Yard Sales for the Distracted: Ten Tips for Shopping Yard Sales

"nose tonge (sic) & glasses in rear"

Now we know why he looks like that...

Yard sales are my favorite place to pick up books, kids clothes, and a good laugh. Yard sales are also very dangerous places for the distracted. I can wander for hours at a really big yard sale. I find myself reminiscing about things and people. A book, an album cover, or an eight-track tape can take me way down the rabbit hole.

I have developed some strategies that enable me to shop efficiently, and stick to my list. Yes, I keep I list of books, etc. that I want. Having a list of items I am shopping for also lets me enjoy my side trips down memory lane.  I don't have to worry that I will forget why I wanted to come to the yard sale.

Here are my tips for staying on task, and not coming home with a bunch of stuff you will just have to toss or resell later.

1. Take only the cash you want to spend. This is the number one way to only spend what you planned to spend.
2.  Make a list, with sizes, if you are shopping for kids clothes. Use the Evernote on your phone and you will always have your list with you.
3.  Stay hydrated and eat. Many a bad decision has been made when thirsty, hungry, and tired.
4.  Allow yourself to reminisce and remember, and then move on!
5.  Go with a friend, a good friend who will remind you to stop and think, one that is not afraid nudge you when it is time to move on.
6.  If you are looking for bookshelves, or other furniture, etc. bring the measurements of the space you have available. It is not a deal if it does not fit!
7.  If you are trying to match colors, bring pictures with you. The Evernote app lets you store pictures and is great for this.
8. If you feel yourself getting overwhelmed, take a break. Remember that there will always be another sale.
9. Try to avoid bringing young children with you, it is hard enough to stay on track when you only have to worry about yourself. Older kids may be able to help, unless they are just like you...
10.  Don't feel guilty if you make a bad purchase decision. Better to make a $1.00 bad decision than a $100.00 bad decision.

A Year of Women's Voices: Patti Smith's Just Kids

2014

I have been a Patti Smith fan since high school. I wore out my copy of Horses. I could not get enough. In college I played Patti Smith loud to annoy the preppys and the narrow-minded.
I loved her lyrics and punk sound. The gender bending album cover and lack of make-up made me want to be in her world.

Later I found her poetry and have remained as enamored of her as I was in high school.  In 2010 her memoir Just Kids won a well deserved National Book Award. I say well deserved because she is an engaging story-teller and writer. She brings a poet's rhythm and word craft to the story of her young life, and her relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe. She is humble and honest. I have read a number of memoirs that are maudlin, poorly written, or deify belief. Just Kids is all that a memoir should be, a true telling of events that engages your senses and soul.

What I have learned as a writer reading and listening to Patti Smith:
1. Don't be afraid to be who you are.
2. Ugly can be beautifully written.
3. Be honest.
4. Pay attention to the rhythm of your words.
5. Not everyone will understand your work, don't let it stop you.

Here is a link to one of my favorite Patti Smith songs. I want you to imagine it played at top volume on a turntable in a tiny dorm room with punk posters on the wall, and illegal beer stashed in the shower. Enjoy!

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xACZHv-sLCg&autoplay=1

Embracing the Work of You: Ten Tips for a More Organized Life

Bucky 2009

Staying on top of your "to do" list. Being on time. Having clean clothes. Being able to find what you need when you need it. Staying on a task until it its complete. ADD/ADHD makes each of these tasks seem impossible at times. I often feel like Sisyphus, rolling that dang bolder up the hill just to watch it roll away again.

The truth is, no one ever has it all together. Everyone struggles to keep up with their lives. For those of us with distraction issues it feels like we carry extra weight on our journey.

I have a great brain for remembering every little bit of information that comes my way, but I still have to put the car keys away in the same place every time, or I can not remember where I put them.  I label the shelves in the refrigerator so I can remember to put food back where it goes, and my toothbrush has colored tape on it because I can't remember which color toothbrush is mine. Silly? Maybe, but it keeps my from brushing my teeth with other peoples toothbrushes!

 When I get frustrated with myself have to remember that most people do not contend with a brain that will drop everything to watch, and perhaps follow a stray ant that happens along. Most people can filter out the unimportant from the important. Most people would comprehend that starting that wallpaper stripping project at midnight,  just because you notice that part of it is already starting to peel anyway, might not be a good course of action.

After years of being angry and frustrated with myself, I finally decided to make friends with my brain, and to find ways to work with what I have.  If you are struggling with organization, and keeping up with events in your life try these organization tips.

1. Automate everything possible.  Sign up for E-Bills, schedule up automatic bill payments, schedule routine deliveries of household items (toilet paper, etc.),  subscribe to mail order/ automatic prescriptions refills.  Take advantage of services available. 
2. Use labels on the outside, and on the inside containers, drawers, and cupboards to help you remember what goes where and where things are.  For young kids pictures work well. The inside label system  works well for chests of drawers and helps to keep clothing organized.
3. Use a checklist for groceries. There are many free downloads on line. Find one and use it, or create your own. Train everyone to check things off as you use them.
4. Create a landing zone and have a routine for entering the house. This works for kids and adults. Create a routine, such as: hang keys up, shoes off, coats hung, bags/ backpacks/ purses/ etc hung up, hands washed. Cubbies, hooks, key racks and shoe racks work well to keep things off the floor and where you need them when you leave. 
5. Create a household task schedule. It can be a simple as knowing that every Wednesday and Sunday you are doing laundry, and cleaning the bathroom every Saturday.
6. Clean the kitchen after each time you cook. This will 1) save you money as you will not be as tempted to go out to eat, or order a pizza, and 2) provide a sense of accomplishment because at least the kitchen is clean!
7. Lay out out your clothes for the next day, have your kids do the same. This will save time in the morning, and prevent last minute scurrying around trying to find clothes that fit, and that are clean. 
8. Have a place to open mail and pay bills. Do not open mail anyplace else. Train everyone to place mail in the same place.  This system will prevent lost misplaced bills, etc. 
9. Have a main calendar for the family. Place it where everyone can see it. Use different colors for each person's schedule.  REVIEW the calendar nightly!  If you don't look at it you might as well not have one.
10. Maintain a sense of humor. Everyone misses appointments, forgets things, has to find the cleanest dirty shirt to wear, or scrambles at the last minute to get things together.  Give yourself a break and go back to your system.

These are some of the things that I do to keep my life going on a somewhat even keel. I hope they help and if you have suggestions, send them along! 

Writing with Kids: Seven Tips to Keep Your Writing Schedule on Track

Pond 2014

Summer is my favorite time of year.  I love being in the garden, playing with my kids, hiking and cooking out. I really love not having to get the kids up and out for school in the morning. The down side of Summer is trying to make sure that I meet my writing goals.  In addition to everyday distractions, out of town guests, vacations, and kids at home make it difficult to keep a regular writing schedule. There are so many more shiny objects to deal with in Summer!

These are my seven tips to keep you writing over the Summer.

1. Change your schedule, get up before the kids, or stay up after they go to bed.

2. Barter with them: leave me alone to write for one hour, or set a timer for younger kids, and then we can play a game/ go to the pool/ etc.

3. Use family trips for research, take notes for current or future works.

4. Save Summer for edits. I find it easier to fix things than write new words when I have short bits of time.

5. Treat your writing like a job, because it is.  Explain to your family that you have to write for a certain time each day.

6. Establish a quiet time each day, use it as your writing time. Having a set time each day for reading, drawing, painting, or other quiet creative activity is good for everyone. If your kids have summer reading for school, or as part of a library summer reading program this is great way to help them meet their goals

7. Don't give up! Something is better than nothing, use the time you have to get words written.


Finally, don't stress. Give yourself permission to have smaller writing goals, and have fun. Summer only happens once a year, and if you have kids, they are only kids once.