Clutter, Compost, & Kids

Small Notebook, one of my favorite blogs, is frequently posting about how to manage and clear clutter from our homes and, ultimately, from our lives.  Recently she posted about "tupperware" clutter and about pantry  clutter.  If you're interested in simplifying, I recommend the read.  I am constantly struggling with clutter but, recently, have finally accepted it is ok to have fewer storage containers, especially plastic, and welcome the extra space in my cabinets.  On the other hand, when it comes to my pantry ... well, let's just say that I have a bit of a "squirell" complex.  I seem to derive true satisfaction from a full pantry and sometimes even get nervous when I use the last (or almost last) item from the pantry.  Example?  Beans.  If there is only 1 can of black beans in the pantry, I will likely choose to cook something without beans so that my supply is not wholly depleted.  That's crazy, right.  I mean, even admitting it to you I know it's crazy.  Luckily, Urban Cowboy has been helping me to get over this "squirell" complex but I don't find it easy and I'm definitely a work in progress.

Did you know it's National Compost Week?  Do you compost?  No?  We do and it's pretty easy and yields good results.  It truly helps keep our landfill waste down and we have begun to use our compost in our garden to supplement the soil and help our plants grow more happily.  If you can and have in an interest, I encourage you to try composting.

Urban Cowbaby showed us her newest trick this weekend.  If you say to her (or Little Man, or anyone else) "wash your hands" or "clean your hands" she actually does the sign for it!  It's hilarious!  And, as far as we know, this is something she just picked up in every day life because no one deliberately taught her to sign "wash your hands".  She's so amazing!  Little Man continues to amaze, too!  He has recently begun to have alphabet conversations with us in which he wants us to ask him what letter "fish" (for example) begins with and then he replies "dog" or something else equally silly.  The reason this is amazing, though, is not because he actually thinks fish begins with the letter d but because he knows, as he's saying dog, that d is wrong (and if pressed he'll confess it's f) and he believes he is telling us a very silly joke.  So, isn't that amazing?  My almost 3 year old is already telling me jokes!