Charming CHARLIE Fashion store is one Organized Store!

What kind of store will attract an Organizer? A store that is organized by Color!

This store uses two of my favorite organizing things

1) Organizes with color
2) Organizes with Cubbies

I love how they organize their whole store by colors.  There are items in several places. There might be a necklace or purse that you like in pink, but you need it in green…. go over to the green zone and you may find it!

Be sure to check out my whole post on Charming Charlies that also have a video on my Explore Ohio with Sandy blog!

Organizing in a Hotel Room

Do you even bother to try?

I know for some a hotel room is a free ride to be messy! No worries that neighbors will drop in, someone will make your bed for you in the morning and bring you fresh towels…

What do you do when you stay at a hotel?

Do you put your clothes away or live out of your suit case?

This is what I normally do to stay organized in a hotel room.

I like to unpack right away.  When I first get in, I like to get my clothes out of my suitcase as soon as I can to keep them from being more wrinkled.  I hang them up and use the drawers to put them away.  I think like to hide my empty suitcase in the closet.

I get my toiletries and put them in the bathroom, set up the needed electronics for my computer and phone by my bed.

I like to try and keep my room neat….but you know what? If I’m in a hurry..I too have been known to just throw stuff on the bed or not put clothes away if I am running in or running out of my room. I am certainly not neurotic about it.

This last week it was almost impossible to be organized. There were 3 of us in the room and we were racing from one event to another…..literally we might be in to grab something or to change like a quick change artist and run back out to our next event.  Of course all the while dropping off bags of swag that we were given.

I did unpack when I first got there.  My roommates prefer to just open their suitcases and live out of those.  That is fine…that is how they like it. You take that….and 3 people in a small bathroom with no counters and tons of swag bags all around and you don’t have an organized Hotel room…you have a very messy one.

Did it freak me out…nope.  I was fine with it.  It was a crazy week and we had crazy stuff coming into our room. I didn’t fret or do my freak out thing (I can’t stand all this stuff!!!….aaggghhhh).  Now…if it was a long term situation…it would have been different. But it was just a temporary mess….

We had fun..and spending fun time with my friends was more important than trying to figure out how to have a neat room.

Organizing for Conferences

Or should I say organizing for Craziness!

I attended another blogging conference last week called Blogher.  It is a huge conference and was held in New York City.  I thought I was organized going into it….but soon found out that all of my best efforts still not enough to handle the craziness of this fun filled pack 4 days.

This is a conference that you have many unbelievably good teaching sessions going on, you have 2 levels of expo hall to go through and see all the Brands…and then you have the Brand parties.  Lots of them….overlapping times….subways and taxi’s away from each other…..the craziness.

There are some open parties that anyone attending the conference can go to. But most everything required RSVP’s.  Then you have the Brand parties that either you were invited to or another blogger was able to invite you to as a guest.

My schedule on Thursday was the worse.  Trying to decide what to go to, figuring out the times and the worse part of it is trying to get from one to another on time.  For the most part on the schedule I was on….I couldn’t get to everything I wanted.

I had printed out all the party invites and information.
I had mapped out the locations on paper
I had loaded all the addresses of each place I had to be in my Droid X phone to use the map feature
I had printed out a step by step list of times, locations of parties and times.

I am glad I did what I did…because without what I did…I never stood a chance.  But  even with all of that….I still felt kind of lost…overwhelmed.

I think I felt like I wasn’t fully in control of the situation….like I feel comfortable with.

Just saying that even with the best laid plans….sometimes we can still be overwhelmed  

Do you ever feel like that with situations?  Just wanted to let you know…you aren’t alone.

Working Outside the Home

Working outside the home and raising kids isn’t easy

I have been very lucky in my lifetime.  Since I had my 2nd child, I have not had to work full time outside the home.  So I might not be the best authority to write about Working outside the home.

But….I do know the challenges that I have had to go working part time outside the home.

First off – if it is what you want to be doing and you love it… All the more power to ya.

If you are doing it because you have no choice (like so many people I know) and you wish you could be at home….I sympathize with you.  It would be very hard to keep up with all the cleaning, cooking, laundry and chores of the house…along with school projects, sports, open houses at school….etc, etc, etc….

I can see how the house can become a mess…how clutter can build up faster than you can imagine….and how you can be completely over whelmed.

What is the solution?

I’m not sure of that honestly. I wish I could wave my magic organizer fairy wand and make everything easy and wonderful.

But I do know that if you are organized in your routines, where things are in your home and are disciplined to do what you need to do…when you need to do it – it would make things go much smoother.

Working from Home

What does Working from Home look like to you?

(This picture was actually on Black Friday morning (I also had a mini computer up and running to the left.  Normally I only work on one computer. LOL)

It is a dream of yours to be able to work at home?  Do you work at home and wish you could get out of your home?

Jennifer talked about balance yesterday in her post. That is so true – it is hard to keep the balance.  But I want to talk today about what you hope to accomplish out of working from home?

Do you think you are productive working at home…..or not disciplined enough to be productive.

For me….it is a blessing.
I have worked and still do out of the home – in nursing.  But majority of my work is out of the home now.  My organizing business is of course a combination. I organize in other people’s homes….but I can still make my own schedule.  But I have been doing more blogging, social media work now than actual in house organizing.

With having 9 year old triplets I still have to get them back and forth to school (we don’t have busing any more), so this allows me to take and pick them up without a problem.

I admit that you have to be disciplined to work out of your home.   Here are a few tips that help me:

1) I keep the TV and radio off.
2) I make lists of what I need to accomplish
3) I try to keep my phone calls to a minimum unless they are work related
4) I try to schedule specific days that I get my laundry done etc.

I don’t know about you, but there are some days when I am highly motivated and can throw back all kinds of work.  Then other days when I am just not “there” and don’t get nearly as much accomplished as I had hoped.   But what is nice is that on my  ”off” days I can go slower…and on my “on” days I can work extra to make up for it.  In an office or official away from home job – you don’t get that luxury.

My husband and I have an on going joke.  He asks what I did today.  I frequently will say…. “I put my feet up and watched Oprah and ate bon bons hun”.

Actually my husband is very supportive of my blogging and social media.  Since it isn’t bringing in enough to pay all the bills yet….that is a good thing!

Launching Explore Ohio with Sandy Blog!

Letting others know about places to visit in Ohio

I’ve lived in Ohio almost my entire life. Believe it or not there are still places I haven’t explored myself.  But there are a lot of little places around that I enjoy that I thought I wanted to let other people from Ohio know about.

Explore Ohio with Sandy will be my adventures with and without my family to places around Ohio. Some big….some just local businesses.  This will not be the end all be all site to everything in Ohio.  But I will link to several of those sites for references.  But this will be a lot of videos and actual visits to places so you can get a feel for what they really are like.

If you are from Ohio….I’d love for you to subscribe so you don’t miss anything.  Also…let me know if you have been to these places yourself…and what you think!!

I will also be having guest bloggers!  So if you have visited or are going to visit some places in Ohio…take some pictures, use your video camera and let us know about it!

Businesses will have an opportunity to place their photos in my slide show header.

Preparing for Medical Emergencies

There are no warnings for medical emergencies

So how do you plan for an medical emergency ahead of time?  Well, you don’t necessarily plan for the actual event…but there are things you can do that can help during a medical transition.

Medications

First thing I am going to go over with you is having a list of everyone’s medications…including doses and concentrations with you.

When I answer phones in triage at the pediatricians office I work at, I can’t tell you how many people have no idea what medicines their children are on. They tell me to look it up in their chart.  Of course I can do that….but as a parent ….YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS INFORMATION!

The same goes for your spouse. Know what medicines he or she takes daily. Know the dose …if you can’t remember them …write them down and keep them in your purse.  Or you can keep a running list in your smart phone.  Easy to change and update….easy to access.

Allergies

Make sure you know what allergies your children and your spouse have. If there are medications they are allergic to…KNOW THEM.  If you can’t remember….again keep a list in your purse or wallet …or you can have them in your smart phone.

Immunizations

This is the other item you need to know.  I had to answer when Dave’s last tetus was. I actually had to call my office yesterday and have one of my Dr. check my chart. Yes we are a peds office…but I keep an employee chart for myself. I also keep my hubbies info in there for an easy reference. Since I didn’t follow my own advice that I am giving …(I’ll admit it….)  I had to call and ask when his last tetanus was. I knew it was in the last 5 years…but I wanted to know for sure. I found out it was in 2008 and he did not need another one at the ER.

But this is something that you really should have available. All those school forms and camp forms you have to fill out.  You can be putting in those dates yourself when you send them to the Dr. office (we LOVE that!!)…then all we have to do is get the Dr. signature.  But it is great information to have at your fingertips and you will be amazed at how often it will come in handy.

Be prepared….hopefully you will never need the information for an emergency room….but you will be ready if you do.

Organize for 4th of July celebrations

You might be staying at home or venturing out, but make your lists!

When ever you plan for the 4th of July or any  holidays, vacations or just weekend get aways….you usually always forget something if you aren’t prepared.

You might just be staying at home and grilling out for your family, or some friends for the fourth….but you will still need some supplies you weren’t counting on. Chances are you might be going to some friends house for fireworks , or going on a weekend camping or getaway trip.

Get out Your Paper and Pen and start your list for what you will need to have for your 4th of July celebration.  Here are just a few suggestions:
1)Cooler
2)Ice – Make your own ahead if there is time!
3)Food/Drink
4)Place settings/cups
5)Napkins/paper towels
6)Trash Bags
7)Bug Spray
8)Sun Screen
9)Lighter
10)First aid kit

There is the beginning of the list. Of course there is more, but be prepared.  Have a fun 4th of July weekend and please be safe if you are going to be messing with fireworks and even sparklers!

Your day/weekend will go much smoother if you have it planned out and aren’t forgetting half the things you need.

Consumer Queen Needs our help!

Oklahoma Flooding – Consumer Queen’s house flooded

We see something like this…and we CAN help.

I just read this post that Monica – Mommy Brain Reports wrote about her (and my) dear friend Melissa – Consumer Queen . I couldn’t believe it. You can read her post from earlier today as she is just learning the news. This is what us bloggers do. If something it out of our control….writing helps us deal with it.
This all happened today. She had over 2 feet of water in her house. Everything is ruined. She called the insurance company to find out that nothing is going to be covered. This is the house that they just moved into a couple of months ago. Her mother needed help and they needed to move them in with them. So they had to find a bigger house. Her husband @ConsumerKing has Ankylosing Spondylitis which is a degenerative disease that causes much pain and can be debilitaing. He isn’t able to work and because of this she has to work full time in order to get medical insurance for the family. He just had a hip replacement a couple of months ago and has to walk with a cane. That is him out in the water. He just recused a woman and her daughter from the flood waters. Unbelivable!

They are Safe

Thank goodness they are all safe. That is the most important thing. Monica told me that she got a call while she was at work with her kids screaming and crying that the water was rushing into the house from everywhere. Her boss drove her home to find the firemen getting her family and animals out. They are staying with her mother in law….but realizing everything is gone…and no money to replace it. Devastating!!! The house will have to be gutted. Everything replaced. Can’t even imagine.

Donations

We can help. Even if you could donate $5 or $10…it will add up. Monica started this campaign and I can assure you that it is completely up and up. I know them both personally and it is no scam. Promise!!

This is Melissa and I at SXSW this year.
Thanks for anything you can do to help her!

Open Sky Shop Opening Soon!

I am excited to announce that I will be opening an Open Sky shop next week!! I always love to recommend things that I find….now I will be able to send you to my very own shop and have them in one place!

Open Sky is still working to bring on new vendors, and I have gone to several of the products that I have reviewed and asked them to join Open Sky – because I really liked their products and want to include them in my shop.

I am going to try and feature a product of the week. Some of the things I will have reviewed myself. Others I may have used in the past or have used something similar. Still others I just saw in the Open Sky shop and wanted to carry them in my own shop because…

1) They look like a great idea and I think could be very useful
2) I think they looked fun and cute.

Not everything in my shop will be “just for organizing”. That is what I look for first when I am scanning all the products. But I do want to also carry other items that I have used or think look like they would be cool.

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