Goals not Resolutions

What is the difference between a New Year’s Goal and a New Year’s Resolution?

A goal is something you are striving for.  A resolution is something you say “will happen before next year”. You are resolved that it is going to happen.  I think that is the reason people don’t like them. There is no “give”.  Then people feel defeated when they aren’t living up to what they want to do, and they quit.

What are your goals?

By the way, doing what that guy is doing is NOT one of my goals! lol  (photo from Google photos)

The same thing happens with organizing.  Someone wants it “perfect” and when they aren’t achieving that, they end up just giving up and things get out of control.

I have goals this year. Many of them are things I’m always working on.  But here is a list of my goals:

1) Get up around 6am. Go to bed by 11pm
2) Work on my blog in the morning BEFORE I open any other windows to start my job.
3) Work towards working my job 9-5 M-F instead of 7am-11pm M-Sunday.
4) Exercise everyday. Walking (with goals of jogging 1 mile) and maybe a Zumba DVD the other day.
5) Lose this extra weight I am carrying around (that is heavy to carry! lol)

Sit down today, if you haven’t already done so and write out at least five goals you have for this year. Something to strive for, something to work towards.  Don’t beat yourself up & give up, if you aren’t where you need to be at a certain point.  Work slowly and steadily.

Exercise has always been a thorn in my side. I wasn’t athletic in school and I’ve never had a good routine that I have maintained for any real length of time.  I picture myself as someone in shape who can run! I am inspired by watching the Biggest Loser. I always think, “hey, if people that have that much extra weight can do this, then there is no reason that I shouldn’t be able to do this.”

With work there is so much work to be done, that I could work 15 hours everyday and still have things that I could be doing. That is one down fall of working from home – work is always there. lol  But I think it is about the only down fall I can think of. I love everything else about it. I love being able to sit in my family room with my feet up, with my turtle neck and hoodie and tennis shoes on and working. cool huh? (I’m not a PJ worker).  But I’ve not been able to keep up with my blog and one of my goals is to give it more time this year.

What are your goals for the new year?

Kids Are So Proud When They Make Cards Themselves

Majority of the time we have the kids make their own cards.  It is cost effective ..yes, but more than that, they get such a sense of pride when they make their own cards.

Look at Alex’s face as John (his step brother) reads his card. I think the triplets were about 6 years old here.

He was so excited for John to read his joke.

Here is Zach while John is reading his.

I absolutely LOVE this picture of John and Zach hugging. Look at Zach’s face. Then look at John’s heartfelt face. There is just so much love and a feeling of pride for Zachy there.

Here are some cards they made for Dave. The kids were 8 years old.

This is a terrible picture of Dave since I got him with his eyes half shut… but look at Elise’s face. She is so excited he is comparing himself to the picture she drew of him.

Kids have so much creativity in them.  I think we need to encourage that anyway we can.  Why go out and pay $2-5 per card at the store?  Let the kids grab some of their construction paper, crayons or markers and go to being their creative selves.  There are pennies in the supplies and you don’t have so spend hours trying to find “Just the right card” for the different occasions.

They are going to get much more satisfaction out of making a card.

Dave and I would both rather have a home made card from the kids. You never know what they are going to come up with and they certainly are something that are going to be more cherished than if they sign their name to a card that Hallmark wrote.  They are just so excited to have you look at their cards.

But here is an important clue.  Give their cards as much or more attention to the store bought gift that may or may not go with it!

Help for the Those Paper Piles!

Does Your Desk Look like this …or worse?
Piles of papers can get overwhelming…and things get lost in them! I think most all of us tend to stack the mail and make piles. The problem lies in what you do with those piles.

There are vertical drawer files, vertical desk top files…but for some people – those just don’t seem to fit their style. They want to pile.
Pendaflex has come up with an answer for the pilers! It is their desk top filer and it is piling! The PileSmart® Desktop Organizer Tray! There are dividers that you can label to divide your piles and make some sense of what you have.

I think it looks great. You can label the tabs and they are erasable. They are sturdy enough that you just left them up easily to slide your papers under. The PileSmart® Desktop Organizer Tray is made of durable acrylic and is slightly slanted towards the back corner to keep your papers looking neat.

This is that same pile of papers afterwards. Looks much better than that pile doesn’t it? I didn’t label the tabs, because I haven’t fully decided how I am going to use this….but I did want to show you what it looks like.

Here are the PileSmart View Folders with Write on Tabs

These are pocket folders that are open on the side to make sliding in things very easy. You can also use these in the trays if you would like.

Then check out these cute clips! The PileSmart® Binder Label Clips can clip together your documents quickly and see what they are at a snap. You can write on the plastic label’s with a pen.

You can find all of these products online.

1. PileSmart® Desktop Organizer Tray
-Buy Online Now

2. PileSmart® Binder Label Clips
-Buy Online Now

3. PileSmart® View Folders with Write-On Tabs
-Buy Online Now

Re-purposing a bookshelf in a closet is thinking outside the box.

This picture is actually looking into a closet.  I had a challenge with a client. Organize all these office supplies.  There was a small closet in the room and a bar across it and a couple of little shelves that had been left by a previous owner. There was no need for clothes for this office….and I wanted to utilize this space.

The client had  this bookshelf that wasn’t being used.  I did all the measurments before I had it moved into the room.  It was going to fit! I was So excited!

Now for the containers.  I wanted to use a clear plastic so that you could easily see what was in them.  I measured the shelf height and length to make sure I could get the most use out of the space…knowing I was buying the right size baskets or plastic boxes.

If you notice I have the lids off the boxes.  It would look very nice and neat to have them on, but would things get put back as easy if you had to lift a lid to do it?  This was a place that I could leave them open and easily accessible.  But….I did put the lid directly under the basket so that you don’t have to worry about losing them…and they are there if you want to use them.

Excuses don’t get the work done but the Organizing Fairy can right?

(You can’t see a fairy’s face you know….they won’t come to visit if you see their face….don’t you know anything?  Duh? lol)

I know..I know…we all wish we had one (I do too some days….although I would much rather have a cooking & cleaning fairy). But unless we do have an organizing fairy…guess what? The job still needs to get done.  Unless you always want to be living in a messy zone.  So even though we can have a zillion excuses….we still need to find a way to get the job done.

I know…that is the yucky part right?  So the question now is..how?

The first Step is schedule the time to do it. Get out that calendar.

I know it would be wonderful if we could add 4 hours to each day in order to get more done….but unfortunately life doesn’t work that way.

Block out a couple hours in your schedule a few times a week.  If there is a way you can devote several hours to get started…that would be wonderful, but if not – do what you can.

Maybe turn off the reality show (DVR it!) and use that time if you work during the day.
It might have to be after the kids are in bed if you can’t get anything accomplished while they are up.
It might be that you need to bring in a babysitter for a few hours or have in in-law watch them.

It is all about priorities. If this is a priority to get done in your life, then you need to put it on as a priority in order to get it done.

It is possible this site might be down for a bit in the next 2-3 days. I am transferring hosting sites. The other blogs will follow soon…
Thanks
Sandy

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.

Usually the first step is to find the floor!

Usually teens (like most of us) have too much “stuff”. There is more stuff than places to put the stuff – so it is easier to just throw it on the floor. Keep in mind this isn’t always the case. My oldest son (at home) has plenty of storage space…but stuff is still on the floor – but he could still stand to declutter again.

Starting at the Beginning means starting with Sorting

Be armed with Black trash bags (trash) and white trash bags (donate).

Then remember your sorting basics.  Don’t spend more time on each item than about 5-10 seconds.  You don’t want to start reminiscing or you will never get the job done.  If they still have all kinds of stuffed animals or toys from their childhood (and they are teens)..help them pick out a couple special ones to keep (if they want to keep any). Take pictures of others if they are having a hard time deciding or not sure about getting rid of things.

If there are clothes that you need to keep to pass down to other children in your family. I suggest clear bins (so you can see what is in them) and be sure to label them well.

Work with them and have them decide: Make paper sorting cards to help remember what to do with their things.

1) Keep – Do I LOVE it? Do I WEAR it? Do I USE it? Does it FIT?
2) Donate – I DON’T like it and will not wear it, It DOESN’T fit, I DON’T use it.
3) Move – It doesn’t BELONG in my Bedroom
4) Storage - This can be season sports supplies or things they need to keep but don’t use but once or twice a year.
5) Trash – It is trash, broken, torn or worn out

Let them just make piles (they love piles anyway right?)  on the floor for the different categories.  If there is not floor space to begin with. I suggest piling everything in one big pile and then going through it.

Napo stands for National Association of Professional Organizers

This post is for all those Professional Organizers who are going to be attending the NAPO conference in Columbus Ohio this week!!  The ladies at the Ohio NAPO chapter have been working SO hard to make sure that you all have a fantastic time.  They wanted to come up with something really fun and different and I think they have out done themselves!

The NAPO AMAZING RACE will be so fun!  There will be teams and you will have clues and have to go from expo booth to expo booth….remember having scavenger hunts as a kid?  You’ve got it!

I can’t wait to see you all.  I will actually not be in the sessions because I have a table in the Expo hall. But I WILL be a part of the AMAZING RACE!!   will be selling the pouchees purse organizer and also card cubbies (that aren’t even in my online store yet).  Be sure to stop by my table and say hi…along with getting a deal!  OR you may win one of them in the RACE!

Don’t miss “Amazing Race” NAPO – a new Networking Mixer at the NAPO 2010 Conference hosted by NAPO-Ohio Chapters

WHAT IS THE NAPO AMAZING RACE?
Teams of NAPO members will race against each other in the completion of tasks designed to get them to know each other and learn more about the exhibitors

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?

All NAPO conference attendees

WHERE?

Expo Hall at the NAPO 2010 Conference

WHEN?

Wednesday evening 4/21 from 7:15 – 9:30 pm

WHY?

You’ve asked for a fun Conference networking event, plus we have awesome Prizes! Over 80% of our exhibitors are participating and FIVE winning teams will walk away with some pretty amazing stuff and I’m guessing some pretty amusing memories.

COST?

Absolutely nothing!

HOW DO I GET IN ON THIS?

Just make sure you’re at the exhibitor hall by 7PM that evening and stop at the Amazing Race table near the entrance!

QUESTIONS?

email Andrea Sharb, NAPO-Ohio President at agsharb@mac.com

Pet Supply Storage

Organizing Your Pet Supplies can be tricky.  If you have pets you realize that they do not come without their “stuff”.  There are leashes, brushes, nail clippers, etc…  There are some things you need to think about when you are organizing your pets supplies.

Organizing Supplies

Decide on the Location

Each family has to decide what place will work best for their home and their needs.  Either one spot in the garage, or mudroom or laundry room. Maybe you have space in your back hallway  that will work. Using a piece of furniture like I did might work for you. It can go right by the back sliding door where the dogs come in and out.

Gather all the dog paraphernalia

The first thing you should do in organizing your supplies is to sort through them.  Decide if you (your pet) still use this item or if it is too small, or worn out or too dirty.  If it can be donated, it would be great to donate to a shelter. If not, then pitch it.   Medicines, leashes, brushes and clippers, bandanas, clothes (if your dog wears them).  The food might need to go in a separate spot or toys. It depends on space. But try to keep as many of the little things together as possible.

Decide on a solution for storage

This is the solution that I have found for my 2 dogs.

Pet Supply cabinet

The top 2 drawers have the most frequently used items. Their leashes and their brushes.

These two drawers have their shampoos and and medications they have along with a sweater for Gizzy (that she doesn’t wear much) and a small dog bowl that we use outside.

The bottom two drawers have towels (when feet are wet and muddy) and an old dog halo collar.  We keep their dog food out in the garage in a sealed plastic roller bin.  Their toys are in a basket in the family room where they can reach them and their dog biscuits are in a Longenberger basket on the counter.  But all the rest of their supplies are in this chest of drawers.

Here are some other ideas for Storage

You can use peg board and baskets in the garage. Or just some unique peg board like in the picture

Photo taken from Lowe's Creative Ideas for Organizing Your Home magazine, copyright 2003

You can make a pet supply closet like I found on this blog post by the Organizing Aussie Check this out because I LOVE this.

Photo taken from the Lowe's Creative ideas for Organizing your Home magazine. copyright 2003

How fun is this? If you have the space in your mud room or where ever your food is located – take a new metal trash can and paint it cute for your dog food.

Be creative and fun – Think outside the box but be sure to keep your pets supplies together.