List-o-Mania!!

My family laughs at me (in the kindest possible way).  My husband accuses me of making lists of my lists.  But guess who they rely on to keep track of things, to help pack all the necessities for camp or travel, to ensure the groceries and such are purchased...? :-)  For me, lists help me keep my sanity.  They save me time, and they save my sanity when my brain cells take an unplanned vacation (which happens more frequently, directly correlating to how important it is that they work!).  I have a few "list strategies", and while not every method works for every person, I thought I would offer mine, in the hope that someone else's sanity might be helped, or at least that it would spark some new ideas and conversation for everyone.

One tool I have found to be a real time and sanity saver over the years is a Master List.  I have had Master Lists for grocery shopping, Guide camping, wedding planning, square dance teaching, and more.  My definition of a Master List is a list that offers a template for an activity, with all the possible items listed in sections or categories.  This allows instant customized planning by merely highlighting wanted items or crossing off unnecessary ones, without having to use time re-thinking what all the possibilities could be.  This means I seldom missed having or packing or buying an item through its being absent from my list.  I will try to describe my process for creating a master list, and then I will offer you some sample ones.

Probably everyone who has ever attended high school, or a conference, course or seminar of any kind has heard of "Brainstorming".  This is a great tool to get creative thought processes started and to gather a multitude of thoughts, ideas, or points from which to organize.  While the term is usually used for a group setting, I think of my starting process as brainstorming, all by myself.   Do you remember the "rules" attached to those brainstorming sessions you've attended?  No censoring, no organizing/categorizing, no idea too little or too silly - blurt everything out and write it down.  I start out the same way, with a small difference.  I DO make categories first.  For example, for a Grocery master list, I would make columns:  Meat, Dairy, Bakery, Produce, Baking, Beverages, etc. etc.  Then I would list every single thing I could possibly think of under each of those titles - things I would buy each week to things I would only buy at holiday times, for instance.  Once I think that list is complete, I would sort it.  I have a couple of different ways to sort grocery lists, I must admit.  One is by department, and then alphabetically or whatever.  The other, when I shopped at the same store alllllll the time (Mackenzie Co-op, if you are curious :-) ), was by aisle.  Yes, I knew that store so well I could make my list by aisle.  With master grocery lists I usually have some columns beside each item to indicate how many I want, what they usually cost, and how much it actually cost at the time of purchase (I can use that to update the cost amount for next time.)  This helps me with my grocery budgeting, too.  I usually include a section near the end for other shopping things like birthday gifts or other "non-usual" purchases.  I photocopy the grocery master list, highlight the items I need, maybe mark with a "*" anything that is on sale that week (or that I only want to by IF it's on sale!), add in any special items like a birthday gift or other seldom bought product, and off I go to the store.  Sometimes I have scribbled my menu for the week on the back, just in case I want to check on something if inspiration strikes while I am out.

Event master lists come about in a similar fashion, only the categories are parts of the event instead of departments in the grocery store.  For example, if planning a Girl Guide fun day, sections of the list might include program, registration, paperwork, staff, supplies, equipment, clean up, evaluation.  That can be fleshed out, but you get the idea.  I use the same process to plan for my Unit for the year, starting with a year long calendar with a list of all the things that always take place, by month -- Thanksgiving, Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day, Thinking Day, etc.  Then I add in things that happen locally every year, cookie sales, Canada Day celebrations, Community Awareness night (leisure fair),  and so on.   Then it is time to start roughly putting in program plans - what will we cover this year, will any of it tie into the calendar activities, do any of them have prerequisites....  Once those roughed in timelines are in place, it is not an onerous job for my co-leaders and me to fill out weekly meeting plans, complete with equipment needed and any other preparation required, in plenty of time to be prepared!

Reading the theory of list-making and planning can be dull and I congratulate you for making it this far!  As promised, I will offer you a couple of sample Master Lists.  You are welcome to use them as templates for your own use.

Grocery List Blank

Guide Camp Equipment List Blank

One more thing I want to tell you about:  the list is no good if you don't use it.  If you are like me, and you like to have your list at your fingertips all the time, in case you think of something to add, or if you have a question about what's on it, that can be a challenge.  But fortunately, because of the era we live in, we can make use of many different applications that will allow us access to ALL our lists anywhere, if we just have a computer, a tablet or a smart phone around. (Boy, would I have liked that when I was Guiding in the '80s!)  The one I personally use is Evernote, a program that stores my lists in "the cloud" and is accessible on my phone AND my computer, synced together.  It's a free app, although they do have a premium version.  So far, I am finding the features of the free version suit my needs just fine.  Anyone have any other programs they like to use?

I just read over what I've written and, you know, my husband might just be right - I DO make lists of  my lists! LOL! But, list making helps me to "download" my brain, and it often helps me delegate tasks to others, too.  That lessens my stress, and enables me to enjoy what matters most -- time with the people I care about. I would love to see and hear what YOU do with lists and planning - please comment!

Now, where is that notepad....
Till next time!
North Owl

Old Can Be Gold

The most exciting thing in my life last year (besides a new grand daughter - nothing much could top that!) was going back to active Guiding.... as a Spark leader.  Oh, those sticky hugs and shrill giggles -- truly every meeting was the best hour of my week.  I've never left Guiding, but have spent several years just as a Trefoil Guild member (I'll tell you about them another day), so coming back to an active unit has come with a bit of a learning curve.  I was amused at our District's Christmas party to find I am just bout the oldest Guider around .... and one of the most experienced.  Far from being chagrined by this, I am delighted, as it means young, enthusiastic, energetic women are leading girls toward continuing the traditions, empowerment and community building that Guiding is all about.

What it does mean, though, is that I know stuff. I know stuff that I think of as "what every Guider knows".... but I am finding that is not the case!  So maybe, just maybe, I can put some of it out there by writing on here, and more of this stuff WILL be "what every Guider knows".  Want to come along for the ride?

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I was scrolling through my Facebook feed recently when I saw a post by one of my young Guider friends on the local buy and sell.  What she was selling made me pause, because it was something that could be really useful to her Guide unit and when I asked her about it, she had no idea.... That started my train of thought, and I decided to offer a list of

 "10 Things a Guider Should Watch For at Garage Sales".  

In no particular order:

1)  Old Metal Breadboxes -- why?  Because they make terrific box ovens to use at camp!  Cake, pizza, cookies, all things are possible!  One can make a box oven using a cardboard box and tinfoil, it's true, but the metal breadbox saves us from having to use such massive quantities of aluminium foil, and while it takes up more storage space, its interior can be utilized to store campfire cooking tools and such.  The door of the breadbox is often wood, but that can be covered with tin, or a foil oven liner cut to size.  Perhaps the tin shelf that most of them have can be tacked tot he door instead, if it is the right size!  A mesh rack in the shelf's place becomes the oven rack, and an old metal pie tin becomes the "burner", filled with barbecue briquettes.  Watch for old toaster oven racks - they are about the right size, and are made to get really hot, unlike cake cooling racks and such.

2)  Duotangs -- also sometimes known as report covers, these have those three prong fastenings to put the paper on, slide through the back cover grommets, and open to hold the papers in place.  Even used covers can be quite useful, just "redecorate" them by gluing sheets of paper or cardstock on the outsides and decorate as desired.  These are very useful as Patrol or Circle log books, Unit songbooks, resource packages, project packages, challenge booklets, or fill them with pencil puzzles and activities for the Circles and Patrols to use while waiting for everyone to arrive and your meeting to start.


3)  Curtain Sheers -- or sheer curtains or whatever you want to call them.  Make dish dip bags, or a pot'n'pan hammock to air-dry the big stuff.




4)  Carpet Samples -- One of these in front of the door to every patrol tent will help keep a little of the forest on the outside of the tent! Another on the inside will make that tent even cleaner.  A few on the inside may mean a better place for those shoes to land, too.  And they are great in your trunk if you need a kneeling-pad while changing a tire, or put it under a wheel for extra traction when you get stuck in the snow at your winter camp.  Carpet samples are great!

5)  Tent Poles -- seems like a no-brainer.  If you have a place to store them, spare tent poles can be used not only to replace your own broken ones (if they fit), and, if they are the rigid type, often can help put up that doggone tarp in the spot that that doggone tree didn't have the courtesy to grow!

6)  Gigantic Stock Pot -- Oh if you see one of these in a garage sale or thrift store it is g.o.l.d.!!! You have a wonderful hot water tank for your campfire!  Find someone handy who can cut two holes and attach a couple of fittings, put hoses onto the fittings and a coil of copper pipe onto the hoses.  The copper coil stays under your campfire, water stays in the pot, and while the fire burns, you have a circulating HOT water source. And I do mean HOT!  Use caution! Hot water spits out of the top fitting hole, while cooler water is drawn down to the coil from the bottom fitting hole.  If your handy-person is so inclined, ask them to attach a spigot to the front of your pot for easier access to the hot water without having to take off the lid.  Oh, for the record, we tried using a plastic bucket for this - it lasted one weekend, and the plastic around the fittings slowly melted away.  Not so good.

7)  Curtain Rods -- especially the light telescoping kind.  They will be light and not too long to pack for camp, but will make great gadget sticks, with the added advantage of being able to increase/decrease in length as needed.  Of course their strength is limited, but most gadgets don't require all its components be especially strong, and in many locations, gadget wood is hard to come by.

8)  Flat Sheets -- and clothespins (although these are easily available at a dollar store).  The uses at camp are many:  privacy screen; movable, lightweight sun shade; skit prop; hot weather sleeping cover; "fancy" tablecloth; or in an emergency cut it up to make splint ties, slings, bandages.... Oh, and the clothespins?  They hold up the movable sun shade, of course, as well as helping with most of the other uses.... They are also useful for games of all sorts - as are the sheets!

9) Game Equipment -- if you have the storage space for it, it is great to have one or more medium to big bouncing balls, a few skipping ropes, nerf balls, maybe some badminton rackets, or even some dress up clothes (have you ever played the Mars Bar Game??).

10)  Ugly Bucket Hat -- because everyone should wear a hat that protects her head and ears from the sun.  If participants know that they will have to wear the Ugly Hat if they forget their hat, or only bring a ball cap, it may be the incentive they need to bring their own nice one.  Unless the Ugly Hat becomes "a thing"... who knows. :-)  Or take a plain garage sale bucket hat and creatively make it "ugly"...  Just be sure and wash it well between wearers. Check this one out - at least it would give good sun protection!! LOL!  And here is one I drew for fun....

This list is by no mean exhaustive, and sometimes you can find really great Guiding-specific treasures, like Girl Guide songbooks, story books, Brownie Annuals, old program books or Canadian Guider magazines, or old uniform pieces.  You may come upon flag belts or flag stands, or camping equipment like lanterns or stoves or folding tables... Guiding supplies from garage sales and thrift shops really can prove that "old IS gold"!!

Till next time....
North Owl