Menu Plan: July 14-21, 2008 and What is Clutter?

Monday: Make Granola, chicken and biscuits for dinner, fresh snap peas

Tuesday: Spaghetti and meatballs (from freezer)/ bread salad

Wednesday: green chili/ chicken enchilladas, Mexican rice

Thursday: stir fry/brown rice

Friday: Moose (parents coming)

Sat/Sun: see what my Mom brings with her

What is Clutter? Someone asked me today while we were eating lunch.  I managed to feed 12 children and 7 adults (if you include my family) today at lunch.  I love having big groups over, and I usually  serve black beans and rice.  No exception today.  I just doubled the recipe.  Seemed to go over well.  

Oh, back to the question: So what is clutter? I was asked by a single man who owns an antique business.  Obviously HIS definition of clutter is different than mine, since we are doing totally different things in our lives.  

In general, clutter is something you are holding on to for purely the wrong reason.  If you like it and want it and use it, it’s not clutter.  If you KNOW you’ll need it later, it’s also not clutter.  Let’s face it.  If you are still having babies every so often, why get rid of the crib and toys? If you still have to homeschool a kindergardener, why get rid of the cuisenaire rods?  

Clutter is like holding on to your college textbooks because they remind you that have an education, not because you are actually needing to use them. AND realistically, if you did need to somehow use that education for something, you probably would need to get an updated version of whatever it is.  

Before I knew the Lord, I seemed to think that if I threw out my fifth grade spelling book, I’d forget how to spell.. Duh! I indulged in other forms of irrational thinking as well as a child–like holding on to my Halloween candy until Easter.. like somehow a sweet-craving would come out of nowhere and overtake me… and there would be NO candy left in the house.. (fat chance, this is America, after all)… Like the Halloween candy sitting in a big pile in my closet, I NEVER did eat it.  I just saved it.  

Are you saving that (unusual object) for some sort of untamed fear or unreasonable reason? 

Just think of what it is costing you. 

1. It’s taking mental energy.

2. it’s a non-paying renter.. (taking up physical space but not yielding a profit)

3. It’s slowly zapping energy from you, since you can’t get your mind off of it–especially right now. 

ENOUGH guilt.. stop ,stop..  O.K.  relax. 

What you do gain from a little less clutter is more TIME and ENERGY to do things that are interesting.. like work on Mr. Purple here. 

One completed sleeve.  

This is the start of the next sleeve.  Since I’ve been knitting away at this crazy project for about 2 years now.. (knitting, ripping, knitting..), it’s probably high time this thing was finished.  So, I put it at the top of the list.  I do not just sit around and knit though.  I usually just knit in the car or during music lessons or when I’m too tired to do anything else.  (yes, I’m in my jammies!)

For more menu ideas, visit the Organizing Junkie.