--- title: The House Fairy | Pam's Blog | De-Cluttering description: De-Cluttering | Pam's blogs reflect a celebration of life and encourage families to be organized just enough to be punctual, get enough rest, eat healthy, complete daily chores, get sunshine and exercise and enjoy each other. --- Hello, Friend[Access Your Account](https://www.housefairy.org/my-account) ### Happy Kids,  Happier Moms [![facebook](https://blog.housefairy.org/hs-fs/file-422096398-png/social_buttons/facebook.png "facebook")](http://www.facebook.com/therealhousefairy) [![twitter](https://blog.housefairy.org/hs-fs/file-426374790-png/social_buttons/twitter.png "twitter")](https://twitter.com/HouseFairyPam) [![pinterest](https://blog.housefairy.org/hs-fs/file-426359165-png/social_buttons/pinterest.png "pinterest")](http://www.pinterest.com/thehousefairy/) [![youtube](https://blog.housefairy.org/hs-fs/file-426364010-png/social_buttons/youtube.png "youtube")](http://www.youtube.com/user/MakeItFunVideo/featured) [The House Fairy](https://www.housefairy.org/) ## [3 Benefits of Being Disorganized (Part I)](https://blog.housefairy.org/did-you-know-you-are-blessed-to-be-disorganized) Posted by [Pam Young](https://blog.housefairy.org/author/pam-young) Sep 23, 2015 8:00:00 AM ##### September 17, 2014, by Pam Young # **Have you ever stopped to think that there are benefits to being disorganized? ** You've probably spent a lot of time berating yourself for being disorganized, but there are actual benefits to your disorder! ### **1. The disorganized get more exercise. ** All I ever wanted to be was a wife and mom, so I majored in Home Economics in college. One of the courses was in cooking which I’ve always loved to do. Part of the curriculum included a time and motion study to track our steps while baking a cake. “By being organized,” Miss Cratzberry, the professor, told us; “you will save valuable time and energy to use on other activities in your homes. Being aware of the steps we take in the kitchen, preparing the family’s meals, is vital to becoming efficient in the daily tasks of homemaking.” I’m sure this study was thought up by some efficiency expert like Miss Cratzberry who never married and never had kids. In fact, one of the lessons in her course study was entitled *Handling Servants*. (Over the years, that information has sure come in handy for me!) Back to the cake walk; I remember winning the prize for the most steps taken! One quarter mile! (Actually I didn’t win a prize as it was supposed to be bad news for me, but I decided to turn it around in my 19-year-old mind into a good thing.) Webster defines a time and motion study as**:** a systematic observation, analysis, and measurement of the separate steps in the performance of a specific job for the purpose of establishing a standard time for each performance, improving procedures,![Photo_1_for_Time_and_Motion_Studay](https://blog.housefairy.org/hs-fs/hub/341571/file-1632441011.gif?width=214&name=file-1632441011.gif) and increasing productivity —called also *motion and time study, motion study, time study. *This is what I envision my resulting steps to look like.* * ### **2. The disorganized don’t have to pay to go to the gym.** Years later when I really was a mom and wife, I never forgot the results of my time and motion test. One day it hit me while I was packing up stuff to take to the gym for an hour workout, that with my gift of taking too many steps in life, it really was a benefit! Because of my attention deficit disorganization, I suddenly realized I was probably getting in a full workout every day. In fact, if I *didn’t* go to the gym, I’d save the time, energy and money that that activity took from my day. Put that in your time and motion study Miss Cratzberry! [Read More](https://blog.housefairy.org/did-you-know-you-are-blessed-to-be-disorganized) Topics: [On Being Organized / Disorganized](https://blog.housefairy.org/topic/on-being-organized-disorganized), [De-Cluttering](https://blog.housefairy.org/topic/de-cluttering) ## [Babies on Board!](https://blog.housefairy.org/babies-on-board) Posted by [Pam Young](https://blog.housefairy.org/author/pam-young) Aug 6, 2014 6:00:00 AM [![](https://blog.housefairy.org/hs-fs/file-1282051884-png/Blog_Photos_/6_mouse.png) ](https://blog.housefairy.org/babies-on-board) I'm torn by what happened today. It all started when we got in the Subaru to head to downtown Woodland, Washington and my husband Terry said, "Uh oh, there must be a mouse in the car! Look at those pumpkin seed shells all over the floor board by your feet." He pointed to a little scattering of shells on my side of the car. Now I'm a big fan of Mickey Mouse, but he doesn't blaze through space when you least expect him to. It's that scurrying that mice do, like a flasher at a wedding, that scares me to death, and the thought of a mouse in our car made me ready to spring like, well a set mousetrap. "Where do ya think he is?" I asked, as if my  mouse husband were a big deal mouse expert. "I don't know, he could be back at the house getting more pumpkin seeds." That thought calmed me as we drove into town. Just as we pulled into the bank parking lot, I sneezed (no I'm not allergic to mice) and reached for a Kleenex in the glove compartment. That's when I saw IT! The mouse had made a nest out of the Kleenex! I screamed, slammed the glove compartment door, wiped my nose on my sleeve and took some big, deep cleansing breathes to calm myself. Terry was hysterically laughing as I continued to try to regain my composure. ###  And for the rest of the story…… [Read More](https://blog.housefairy.org/babies-on-board) Topics: [De-Cluttering](https://blog.housefairy.org/topic/de-cluttering) ## [Is Your Kid's Room a Mess? Kids Grow Quarterly. ](https://blog.housefairy.org/is-your-kids-rooms-a-mess-kids-grow-quarterly-) Posted by [Pam Young](https://blog.housefairy.org/author/pam-young) Mar 19, 2014 7:00:00 AM [![](https://blog.housefairy.org/hs-fs/hub/341571/file-397369009-jpg/Clean_Rooms/Dario-and-Gabriele-M01-1024x768.jpg) ](https://blog.housefairy.org/is-your-kids-rooms-a-mess-kids-grow-quarterly-) Now that the kids are back in school it’s a great time to streamline their rooms. Children are much more likely to keep them neat if they don't have constipated drawers and closets. Parents have to be the laxative here, because kids can't do it alone, it’s too overwhelming to them. You may or may not have heard my warning: KIDS GROW QUARTERLY.  [Read More](https://blog.housefairy.org/is-your-kids-rooms-a-mess-kids-grow-quarterly-) Topics: [On Being Organized / Disorganized](https://blog.housefairy.org/topic/on-being-organized-disorganized), [De-Cluttering](https://blog.housefairy.org/topic/de-cluttering), [Children's Rooms](https://blog.housefairy.org/topic/childrens-rooms) [All posts](https://blog.housefairy.org/all) ### Subscribe to Pam's Blog! ### Follow the House Fairy ### Recent Posts ### Posts by Month - [June 2020 (1)](https://blog.housefairy.org/archive/2020/06) - [March 2020 (1)](https://blog.housefairy.org/archive/2020/03) - [September 2019 (1)](https://blog.housefairy.org/archive/2019/09) - [July 2019 (2)](https://blog.housefairy.org/archive/2019/07) - [June 2019 (1)](https://blog.housefairy.org/archive/2019/06) - [May 2019 (1)](https://blog.housefairy.org/archive/2019/05) - [April 2019 (5)](https://blog.housefairy.org/archive/2019/04) - [August 2018 (2)](https://blog.housefairy.org/archive/2018/08) - [June 2018 (2)](https://blog.housefairy.org/archive/2018/06) - [February 2018 (2)](https://blog.housefairy.org/archive/2018/02) - [November 2017 (1)](https://blog.housefairy.org/archive/2017/11) - [May 2016 (1)](https://blog.housefairy.org/archive/2016/05) - [November 2015 (5)](https://blog.housefairy.org/archive/2015/11) - [September 2015 (4)](https://blog.housefairy.org/archive/2015/09) - [August 2015 (1)](https://blog.housefairy.org/archive/2015/08) - [December 2014 (12)](https://blog.housefairy.org/archive/2014/12) - [November 2014 (6)](https://blog.housefairy.org/archive/2014/11) - [October 2014 (13)](https://blog.housefairy.org/archive/2014/10) - [September 2014 (9)](https://blog.housefairy.org/archive/2014/09) - [August 2014 (3)](https://blog.housefairy.org/archive/2014/08) - [July 2014 (6)](https://blog.housefairy.org/archive/2014/07) - [June 2014 (5)](https://blog.housefairy.org/archive/2014/06) - [May 2014 (2)](https://blog.housefairy.org/archive/2014/05) - [April 2014 (2)](https://blog.housefairy.org/archive/2014/04) - [March 2014 (2)](https://blog.housefairy.org/archive/2014/03) [see all](https://blog.housefairy.org/topic/de-cluttering#) ### Posts by Topic - [Tools for Moms (11)](https://blog.housefairy.org/topic/tools-for-moms) - [Being a Mom (10)](https://blog.housefairy.org/topic/being-a-mom) - [Raising Children (10)](https://blog.housefairy.org/topic/raising-children) - [Entertainment for Mom (6)](https://blog.housefairy.org/topic/entertainment-for-mom) - [Family Games (6)](https://blog.housefairy.org/topic/family-games) - [Cooking Videos (5)](https://blog.housefairy.org/topic/cooking-videos) - [Fitness (5)](https://blog.housefairy.org/topic/fitness) - [On Being Organized / Disorganized (5)](https://blog.housefairy.org/topic/on-being-organized-disorganized) - [Playing with Kids (5)](https://blog.housefairy.org/topic/playing-with-kids) - [Recipes (5)](https://blog.housefairy.org/topic/recipes) - [Chores and Children (4)](https://blog.housefairy.org/topic/chores-and-children) - [Happiness (4)](https://blog.housefairy.org/topic/happiness) - [Cleaning (3)](https://blog.housefairy.org/topic/cleaning) - [Daily Thought, (3)](https://blog.housefairy.org/topic/daily-thought) - [De-Cluttering (3)](https://blog.housefairy.org/topic/de-cluttering) - [Habits (3)](https://blog.housefairy.org/topic/habits) - [Manners and Children (3)](https://blog.housefairy.org/topic/manners-and-children) - [Health (2)](https://blog.housefairy.org/topic/health) - [House Fairy Videos (2)](https://blog.housefairy.org/topic/house-fairy-videos) - [Children's Rooms (1)](https://blog.housefairy.org/topic/childrens-rooms) - [Great job mom (1)](https://blog.housefairy.org/topic/great-job-mom) - [How to Clean Videos (1)](https://blog.housefairy.org/topic/how-to-clean-videos) - [Organization (1)](https://blog.housefairy.org/topic/organization) - [Relationships (1)](https://blog.housefairy.org/topic/relationships) - [appreciation for moms (1)](https://blog.housefairy.org/topic/appreciation-for-moms) - [de-junking (1)](https://blog.housefairy.org/topic/de-junking) - [faith (1)](https://blog.housefairy.org/topic/faith) - [peace of mind (1)](https://blog.housefairy.org/topic/peace-of-mind) - [succeed (1)](https://blog.housefairy.org/topic/succeed) - [thank a mom (1)](https://blog.housefairy.org/topic/thank-a-mom) ## Subscribe by RSS ![rss-icon1](https://blog.housefairy.org/hs-fs/hub/341571/file-570749489-jpg/social_buttons/rss-icon1.jpg?width=50&name=rss-icon1.jpg) [Mom's World Feed](https://blog.housefairy.org/blog/rss.xml) [Privacy Statement](https://www.housefairy.org/privacy-statement) **About The House Fairy** The House Fairy is the brainchild of New York Times bestselling author Pam Young. A stay-at-home mom of three, stepmother of two and grandmother of 12, Pam has enjoyed most of her life surrounded by happy children of all ages. With a major in drama (not in college, but in life) Pam has always been able to see with the eyes of a child. Writing a shelf of “self-help” books to inspire disorganized moms, Pam’s focus has always been on solutions to the challenges mothers have in life.