“Clutter is something you’ve kept for years and throw away three weeks before you need it. ” -Unknown

When it comes to homes, those that are surrounded by “stuff” tend to fee more stressed out. Why? Well, a disorganized home gives people a sense of uneasiness and confusion. And it makes puppies sad.

Declutter your home

Whether you are trying to sell your home or simply want to get organized and not experience a mild heart attack every time your in-laws show up unannounced, here are six ways to declutter your home.

Declutter your home tip #1

Throw it out
If you haven’t worn it or used it in over a year, throw it away. I know you’re thinking that the minute you throw it out, you’re going to need it, but if you managed to do just fine without it for over a year, there’s a good chance that, even if you do need, you don’t need it that badly.

Declutter your home tip #2

Create a “one year” box
Okay, so you refuse to go with the tip above, huh? Then why not buy a box that you label the “one year” box. Place everything that you think you can do without in this box and, if in one year’s time, you haven’t used it, then you can throw it away without hesitation.

Declutter your home tip #3

Donate it
For the things that you no longer use but could still hold some value to someone else, why not donate these items to the Salvation Army or a similar company? This way, not only will you be decluttering your home, you will also be doing a good deed. And good deeds are known to make people burst into fits of happy dances. True story.

Declutter your home tip #4

Declutter for 15 minutes every day
If your home looks like it needs a bulldozer, don’t panic and pull your hair while running into the street and screaming (no, I’m NOT projecting). Instead, take 15 minutes out of each day to declutter a room.

For example, if you’re standing in the kitchen waiting for your eggs to hard-boil because you want to eat smart snacks and not just chow down on empty calories like you did throughout your 20s, why not spend that 15 minutes wisely and organize the kitchen somewhat?

You’ll end up burning off that 70-calorie egg as well. Two birds, one stone, awesome!

Declutter your home tip #5

Create storage spaces
Make your furniture purchases do double-duty. When you buy an ottoman, make it one that opens up so you can put the throws and magazines in so as to keep the area clean and clear?

Same goes for your kid’s bed; invest in one that has drawers on the side so you have extra storage for those millions of pillows and stuffed animals they act like they can’t live without for about one hour a month.

Declutter your home tip #6

Get a mail “box”
I am so guilty of this and I’m betting that I’m not alone. You bring in the mail every day only to discover that, by Wednesday, you have a pile of mail – some of which has been ripped open and others that you are too afraid to open –just sitting there atop some bureau that was once bare.

Get yourself a mail box with two categories – unread mail and read mail – and use it to keep your home clutter free and stay organized.

Declutter your home for good

I know what usually happens… you start decluttering and, before you know it, you’re back in the same rut you were in a month ago. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

If you keep up your 15 minutes of decluttering a day and invest in some furniture that doubles up as storage, there is absolutely no reason why your home can’t stay clutter-free for good.

Re posted on May 18 2013 from http://blog.comfree.com/2011/08/24/6-ways-to-declutter-your-home/#.UZe9ucRzbVI

Peterborough Dragon Boat Races

jeremy.moore@century21.ca — Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

I am participating in the Peterborough Dragon Boat Races on June 8 in support of the PRHC's Breast Assessment Center...I am looking for sponsors, so anyone who can sponsor me, please help! It is for a great cause! Let me know, message me on here, call me at 705 931 0893 or email me at jeremymoore@live.ca!

Peterborough's annual Dragon Boat Festival was quickly embraced by the community when it started in 2001 and has grown rapidly from about 34 community teams to more than 100 each year. The event is a successful fundraiser to raise awareness and support cancer care and the Breast Assessment Centre at the PRHC.

HISTORY OF THE FESTIVAL

2001 - Survivors Abreast introduced dragon boat races to Peterborough. This community event involved 34 teams racing on Little Lake and raised more than $25,000 for the PRHC’s Breast Assessment Centre. It sparked a growing enthusiasm for dragon boating within the community.

2002 - Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival was presented by Kawartha Credit Union, the event’s platinum sponsor, hosted by Survivors Abreast and organized by the Festival Planning Committee. 50 teams participated and raised more than $90,000, most of which went to the Breast Assessment Centre at the PRHC.

2003 - The festival, presented by Kawartha Credit Union, platinum sponsor, included 84 teams, 80 local and 3 breast cancer survivor teams from outside the area who were invited to race with Peterborough’s Survivors Abreast team. The teams and broader community raised $158, 592 for the PRHC Foundation.

2004 - For the third consecutive year, Kawartha Credit Union stepped up to the mark as platinum sponsor allowing 96 teams, including 6 breast cancer teams, to participate. The event raised $175,123.57 for the PRHC Foundation and about $16,000 for Survivors Abreast, a total of $196,705.78.

2005 - This special fifth anniversary year registered 104 teams, including five breast cancer teams, four of which were guest teams from out of town, and raised $173, 443.42 as reported on the August 18, 2005 cheque presentation to the PRHC Foundation. Pledges kept on coming in and by October 20, 2005 the total had surpassed the previous year, a grand total of $175,300.39.

2006 - 100 teams raced including four breast cancer survivor teams, two of which were guest teams from out of the area. The festival raised $216,889.57 for the Breast Assessment Centre and $237,073.28 in total including $14, 183.71 for Survivors Abreast and $6,000 held over for festival 2007. Since 2001, $891,701.99 has been donated to the PRHC Foundation.

2007 - 104 community teams participated, including 11 visiting breast cancer survivor teams from across Ontario. This year, the festival surpassed the million-dollar mark, raising a total of $1, 079,794.49 since its inaugural year in 2001. The money will go towards the purchase of digital manmography units to help with early diagnosis.

2008 - About 102 community teams raised $167, 237 in pledges allowing the festival to present a cheque for $202,967 to the new hospital’s Breast Assessment Centre, which was officially named after Peterborough’s Survivors Abreast dragon boat team in a dedication ceremony at the hospital in August. The festival proceeds are the last installment for the three digital mammography machines that were purchased and are now installed and in use at the Breast Assessment Centre in the new hospital.

2009 - Organizers of the 9th Annual Dragon Boat Festival presented a cheque for $223,650.43 to the PRHC Foundation. That total was 21,583.78 more than last year’s cheque — and almost $7,000 more than what organizers hoped to get to buy three new pieces of diagnostic equipment:

A $120,000 computer-aided detection system for breast MRI imaging, as well as

software for MRI breast biopsy.

A $38,000 software application for mammography reporting stations.
A second sentinel node probe ($59,000), which allows for a less invasive procedure and involves the removal of only two or three nodes to determine if the cancer in the breast area has spread.

In 2007, the festival proceeds brought the total given to the centre to $1,079,794. With last year’s $202,966 cheque and the 2009 donation of $223,650 the grand total was $1,506,410 and getting closer to the second million.

2010 - The 10th anniversary festival raised $222, 448.21 for cancer care at the PRHC making the total since 2001 $1, 728,898, only $271,102 away from the 2 million dollar goal. The proceeds from 2010 are slated towards enhanced cancer care at the PRHC. The money will pay for a new automated tissue processor to help with accurate and faster diagnosis of cancer and the remainder will go towards the PRHC’s efforts to bring a radiation facility to the PRHC.

2011 - In September, organizers announced reaching the $2 million dollar goal of funds raised since 2001. The final tally of proceeds going to the PRHC Foundation’s Closer Campaign was $271,348.37 to pay for the installation of a radiation facility and much needed laboratory and surgical equipment for cancer care at the PRHC. Eight awards went to the winning team captains for best times in each of the divisions. Final championship trophies could not be awarded as the races were cut short due to thunder and lightening on the day of the festival.

2012 – On October 2, 2012, organizers proudly announced that the 2012 festival (88 teams) had raised $223,257.84 this summer. The proceeds will help fund a new high definition ultrasound machine for the PRHC’s breast assessment centre.

Chandos Lake, ON - Blog