Category: Organized Family

Kid Convenience and Nutrition in My Clean Freezer!

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I am the mother of teenage (and younger) boys, which means purchasing, preparing, serving and consuming food, and cleaning up feels like a full time job.  I’ve been strategizing to streamline our schedules and routines, so my first project was to make the kitchen more user-friendly, for convenience and good nutrition, for my boys, starting with the Freezer.

My objectives for the Freezer Clean Out Project were to

  1. make kid-favorites more accessible;
  2. inventory what I have on hand for an upcoming menu planning day / grocery trip; and
  3. purge the icky stuff.

With my objectives in mind….

  1. To start, as with all kitchen organizing projects, I made sure to have a clear work space.
  2.  Image
  3. Next, I put all the contents of the top freezer shelf on the counter.
  4.  Image Image
  5. Then I:
    • tossed the unidentifiable bread products;
    • discarded the excessive packaging from our last Costco bread purchase;
    • was distracted by the frozen raspberries and ½ container of frozen cool whip – dessert?!?
    • realized we have way too many frozen green beans;
    • grouped veggie bags in their bin;
    • re-stocked the breads, and left a loaf out on the counter for a change.  We usually freeze our bread and defrost just what we need, but we use it faster in the summer when everyone is home for lunch (my oldest makes a de-lish grilled cheese!).
    • Note:  Bins and baskets are great in the freezer for lending structure to the slumpy bags, and making it easier to stack and access stuff.  High-end appliances have them built in, but I use bins from Target for the same result.
    • Note:  I really appreciate the removable ½ shelf in my freezer (see photos above), it has been great for protecting our loaves of bread from getting squished.
  6. On to the bottom shelf:
    1. I dumped all the contents on the counter, again, and wiped off the bottom shelf.
    2. Our bottom shelf is mostly meats, so I took out the two baskets and sorted the contents.  I moved the microwave-able breakfast meats within easiest reach of the door, and placed the packaged meats like hot dogs and meatballs in the bin next to that.  The boys now know which bin is which, so if they feel like making a meatball sub or hot dog for lunch, they can.
    3. The  dinner meats are all together, and I’ve noted what we have on hand for making this week’s menu.  Pork Chops anyone?
  7. Door:
    1. This is the kids’ go-to place in the freezer. Upper left bin is designated for buns and bagels, easily visible and accessible.
    2. Upper right bin is for ice packs for lunches and coolers.
    3. Bottom shelf is self-serve for frozen lunch items and snacks.
    4.  Image
  8. Other things I did just this morning, to make good nutrition more convenient:
    • Hard-boiled and peeled a dozen eggs, since since self-sufficiency and good nutrition are the objectives and the little guy is not adept at peeling. The boys love slicing them up for breakfast.
    • Cleaned and cut carrots and veggies for quick snacks, cleaned fruit for the bowl on the counter, and re-stocked the granola / breakfast bar stash.
    • Explained all the updates to my darling children so they would know what and where things are, and would need to bug me less.  I hope. The real test will be in about an hour, when they get hungry.  Again.  Ahhh, teenagers.  Maybe the big guy will make his mom a grilled cheese!

The freezer project took all of half an hour last week, and the kitchen prep time this morning was minimal.  Think about your home and routines – there are probably lots of quick projects you could accomplish together that would make your life simpler, too.  If you need a place to start, check out your Freezer!

Organize Your Car for Summer!

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Your car is an extension of both your home and your self.  And we organize our Car for the same reasons we organize our home and selves:

  • to maximize the space and stuff we have;
  • to allow for new opportunities;
  • for safety sake; and
  • peace of mind.

We had an impromptu tailgate party recently, and it was so easy because I know exactly what is in my car, and it is only what I really need.  It was so gratifying to pop out the folding chairs and waterproof blanket (always in my car during little league season), break out the wet wipes and bug spray, and have fun!

So, I ask you:  Do you decline the benefits of car-pooling, because there is not room for actual people in your car?  Would you be embarrassed to have someone see or ride in your car?  Have you lost items in your car, never to see them again?  Is there a strange smell emanating from under the seats?  Spend a little time getting your car ready for your summer adventures, and be ready for anything!

Getting started:

  1. Organizing your car is just like any other organizing project.  First, think about how you Do and Do Not use your car.  My car needs are pretty basic:  transportation from Point A to Point B, and a temporary holding space for groceries and people.  It is occasionally a changing room on the way from school to baseball practice.  Your car may be for work, recreation, lodging, dining, the options are endless!

Getting it done:

  1. Now,  block out an hour and take everything – yes, everything out of your car.  Immediately throw away the trash and lay  the rest on the ground on an old sheet or drop cloth, if you have one.
  2. Sort what is left, putting similar items together.  CDs in their holder, house items or clothes to take inside, items to be dropped off like library books, dry cleaning, borrowed items or donations.
  3. Based on your deductions and decisions about how you use your car from Step 1, You can now decide what does and does not belong in your car.  For me,
    1. Yes – Water bottles and a small bag of snacks (uneaten) for the ride to and from baseball practice
    2. No –  Bags and bags of un-delivered recycling (a client’s car, not mine!)
    3. Yes – Reusable shopping bags and coupons
    4. No – Dog crate when you don’t even own a dog, or shopping bags still full of new items from 3 months ago that you never took in the house, dirty gym clothes, well you get the picture.
  4. Papers – It is ok to keep some papers in your car permanently.  Maintenance records for work done on your car – yes.  Unopened mail – no.  Also, consider if your car is your mobile office.  That is the only time that papers, files, computer and inventory should ride around for extended periods in your car.  And business papers need to leave the car eventually, too, so you can get your work done.

Putting it Away.  You have cleaned out the car and gotten rid of what needs to go away.

  1. Treat your self and your car to a car  wash, one that does the interior and exterior.
  2. Store stuff where you need it:  Now that you have figured how your stuff fits into the purposes of your car, it is time to put it back!  Out of the items you keep, most of the safety or maintenance items are not needed as you drive and can go in the trunk in a bag.  Keep only what you need to safely drive near you.
  3. Deliver all the stuff that’s been riding around in your car and needs to leave your hands.  Drop off the library books and dry cleaning, mail the mail, take the bags of cast-offs to the charity destination.

Playing it Safe: 

  1. Get a net or a tie down for other items rolling around in your car.  In the event of an accident, anything not tied down can become a dangerous projectile.
  2. According to the AAA website, you should always travel with (All can fit in a crate or bag, secured in the trunk….
    1. an inflated spare tire and jack
    2. jumper cables and flares
    3. flashlight, fire extinguisher and first aid kit.
    4. If it’s winter, you should also include: Coffee Can Furnace (the candle generates heat); Carpet Strips (for traction under drive wheels); Boots; Ice Scraper & Brush; Newspapers (great insulation when placed between skin and clothing); Shovel and Sand or Cat Litter (for traction); Tools; Food & Blanket; Tire Chains (for use on secondary roads only).

So spiff up your ride, and roll down those windows to let the warm weather in!  Enjoy!

Great Big Organizing Secret!

I am going to share a big organizing secret here.  It may rock your world, change your life, make you gasp, so you might want to prepare yourself.  Are you ready?  The secret to an organized life…..is…… (drum roll here) maintenance!  Tah Dah!! (gasps, applause, sounds of disbelief)  Told you it was big.

Ok, so it’s neither big nor really a secret, but Maintenance is the key to making organization stick.

We spend hours on organizing projects, or at least my clients and I do.  We plan, we purge, we organize, we work hard.  But the most important part of the process happens after I leave, the next morning and every day after that.  Maintenance is vital to the success of any system.  Here is an example of maintenance and a great organizing tool, all rolled up into one.

I am a stickler for routines for my family, even during the summer.   It is so easy, too easy, to get off track during the summer months and let maintenance slip.  Without the school day structure, we forget to eat a healthy breakfast at a regular time, abandon basic personal hygiene (I have teen age sons) and generally take too long to get ready in the morning, leaving much undone.  So we turn to our Morning Line-Up.

We use The Morning Line-Up every day:

  1. Starting with a clean bathroom counter, take out all the items you need to get ready every morning and Line Them Up: we’ll call these the Usual Suspects in Your Morning Line-Up.
  2. My Usual Suspects include antiperspirants, Face Lotion with SPF 30, toothpaste and brush, hair product and brush, contacts and solution, lip stain and powder.
  3. Next to these are my kids’ deodorants, toothbrushes and pastes, a comb and fingernail clippers (someone always needs those).
  4. Now, as we use items in our Morning Line-Up, we put the item back in the cabinet (or drawer, or basket under the sink, which ever you prefer).
  5. You can make this even easier by dedicating one shelf / basket / etc. for just your Usual Suspects.
  6. And as a great example of maintenance, the counter is clean again (maintenance) when we are done with our personal hygiene (also maintenance!).

This may turn your usual process upside down, to start with all your items all over the counter, and clean as you go, but it is a great habit to get into.  Think of this in terms of cooking a meal.   Prepare to cook by taking out all the ingredients you need and lay them out in order, then put them away when you are done with them.  That way you can see at a glance what is left to add to your recipe and you have a clean kitchen when you are done, instead of taking everything out as you use it, and having a trashed kitchen at the end.

This idea reaps multiple benefits:

  1. At a glance, I know for certain when I am ready, and I don’t forget things. And I know when I need to nag my sons to finish.
  2. We can add new habits to the line-up, if there is something we want to improve upon. For example, adding floss to the line up at the recommendation of our dentist recently, or when I added contacts and solution when I decided to wear them more regularly.
  3. I have a client cultivating a “Swipe and Swish” habit to tidy up the bathroom every morning. So she adds window cleaner and paper towels as part of her Line-Up.
  4. The Morning Line-Up idea can improve other areas, for example, nutrition. If I get forgetful about my daily vitamins or supplements, I take out the basket containing all of them, and dump it out on the kitchen counter. I put the bottles back in the basket after I take each vitamin, so I know if I am current.

So, give some thought to your routines this week, and how you can improve your current systems with just a little more time and attention to maintenance.    Have a great week!  Off to brush my teeth….

“Because I Said So!”

     We’re all great parents before having children.  At the grocery store or passing a park, we know just what every other parent should do with every other child.  Then life changes.  I vowed to never mix up my children’s names.  Anyone who knows me, whatever your name is, knows I mix them up all the time.  I also swore that phrases like “Because I said so!”, “Get off your brother”, “Put that down!”, or “Oh my god, who brought THAT into my kitchen?!” would never cross my lips, and that I would never yell.  Then God laughed, and gave me three sons.  And now I laugh, all the time.  And cry, often but quietly.  And sometimes I do both at the same time.  Because I’m a Mom, and that’s what we do.

     My gift to you and to myself for Mother’s Day is an article that has little to do with organizing.  Keep these thoughts in your heart for when you need some “Peace of Mind”, (just like my business name).  Why?  Because I said so.

  1. A grateful heart is the surest way to happiness.  A friend reminded me recently that people who have a truly grateful heart are less prone to anxiety and depression.  Be grateful in your heart, and let others know how thankful you are to and for them.  “And yes, to my youngest son, this means you have to finish your thank-you notes before you can spend the money you received.  And I don’t care if other people don’t have to send them, I’m not their mom.”
  2. A secret.  I am conflicted as a parent.  Having been a crabby teenager once upon a time does not prepare me to parent one today.  I want from my children, simultaneously, understanding when I don’t know everything and their faith and confidence in me to know everything.  I do know a secret, though, that contributes to my Peace Of Mind.  And my secret may be different from your secret.  My secret is to say a short prayer for patience and guidance, and then remind myself what my job is as a parent:  I am growing future adults, and helping my children get to heaven.  Those ideas help me form all the other decisions I make in a day.  So what is your secret?  Write it down, and remember it as needed! 
  3. Parenting involves our hands, our heads and our hearts.  The combination of the three varies with our children’s ages, stages and from moment to moment in our day, though the older my children get, the more I use heart and head to guide us all.  Children don’t come to us fully formed, which is a very good thing, since we aren’t fully formed, either.  We get to evolve and figure things out together.  On Mother’s Day, I thanked my teenager for making me a mom 14 years ago.  He is a teenage boy, so when I start emoting like that, he gets a funny look on his face and I know he would rather be anywhere else but listening to me.  But he’s a good sport, and said, “um – you’re welcome?”  Then he gave me a hug, so I knew it was OK.  Guess I got to use my hands, head and hearts all at once on that one!
  4. You are more capable than you know.  And so are your children.
  5. No regrets.  Recently, I sang at the funeral of a friend’s mother.  The friend stated she had no regrets when it came to her relationship with her mom and her mom’s passing.  What a gift.  I’ve been looking at my relationships with new eyes, trying to do the right thing always, and working towards “No Regrets” some day, too.
  6. My Mother’s Day was lovely and relaxing, spent with family. My sister-in-law made a fabulous brunch and my husband made a delicious dinner.  In years past, I wanted to celebrate Mother’s Day by taking a break from Mom activities like cooking and cleaning.  But I realized that being a Mom is who I am and who I want to be, so taking a day off is sort of silly.  Did I receive gifts?  Yes, thank you.  Did I do laundry?  No.  Did I declare the remote control and the couch as MINE for about 3 hours?  Yes!  Do I want to spend the day of celebration of Motherhood escaping from being a Mom?  No, I really don’t.  But if somoene could still fold the laundry, that would be great.
  7. My Mother’s Day gifts come every day, in little packages.  My oldest son leaving my side at Mass to volunteer to serve without being asked.  Because he likes be a server, and he recognized the need without being asked.  My middle son and I sharing a look and cracking each other up without saying a word. Such an old soul in a young body.  My youngest son bent over a mud puddle –  I thought he was making a mess and started to fume, but then I looked closer and saw he was saving ants one at a time by giving them little sticks to walk on out of the mud.  These gifts might not come gift-wrapped, but they are the best a mother can ask for.

Thanks for coming along with me, and for letting me ramble a bit.  I hope the next time you are searching for some Peace of Mind, one of these ideas comes back to you in time.  Happy Mother’s Day.

Organizing Secrets I’ve learned as a Mom

     To celebrate Mother’s Day, I’m sharing organizing secrets that I have learned since becoming a mom. I dedicate this article, with deep affection and appreciation, to all of the incredible women who have taught me so much.

     As a professional organizer, I have found the three most problematic areas of organizing for many women are time, clothes and stuff. For moms, those areas are more specifially time, laundry and toys. When it comes to household tasks, moms set the rules and the organizational tone. Here are some quick tips to help you in this endeavor.

Time

  • Spend 10 minutes focusing on your organization issues now; these 10 minutes will save you hours later.
  • Always have a back up for everything: work clothes, babysitter, travel plans, carpool, snacks, etc.
  • Prioritize. While recuperating after the birth of my youngest son, my husband reminded me that my  obligation is to feed, clothe, protect and educate my children. Everything else is extra.
  • Dream big, but cherish small.
  • When seeking balance, look at time in spans of weeks, not days.
  • “Take time for your self. No one is going to give it to you, and if you don’t recharge, you’ll have nothing left for anyone else.” An 80-year old great-grandmother gave me this advice. 

Clothes, Closets and Laundry

  • Keep only current size and seasonal clothes in the closet. Purge you and your children’s wardrobe of clothes that no longer fit, and store everything else, somewhere else, labeled and “containerized,” of course.
  • Invest in fewer but higher quality pieces instead of cluttering your closet with heaps of cheap and poorly made outfits. Remember, quality is more important than quantity.  Dress well, and people will notice You.  Dress poorly, and people will notice your clothes. 
  • Designate a bag for every activity—sports, crafts, work, etc. For example, pack your daughter’s soccer uniform and shin guards in a duffel bag, and place it in a location where she can quickly grab it and run to practice. Replace the bag’ s contents immediately after cleaning the items, and return it to its appropriate location in time for the next game or practice. Do this for your briefcase and handbag, as well.

Stuff and Toys

  • Pick a permanent spot for your really important items, like car keys, diaper bags, cell phones, purses, etc.
  • Store like items, e.g., Legos with Legos, American Girl clothes with American Girl dolls. Design a system that is simple. Label storage containers clearly for easy identification of the contents.
  • Rotate toys every month, with or without your children’s assistance. You may want to sort and purge toys with your children, so that they can learn the process (and you learn what items they truly value). Then take another sweep through the toys without their assistance; be a bit more ruthless this time, but make sure you retain their true treasures. If your kids are young, and you sort and purge without them, arrange their remaining toys in an appealing way, so that they don’t focus on what’s gone.

     So, Moms (and Dads, too!):  Take a deep breath.  And another one.  Resolve to spend a few minutes now on organizing, to save lots of time later. Spend the time, and get it done.  Then go do something fun with your family!

Two Weeks to a Great Party!

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    The original title had “easy” and “stress-free” in it, but who am I kidding?  Yes, parties require some work and perhaps some stress, but let’s keep both to a minimum!

     Also, there are a few things that have to happen prior to 2 weeks before a party, like guest lists  invitations (4 weeks) and space rental (as early as possible), if necessary.  I shared the date with out-of-town family and friends months ago.  But the point of today is to help you plan and have a great party with concerted effort and minimal stress.  Yes, it can be done.

     I am working on a very specific event this week, a First Communion Party the first weekend in May.  These ideas can work for any event, though, birthday, anniversary, graduation, just for fun – You name it!

     We have two weeks until our big event. I stood in my living room today, imagining what it will look like when everyone is gathered.  Friends and family.  Food and beverages.  Fresh flowers, balloons (my little guy loves balloons), candles, a display of photos and Sacramental items on the sofa table.  I will keep that vision in my head during my planning. 

     Remember your “WHY”.  We’re having a party to celebrate my youngest son’s First Holy Communion, so our “Why” is to commemorate him and this special milestone in his life.  Remember, too, WHY people are coming to your home.  It is to enjoy your company and hospitality, not too look in your dresser drawers or under your bed.  Focus on the essentials, let the other stuff go.  Everything else falls into place if I keep the “WHY” in mind.

     Do NOT let every hour for the next two weeks be about the party.  Too often we obsess over details until we dread or resent the event.  You have a life, a job, a bedtime.  Live your life, have fun with your planning, and relax.  

House Prep and Planning Ahead Week (this week)

  • Monday / Tuesday:
    • Today we head to the craft store for supplies for his Communion banner.
    • Over the weekend, I made sure everyone has clean, dressy clothes that fit (they’re growing so quickly these days!!).  Now we just need to iron the clothes, and ignore them until the big day!
    • Check your kitchen inventory.  Save money and make room this week by using what you have.
    • Determine your menu, and what you can outsource.  For example, my son chose his menu for his party.  I will order the ice cream cake and fried chicken.  The rest I will cover myself.
    • Based on tentative numbers of people attending, make your grocery list
    • Ask friends and family for any extras you need – folding tables, extra chairs, chafing dishes, coffee urn, etc.
    • Plan / order / shop for gifts and treat bags or favors, if you need them
  • Wednesday – Start major cleaning projects (windows, carpet shampoo, big things)
  • Thursday (our trash day) – more major cleaning, if needed, but also removing clutter by dropping off bags of donations, e-waste recycling, garbage and other recycling
  • Friday – clean the fridge and freezer really well, make a note of food items you have that you can use for the party, start the ice maker

 Week Of Party:

  • Monday – check your guest list for final RSVPs, place your food orders based on your menu and number of guests.  I will also purchase flower planters for my deck and front porch.
  • Tuesday – Wrap up major cleaning projects, plus yard maintenance 
  • Wednesday – Now that things are cleaned up and de-cluttered, and the fridge is clean, do your grocery shopping for food, paper goods, liquor, beverages, etc.
  • Thursday – weekly cleaning, yard maintenance rain date, photos and Sacrament display
  • Friday – food prep and final touches, et up tables and chairs.  Dinner in the crock pot.  We have house guests for the weekend, so I’ll change bedding and lay out towels, too.
  • Morning of event:  Final cleaning and prep, pick up ice and ordered food (send a spouse or friend!), wipe down the front door and hang porch flag, blow up and hang balloons
  • Last hour – get yourself ready, wipe down the bathrooms, vacuum, take out trash, empty dishwasher, light candles and put on some music

 See, I told you – You Can Do This!  Remember your WHY, and do a little bit every day.  Relax and enjoy!

Spring Sports Survival Secrets

     A week ago, I posted this to Facebook from the baseball field: “It has begun. Spring sports season. Three sons, 1 time, 1 soccer game, 2 baseball practices, three locations. Bring it on!”

     I am not whining (much). I asked for this. I signed the boys up, wrote the checks. I love that my boys are involved in activities. I could limit the activities, I’m the mom and that’s within my rights and power.

     But I like the busy schedule. April is especially tough, though, schedule-wise. School activities are wrapping up, with honor band and choir, and lots of concerts and events. Then we add sports to the mix, with practices and games. So while I am not whining (at least not at the moment), I must plan and strategize to maintain a normal household and business during the busy times.

     I am calling this the Spring Sports Survival Secrets, but it can be used any time you need to get back to basics or live portable-y!!

1.  Clean out your Car for spring.

  • Grab a sheet, lay it on the ground. Take everything that is not nailed down out of your car and lay it on the sheet, then use Julie Morgenstern’s SPACE method.
  • SORT what you have. Categories could include necessary electronics (GPS, phone charger); car maintenance; emergency items like jumper cables; first aid kit, etc., you name it.
  • PURGE what can go (old mail, food wrappers, homework, single gloves, old receipts, etc.)
  • TAKE A BREAK, and Wash your car, either at a car wash or by hand, and vacuum it.
  • ASSIGN a home to the items that will go back in your car, and CONTAINERIZE them.
  • Do you know what a projectile is? In an accident, it is anything not strapped down in your car.  Bundle all the car maintenance or emergency items into a clear tote, and secure it safely.  I use Ziploc zippered totes.
  • EQUALIZE means maintenance. Clean out your car every day or at least once a week. Maintenance is quicker and easier than doing major cleanings

2. Review the basics: Clothing / Shelter / Food

  • Laundry basics:  laundry goes in the hamper immediately, or the uniform will not be clean for tomorrow.
  • Buy extras of always-used things, for example we have lots of baseball pants and socks from past seasons, so our new uniforms can be saved for games.
  • Start a load every morning or every night to stay on top of things.
  • Re-pack the sports bags as soon as you get home from games or practice. Very often we go to practice right after school, so having the bag packed and back in the car is invaluable to getting to practice on time!
  • Shelter: Home Management:  Invest time in maintenance every day. The last thing you and your kids may feel like doing at 9 pm after 2 baseball games is tidying up or putting stuff away, but you will thank yourselves the next morning.

3. Food: Menu Planning is so important it deserves it’s own space. I no longer remember how to NOT menu plan, because we’ve been doing it so long, and I find it so valuable.

  • Click here for a past blog on the topic, http://colleencpo.wordpress.com/2011/12/06/how-can-you-not-menu-plan/
  • Write the next 7 days on a piece of paper, look at what is in the cabinets and freezer, and write down your dinner plan for each day.  Suggestions include:
  • Cook twice as much food on some days, to have planned leftovers the next day (for example, extra grilled chicken can go in a soup or salad the next day) 
  • This also works with meatloaf, casseroles, chilis or soups, cook two and freeze one for next week
  • Make dinner at 7 am, or 2 pm, or whatever time you have. I have been known to make rice or mashed potatoes while getting ready in the morning, to warm up at dinner time.
  • I assemble two or three dinners on an easy scheduled day or Sunday night, and tuck them back in the fridge for later in the week (lasagna, enchilada or taco casserole, etc.)
  • Make your own convenience food. We make ahead bags of salad, hardboiled eggs, diced carrots and celery and other veggies for quick meals.

4. Stock the Mom Bag to keep in the car. My Mom Bag includes: clipboard and homework essentials (for long rides to soccer games), long sleeve shirts and hoodies for me and the boys, baseball cap for me, folding chairs, a blanket or 2, first aid kit, tissues and antibacterial wipes (porta johns, anyone?), water bottles (though we try to bring re-usable ones as much as possible), granola bars, nuts / trail mix, a magazine or book for me, and a soccer ball for the 7-year-old for waiting time.

5. Go to bed. Seriously. You and the kids. Everyone lives better with good sleep.

     So try a tip or even two this week, and enjoy the sport season!  See you at the baseball game!

Organize Your Wellness! Love Yourself!

     Hearts are everywhere this time of year!  Love and Valentine’s day, of course, but also Go Red for The American Heart Association, and health and wellness in general.  Spend some time this week organizing your schedule and home around your Health and Wellness, and take care of you and the ones you love.   

  1. Make wellness part of your routine, making time for exercise, healthy eating, medications and supplements.  Attach something that needs to happen to something that already works.  For example, perhaps you pick your kids up from school every day.  Attach a 30 minute walk on the way to pick-up, to ensure your exercise will happen.  Or if you check your email every morning, like me, leave your vitamins and supplements next to your computer as a reminder!
  2. Save yourself some time and stress, and assign a home to important things.  For example, put your car keys and cell phone the same place every time you come in the door.  Then stick with it.  Every time. 
  3. Plan time – actually make a note in your calendar – every week for exercise and self-care.   Writing things down make them more likely to occur.  I always respect my standing appointment for my tennis lesson!
  4. Make and keep those health care appointments!  Group appointments on one or two days off, and take care of them all at once.  Set aside a day to set all your appointments, too.  Maybe Valentine’s Day or your birthday, or the first day of the month?  And of course, keep a portable folder for notes on health care issues and questions to ask your providers.  I also sweetened my recent appointment day with a massage in the morning, Rita at A Relaxed You in Mt. Greenwood is my favorite!
  5. Use down-time, like waiting for an appointment or for the kids to finish soccer practice for some deep breathing exercises, relaxing visualizations or a brisk walk around the park.  I have some great apps for my smart phone like “Long Deep Breathing”, “Relax Sleep Well” and “White Noise”.  Of course, I also have Sudoku and Word Jumble Apps, so I can relax and distract when I have a minute! 
  6. Make family time wellness time, with family hikes or biking, ice-skating, snowball fights – use your imagination!
  7. Occasionally take the day off from routine tasks.  Try a non-laundry day or a guest chef (my kids!) day, to make things more fun and less stressful.
  8. Remind yourself that you do not have to fix every problem every day.  Focus on just a few tasks, and do them well.
  9. Have a back-up plan for everything – babysitter, outfit, transportation options, backdoor key
    (hidden but accessible), quick and easy dinner plan.  Save yourself the scramble when your schedule changes or you are feeling under the weather!
  10. Save Your Back (or in my case, my shoulder.  Did I mention a massage?!?):  Only carry what you need.  Keep your backpacks handbags and briefcases filled with essentials for today, and don’t lug around stuff you don’t need.

Focus on wellness this week, and love yourself and those who count on you!  Happy Valentines Day!

Less Truly Is More!

 Less Truly Is More.  Less grocery shopping this week gives you more money in your pocket, more space, more room to move, more storage possibilities.  Your challenge this week is to clear kitchen clutter with Pantry Shopping.

I’ve organized several kitchens and client menu plans (link to other posts) lately.  Clients often ask what they can do to get ready for our organizing appointments.  “Don’t Buy Anything New!  Use What You Have!” is the answer!  This practice is also known as Pantry Shopping (per Mary Hunt at www.debtproofliving.com).  Why Pantry Shop?  I have been in homes where there are literally hundreds of cans of food, and dozens of boxes of cereal or cake mixes or pasta.  All those cans and boxes are clutter and are costing you money if unused.  You will be amazed at how much food you actually have on hand.

Go through your cabinets using  Julie Morgenstern’s S.P.A.C.E. method of Organizing.

S: Sort your food.  Group canned goods together, further sorted by veggies or fruits, canned meats, soups, etc.  Put spices and baking supplies together, cereal items, sauces, pasta and side dishes (rice and potato items), etc.

P: Purge items that need to go.

  • Expiration dates make purging kitchen stuff easy.  Expired food needs to go.  I know you spent money on it, and that it might still be safe and flavorful to eat, but ask yourself – is it worth the risk?  No, it’s not.  Possible food poisoning in exchange for a few bucks saved at the grocery?  Do the math.
  • There are also items that have been open in your cabinet for an undetermined amount of time.  Open cereal or saltines may not have expired, but they might not taste good anymore. 
  • There may be food that has expired to you and your lifestyle.  Baby foods, items your family has decided they don’t like, foods you bought for a recipe but never used (and don’t plan to), or impulse buys.  Donate these items to your local food pantry or hand them off to a friend, but get rid of things that won’t be used before they expire. 

A and C: Assign A Home / Container-ize:

  • Decide where to store food that you keep.  We consider who uses an item when we pick storage spots.  My youngest likes to get his own cereal in the morning, so cereals and the bin of after-school snacks are in a bottom cabinet within his reach.
  • In that same low cabinet are foods in glass jars like pickles and spaghetti sauces because I am a terrible klutz and storing things low to the ground means I break less!
  • The other benefit of Assigning a Home for specific types of food comes when it’s time to make a grocery list.  By looking at the space where the cereal or pasta or soup belongs, I can tell at a glance if I need to add it to my grocery list. 
  • Decide what is a reasonable amount to have on hand for specific items. I have 2 half shelves in one cabinet dedicated to canned goods.  The lower shelf is for stuff I use all the time and is double stacked, and the top shelf is for the items I rarely use.  If the shelves are full, I do not buy canned goods.  It’s as simple as that.
  • Corral small items like dip or seasoning packets, breakfast bars or spices into handy containers so the items are less likely to get lost and instead will get used up!

 E: Equalize (Maintenance)

  • Rotate the stock:  Check your expiration dates, and put the closest expiration dates up front, so you use those food items first.
  • Incorporate your Pantry Food into your meal plan for the next few weeks, to use up your excess food.  Do this at least a couple of times a year, to keep things moving. 
  • Don’t buy items if they are not on the menu for the next couple of weeks.  Break out of your typical shopping habits, and instead only buy what you really need.

Learn to live with less this week, and like it!  Less Really is More!

Learn To Love Your Clothes Closet!

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It is always a good time to organize your closet, but especially in January for Clean Out Your Closets Month.  Why, you ask?  An organized closet helps you focus, makes decision-making and getting ready easier,  clears the clutter and elevates your favorite stuff to new heights. 

Click here for some great Pinterest Visuals of organizing solutions!

First, ask yourself:  What does not belong in my clothes closet?  Regardless of your closet size, the following items do now belong in your closet (though I have found them in client closets over the years):

  • Old or broken computers, lamps, picture frames and golf clubs
  • dog crates for non-dog owners
  • furniture
  • 20 year-old college text books
  • other people’s stuff
  • Christmas decorations / wrapping paper
  • costumes unless it’s halloween,
  • 11 pairs of ice skates (one closet)
  • Shopping bags, un-delivered bags of clothing to donate or to go to other people
  • The list goes on and on and on….

If you need more space, even after removing these obvious clutter culprits, it is time to dig a little deeper. Luckily, there are easy filters to make more space:

  • Parcel out bedding to worthy charitable causes, under-bed storage, linen closets, top shelves in Space bags, or really big zip-lock bags.
  • Store these types of clothes in well-labeled plastic bins in the basement / attic / garage:
    • Off season clothing (summer stuff in winter, heavy stuff in summer), sporting goods and overcoats.
    • Clothes that don’t fit your life today.  E.g, old work uniforms or work suits, maternity and postpartum clothes.  If you don’t expect to wear an item in the next 6 months, it does not belong in your closet.
    • Keep clothes for today’s life, and the life you want to have, at the front of your closet.
      • Ditch the fat jeans, it makes it too easy to slide back into bad habits!
      • On a job search?  Fine tune your professional look so you are ready for the interviews and new job.
  • Purge or recycle dry cleaner bags and empty hangers.  It’s amazing how much space you can reclaim, and your closet will look so much tidier. 
  • Pull out sentimental items you won’t ever wear but want to keep as treasure (Thanks CB and MB!).  Keep them (within reason) in well-labeled, stackable plastic containers elsewhere in your home.  Attic, basement, just out of your clothes closet.
  • Let go of your shoe boxes.  I know some folks love their designer boxes.  The problem is that we forget and don’t use what is inside the boxes.  Clear boxes or over the door shoe racks are a much better solution for seeing and using what you have.
  • Cut out duplicates:  Keep less in regular rotation.  Just last week, we removed 6 white t-shirts from each of my son’s drawers.  They only wear them for sleeping lately, so having 12 in the drawer just doesn’t make sense.  We’ll keep the extras in a bin in the laundry room, and replace worn out ones as needed. 

So, now you have made some space by clearing out some closet clutter. How do you optimize the space and stuff that is left?  Two words, Friends:  Vertical Space. 

  • Use any blank wall or blank door, including the wall behind your hung clothes, for hooks and vertical hanging storage solutions (click here for some great visuals!!)
  • Add an over-the-door hook or two for Clean-ish clothes.  You know, Clean-ish?  Not dirty enough to wash, not clean enough to get hung back up with everything else?  In my closet, clean-ish clothes are usually jeans or lounging pants, pajamas, perhaps a hoodie.  Limit the hanging options and wear stuff again until it’s ready to wash. Just do not let your clean-ish stuff mound up on a chair, bench or dresser top, because then it gets too difficult to determine clean / dirty vs cleanish.
  • Double-hang your clothes closet (thanks SM), to double your rod space while better utilizing your vertical space. 
  • Add high shelves in every closet for large items or off-season clothing (thanks WM).
  • Climb your walls and doors. 
    • Use over the door hangers and hooks, 3M Command hook or permanent metal hooks screwed into the wall or wood work.
    • Mount a soft shoe sorter on a hook on the wall for handbags
    • Purchase hanging sweater stackers (per SM) to mount on your closet rod (see Pinterest page), and roll the sweaters in the compartments to use the space even better.
  • Kid Closets (thanks AM, JF, WM and CD):    
    • Hang everything on hangers, so your kids can see what they have. 
    • Use dressers or shallow bins on shelves for small or tough to stack items like undergarments, socks, jammies, t-shirts. 
    • Make Regular purging less of a drag:  Make it routine, to go through stuff a couple of times a year, remind everyone that new stuff can’t come until we purge the old, and make it fun (sweeten the deal with Pizza or ice cream when you’re done!  Thanks CD!)

Embrace an organized closet today, so you can see and use your clothes better tomorrow!