to Sophie. Keefe was daring and ditched school when he could.

I liked this book because it has danger and it’s another thing to keep me away from my chores. I had to read for hours so the book could answer my questions. I loved it so much that I read three hours a day. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes adventure and danger.

I can’t wait until the next book comes out in October. I’m going to download it on my Nook.

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Marvelous Middle Grade Monday (MMGM) was created by Shannon Messenger. To find other bloggers participating in MMGM go to her blog for a list of links.

Wordless Wednesday: My Big Helper

MMGM: Ungifted and Pickle

Is is still Monday? Gosh, I hope not. How did your first Monday of the New Year go? Mine started with discovering the 5th grader forgot about some homework over the weekend, couldn't find a protractor for him to finish it, telling me he hates me b/c I took his iPOD away for the day, him slipping on ice in the driveway so he had to change clothes and then missing the bus at his home school and having to drive him to his actual school. The day improved slightly when my friend came over and we exchanged holiday gifts, but then reverted when my 2-year-old screamed his head off because he doesn't understand the concept of sharing with his little friend. He is fine at public places and other kids' houses, but apparently HIS toys are sacred. Anyway, onto the books!

If I had gotten this done yesterday then I was going to call it Wonderful Middle Grade Wednesday but it just didn't have the same ring as MMGM. And I'm drawing a blank for a "marvelous" word that starts with a T. So even though it is Thursday, here is my MMGM.

Since starting to read and participate in MMGM posts I have to admit, a lot of the books I read are recommendations from other MMGMers (just finished Liar and Spy) and sometimes I feel like I am just talking about what has already been talked about. So I chose two books for today. Ungifted by Gordon Korman, which I think I first heard about on Joanne Fritz's blog and Pickle by Kim Baker, which I don't think I have seen on MMGM and is written by the Co-Regional Advisor of the Western WA SCBWI.

Book Description from Amazon - The word gifted has never been applied to a kid like Donovan Curtis. It's usually more like Don't try this at home. So when the troublemaker pulls a major prank at his middle school, he thinks he's finally gone too far. But thanks to a mix up by one of the administrators, instead of getting into trouble, Donovan is sent to the Academy of Scholastic Distinction (ASD), a special program for gifted and talented students.

It wasn't exactly what Donovan had intended, but there couldn't be a more perfect hideout for someone like him. That is, if he can manage to fool people whose IQs are above genius level. And that becomes harder and harder as the students and teachers of ASD grow to realize that Donovan may not be good at math or science (or just about anything). But after an ongoing experiment with a live human (sister), an unforgettably dramatic middle-school dance, and the most astonishing come-from-behind robot victory ever, Donovan shows that his gifts might be exactly what the ASD students never knew they needed.

Book Description from Amazon -

 

This is the story of the LEAGUE OF PICKLEMAKERS.

 

Ben: who began it all by sneaking in one night and filling his homeroom with ball pit balls.

 

Frank: who figured out that an official club, say a pickle-making club, could receive funding from the PTA.

Oliver: who once convinced half the class that his real parents had found him and he was going to live in a submarine.

Bean: who wasn't exactly invited, but her parents own a costume shop, which comes in handy if you want to dress up like a giant squirrel and try to scare people at the zoo.

TOGETHER they are an unstoppable prank-pulling force, and Fountain Point Middle School will never be the same.


Why they are Marvelous: Both of these books have a humorous slant to them which I enjoy. But what I think is key to middle grade literature are the ups and downs and bonds of friendship. In both of these stories the main character has trouble with his best friend/s as the events in his life start a series of changes. Will their friendships be able to endure these changes and come out stronger in the end, or will their differences become too much for them to handle? I thought both authors dealt with this aspect of the story well and that is what I remembered most from each book.

Happy Monday... I mean Thursday!

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Marvelous Middle Grade Monday (MMGM) was created by Shannon Messenger. To find other bloggers participating in MMGM go to her blog for a list of links.

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(Mostly) Wordless Wednesday: Finished!

I finished the hat I posted and in-progress picture of last week and decided it fit my daughter better! If only writing went so quickly. LOL!