From Dawn Till Dusk

A few hours from now, it will be 2008 and what better way to start the New Year with a more organized home. Well, if the Hubby is to be asked, knowing him as “OC one”, he’d assessed our home now as not that spic and span as it used to be four years ago—when we don’t have a Nico yet in our lives.

“A home filled with Nico”, that’s what families and friends often comment whenever they get the chance to visit us at home. From the toys cluttered in the living room, the high chair in the dinning room, the sterilizer and bottles in the kitchen, the potty trainer and the rubber ducky in the bathroom, and to even the littlest part of the home, there’s always that trace of Nico within the home. Time flies so fast, and being occupied with overwhelming parenting tasks for over three plus years, we hardly noticed the home needs a general cleaning mostly Nico’s stuff that he already outgrew. And thanks to holidays this week and last week, we’re off for a general cleaning in the home before the new year begins.

“Kailangan na nating mag 5S dito sa bahay,” Hubby said. “5S”, wow, that’s the first time in zillion light years I get to hear the word again. When Hubby and I are still childless, it used to be a regular home cleaning mantra that we practiced at home. The “5S”, a Japan-based structured program which literally stands for five Japanese words that start with the letter ‘S’: Seiri, Seiton, Seiso, Seiketsu, and Shitsuke (and Sort, Set (in place), Shine, Standardize, and Sustain if translated in the English language) aims to systematically achieve total organization, cleanliness, and standardization in the workplace. The 5S process was first introduced to me nine years ago in the organization where I am working. The concept of 5S claims that a well-organized workplace results in a safer, more efficient, and more productive operation in the workplace, which I found admirable and so I’ve adopted the concept personally. When Hubby and I got married, he discovered the benefits of doing 5S too, and since then, it became our home cleaning mantra.

And so we’re finally doing the 5S starting Saturday. I started working with the clothes that Nico already outgrew thinking that it was the right timing too to do the 5S since my brother has been asking for more of the hand-me-downs for his barely a month-old baby girl. “It’s easier to start wit Nico’s clothes”, that’s what I initially thought. The moment I began sorting the clothes though, glancing and folding the clothes (the new-born clothes, especially) brought so much nostalgia. As I get to lay hands on the cute little stuff—the mittens, the bibs, the teeny weeny little socks for newborns—gosh, how my mind traveled back remembering and reminiscing the infant years of my Little Boy and how I missed those days. Now, the question is, can I afford to give Nico’s stuff away just like that? “Tama na yang sentimental moments mo, hindi na baby ang anak mo. Mas magiging kapaki-pakinabang pa ang mga yan kung ibigay mo na lang kay KC” Hubby said. So then I started sorting the clothes that Nico can already give away and those that are still usable. Good thing, mine’s a boy, so I need not give everything!

It took me a while to pack because for minutes I stared at them and just as Hubby expected (actually, he found it ridiculous!), I even took photos of the old clothes, for posterity, of course.

Sort what has to go…

Eliminate everything that’s no longer usable/wearable

These last few baby essentials will be forwarded to my new niece.

While these colored clothes can still be used by Nico as pambahay.

I’ve also separated the clothes that Nico use as change clothes in school.

The polo shirts and polos are hang in the right side of Nico’s closet.

Nico’s undies and socks are separated in one of
the drawers of the dresser for easy retrieval.

And the middle large drawer has Nico’s everyday clothes.

Now that’s done, the next in line to 5S are Nico’s toys. I hope I’ll be able to accomplish that in the next four hours. And for Hubby, whose in charge of doing a 5S of piles of newspapers in our junkshop, este… garage pala, goodluck!