Totes can be used for organization and storage, but beware (at least I need to!).
Remember when I talked about being transparent? Well, get ready for revelation #1 (aka self-deprecation … yikes!). Although I am proceeding with trepidation to admit this, I still want to accomplish my goal of striving to be a godly woman while encouraging others. I do not think that I can achieve that goal by maintaining my created “persona”.
People come to my house and think that I am highly organized. I have actually spoken at several MOPS (www.mops.org) groups about organization. I do think that on some level I am organized, but I am unorganized on a whole different level. Straight kitchen cabinets … check! Orderly playroom … check! A place for everything and everything in its place … hmmm.
Let me explain. When I was young, my bedroom was flanked by two eaves that connected with the attic. In order to clean my room, I would do as much as I could, which was followed by what I call my “scoop and shove” routine. Literally, unsuspecting items would be scooped up and shoved into the eave. Not that I did it haphazardly; everything was always in a box or bag, so it appeared to be neat … great plan (until I moved out and got all of those boxes and bags delivered to my new home once they were discovered! 
).
I would definitely say that is my method still today. Sure, I will clean up what I can, but if I am in a hurry or have items that I just can not find a place for, I will imply the “scoop and shove”. I still can not believe that I am confessing this!
If you look in my storage room, you will find a great load of Rubbermaid totes (www.rubbermaid.com) that make such a falsely ordered statement because I literally have NO clue what is in those bins! I have shoveled so many items into those totes, slowly piling things on top of things, that I have lost control of the muddle. I must have 20+ bins!
Okay, no confession would be complete without a solution (I do not even know if I would be admitting this if I was not planning on changing my ways … accountability is key!).
About a year ago, I purchased a book that I am intending to read on this vacation of mine in Maine (did you read about the proposed rain in my last post … plenty of time to read, although the forecast is getting better! 
). It is written by a professional organizer, and I can not wait to get started. I am anxious to arrive home with a fresh perspective, and hopefully the book will be able to offer that so that I can have the orderly home (in areas seen and unseen) that I crave for myself and my family.
