Working with Clients...

The "do-it-yourself" decluttering schedule I created for my client has generated a lot of enthusiasm and interest among my friends who think it might be the way to go.  No one has the spare cash to pay me the big bucks to come in and overhaul their home storage all at once, but all agree that it needs to be done.  We've all been watching my client to see how it works out.

It's actually working about as I expected.  My client was enthusiastic about the schedule, read through it, and told herself it was quite workable.  Her first week showed great promise as she pulled things out of her house and grouped them in areas to give away -- she filled her pantry and dining room table with excess items.  However, very little of what she accomplished was actually on the schedule.  When I came in for my two-hour assistance, we spent the entire time working on an area that wasn't on the schedule until later because she felt anxious it and wanted to attack it first.

I am nothing if not flexible (actually, I'm not, but I can bend a little). We cleaned it all out, established two perfect clutter-free areas, I hauled away her excess items to donate, and we made plans for me to come back. That's where it all fell apart.  She lost track of the schedule during the week due to a fussy baby, scheduled a guest to visit during our work party, and did not do any of the "homework" I assigned.

I'm planning on visiting my client next week to get her on track.  Having me come in a bulldoze does solve the immediate problem of clutter, but it does not make the owner take control of her own behavior.  I can see I may have to take some psych classes in order to become more efficient as a clutter counselor.

Do-It-Yourself Decluttering

I'm trying something new with a client of mine. She has two very small children, which limits the time she can spend focusing on one project. Having me come in to spend hours decluttering isn't possible, but she has some real needs that must be addressed before ending her maternity leave and heading back to a very challenging job.

I evaluated her home, listened to her, then created a month-long schedule with two tasks a day. We will meet weekly for a couple of hours to do some more intensive work together, but the bulk of the work will fall solely on my client.

I'm excited about this for two reasons: One, it keeps the budget at a friendly level. By doing most of the work herself, my client saves the hourly fee I charge. Two, (and most important), it helps my client take ownership of her home. By doing the work herself she will value her efforts and make sure she doesn't lapse back into bad habits. When I come in and sort through, it's very easy for a client to appreciate their new clutter-free home, then go ahead and trash it again. Yes, I have seen it happen.

This Friday is our first meeting, and I'm excited to see what my client has accomplished. When I called her Monday (the first day of this project), she excitedly told me she was on her second task already. It was just awesome to hear the excitement in her voice!

Decluttering the computer...

My husband surprised me with a brand-new computer! While it will be a huge upgrade from my current hand-cranked model, the thought of all the work involved in setting up a new work station made me put off the task.

My teen-aged boys didn't understand. "It's plug and play, Mom," they encouraged me. "Just plug it in and off you go!"

Not exactly. There was the matter of transferring all my pictures. That took almost an hour all by itself. I had to go through each person's files since my computer used to be the only one all four of us used (that should tell you how old it is!). I did delete a whole bunch of stuff that wasn't necessary. The new System 7 file transfer wanted to "help" by transferring every last thing on my hard drive, so I chose not to use that function. I may have added a little more time to my transfer, but I saved an enormous amount of time (and RAM) by not clogging my hard drive with all the junk from the old computer.

Outlook Express isn't supported on the new system and the Windows "Live Mail" couldn't understand my internet provider's info. I gave it some time, then called it a day and switched to gmail as my primary email. I was able to link it to Live Mail + I discovered Outlook for my calendar (since my Palm Pilot decided to give up the ghost at the same time as the old computer).

I'm planning to be more efficient next week. I'm getting there!

Starting Fresh!

I'm resurrecting my blog :o) For the past year and a half we've been in a crazy state with our family... hubby still mostly unemployed (thanks, economy), and me working outside the home for the first time. When my husband first got laid off, I figured we'd have a few months of pain, then pick up where we left off. A few months turned into a year, and by then the "fun" of getting by was wearing thin. I withdrew from blogging and other activities until I figured out just what, exactly, was going to be happening in our home.

I confess to initially resisting working outside the home. As a homeschooling mom, it seemed unlikely that I could do any kind of a good job anywhere when my loyalties were divided. I tried a six-week stint as a temp with a large medical firm (which I hated, but stuck out), and looked around for other opportunities. Selling the hairclips and doing boutiques and craft fairs turned out to be a problem for my lower back -- hauling the equipment and standing for hours at a time wreaked havoc on my spine.

It seemed logical to me to find something to do with children, since my own are my heart. I found a babysitting job with a friend's children in the early a.m., which I did all last year. This year I'm still working for them plus am also now a part-time kindergarten aide in a local school district. I love it! It's only 10 hours a week, but it's a foot in the door to the school district.

The jobs bring in some much-needed $$$ and I can be home in the afternoon for my own big boys, who still need me for homeschooling and mothering. Hubby has found two small part-time jobs that help out, too, plus he finally turned 62, enabling him to start collecting social security. That is HUGE for us. My jobs don't bring in enough cash to qualify as "full time", so I'm considered a dependent, which brings in a little more SS, as do our under-age boys. We can pay the mortgage, pay for groceries, keep up with bills... breathe more easily. There's still the hope that I can find a full-time job, but so far I've been unsuccessful.

Blogging about our issues while they were happening was impossible for me. I was unable to see the light at the end of the tunnel for a long time, then had to get in a whole new mind-set when I began working for the school. Now I think I've finally figured everything out!

Another aspect to my working life is that my decluttering business is starting to pick up. I've been a keynote speaker at a women's luncheon talking about organization, and have discovered some new clients along the way. That keeps me busy, too.

Future blogs will fall into various categories: decluttering/organization, gardening, food/recipes, and snippets of life. I'll try to group them in the appropriate folders so you can find things quickly. I'm still working on the amount of time I'd like to devote to the blog, but think that 2-3 times a week is about all you'd want to read of me :o)

I'm open to suggestions! Please comment and let me know what you'd like to read about. I'm going to be as open as I can about homeschooling, finances, and raising teens -- get ready for a wild ride!

It's raining, it's pouring...

Our winter rainy season has begun. We expect it to last two or three days, which doesn't sound like much. However, our southern CA streets and gutters can't handle the workload of any water at all, and we get pretty wet around here. Rainy days in So Cal are good days to stay in.

Still, I'm optimistic. I had my son hang my spring-themed daffodil garden flag outside, and I'm hoping to see some buds on the peach tree.

I guess I'm just feeling "springy". I cleaned out two closets and a cupboard today, which felt great. Hubby started me on my path by digging out one corner of our bedroom and turning it into a little office space for himself. It looks GREAT and all that junk he'd had piled there is gone! I'm so happy.

I responded by cleaning out his cupboards. It's amazing the types of things you find in the cupboard of a man who really doesn't care how he looks. The pillowcase I thought was lost was carefully folded amongst his tee-shirts... all six hundred or so of them. He won't have to buy a tee-shirt until 2014. And now they're all neatly folded and placed appropriately for him.

Loving the SoCal lifestyle!

Boy, when you're poor, nothing beats a warm day outside! When my dad was a young boy (age 8), his mother moved him and his two sisters (ages 8 and 9) to Florida. Without any child support from her ex-husband (long story), living in a temperate climate was the best solution for her since she wouldn't have to pay huge heating bills or buy her kids winter clothing.

Yes, Florida gets cold (I have a picture of my mom in college at Tampa making a snowman!), but it beats the northern climates by a landslide. Same with southern California. Today was a beautiful day -- sunny and mild with a little breeze. I took my younger son and his buddy down to Pirate's Cove to climb around on the rocks and sword fight with their wooden weapons. They hiked around tidepools, scaled a rock face, and were happy and free in their bathing suits.

I sat and read, watched the boats, climbed a bit myself, and just enjoyed being outdoors.

Later, when we came home, the boys attacked our friend's Christmas tree, which they'd donated to us for firewood. Boys and hatchets! Always a good mix.

This and That...

I've signed up to sell at a local farmer's market, the downtown Anaheim one over by the Muzeo. I stopped by today to prowl around and see what they've got for sale and found some great jute bags sold by a couple of really nice folks. I love that the handles are rounded off, not flat, as those tend to scratch me. The slogan on the front of the bag reads "This is SO not a plastic bag!" I had to laugh, then I had to buy it. It's kind of like a gunny sack and cost $5; I have a feeling I'll have this bag for a loooooong time.

I'll be starting there next week and am really looking forward to regular access to farm-fresh produce. Whoo hoooo!