directornikki's Profile

Agree with above comments, but here's another suggestion.

My parents' home has been pretty cluttery at times, but I know my mom would love the chance to have help to change that. If I were going to be there, I'd say "hey, while I'm here, are there any projects around the house you'd like help with?" and see where it goes from there. You can't force anything, it's not your space, but you could see if there are changes she wants to make and doesn't know how or where to start.

Additionally, if you get a chance to carve out your own space within her house, as others have said, if your mom complements or seems to like it, let her know you'd be happy to help her redecorate the rest of her space while you're there (or some of her other spaces...).

This is a very interesting discussion. Some people are focusing on the quality and quantity of objects described in the article, and others are focusing on the nature of those items.

For me, this post comes hours after signing the lease to move into my first non - college-owned apartment and remarking that I finally feel like an adult. However, when our friends come over, which is often, we get a lot of comments about how peaceful our place is. These friends have apartments mostly identical to ours, but something about our space puts them at ease. I'm not the best interior decorator on the block, but we are really intentional about everything we bring into our home and I think that's one thing that is crucial to this article.

The items in a grownup home are chosen items. They were weighed and measured and entered the door for a calculated reason - even if the consideration was "do I need all of these mismatched tupperware pieces from mom? where will I put them? shouldn't I toss the ones without lids?" Or the consideration may be "I really need to keep extra batteries and lightbulbs in my home, they are essential to have."

Our furniture and belongings are a mixture of new and used, discounted and free, but they were all selected to be in our lives. My $1 IKEA water glasses sit on the same shelf the as the gold-leaf antiques from my great-grandmother; both have their purpose and both were brought into my home because I loved them, had a use for them, and had space for them.

It may be defined a lot differently in countries with "stuff" less plentiful. But here I think that that ONE definition of a grownup living space is a curated home.

Just because the cups are "not as wasteful" as other things in our society does not make them not wasteful. I think the point is that people who claim to care about the environment should do whatever they can to reduce waste, including not using K cups/Nespresso. Every little piece of plastic we use and throw away adds to the problem, and the problem is not going to be solved just by big wasters deciding not to waste, it's going to be solved by everyone honestly looking at their lives and their consumption habits and doing everything within their power to reduce wasteful usage of our limited resources.

Sheesh. /end rant.

I recently made us a "home improvement" budget that goes to both needs and wants. I still shop carefully, but when it's budgeted I no longer feel guilty for finally picking up that kitchen utensil drawer organizer, etc. Sometimes it really is the little things in life... :)

Flowers come out of farmer's market cash when I have some left over on my way out, so that $4/week comes out of the grocery budget. ;)

Also, we have live plants in the one window bright enough for them, they bring a lot of bright freshness into our home. We choose native plants so they are harder to kill. They also help keep our air fresh!

Great idea! This is exactly the sort of thing I look for on re-nest. Thanks Kate!

Just to back up what @oceanlife said, vinegar is a great mold killer so I wouldn't worry about these getting moldy.

Why do you wipe off the wax in between colors? Don't you leave it on until the end, instead of having to re-add it after every step? This is the way I've always done it. We leave the old wax on and only add new wax to the areas where the current color should stick.

What's so 1953 about borrowing a cup of sugar? Yeah it was a little weird that he was asking someone he didn't know, but still. My neighbors and I constantly borrow food from each other. Whether it's a staple I didn't know I was out of until in the middle of fixing dinner, or a speciality item someone doesn't want to buy a bottle of for one tsp. Our cupboards and fridges are totally open to each, our tables too! I love sharing meals with my friends and neighbors.

That said, if it was someone I didn't know, and wasn't in a delivery uniform, I may or may not have opened the door if I was alone after dark. There's a couple times when I haven't, and those were decisions made with my gut I guess.

Heh, I distinctly remember being a young teenager, watching my siblings at home, and being charged not to let anyone in the house. When the local fire dept came around to check our smoke alarms, I made them stand outside the window to listen as I pressed the test button myself. :) I think they were amused.

I'm pretty sure I would have to switch a few colors around to confuse people.

Instead of buying a specific plastic egg carrier, how about a cheaper, yet probably identical option of an over-sized plastic Easter egg? Either the perfect size for eggs you buy, or a little bigger so it can be wrapped in something soft like a small napkin.

I'd still put the whole thing into a ziploc to be sure, but those plastic eggs withstand being handled by children fighting over candy... they should be good for the train.

Good motivation for really cleaning the kitchen is to have people come over to cook in it occasionally. I teach some friends new cooking skills every-other week and man am I motivated to scrub that room from floor to ceiling.

Other than that, the timer thing helps a lot, even if you only do it mentally. I'm a grad student and I run the timer when I'm anxious about balancing housework with studying. 45 minutes of reading, then 15 minutes of cleaning, repeat. It allows me to focus on the task at hand because I know that time is scheduled for the other.