Bohemian House and Home: Organizing

It was a mostly-lovely long weekend up here in Canada, which means my extendo-family goes camping or canoeing or out to their cottage while I stay here to look after their pets. This sounds like I'm complaining, but I much prefer the hanging out with animals to the camping (wood ticks!), boating (BORRRRR-ING) and "cottaging" which I find over-rated in every way. Should it take so much work to relax? I think not, but whatever floats your boat (so long as I don't have to paddle it.)

One of the great things about pet-sitting or house-sitting is that you get to see how other people live. And when other people are in a rush to get outta the city for the long weekend, you get to see how they really live! And apparently my family embraces chaos. Both houses where I was pet-sitting were a sight to behold. I'm not judging, in case my family is reading this...(but if they're not reading this I am totally judging!)

Now, I don't have kids, so I'm sure I can't fully understand how much of a bloody mess they make. My dad says my almost-13-year-old brother is like a hurricane, destroying everything in his wake, and I definitely caught a glimpse of that this weekend. I'm gonna call it "Katrina-Chic." The thing is, my dad has a big, beautiful house, lots of storage space and a whole whack of storage cupboards...which haven't been set up yet. It was all I could do to leave the house as it was, but I assure you, I will insist he invite me over for an organizing-party very soon. The other house I was visiting had been left in a hurry, and with two kids, two dogs and two cats I imagine it's a daily battle just to maintain ones sanity. I did their dishes, so they wouldn't have to come home after a lovely weekend away to 2 hours of cleaning. (See? I'm not always a selfish wanker. Just usually!) And I learned something! KIDS = TUPPERWARE. So much Tupperware!

For me, organization is the key to living easy. I am the first to admit that my house is only about 70% clean, 60% of the time (I could build an extra cat with the amount of fur on my stairs right now) but I'm crazy organized. I know where everything in my house is at any given time. My baby blanket? In that white storage box with vintage Barbie, who's wearing a super slutty outfit! (Everything is sluttier with no shirt.) That cheese knife with the sheep-bone handle that we got for our wedding (makes a great gift for any vegan!) It's in the drawer with the chopsticks. My husband's old head shots? In the lidded basket on top of the shelves in the office. (And oh! my! God! I laughed til I cried when I first saw those. C in a tux with a trumpet, C dressed like an Irish thug...absolutely priceless.)

With the amount of stuff I have, I have to be organized, or you're gonna see me on the next episode of Hoarders. I really do believe in the old adage "a place for everything, and everything in it's place." It takes a little bit of work to get a system in place, but it makes your home run so much more smoothly.

Here's a link to a home-organization website, which is full of helpful tips, if you're feeling like now's the time for conquering the clutter: Organized Home

And here are some photos that make me feel calmer just lookin' at 'em!