Neat Shelves, Mixed Emotions

I'm torn about the new Organize Magazine that's coming out this summer.

On the one hand, I am crazy about organization. I get a tingle buying binders and plastic sleeves for recipes. I enjoy tidying closets (in fact, I cleaned out our bathroom closet while I was in labor with my first daughter). I save organizing tips from Martha and Real Simple -- in said binders, of course. Neatly arranged bookshelves slay me.

I have a name for this nearly obscene appreciation of organization: PORG

Look at that laundry room. Those baskets are stacked.

Oooh, yes, open those doors… slowly… Show me what's in that closet.

I'd like to get in her pantry, I tell you.

So, I want it. Oh, yes, I want it. Show me more, I beg you, show me more.

On the other hand…

How DULL has my life become when I WANT to read about laundry room shelving? Am I such a control freak that a little clutter would kill me? Are we really so enslaved to STUFF that we have to spend all of our time sorting and labeling it? What does it say about our society when we are more excited about organizing our closets than our communities?

That's my self-righteous hand, if you can't tell. I guess I’ll just have to put that one behind my back when this magazine hits the newsstands, since my left (OCD) hand will be eagerly pulling back the brown paper wrapper for a peek inside.

(Thanks to Design Mom for the heads up.)

P.S. If all this talk of organizing has you a-twitter, you should also check out the Unclutterer blog.

Credit Clutter

I just invested five minutes in another great way to stem the avalanche of junk mail at our house. You can opt out of receiving pre-screened credit card offers by calling 1-888-567-8688 (1-888-5OPTOUT).

Call from your home phone, as the computer matches it with your address. You will need to provide your social security number to the automated system, too. You can repeat the process to cover offers in your spouse's or kids' names. For more info, the web site is https://www.optoutprescreen.com/.

In addition to cutting down on the paper we must sort and throw away, this simple step also helps protect against identity theft. (Not that long ago, I read that criminals have been able to open lines of credit even with torn-up credit offers!)

If you haven't already, you can also stop catalogs from piling up for the small price of $1.

Co-pilot Caddy

Like any mom, I am usually driving with one hand on the wheel and one hand on the floor -- groping for dropped sippy cups, clean tissues, wipes for sticky hands, and my sanity, which appears to have been ground into the floormats with pulverized Cheez-Its.

I finally reined in the chaos with this simple little plastic basket I call my "co-pilot" box. When I don't have an adult passenger to handle the dispensing of wipes and snacks, this is easily within my reach. For immediate back-seat emergencies, I've stocked it with pocket-pack tissues, a full package of wipes and some snacks. Other essentials include a couple of diapers (in a cute bandana pouch a friend gave me), reams of Purell wipes, a bib and diversionary items like crayons, stickers and small board books. My cell phone and sunglasses sometimes sit here, too.

This tote is from the Container Store. It has turned out to be useful to have a handle for lifting and stashing it when I have a real co-pilot along for the ride.