Decluttering the Closet

     I'm getting the spring cleaning bug, and wanted to start some bigger projects. Today I decided I would declutter my closet. With full intentions of going through every single peice of clothing in our house (before my birthday in Sep.) I figured, why not start in my own closet. I set up my space with a bag "To Donate", a bag for "Trash", a box "To Sell", and a box "Mom's- Doesn't Fit". The last box I am only allowing myself because I am in the middle of losing the last final pounds from having my 2 wonderful kids, so I figured I can hold on to a couple things that don't quite fit me yet.

     Normally this would have been done with loud girly pop music blaring, but Piper was occupied watching TV, and my music would have called her intention in to bug me. I set my timer for 45 minutes (I knew I'd have to speed through in order not to dawdle on decisions). I went through everything that was hanging. Then  I went through socks and tossed the warn out ones. Our MOPS group is donating gently used bras, so I got rid of a bunch of those too. I even went through the underwear drawer and tossed a TON of those (and many, many thongs from my high school days)!

     I'm pretty happy with my final results. Now I just have to stay motivated to tackle Mike and the girl's closets as well. How about you? When was the last time you went through your closet??

Trust: Earning and Rebuilding

    Trust is a funny thing. It’s probably the thing most taken for granted by people, especially in today’s society, with information so easily at our fingertips. Some feel that trust should be earned before it is given at all, but the problem with that thought is that it is SO hard to earn in the first place.

    You can probably think of more than one time that a person has lost your trust, but thinking of times when someone has earned it is much more difficult. Trust is generally earned over a long period of time with consistent results and obvious actions on their intentions. In an ongoing relationship, like a marriage, this can be difficult because day to day life is on auto-pilot. Your spouse consistently provides the same results (earning a paycheck, doing the dishes) without you even realizing it. When it comes to intentions, it’s a matter of communication. A lack of good communication in any relationship can mean a gradual breaking down of trust. And we all know how a single simple event can completely break down trust in one swoop.

    So how do you earn/gain trust? Proper communication on a daily basis is key to rebuilding trust. Since trust in relationships is a two-way street, both parties need to be working at it. It doesn’t matter how hard you are trying to earn trust, if the other person involved isn’t actively trying to trust you. Communicate! Don’t break your word, and don’t intentionally lie. Don’t assume things either. Talk about everything till your blue in the face. Being obviously open, shows the other party that you are actively trying to have good intentions with common expectations. It’s a daily task that is well worth the effort.

    Take your steps toward rebuilding trust today and everyday by communicating your intentions and making sure that you both have the same expectations. And when you hit a bump in the road, communicate some more, ask for forgiveness, and be willing to start over again. Any real relationship is worth the work- from both sides of the relationship.

http://locolife.hubpages.com/hub/achieving-and-developing-trust
http://www.kansas.com/2012/12/05/2592773/earning-trust-from-different-personality.html