Latest / Uncluttered and Unfiltered: The Podcast For Women Over 50 / MIDLIFE REALIZATION: WE'VE OFFICIALLY BECOME OUR PARENTS

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MIDLIFE REALIZATION: WE'VE OFFICIALLY BECOME OUR PARENTS · Uncluttered and Unfiltered: The Podcast For Women Over 50

0:04
Welcome to Uncluttered and Unfiltered, the podcast urging
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you to let it go and don't look back, with nationally acclaimed
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professional organizer Christine Stone and self-proclaimed Hot
0:17
Damn Mess radio and TV personality Eden Kendall.
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Welcome to Uncluttered and Unfiltered with a podcast for
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women over 50 with me, Eden and Christine Stone, who's a
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professional organizer who at the end of our episodes gives
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you an organizational tip if the whole episode isn't about being
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organized to begin with. Sometimes that is the case, but
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this time, Chris, actually our our topic is going to lead into
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its own organizational tip. So I think you're going to
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really enjoy this. You don't know much going into
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to what we're about to discuss, do you?
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You have not read this. Book you know nothing and I have
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not read this book. OK, so there is a book it it
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came out a couple of years ago. It's not a new book and it is
1:04
like a a joke book book kind of like a novelty.
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It's Doctor Rick will see you now a guide to unbecoming your
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parents. Now Doctor Rick is the made-up
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character. There's actually an actor that
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plays him and he is in all of those progressive commercials
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where he instructs you how not to turn into your parents.
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I love those commercials. They're so funny, like he's
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holding up. There's one, he's got the
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painting that says like live, love, laugh.
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And he's like, no, no, got to go.
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And so when we're going through these behaviors, make no
1:36
mistake, we know who we are. We are those parents that he is
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instructing the people not to become.
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But this book, I have this book and it's so funny to me that I
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thought, you know what, we should really, really share some
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of the things in in the book because it goes everywhere from
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socializing to, you know, being how to how to stand for a photo
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to your clothing and your accessories.
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I thought I'd share some of these with you because we are
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both pretty guilty of some of these things.
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So all right, so the first chapter is about to not talk
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like your parents. All right, so so it says when
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you open your mouth, who's doing the talking?
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Is it you or is it your parents? So here's what you should say.
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Here's a little quiz. I'm going to quiz you and you
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tell me which of these things you should say.
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If you pass a construction worker, should you say A,
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working harder, hardly working. Should you say B, what we got
2:34
here? Big box girders.
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This is really for the dudes. C, smile.
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A nod because you don't know them or D fine piece of
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craftsmanship like these. These are so funny because none
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of all of these are things my husband might say.
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I could see him being like what we got there, some girders.
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Some Oh my gosh, yeah, I'm I'm C.
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Yeah, you got to walk on by. You don't really.
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I just always, you know, hey, and just keep going.
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So when you go see a barista at the coffee shop, should you say
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Howdy Hidey Ho morning chief or small coffee, please?
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And that's that's another thing like my husband has to make
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conversation with everyone. Oh, I order your coffee.
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I do too. I have to make conversation with
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everybody. I mean, when I go to the grocery
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store, I like to sit and talk to the produce guy, the one slicing
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the fruit. My my kids make fun of me for
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that too, by the way. And that is a throwback.
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You know, that is a throwback to back in the day.
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We remember we talked about this years ago when the grocery store
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was like a social. Thing.
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Yes, yes. That was just a social thing.
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So telling stories. All right, here are things that
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don't need to be announced, according to Doctor Rick.
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These are things you don't need a big long story about.
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If you ran into Wendy from next door and she said her son's
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really getting into tennis, like that doesn't need to be a long
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dragged out story, but that could become a big long story
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for my, when I have a conversation with my mom, it's
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always like, and the point of the story was like, God, I love
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her so much. But there's like this big long
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story or announcing like how much dessert you're going to be
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eating. I'm just going to have one more
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cookie and then I'm going to be done with sweets for the night.
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You don't have to tell me. You can just actually do it.
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We don't have to make a big story about how we're going to
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go about doing it. So, you know, these are just
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really, I think so, so true. And you know, I just think we
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don't realize how differently our kids are approaching some of
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these phenomenons. Like I will say something and my
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kids look at me like fascinating story or cool.
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Like, do your kids ever do that? Like you're telling the whole
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story and they're like. Well, they do that to my husband
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a lot because he likes to name people.
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And we're all like, we don't know these people you're naming,
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so why can't you just say And then he but he'll have to state
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and we're like, who are these people that you're talking
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about? Yeah, my, my kids have a really
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good time making fun of both of us.
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So you're. So that is what I mean when I
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say the reason I think this book is so funny is because I didn't
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recognize that these things that I do are things that are like
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you're turning into your parents things.
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But I've been doing it for years.
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So here are some things where you don't really need to be
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making a noise. But I disagree.
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When you sit down, I feel like you have to go when you.
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Sit down. I totally.
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Or when you're standing up. I mean, there's noises that have
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to be made when you're when you're yawning.
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You know we make these noises, but evidently that that makes us
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old. Right.
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Well, every time my husband sneezes, I mean, same thing.
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We're like, really? You have to sneeze that loud.
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What about, let me ask you this, taking naps?
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Do you take more naps now you? Don't.
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You don't strike me as a napper. You know what's weird, I used to
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take naps, now I just. This is really old lady.
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Now I just need to rest. OK, rest your eyes, yeah.
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No, just rest like rest my body like I just, I just need like an
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hour and a half on the weekends, like on a Saturday to just I
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could be reading, I could be watching a show, but I can't
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just go, go, go, go, go. My body needs a rest.
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Sometimes I could shut my eyes and go to sleep, but it's a
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matter of just resting. So he has a whole list of places
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where you know you're old when you're basically taking a nap on
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a park bench or in a restaurant booth, or if you're shutting
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your eyes at a bench in a mall like they like the dudes do
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sometimes, or in a waiting room, any kind of waiting room.
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And it just makes me laugh so hard because my mom is I I and I
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hate to pick on Joni, but my but but if I fall asleep watching
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ATV show my husband, my kids, they all call me Joni, which is
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my mom's name because that is her thing.
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Like she has always, she'll be like reading a book and she'll
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still be holding the book and she's just all of a sudden you
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hear she's asleep. That's.
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My husband, he can fall asleep anywhere.
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So this falling asleep anywhere that is like I guess a red flag
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for the kids that that means to. Have my husband can fall asleep
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on a sofa Christmas Day when all the presents are opened and
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being used and everyone's loud watching the parade, whatever,
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he'll be snoring. It doesn't bother him at all.
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There's, there's a whole chapter on who needs a knee brace and it
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says, it says if you, if you have not been prescribed by a
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doctor to wear a knee brace. And this is funny to me because
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I constantly am amazed at like when you go in Walgreens or CVS,
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there's a whole aisle of like all these knee braces and arm
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braces. And I'm like, don't they give
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you those at a doctor's office? Do we buy these off the shelf?
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Now, Right, Like, why are you self diagnosing?
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Like what if you're not supposed to brace your hand?
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I mean, you know, I, yeah, it's weird.
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I, I just think like just there, there's a whole aisle of things
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that I'm like, when am I going to need those socks, those
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compression socks that I can use?
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I use compression socks call. Me on an airplane maybe, but.
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An airplane and when I'm working because I'm on my feet all day
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long. OK, well then.
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All day from like 9:00 in the morning till 5:00 in the
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afternoon without sitting. So yeah, I wear them.
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Call me old. OK, well, but that's OK.
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But that's what we're here to confess to.
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We are. We are absolutely.
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This one made me laugh and think of you.
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I mean, but yes, we are absolutely in this category.
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It's this chapter is called This is not your glass, and I love
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this. It made me think of you.
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Let me read it to you verbatim. Don't touch it.
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Just because a glass is unattended doesn't mean it's
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your job to clean it up or put it in the dishwasher.
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You don't need to ask whose it is or if anyone's done with it,
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because it's not your glass, pure and simple.
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And guess what? When you turn the page, this
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glass will continue to sit here, maybe for eternity, and you're
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just going to have to deal with that.
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You pick up people's glasses, don't you?
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You have to. I in my own house, you mean.
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Yes. Oh, absolutely of.
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Course. Of course I do.
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9:47
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10:01
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Together, we can save lives. I'll say whose glass was this?
11:36
And then so I'll announce it first and I'll say cuz I don't
11:40
want to drink out of someone else's glass.
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That's my thing cuz I'm not getting sick like because I
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drank out of someone. So usually now if we have
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everybody home, everybody has a designated glass.
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So I'm not getting or I will like I'll say, OK, mine is the,
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you know, TCU glass. Everyone else pick your glasses,
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do what you want. Because that's what happens is
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that's how people get sick, because they just start drinking
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out of everybody else's stuff, in my opinion.
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That's a good organizational tip.
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You just slid in there too, by the way, about making sure
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everybody OK here. OK, This is the organizational
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thing I said, and this is the whole chapter he's got.
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So this is this is what I think of Enjoy.
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It says throw these things away. Now, are you keeping any of
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these items around just in case you ever need them?
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You won't, so don't. And here we go.
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This is what made me want to bring up this whole topic in the
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first place. I was so excited.
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Plastic containers. Well, here's the thing.
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I know exactly what he's talking about because I see it all the
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time at my job. When you get to go food and it's
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in a plastic container, people will save those.
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Now, it's fine if you're recycling them and you're just
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going to throw them in the recycling bin, but when I come
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in to organize, there's fifty of them and that doesn't include
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all their own Tupperware. So yes, let those go, please.
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Miscellaneous buttons. God, these are good.
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Yeah. Miscellaneous buttons to close.
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You don't even wear or you don't even sew.
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Like I'll say to clients. Oh, do you sew a lot?
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No, I don't even know how to sew.
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And why are you holding on to 1000 buttons?
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You know what I mean? They've got to go.
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Got to go. Discarded batteries.
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Yeah, I just had a client last week, and it was a battery
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thing. Because what happens with
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batteries, everyone is they're all over your house.
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The key to keeping batteries organized is having them all be
13:50
in one spot. That way you'll know, do I need
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AA? Do I need AAA?
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But when they're all over the place, oh, look, I found a
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battery. Or they could be so old.
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A lot of them I've seen acid spilling out of them.
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I mean, I'm telling you batteries, another bane of my
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existence as an organizer. Keep them organized all
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together. It prevents over buying and then
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you know what you need when you do need them.
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Receipts. Well, receipts nowadays, if they
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ask you, do you want it emailed or printed?
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I always say emailed now, unless I know it's something that I may
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have to return, then I'll say printed or printed and emailed
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and I'll drop it in the bag. So if I want to return it, I
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could just go return it without having to look through.
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But now if it's not something that you're going to return it,
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it's just an invoice or something that you've already
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paid. Just get it emailed and
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separated and folders on the computer and do away with a lot
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of that shoebox full of. Take a picture with your phone
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even you can keep a folder right there.
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Like if you have iPhone or whatever you could take a
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picture of that old user manuals.
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I can't tell you how many, how many Apple boxes for watches,
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manuals, how to work something even even in your kitchen.
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Anything you own, refrigerator, dishwasher is online.
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It's all online. You do not need to keep any
15:29
manuals, especially for like, I don't know, something little you
15:34
bought for your grandchild that has, you know, moves or has
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batteries. You don't need to keep these
15:39
manuals. They're just taking up so much
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space. That is an old old person saying
15:45
though to keep manuals, definitely.
15:48
Hotel shampoos. Well, I always talk about how
15:52
people steal from the hotel's little travel size, and then
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they bring them home and they just put them under the sink or
15:58
in a drawer in the bathroom and they have 500 of them.
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Half of them look so old and they can't even use them anymore
16:07
because it might poison them. And so really, I mean, keep your
16:11
favorite brands, stock your toiletry kit and let the rest go
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and stop taking them from the hotels.
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OK, and then this is a whole chapter, so I'm just going to
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read you one line, but decorative soap, it says soap is
16:25
for washing hands, not creating scented seascapes or magical
16:28
gardens, shells and flowers. So don't say you have good taste
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in interior decorating. They say you are your parents.
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100% agree 100%. I mean, if I go to someone's
16:40
house and they have decorative soap, I'm not going to use it.
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Are you going to use? It no.
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And here's another thing. I want I want sauce, soap.
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I would never wash my hands with anybody else's bar soap that
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everybody has been washing their hands ever and I wouldn't ever.
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That's why I carry like Purell and Pure Foam and all this
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stuff, to clean my hands. No, no, no decorative soaps.
17:05
Do an old fashioned pump so people can wash their hands and
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leave. And same with the towels in the
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guest room. Get those paper towels.
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You can get the Kleenex kind. There's so many because I don't
17:18
want to use a towel. Someone wipe their nose with,
17:20
you know what I mean? If you're having a party or
17:23
having a bunch of people over. OK, well, that's so there she
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said it. Mic drop.
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OK, so there it is. I mean, the whole book is is
17:33
pretty hilarious, but it's really just meant as a novelty.
17:35
But when I saw that it had a whole section on things to get
17:38
rid of, I thought that was something that we had to share
17:40
here on the podcast. So I'm glad we did.
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So really, I mean, if if if for no other reason purging your
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home, it just Even so that you just don't have things around
17:52
you, that's a scream. You're an old person, right?
17:54
Well, and on a more serious note, and I don't know if it's
17:57
just the universe since we're doing this episode, but I have
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had recently a lot of clients who are OK over 70.
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And I can tell you right now, I learned the most from them.
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And the reason why I learned the most from them because everyone
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thinks they need to save all this stuff.
18:16
And by the time people get in their 70s, seventy, 580, all I'm
18:20
doing is getting rid of all this stuff that they don't want, that
18:24
they're embarrassed. I can't believe I've kept it for
18:26
all these years. And they're doing it #1 because
18:29
their children are making them do it because they just don't
18:33
want to be stuck with all this stuff if something happens to
18:36
their parents or they have to go to assisted living or a
18:42
different community where they have to live.
18:44
And so they, they, the place they're moving to is so much
18:48
smaller. And so they're forced to go
18:50
through everything. And it's just, it's something
18:54
you want to do through your life, not wait until you're
18:57
forced to do it or be embarrassed that you got all
19:01
this stuff all through the years.
19:03
And you, you asked yourself, why did I keep all this stuff?
19:07
I could have lived in a home that was less cluttered, more
19:12
calming and peaceful. And I kept all this junk that I
19:15
don't want anymore. So yes, I, I think do it now.
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Let go of the things and really create that space that's
19:26
peaceful and calming and let go of all this stuff.
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Truer words were never spoken. I love it.
19:34
All right, well, we are, we are going to call it there.
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This will be kind of a shorter episode, but we would love for
19:42
everybody to join us over on Facebook.
19:44
We have a really thriving group there, a couple thousand of your
19:48
closest friends that are over 50.
19:51
So it's called uncluttered and unfiltered ladies only.
19:55
And we do have to let you in. We're also on all the other
19:57
socials as well. And if you would just tell one
19:59
friend, one girlfriend, one sister, one cousin about this
20:02
podcast. If everybody did that, why?
20:05
I believe our numbers are double.
20:07
And that's what we want. We want to reach the most
20:09
possible people. So just to let you know that you
20:12
know, you're not out here doing this by yourself.
20:14
You know, you can feel invisible out there, but you're not to us.
20:17
No, you're not. So.
20:19
So anyway, the idea that we're all out there fighting the fight
20:22
alone, that's an idea that you should let it go.
20:26
And don't look back.