January 23, 2012

Kitchen Organizing Makes for Happy Mornings!







It's a new week and a great time for checking how our house organizing routines are going.


One of my most important daily home organizing routines, for an enjoyable morning, happens the "night before". This is the time of the day, right after dinner, while the boys are in the shower, when I organize the kitchen and get things done, so when I wake up for a new day, things are all lined up and I'm a happy camper!


So here are my simple home organizing tips on getting your mornings easier and who knows, stress free.


1 - Clean up the sink and get everything in the dishwasher, ready to go. If you wash your dishes, five minutes of drying and putting away will give you a clean counter top and a smile of satisfaction the next morning. I guarantee!


2 - Wash your sink with a soapy sponge and leave it grease free! One minute and you are done.


3 - Dust off and wipe your counters with a spray. I use Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day and I love all the scents of this line. A clean, clutter free kitchen counter is a half-way organized kitchen!


4 - Set the table for breakfast. In my case, spoons, bowls and containers with cereal and I'm set. The boys are big helpers and love to wake up - usually before I do and just grab the milk to enjoy their breakfast.


5 - Do you send school lunches? I do and you know how hectic it can get in the morning, so make sure the kids bring the lunch boxes after school to the kitchen. Now prepare everything you can do ahead of time, like PB&J sandwiches, snacks, boxed drinks and get it organized and out of the way. Keep the refrigerated items in the fridge, but all together and ready to go. If I send cheese sticks, ketchup, hot-dog, then I place it all together in a small box in the fridge.


Cuisinart 12-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker, Black6 - The perks of an organized kitchen? I get to enjoy my coffee! I set the coffee maker the night before with filter, coffee and water and when I wake up, it's ready. Even before having a programmable coffee maker, I used to have it ready and on the push of a button I had my coffee.


Lastly, make sure the back packs are ready with homework, signed papers and that jackets, hats and shoes are also in place. All this takes me 30 minutes to get done, and I can tell you, it's all worth it!


How are your mornings? Tell me your struggles and we'll find a solution together! Let me know if this post helped you get a quieter and more enjoyable time in the morning. I look forward to hear from you.


Have a wonderful day!


Products in this post that make my Life Simpler! 




Cereal Containers
Cleaning Products - All clean and fresh!
Programmable Coffee Maker
Reusable Sandwich Wraps - I tried others, this one is great, easy to clean!










January 19, 2012

The 10 Habits of Highly Organized People

You know those folks who seem to have it all together? Experts say they follow a few simple rules.
By Sarah Stebbins of O, The Oprah Magazine.


1. Walk Away from Bargains
Just because you can buy a cashmere sweater for $20 or three bottles of ketchup for the price of one doesn't mean you should. "Ask, 'Do I have something similar?' and 'Where am I going to store it?' before making a purchase," advises New York City professional organizer Julie Morgenstern, author of Shed Your Stuff, Change Your Life.


2. Make Peace with Imperfection

Efficient people give "A-level effort" to the most important projects (say, work assignments or a kitchen redesign), and for the rest they do just enough to get the job done, says Renae Reinardy, PsyD, a psychologist who specializes in hoarding disorders. Maybe you give yourself permission to bring store-bought cookies to a school bake sale or donate a bag of stuff—unsorted!—to Goodwill. "Trying to do every task perfectly is the easiest way to get bogged down," says Reinardy.

3. Never Label Anything "Miscellaneous"

You put a bunch of things into a file or box and write this catchall across the front. "But within a week you've forgotten what's in there," says Morgenstern. Instead, sort items into specific groups—"electric bills," "lightbulbs," and so on.

4. Schedule Regular Decluttering Sessions

Rather than wait until an industrious mood strikes (we all know where that leads), have a decluttering routine in place—whether it's spending 15 minutes sorting mail after work or tackling a new project every Sunday afternoon.

5. Stick with What Works

"I have clients who will try every line of makeup, every cell phone—it's exhausting," says Dorothy Breininger, president of the Delphi Center for Organization. Don't waste time (and money) obsessively seeking out the best thing.

6. Create a Dump Zone
Find a space to corral all the stuff that you don’t have time to put away the moment you step in the door, says Breininger. Once you’re ready to get organized, you won’t have to hunt all over the house for the dry cleaning or your child’s field trip permission slip.

7. Ask for Help

"The organized person is willing to expose herself to short-term embarrassment and call for backup," says Breininger. Which is to say, that elaborate four-course dinner you planned? Change it to a potluck.


8. Separate Emotions from Possessions

It's healthy to be attached to certain items—a vase you picked up in Paris, your grandmother's pearls. But holey concert tees or cheap, scuffed earrings your husband gave you years ago? Just let them go.

9. Foresee (and Avoid) Problems

You wouldn't leave the house on a gray day without an umbrella, right? People who appear to sail through life unruffled apply this thinking to every scenario, says Breininger. Have a cabinet packed with leaning towers of Tupperware? Organized folks will take a few minutes to short-circuit an avalanche before it happens. (In other words, rearranging that cupboard now is easier than chasing after wayward lids as they scatter underneath the fridge.)

10. Know Where to Donate

It's easier to part with belongings if they're going to a good home. Identify a neighbor's son who fits into your child's outgrown clothes, or choose a favorite charity. "It will save you from searching for the perfect recipient every time you need to unload something," says Morgenstern.





























January 18, 2012

Organizing your Holiday Cards!

This is a really neat idea from Julie Janorschke-Professional Organizer, of Inspirational Organizing on what to do with your holiday cards, not only to get ready for the following year, but also a VERY NICE way of recycling your cards!


Do you still have your stack of holiday cards?  Make a two column list to record from whom you received a card and to whom you sent a card.  Keep this list on your computer or on paper but just be sure to keep it where you'll find it!  Recycle the cards or better yet, sent them to St. Jude's Children's Ranch where the kids will transform your old cards into new ones.  http://www.stjudesranch.org/shop/recycled-card-program/

If you don't have your cards anymore, at least now you know what you can do with them next year! ;-)

Being prepared makes Life Simpler.

January 17, 2012

How to Get Organized for a Happy 2012

Happy New Year everyone! Hope you had a great break. I have been busy with family, holidays and work. Here's an update!


I have been home with the boys since Dec19 and am more than ready for them to start school again! We had an awesome time, they have been playing with friends, enjoying family, going out with us, riding their new bikes and just hanging out. Lots of popcorn, movies, trips to ice cream shops and Starbucks, simple daily life.


My sister came from Rio with my adorable niece and her husband for a 3 week visit and even considering their vegetarian diet, we had a great time! They  had fun visiting beautiful San Diego and enjoying time with us.


With our relocation last August, I started to review my business around December and am still in the process of doing it. I'm working diligently to continue to build a business that serves those who want to have an organized life and space! I am now offering Virtual Organizing Services and Home Organizing Assessments, as well as the One-on One Professional Organizing Services.


I am very happy to be on a mentorship program in Feng Shui and am enjoying my readings and practice of all the materials!


I am reading a lot on business, marketing and of course organizing. I am so very grateful for being able to find my groove and be back to work after so many years as a stay-home-mother and so many relocations (5 in 10 years!).


So, how can I do all this and still enjoy family and go to bed early every night, living a healthy life? By being organized, having a plan for my year and by sticking to it!


First the tool! I use Google calendar but you can use any calendar you like. I love this one because it works for me and I can access it from anywhere and never miss an appointment!


Second I assign a color for each area of my life:
- Self
- Family - from parties to medical appointments.
- Kids School - I volunteer there as well
- Clients
- Company/Work related activities like business development & study, business meetings, coaching, networking, conferences etc.


With this color assignment I can "see" right away what's coming and who is getting my attention. I can also see how many clients I have each week and manage my time really well for them.


So, no matter what calendar system you use you can replicate this simple system by assigning colors and planning ahead. Use stickers to make it easy and even a dry-erase wall calendar, like the ones from At-a-Glance or 3M Sticky notes calendars.


January is also the month I get all the information for the year ahead updated, like school holidays, vacations, planned trips, birthdays, weddings, well-being and check up appointments, meetings, classes I'm attending etc. It's a great way to see the year ahead and just have a long term view of all our activities.


As a professional and a mother this is essential for both my professional development, success and most importantly, my sanity! 


Have a wonderful day and let me know how this post helps you get organized!


Life can be Simpler.

January 11, 2012

Organizing Bathroom with Multiple Users - and little storage space.

Here is a question from a Facebook Fan:
I have a question...how would you best organize a bathroom that is shared by three girls? (Don't laugh--:)) It has a 1/2 a cabinet on each side of the vanity, four square drawers in the middle and one medicine cabinet. There is a relatively good amount of space, but it's vague, kind of narrow and deep I guess. It's mostly the drawers that stump me. Not sure if I should fill one with headbands, another with brushes, etc. Or, if I should give each girl a drawer. Any suggestions?



Hello Distracted Mamma! Three girls and one bathroom, oh boy! No worries, we'll get that organized. I think that even if the girls share their hair supplies, on the long run they probably won't, so I think it's smart to give each one a drawer where you can keep the small, basic items each one uses: elastic/headbands, brush, combs and the like. On the larger (half-cabinet) area you could use long and narrow boxes (you can try Itso boxes from Target) or even kitchen utensils organizers, to have a tray you can pull in and out for easy access and that will make better use of a deep and narrow cabinet. Here you can have extra soaps, shampoos, body wash, tooth paste, Q-tips and items like these. On the other side you can store paper towels and hand towels (I'm assuming you have a linen closet and towels go there?) On the medicine cabinet I love to use a Medicine Cabinet Organizer in at least one of the shelves. You can keep everything medicine in there. When buying your organizing supplies always buy the same colors you decide to use in the space for everything, or if you prefer to organize the girls by color (I have twins and that's how people tell them apart!:-)) go for coordinating colors. If you have the space under the sink, use one of these gadgets: http://images.containerstore.com/catalogimages/110134/UmbraHideNSinkBathroom_a.jpg but my favorite arrangement here really is a shelf riser with 2-3 Itso bins underneath. I hope this helps you and simplifies the girls (and yours!) daily routine. If this doesn't help, send me pictures! I'll make sure you get an answer. :-)

January 10, 2012

Be your best helper!

As much as you feel tempted to just leave that little pile here, the other pile there, stop and take care of it. Maintaining a house is a lot easier when you tackle your "piles" right away. Be your first and BEST helper, don't procrastinate!

One exception: Do you live in a large home and don't want to be walking for miles? Designate a basket with wheels to be your "pile taker" and assign 15-20 min at the end of the day to put everything back. You'll know all is under control when you have an empty basket every morning! ;-)

www.containerstore.com
For storing toys, laundry, pool accessories or sporting equipment, our Large Wheeled Stacking Basket handles oversized storage jobs with ease. Heavy-duty handles and wheels make it easy to maneuver. If you want to stack one basket on top of another, simply flip down the handles.




"Some things you have to do every day. Eating seven apples on Saturday night instead of one a day just isn't going to get the job done." -- Jim Rohn

January 9, 2012

Clear Off Your Desk Day!

How organized is your desk? Today is National Organize your Desk Day! Make working easier by keeping a system for 1.office supplies, 2.daily use supplies - pens, paper clips etc, 3.one for materials you go to often (as reference) and 4. one for your to-do's (I call mine Action Center) and of course, 5. a good calendar system for your important appointments and due-dates. A clean surface is key for new ideas to come and flow!



January 6, 2012

The Care of the Home - from professional to full-time mom

I was in the supermarket, at checkout line with my sister, right after we talked about the difficulties of dealing with people who work in our home, the advantages and disadvantages of having help at home, when I heard the customer ahead of me in a negative comment about people who had household help, especially help with the laundry.
For her it is absurd to have someone washing her clothes for her! Her words: imagine! Someone going through my clothes, folding and storing for me, going through my closets!
I mention this example for a question that my Brazilian friends always ask me: how working mothers, who want to regain a part of life, can balance work with home life and not live exhausted without time for themselves.
I was a professional before moving to the US and since I left Brazil I started taking care of the home, do all the chores including cooking, laundry, shopping, cleaning and, of course, children. It was actually very strange and if I knew anything it was from observing Leda, my mom"s housekeeper. I grew up with a lot of help in the house and my mother is an M.D. and Medical school professor, a full-time professional. So, I did not expect that, when choosing to stay home with the boys, I would have the bonus of house cleaning etc! However, over time I learned how to do everything and on my first visit to my mother, it was actually very strange to have a house full of "people": nanny, maid, housekeeper! We were all bumping into each other, everyone working, a very unproductive choir of "order and counter order", and worse still, my mom and I unhappy with how the "team" did everything.
These days, here in the U.S., I maintain a cleaner who comes once a week. The house is cleaned and stays like that until normal life begins to happen again. I do the daily maintenance of the house, which is to vacuum the floor with a small vacuum, clean the kitchen daily, leaving everything clean and beautiful. I make the beds in the morning and keep the bathrooms clean. This is all done in the morning, so when I take the kids to school, the house is clean and tidy, ready to receive us when we returned later in the day. Even if I go back home after taking them to school, I keep this ritual, because then I have time to devote myself to what I really like: my study of Feng Shui and organizing, reading, blogging, gardening etc..
By my nature, the issue of domestic work has never had a the negative sense that it often has in Brazil, where it is still relegated to maids and over time I learned to enjoy the satisfaction of knowing-how, of being able to keep my house as I like, with my energy, and it's also a way of teaching my children how to take care of our space, which in Brazil is unheard of.
I'm not saying we have to do everything, but there are positives in knowing how, in appreciating the services that are provided to us, the knowledge of how to take care of our own space, of what and how we eat, the energy we keep in our house, which is actually our temple, where we re-energize daily. It strengthen our belief in our own ability to do things and provide to ourselves.
This may sound foreign to us in the US where we do all ourselves, where hired help as the model in Brazil, is quite expensive, but 
The beauty of doing this work ourselves is us to take our space, our food, which today is given to someone who we don't even know, who often we do not trust and even dislike, but for the needs created by ourselves, we believe we need to submit to them. The truth is, if it was so good and convenient, it wouldn't bother us at all.
What I believe is that it is important to explore new possibilities. Not creating a structure that actually traps us instead of helping us, that does not satisfy us and actually slaves. By relegating the complete care of the house and even of our children to third parties, we are actually excluding ourselves from our own lives, creating an obligation to work more and more to sustain an increasingly expensive structure that does not feed us and makes us resentful of the very life that we created.
Everything is relative and how culture influences us. For that client, who is working out of the house all day, it was preferable to wash, dry, fold, iron and store her own clothes, since having help would mean an invasion of her most intimate space, creating the need to deal with a stranger. For others, having this service may represent the possibility of having time to take up even more stuff to get busy with.
This holiday, let's take the opportunity to review what no longer serves us, which we no longer need in our lives and make room for the new. Perhaps, after all, putting the clothes in the closet can be a nice ritual, of silence and responsibility.
Always grateful,
Helena.

January 3, 2012

Month Planning Day

Month Planning Day should ideally happen on the first day of the month, simply because it will be an easy reminder for you. This will give you a long-term idea of what is to come, how far you need to plan ahead, what resources and materials you need to buy or schedule and best of all, when you will have free time for yourself and for your loved ones.

For this planning I suggest that you have with you:
-          Your personal calendar
-          Your spouse’s calendar
-          Your family calendar, if you use one.

I use a calendar that has a 2 page “month at a glance” space where I write down all the appointments, events and deadlines I need to fulfill in the following month.
It also has enough space to write my
1. Appointments,
2. A Task List and
3. Daily Notes.

Find one that fits you the best. There’s really no ideal calendar, one-size-fits-all. Electronic or paper, it has to fit your needs!

Now that you are ready, go through your notes, all those pieces of paper you have scattered around the house, close to the phone or in your purse and go through them, one by one, putting down on your calendar the appointment that was made, the phone call you’ll have to return or that deadline you have coming up.

Using the information of your spouse’s calendar, fill in – I use a different color for my husband’s schedule – any information that is relevant for your family schedule, like “dinner on 05/18”. Knowing when you can count on your spouse for dinner, kids pick up or drop off has a direct impact on your planning – and your sanity!

Next, enter all the kids’ classes, practice time, appointments, school exams, play dates and parties. If it’s easier for you, use different colors here too.

Now that you have everybody listed on your calendar, you can already see when the days are going to be tight in time – and therefore require a more flexible dinner, homework, house chores schedule and the days you will actually have time to do the laundry, enjoy your family sitting around the table or even your favorite TV show.

I also like to include in my planning my household chores. I like to know that the kids won’t be living out of laundry baskets or that there won’t be dinner because I didn’t shop for the week. So, checking on your already planned calendar, look in what day of the week you could include your laundry and your grocery shopping. I know many moms like to cook some of the week dinners on Sunday and freeze them or that prepare double batches and freeze one (my personal favorite). This is a great solution if you work out of the house or if you spend your afternoons driving the kids to their practices – or in my case, both. Nothing better than getting home knowing you are ready for dinner!

Plan your meals ahead, make a list of what you need and while you are at it, check your pantry. You will have accomplished 2 great things:
-          A month’s worth of peace of mind, because you know what’s coming.
-          A list of dinners for the following weeks and
-          The grocery list of all you need to feed your kids hungry tummies!

Finally, if you use a family calendar (like the kitchen one), put down all the main events you marked in yours. This will give you a source of information, when you are answering the phone, while cooking and need to give an answer there and now.

Now go ahead and give yourself a round of applause. You are a mom, a hero and you should be proud of yourself!

Life is Simpler when you are prepared.


This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

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