Each year when my children go back to school it takes me back too. Not only do I go back to where my children were the year before but I also take myself back to my days in school. Not college, goodness couldn’t do that to myself again! I like going back to the K-12 years.

For me, it was all about what new outfit was I going to wear and the squeaky shoes on the newly waxed floors of the school. There is always that buzz of excitement when you realize who your teachers are. It’s almost electric!!! I really like new school supplies. There is just something about the untouched points on the crayons along with the brand new erasers on the pencils. Then there’s all of the blank pages in my notebooks just waiting for me to write all of my answers and thoughts into. Just writing this takes me back!

Now, I have 2 boys left at home and they could care less about all of that! They do like me to help them organize their binders with the tab dividers. For me, back to school now means getting my ...

Patriotism and inspiration are in the air….

I was watching the Olympics with my family last night, which truly inspires me. I feel like I can achieve ANYTHING when I see the athletes push through to do their very best. Don’t you? Well, this got me thinking….what if we were to think of our homes as an Olympic venue? What if we could host at least 5-10 events in a 2 week period just like the Olympic

What would that look like?

For me, it would look something like this…

Sprinting through lots of 15 minute projects

This is a good place to start unless you are an expert.

By tackling one or more of these a day you’ll be in shape like an athlete!

-dresser drawers

-junk drawers

-spice cabinet

-medicine cabinet

-cupboards ( 1 at a time)

-bookcase 

What you want to look for is anything expired, no longer wanted, no longer useful or you just don’t want it. Then you want to make the space more functional for YOU. You may add organizing accessories once you are finished.  

Marathon ...

What is it with the junk drawer? Everyone has at least 1, but probably more! Why do we have them?  Is it because we just don’t know what to do with that little random thing? Is it because we don’t feel like putting things back where they belong so they end up in the junk drawer as temporary storage? Sometimes I wonder if there is any rhyme or reason to what we hang onto.

Mostly, I see the junk drawer as a place of miscellaneous storage… which by itself is not such a bad thing. However, once the junk drawer can no longer be contained and grows into more than one, it’s time to make a change. Have you noticed that you can’t find a darn thing in the junk drawer?  I wonder why…..you need some organizing of that space.

The first thing I did for mine was to ask what was the purpose of my junk drawer? Is it to catch the stuff that winds up on the kitchen counter? Is it to make life easier by putting items in there that you would otherwise need to go into other areas of the house to find? ...

As a new entrepreneur I have been fortunate enough to spend  my first summer home with the boys in 10 years.  I am home unless I am out working with an organizing client. Some weeks, I am gone more than others. Try to find the balance in that! Well, I realized after about 3 weeks of not getting anything work related done unless it was outside my house I needed to make a change. I was going crazy watching another day go by and work piling up. As an entrepreneur it’s all on ME to get my work done. Since I’m a professional organizer I did what comes natural….

I made a SCHEDULE!

Yep, it had to be done. There was one for me and one for the boys. Yes, I know you are probably one of the bleeding hearts out there that says summer should be for the children to have fun. Well, there was still PLENTY of time for fun in the schedule. My high schooler was given work to do from the school and not me so he had things to do. My middle schooler however, needed a little work in math to keep the ...

            Once upon a time not so long ago there lived a woman who was married with 4 children who hid from just about everyone she knew that she was a closet clutterer. (GASP!) Do you know her?

-She stashes things into drawers, closets, under the beds and in her bedroom when company comes over.

-She can’t find anything once the company leaves

-She drags out the stuff she stashed only to add more to it

-Everyone thinks she is so organized

-She forgets to pay a bill every now and then because she misplaced it

            Do you know her? I do…very well. She was me!!!!!! I was the closet clutterer, it’s out in the open and I have nothing to hide anymore. It wasn’t something I was proud of, obviously I was embarrassed by it. I didn’t know what to do about it.  Until one day….

            I saw my son stashing stuff under his bed! It actually hit me that he was learning this from me! There was so  much stuff under his bed that it was sticking out because there was no more...

It only happens once a year but when it does it is AMAZING!  What I’m referring to  started out yesterday with a simple question, “Mom, will you help me fold my stuff?” Even though it was my day off from organizing paying clients, there’s never a day off at home! However, this is the kid I nagged all throughout the school year to clean up his room, hang up his clothes, make his bed, etc. Then I remembered, he did the same thing last summer with the purge and completely rearranged the furniture in his room without any help! This is his purge season. He emptied out his dresser drawers and the closet. He knew what to do, sort into 3 piles: Keep, throw away and donate. He even knew what types of things needed to be thrown away. Anything with stains or holes went into his trash pile. I really only folded the items he was keeping. The kid did it all! In a little over an hour the task was complete. My son told me how hard it had been to concentrate all through the school year in his room with...

ORGANIZING FROM THE INSIDE

It's everything from how we talk to ourselves to how we let others speak to us. It can be the emotional stuff we've been carrying around for years. It's kept us from living our fullest self.  

DEVELOPING A PERSONAL MISSION STATEMENT

This is truly important in defining who you are instead of who people have told you you are. It moves you to a place of empowerment. 
Must begin to create a mission statement by answering these statements:
I am happy when __________.
What matters to the most is _______.
I want people to know me for________.
The qualities I wish to possess are _______.
The things I won't compromise are ______.
The people I wish to emulate possess the following qualities _______________.
My perfect day would consist of __________.

Then you must write this out in a paragraph by combining all of these statements. I want you to use pen and paper, old school. Then you must read and edit. Make 3 copies. Place one beside your bed to read before you go to sleep...

I like to use words of inspiration to carry me through any challenging situations I may find myself in. Please consider using them in your life as well. 

"Success is high you bounce when you hit rock bottom." George Patton

" You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face." Eleanor Roosevelt

"People often say that this or that person has not yet found himself. But the self is not something that one finds. It is something that one creates."  Thomas Szasz

"Expect the best; convert problems into opportunities; be dissatisfied with the status quo; focus on where you want to go, instead of where you are coming from; and most importantly, decide to be happy, knowing it's an attitude, a habit gained from daily practice, and not a result or payoff."  Denis Waitley

" I don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well. " Diane Ackerman

Let me start by saying, Cheers! A wine tasting is a wonderful way for you and your guests to try out new  wines. A tasting affords people the chance to get out and socialize. Having an event like this is a lot fun. It  should not be a stressful thing. I am giving you some simple tips on hosting because I know you can be a terrific host.  Let me start by dispelling a few myths- -You don’t have to know a lot about wine, you don’t even have to know anything! -You don’t have to get all fancy unless you want to! -There is no wrong way to do one, for goodness sake the wine police will not take you away! -You don’t have to be rich to host one!  So, now you know you can do this, let’s learn how…

1. I want you to pick a date to host your event

2. Figure out what you would like to drink. If you are a beginner wine drinker I would like to make a couple of suggestions to you. Start with a white wine. I would recommend Moscato(very sweet), Riesling( make sure to get the sweet one), or a white win...

"I'm so busy."

"I'm too busy."

How many times have you said these words? Me, about a million! I used to say it so much it seemed to be my mantra.

Having a mantra like that brought out the worst in me. As today's society encourages this "busy" mentality as if it's a badge of honor, I got sucked right into it. I am sharing a bit of my story in hopes that you can avoid my mistakes.

Truthfully, I got a little temporary ego boost from all of my "busy". Let me describe my "busy"- I was a Religious education teacher at our church, a Creative Memories Consultant, PTA President (2 years), on the Prinicipal's Advisory Council, Superintendent's Advisory Council and decided to go back to work full time while getting my 2 boys to all of their activities while my husband worked a job that was always more than 40 hours! I don't tell you these so you can pat me on the back but to share with you my insanity. Maybe you are thinking, 'that's not too bad"? Well, for me it was too much! Now, I know my ...