Finders Keepers

Mizz C’s pop quiz for today:

Q: How many minutes do you think most people spend looking for lost things every day, Middle Schoolers?

A: If you said, 16 minutes, you get an A+. Sez who? Sez James Gleick in his book, Faster. Would you like your 16 minutes back? Here’s how:

• Get rid of stuff you don’t use anymore. Less stuff=less to lose.

• Put things you really, really need in the same place every time.

• Line up school clothes where you can hop into them without opening your eyes in the morning. 

• Ditto sports gear, musical instruments, and other equipment you need at school the next day.

• Always check under and around bus and car seats when you leave a vehicle.

• Label your stuff.

• Check your school planner to see if you've packed the stuff you need the next day.

Warning: You may now leave this blog posting before Mizz C blabs on about her true lost and found story:

Once upon a time, while she was hiking, Mizz C. bent down to look at moss patterns on a rock or tie her boot--it doesn't matter which. Because she didn't close the zipper on her hiking jacket, EVEN THOUGH SHE KNEW BETTER!!!! her house keys fell out, unbeknownst to her. 


So Mizz C. went home, happy and smiling after her day in the woods until she discovered she had no keys. She immediately went into one of her little panic modes, tried to retrace her many steps, searching way, way longer than 16 minutes, but still NO KEYS!!! With a heavy heart, she broke into her own house. "Boo hoo," cried Mizz C. because those lost keys were attached to a pretty piece of jewelry she liked. Now that was lost forever, too.

Fast forward to six months later. A fat little envelope arrived from a supermarket. Inside were her lost keys! Some nice hiker had found Mizz C's keys, saw the supermarket tag, went to the store, the store traced the bar code back to Mizz C, and mailed them to her. 


Thank you nice hiker whose name she doesn't know. Thank you Stop & Shop. Henceforth Mizz C. put her keys into the SAME right-hand zippered pocket EVERY TIME just like she's telling all you middle schoolers to do right now!  

Now if she could only find her old Leki hiking poles. She knows they're up there somewhere in the Hudson Highlands! If only she'd thought ahead and put a supermarket tag on them. Lesson learned.

New Years' Resolutions Can Be Habit Forming

A habit is something you can do without thinking - which is why most of us have so many of them. ~Frank A. Clark

It's late January. Did you make a 2012 New Years’ resolution to start a new habit, Middle Schoolers? Good move. According to The New York Times, almost half the people who make a resolution keep it. What are their secrets? 

• Make one small resolution at a time. How about one of these? 
• Keep a short, specific To-Do List to get yourself organized. 
• Go to bed a little bit earlier every night. 
• Use a timer to do homework for short periods with no interruptions.

• Move temptations out of sight. Too distracted by TV, video games, or other gadgets? Do your homework in a gadget-free room. 

•  Tell the world what your new habit is. Ask friends and family members to help you stay on track.

• Give yourself gold stars! Use a calendar to keep track of how well you’re doing. 

• If you slip-up, restart your engines. Tomorrow's another new year.

Mizz C. started one good habit in 2012: blabbing and blogging. She can't stop!