- A new year makes anything possible!

I can't believe I'm starting a blog. I never thought I'd want to do this - feels too much like homework. So don't look for long well composed posts. I'm much better at bullet points and lists (who doesn't love a good list!) But being that it's the start of a new year (January 2nd to be precise - January 1st is a holiday, and therefore doesn't count I'm told) I thought I'd share some of my goals for 2008:

1 - Simplify! Why do I make life more difficult than it needs to be? The quest for perfection generally leads to exhaustion and disappointment. I vow to simplify in the new year!

2 - Organize. OK, I pledge this on a regular basis, but really, I'm going to do it better than ever before!

3 - Economize. This is an ongoing goal of mine. I'm really quite good at it. However, I am always looking for new ways to save money. You may call me cheap - I prefer to think of myself as allocating my resources to more important things. So if you find that buying premium garbage bags is a good use of your money - go for it. I would rather use that $5 for a good cup of coffee and a cookie. It's all about personal priorities!

4 - Minimize my impact on the environment. I know I won't convince everyone to stop using bleach and to eliminate plastic from their lives. But, I'll share some of the simple (and rarely extreme) things I've tried to help (or simply not hurt) the planet.

So that's it- every week I'd like to share my latest ideas to simplify, organize, economize, and minimize. And I'd love suggestions, because I'll probably run out of content by week three! so wish me luck on my first, and perhaps short-lived blog!

Here are my first notes on the above subjects:

Simplify - Hooks. This week I'm all about hooks. My kids could never manage to hang their towels, coats, or school bags, so hooks are the answer! I bought some of those 3M removable hooks. The metal ones look pretty nice (this is not listed under the "economize" section since they run about $6.50 each). They are now on the back of the bathroom door. Low enough where they can reach to hang towels and robes. I've also placed them on the back of the door that leads into the garage. School bags hang here and will never again be forgotten! We also have hooks in the coat closet since the kids will be twelve before they'll be able to reach the hangers.

Organize - Against my better judgement I've started matching up socks and turning the cuff of one over both socks to make a nice little ball. This is obviously not a new idea! However, I was taught (and rightly so Mom) that this stretches out the cuff of the sock and is therefore, a no-no. But boy-oh-boy, it sure is easier for my kids to get out their own socks (simplify!) and our drawers are much neater.

Economize - I do so many cheap things it's hard to decide which one to share. This week I've been thinking about PJ's. This is the time of year I always start looking to buy for next year. Get those deals when you can! However, my kids love to sleep in old t-shirts (just like me and the hubby) so I ask myself "why buy?" Even if it's a good deal, free is better! So this is what I'll be doing. Purchasing (or acquiring by other legal means) two pairs of jammies. One pair is what I call "sleep over pj's." These are for pj day at school or when friends are over, days when a t-shirt that reaches their ankles is not appropriate. The other pair is for Christmas Eve when a new pair makes the day that much more special (I find this is too late in the season to be combined with the "sleep over pj's"). However, I find it totally unnecessary for the Christmas Eve sleepwear to be Christmas related. New is the key. And Katie is much happier with a butterfly nightgown than with a snowman (and the butterfly looks better around Valentine's Day). And let's take this a step further - If I buy Katie gender neutral or even boys themed pajamas, Josh can wear them in one or two years. As my mom always said "girls look cute in blue, but boys look stupid in pink."

Minimize - This morning I saw a bunch of those little shampoo bottles that you get from hotels sitting in my shower and I started thinking. We take those little bottles out of our hotel rooms. We hoard them in our suitcase each day so the maid will bring more (but only if we're staying at a swanky hotel with the good stuff). Or we may even go so far as to raid the maids' cart if it's left unattended in the hallway (not me of course). But for a mere two tablespoons of shampoo we're throwing away a big hunk of plastic. Most of which is never recycled. Not worth it in my opinion. So from now on, my house guests will find a big bottle of shampoo and conditioner in the shower - no more cute little liberated bottles on my counter tops. (But please, the maid will not bring more - so don't put them in your suitcase.)

These ideas are a bit tame, but I'm going to try and slowly ease you into the more radical stuff!
Thanks for visiting - check back next week to see if I keep this going! P.