Does anyone else have a closet full of clothes but never anything to wear? I seem to encounter this problem at least once a week and it annoys me because it LOOKS like I have so many options. My problem is I feel super guilty about throwing something away unless it’s indecent to wear in its current condition. I’d love to donate to Goodwill or Salvation Army, but every time I gather a bag or box, it ends up sitting in my garage. I also have a hard time parting with clothes that have ANY sentimental value to them. If I can remember who and/or why an item was given to me, I’m determined to keep it forever. Take those issues and combine them with all the physical changes that occur during and after pregnancy and you end up with a closet that is stuffed to the brim.

Does your wardrobe have categories? Mine does, although you probably wouldn’t be able to recognize my “system” for organizing them. At the front of my section of the closet (gotta share with the husband 😉 ), are my every day clothes. Simple but nice shirts that are usually tossed with jeans or khakis and make me presentable to the world on an average day. After those come my other season clothes. For example, it’s summer right now, so I don’t need long sleeve shirts and sweaters. Then comes a random mish mash of things that I can’t get rid of for various reasons, one of the most common themes being that I WILL fit into that again. Following that is a collection of business attire and the few coats that I own. Oh, and way in the very far back corner of my closet that is barely reachable are my few pieces of formal attire. If I was sure any of them would fit, I’d have pulled one out and participated in The Mommyologist’s Mom Sexy Prom. But I don’t want to risk being depressed about my physical shape, so they stay tucked in the back for me to daydream about the times I wore them and where I’ll wear them again.

I almost forgot about the four dresser drawers that explode all over the floor every time they’re opened. The amount of clothing I have and don’t wear is absolutely absurd, and I’d like to do something about it. I’m going to start small and start with the dresser drawers.

The drawers contain ancient t-shirts and shorts that I’ve slept in since I graduated from high school. That was ten years ago. Why do I still have these? I’m married to a wonderful man who makes good money and we have a child, I should be able to have proper sleeping attire. So why don’t I? Because I have a hard time spending the money on things that I don’t NEED. This comes from growing up in a super frugal household. In the past year I have made strides to change my wardrobe, but find myself gravitating back to the old faithfuls.

Step 1 of purging my closet is going to be removing all the old t-shirts and shorts. I think I can empty an entire drawer just by doing that. Step 2 is going to be removing all the clothes from my closet that I haven’t worn since BEFORE my wedding five years ago. Step 3 is where it starts to get hard. I decide what clothes I really never will wear again for whatever reason and either toss them or donate them. Step 4 is getting the bags of sorted clothes to their appropriate destinations and Step 5 will be admiring the space that I have reclaimed and hopefully be happier with less clutter.

Do you have a clutter or organizational problem in your home? Would you like to get rid of that problem? What’s your five step plan to solve it?

It took me WAY too long to catch up on my blog reading this morning. The sad part about this is that I was caught up when I went to bed last night. I fear that I will have to cut down the number of blogs I read (again, because I just did this a couple weeks ago) because my daughter is more important. I’ve read a lot of posts with good advice or that were just plain funny, but unfortunately I’m going to have to stop keeping up with everyone constantly. It makes me sad. I’m keeping everyone on Twitter so that I can read other posts when I have time, but it’s ridiculous how much of my morning has passed me by due to blog reading and chores.

Now that that is out of my system, I have more time to focus on my daughter. But what about the blog WRITING that I enjoy doing? And why haven’t I been doing it? Am I just distracted, or is it a case of writer’s block? I feel the urge to write, but I want to write about camping. I’ve already done two pre-camping posts, and I refuse to write any more until I actually GO camping next month. So other than boring you with our mundane daily activities, what should I write about??

Oh! I got it! What the heck do I do with my previously mentioned 17 month old daughter this summer??? I just cleared more of my day for her, so what should we do? She is constantly telling me she wants to, “Go!” but I am clueless about where to take her. Monkey Joe’s is one of the few indoor options around, along with the science center, but I HATE crowds and the babe isn’t too thrilled about being kicked about in a throng of people. We both enjoy spending time at the beach or pool, but the heat is so intense already that the best times to go are before she wakes and as she’s supposed to be going to bed at night. She eats crayons and disassembles the Lego castles that I try to build, so that eliminates two of mommy’s favorite pastimes. That leaves reading and watching TV which get very dull after awhile. Especially when the babe brings me the same books over and over and over and over and… I think you get the point.

So what are your favorite activities with a toddler? Is there anyone in the Orlando area who can help us find other indoor activities?

Since there were a few late responses to my inquiry posts, let me start off with a recap of what my Facebook and Twitter followers suggested for a camping trip.

Food: Apples, S’mores (also listed as its parts), ribs, scotch, bread and butter, burgers
Non-Food: Tent, sleeping bag, baby wipes, room service, alcohol, toilet paper, twine, RV, and beer

I am definitely a novice camper, but there are a few things wrong with the above list. The first is that things like room service and RVs are not readily available in the woods or to those with less than six figure incomes. The second is that there is WAY too much alcohol on that list compared with food. Apparently many of my family and friends have a skewed opinion of what food is. 😉 The last obvious issue with that list is that there were no cooking supplies suggested. How do you cook the ribs and burgers?? I will not be risking my fingers by holding raw meat above a fire. Let’s update the list a little bit and add my favorite items to it. But first, let’s take a quick minute and thank Household6Diva and my friend Jennifer for having the most useful suggestions of apples, baby wipes, sleeping bag and S’mores. On to my revised list!

Food: Apples, S’mores, oatmeal packets, beans and rice, and plenty of water
Non-Food: Tent, sleeping bag, toilet paper, extra undies, baby wipes, waterproof matches, hatchet, flashlight, spoon, bug spray, 1-quart pot

I probably need to take a moment and define what camping means in my world, as there is a very broad definition. Some consider a luxury RV stocked with the finest food camping, while others have a hiking or minimalist mentality and think all of your gear and food should be able to fit in one hiking backpack and walked with for miles. My definition falls somewhere in the middle, leaning towards minimalist. While I don’t think you should have to walk miles with your stuff, I don’t think you should take half the house with you either. The goal for our upcoming trip (which is scheduled for July 16-18) is to take the tent (which is HUGE), cooler, sleeping bag and one bag for each of us. We’ll be trying out our new Kelty bag from Target to see if we can fit all of our personal and combined items into one bag. I’m excited to try this. 🙂

The goal is to set up a camp in a minimal amount of time and have as much fun as possible despite the heat and humidity. The park we’re going to has a few hiking trails available, as well as a pool and canoe rentals for additional fees. We’ll be taking advantage of those, as well as playing a lot of card games and roasting more marshmallows than should be consumed in one weekend.

What are your camping necessities? What do you think of my necessities list? What is your favorite camping activity?

Camping has been on my brain since before I found out I was pregnant with my daughter. It started whenever it was that my husband and a couple of his friends from work decided that they should start doing serious hiking and backpacking and I wasn’t invited. Cuz I’m a girl. That should irk me, but I get it. Anyway, the thought has been in my head for a LONG time, and we’ve planted it in a few of our friends’ heads as well. It’s time to MAKE THIS HAPPEN.

But I’m one of those people who has to have everything in order before I commit to going anywhere or doing anything. I asked on Twitter and Facebook today what the readers consider to be their camping food and non-food essentials, and surprisingly, I got the same answers from the six people who responded.

Food: Apples, S’mores (also listed as it’s parts), ribs and scotch
Non-Food: Tent, sleeping bag, baby wipes, room service, alcohol, and toilet paper

Other than room service, all these items are feasible for a camping trip. However, what do YOU think would happen if you left home on Friday with these items in a backpack and wouldn’t be returning until Sunday?

I apologize to the few followers I have for my lack of blog participation this past week. I have had the hardest time getting things back together after I was sick at the beginning of the month. It’s been frustrating for me, because I was feeling SO good the couple weeks before that. I mean, really, I made two trips to the beach in an eight day period. I haven’t done that since I was in high school, if I even did it then. My naturally pale and sensitive skin does not make me a beach bunny. I’m hoping to have things back together shortly and regain my Mom Sexy.

I wish some of my away time had been filled with fun family activities, but it wasn’t. The babe and I have just been hanging around the house, feeling trapped because the heat is already so ridiculous. Our evening walks are often the highlight of the day because around 7pm it finally starts to feel nice enough to get outside and DO something.

Things have gotten a little more exciting this week since my husband is on vacation. Saturday was our usual party, and Sunday the typical quiet day at home. Sunday night we started discussing the possibility of painting the kitchen, so the husband went to Home Depot and grabbed some paint swatches for us to evaluate. We hemmed and hawed through both Memorial Day parties (family first, then friends after they got off work or got their lazy butts out of bed) and finally with some help from the party goers made our color decision. Paint was purchased and thanks to our awesome friends Mark and Ashley, our kitchen was completely painted and put back together by the time the babe woke up from her afternoon nap today. It looks GREAT, but it is a major adjustment from it’s previous pale neutral color. Now we’re trying to decide what color to paint the living room and possibly get it done while he’s home. Or maybe we’ll paint the bedroom that has had colors picked out for a year, but the chair rail we want is really time consuming to put up.

It’s always an adventure to follow my husband when he gets his mind set on doing something, like home improvement. I’m forcing him away from that To-Do list tomorrow and making him take the babe and I to the beach. I’ve had so much fun taking her, I think he should come with us and play too. Awww, family bonding…

Now a picture recap of Memorial Day…