Things I've learned

• Keep a garbage can in every room.
• Don't even think about buying clothes that need an iron or a dry-cleaner.
• A cordless vacuum is a gift from the gods.
• I CAN brush my teeth at the kitchen sink.
• I CAN get dressed directly from the laundry basket; in the living room; working to avoid open blinds.
• Patterned socks are much easier to match to each other then the slightly different-textured and varying degrees of black sock we used to have.
• I don't answer the phone unless i really want to.
• Unless i want to spend the weekend picking up thousands of pieces of plastic, I will no longer buy Lego or Playmobil toys.
• If D hasn't played with something in a month, I put it in a "purgatory box"; if he hasn't asked for it in another month...bye-bye toy.
• If I don't use something at least once a month, I'll toss it or donate it because I've learned that I hate dealing with the cursed thing. I scowl when I have to clean around it or move it to get at something else, I hate looking at it... This is so liberating; I can borrow those few things I'll need once in a great while (like a fish poacher). with a new baby, I've discovered that the hairdryer falls under this category of little-used-goods. so, goodwill, expect a hairdryer soon.
• Although I can find most information on-line these days, it's hard to get rid of beloved old books. I still have a soft spot for a dog-eared old atlas and musty old Encyclopaedias.