Guest Blogger - Patty Kreamer from Bye Bye Clutter

I am thrilled to have Patty Kreamer for a guest blogger today. Her web site Bye Bye Clutter has resources, books she has written to buy and her blog. She gives a great thoughts on how clutter can make you feel. Read on!






— ORGANIZING TIPS FOR WORKING WOMEN —

Clutter, Clutter Everywhere…
and Not a Thing Can Be Found!

By Patty Kreamer
Certified Professional Organizer®
Stressed out? Check out the effect that clutter can have on your life. Remove the clutter, and you’ll immediately notice the difference!
Stress is a major contributing factor to poor health. Physical clutter adds to that stress, often without your knowledge, because clutter is what you no longer see. You walk around the piles of magazines, and you really don’t see them. But I can guarantee that your head and stomach “feel” them; you get a wave of guilt from ignoring the problem. Perhaps you fear throwing things away because you might miss something.

A way to test this stress theory is to remove the clutter and feel the difference. If you are having a difficult time seeing the clutter in question, take a look around your space through a stranger’s eyes, as if company were coming. This is a surefire way to bring into awareness all of the items that you have been ignoring for a long time.

Clutter has no conscience.
Clutter can:
· Make you sick
· Make you feel tired
· Affect your body weight
· Keep you living in the past
· Cause or worsen depression
· Make you put your life on hold
· Induce a feeling of shame and guilt
· Be the main cause of procrastination
· Add unnecessary confusion to your life
· Make you feel that there is no alternative
· Affect how people treat and/or respect you
· Cause disharmony among family, friends, or co-workers

Clutter is nothing more than unmade decisions.
The existence of physical clutter should come as no surprise since we live in such a prosperous country. The problem is that we want everything and we want it NOW. Since we live in a climate of instant gratification, we can have most things whenever we want them. But we don’t need most of what we have in our lives. The "stuff" accumulates and is never given a proper home. Thus, clutter is born.
If you’re able to get your physical clutter under control, the mental clutter is likely to follow without much effort, since one usually causes the other. Have you noticed that when you go into a cluttered room or office, you immediately tense up? If you go into that same room or office after you have decluttered it, you feel liberated. Your time becomes yours again, your priorities fall back into place, and best of all, your health may improve.

Patty Kreamer, Certified Professional Organizer® and owner of Kreamer Connect, Inc., provides speaking, coaching and consulting services to businesses and organizations who value effective practices that will leave their people being more efficient, empowered and proud of their accomplishments.
Do you want to be a much more organized person? Patty’s groundbreaking books, “…But I Might Need It Someday!” and The Power of Simplicity are available for purchase at www.ByeByeClutter.com. Or if you prefer a “baby-steps” online/workbook-based course, check out the Clutter Rescue Course®, which will transform a life of clutter, wasted time, frustration and overwhelm to one of power, simplicity and organization.
If you’re looking for a fun, dynamic, and effective speaker, or if your company would benefit from a productivity coach or consultant, Patty is available in person, by teleconference, webinar and phone. Email her directly at patty@ByeByeClutter.com or call her at 412-344-3252.
Patty can also be contacted via Twitter, LinkedIn, FaceBook, Plaxo/Pulse, or her blog. For useful tips, sign up for her free monthly e-newsletter at www.ByeByeClutter.com.
©2009 Kreamer Connect, Inc. Permission granted to reprint this article as long as the text and by-line are not changed. Complete text must be reprinted intact with all links made live.

Guest Blogger - Heather from Just Doing My Best

Heather of Just Doing My Best has a great blog with all kinds of information and cost effective solutions. I saw this post and thought it was great. I didn't know you could make a cleaner this easy so I thought my readers would be interested too!
Thanks so much Heather for your blog and being gracious and sharing with us.

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Thank you to Sandy for asking me to guest post on her website. I know she is diligent and careful in the content and information she shares with her readers, so I have been honored.

How to Make a Powerful Cleaner From Your Pantry

If you are anything like me, when an item in my kitchen inherits a stubborn stain, I have a hard time putting it away with the stain still taunting me. At one time, it took quite a bit of elbow grease, time, and product to remove the stain. Even then sometimes, the stain remained. After a few years of fighting that losing battle, I learned that I already had the 2 ingredients in my kitchen that would take care of most of the stains that I would encounter.

Chances are, you probably have baking soda and lemon juice hiding in your fridge. Fresh lemon or bottled are both fine. Sprinkle a little baking soda into a bowl and enough lemon juice to make a paste. This powerful concoction has removed a myriad of stains from my white counter tops and even rust spots that would not budge, left on white dishes from a dishwasher. If the stain still will not budge after the initial cleaning, spread the paste over the item and let it sit for a bit. If it the stain still will not budge, cover it with paste and let it sit outside in the sunshine for a while.

Homemade cleaners are becoming increasingly popular due to their low cost and health benefits and this powerful concoction has become one of my favorite solutions to keeping a clean kitchen.


I own and write at Just Doing My Best where my mission is to help and inspire ladies to do their best in their own homes. I believe none of us are perfect but ideally, we are just doing our best and our best is all we have to offer.
Heather

Guest Blogger - Denise on her premie son Parker

I want to feature something a little different this week. Denise has a wonderful son who was a premie and has struggles along the way. Many of us in the blog world are aware of the terrible passing of Maddie who was premature. Heather, her mother was working to earn money for the March of Dimes before Maddie passed away and had a goal of $3,000. It wasn't until after Maddie passed away that many of us tearfully give to this wonderful cause. Last I knew Maddies March had earned more than $22,000 for March of Dimes. Isn't it sad that it took something as terrible as her dying for us to act. This is a story of Parker who is over 10 months old now and doing well. If you have not already supported this cause then you might want to consider it. It doesn't have to be much, every little bit helps. Thanks!!

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First of all, I want to thank you, Sandy, for not only asking me to be a guest on your blog, but also for allowing me to share my story. It means a lot to be able to share our story to others. I am thankful for this opportunity since this blog is about organizing!
Well, as Sandy said, I am Denise. I am a happily married 20-something and 1st time mommy! I have been blogging for years, but most of my older blogs were from the college years and centered around that time in my life. I have been writing my current blog (Musings from Mommy Land) for less than a year. I started it as a way to update family and friends on my son, Parker.
Parker’s story is the special one that I want to share today. It starts in December of 2007, when I found out that I was expecting our first child. Thrilled does not even begin to describe how I felt when I found out I was pregnant! My biggest goal in life, after being married was to be a mom! In the middle of a somewhat rough pregnancy, things started getting worse and worse. I was working at the time, and just standing for the 4 hours shifts was difficult. I would get lightheaded, sick, and pale very easily. Late in the night on the 20th of May, I ended up in the ER, then in Labor and Delivery Triage with terrible pains in my stomach and side. That evening I was sent home on a special heartburn medication, but things just got worse. Two days later I was spotting and could barely walk due to my pain. After going to sleep on May 28th, I found I could not sleep and went back into the hospital at 4:00 am. That night would change everything.
After several hours on monitors and tests, I was diagnosed with HELLP Syndrome. It is a variant of preeclampsia and is life threatening. The letters stand for Hemolytic Anemia, Elevated Liver Enzymes and Low Platelet count. I had two of those three symptoms: the elevated liver enzymes and the low platelet count – which was so low I required a transfusion. I also had terribly high blood pressure. Unfortunately the causes of HELLP syndrome are unknown, but current thinking seems to indicate that it has to do with the mother’s body viewing the baby & placenta as foreign objects and attempting to reject them.
The treatment for this? Delivering the baby. Because of how low my platelets were, I was rushed into an emergency c-section where I was put completely under, and Parker was delivered. Parker was born on May 29th, 2008, at just 29 weeks. He weighed only 2lbs 3ozs and was 14.5 inches long. He required help breathing through a ventilator and was then hooked up to a CPAP, a machine that pushes air into his lungs to help them expand better (he was breathing on his own). Meanwhile, I was placed in the ICU, on a ventilator as well, and was very, very ill.
While my recovery was speedy (I was released after 6 days), Parker would spend the next two and a half months in the NICU. Thankfully, he did not have many severe complications from his early arrival. He did required help the CPAP and than a nasal cannula for a little over a month, but would not need to come home on oxygen (common among preemies).

Parker’s biggest obstacle became severe acid reflux. He would be sent home on Zantac and would be required to sleep propped up on a wedge for 3 months. For the 2.5 months Parker was in the hospital, I would spend everyday, 6 hours a day by his bedside soaking in his preciousness and realizing that my life will be different now. It was an emotional time for me, I was still sick, I never produced enough milk and after 7 weeks of pumping I chose to stop. I was blessed, though, to make friends in the NICU and reach out to others.
After 69 days in the NICU Parker was discharged from the hospital, a week before his original due date (August 12, 2008), and we were on our way home to a new way of life. This time in the hospital proved to be the hardest, scariest time in my life; but it was also a faith building time and rewarding, as I was able to meet many other parents who understand the NICU “home” and lifestyle.
Today, Parker is happy, healthy, little 10.5 month old. These last 8 months with Parker at home have not been easy. We have had to protect Parker from getting ill and be very vigilant about those who visit. He was at a higher risk of RSV (a severe breathing disease among infants), so he required a monthly shot to help lessen the severity of RSV. Just last month, we ended up in the emergency room for 16 hours when Parker started having breathing issues – he came home on an inhaler.
We have learned how to take care of him in a special way, and we have had to learn to know both his ages. Chronologically, he is 10.5 months, but developmentally he is only 8 months old (this is his adjusted age). We do a lot of therapy at home to help him stay on track with his developmental age (which he has!). His biggest challenges currently are communication and social-emotional skills. We work daily on these to help him stay on track.
I count myself blessed to have a preemie because I have been able to reach out to others and share my story with them. The life of a preemie parent can be difficult because you have to learn to view your child differently than what others might. It’s a very exclusive “family” the NICU/preemie family. It can be scary, especially for parents who have children that our more challenged then ours. But, it’s great to know that there are others out there that understand the lifestyle.
Through out these 10.5 months we have met other families who understand our challenges and we have been able to share our story as a way to let those just starting on this journey know that it is hard and it is scary, but you aren’t alone. Our faith has also been a big part of our journey and we are thankful for a wonderful church family and many, many friends who have stepped up to help us.
Just in the past few months we have found ourselves being heavily involved in the March of Dimes and will be participating in our local March for Babies walk on April 26th, 2009. It is our hope that the donations we raise will help with ongoing research. This research, we hope, will help find ways to prevent HELLP syndrome and other causes of prematurity
Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read this post on Sandy’s blog. I know that it is not the typical post, but I really hope that you enjoyed it. If you would like to read more about my family and daily life, please feel free to come to my website anytime! Musings from Mommyland If you are interested in knowing more about the March of Dimes and their work please head to their website located at www.marchofdimes.com and if you are interested in donating to our team, please feel free to click on this link:
March of Dimes March for Parker
Lets see a lot more babies look as good as this at 10 months old!!

Guest Blogger - Ali from Blessed Treehouse

Ali Hooper is a riot! I have been lucky enough to get to know her through this wonderful avenue we are working on right now..the internet. We went to Blissdom together even though we hadn't met in real life prior. Ali's writing will keep you laughing along with filling you with great info. She is the Editor of Homeschool Bliss at Blissfully Domestic too! Ali is a great green advocate and gives some good tips concerning organizing. (seriously, she won't harm you if you don't save all your butter tubs...I will give you her address so you can mail them all to her though, because we don't believe in hoarding here on my site!! ROTFL! But seriously, donation would be wonderful if you have too many extra plastic tubs. ) I can say this cuz I luvs The Ali!
We visited the Rainforest Cafe on our trip to TN. I'm on the left, Ali on the right. We had a great time, learned alot and even got stuck on an elevator for 45 minutes with 11 other woman. We called it Elevator 13. Ali was the pregnant one on the elevator (don't you always have to have a pregnant woman in the mist of a crisis?

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So you already know Organizer Sandy, the genius organizing guru who is slightly Sleeping-With-The-Enemy (she knows exactly if something has been moved out of its place) (actually, I don't think she's that way at all. We shared a hotel room at Blissdom, and though I can confirm that she is super organized in real life, my psycho sensors weren't alarmed).

But you might not know me. I'm Ali of Blessed Treehouse. I blog and vlog and spill the beans on the not-so-sunny-side of motherhood. Oh, and I try (and often fail miserably) to live green-ish. It's more of a sour shade of green that I live, but heck, every bit counts, right?

So sweet Sandy asked me (me? me! of all people) to share with her readers a few tips about Green Organization. Though I'm far from an expert, I do have a big, puffy green heart, and I often pretend that I'm organized, so that's close enough, right?

Let me begin:

* Before you whip out the plastic (pun intended) to buy some new-fangled organizer, look around your home and turn on your creativity cap. If you don't have a creativity cap (let's face it, some people are so far from being creative it's painful), find a creative friend and borrow theirs. Either way, look around your home and find 'organizational' uses for things that you might not think could be used to stay organized. For instance, I use flower pots for storing office supplies. It's a fun and attractive way to keep my desk clutter free. And who am I kidding - I kill plants, so only God knows what I am doing with flower pots in the first place.
* Don't throw away containers of any kind! I'm serious. Next time you think of tossing that yogurt carton or butt wipe tub in the trash, think about how you can reuse it. I'm not kidding. I will sniff out your garbage, hunt you down, and hurt you if you dare throw away another plastic container. And if you are concerned that someone will judge you for reusing a butt wipe tub to hold cotton balls, get over it (I suggest investing in large sticky labels to smack on containers so that no one is alarmed when they are looking for butt wipes and they actually discover your Valium - seriously, a butt wipe tub is the perfect size for storing medications).
* Become an eBay, craigslist, and freestyle whore. Excuse my language, but seriously, sell your soul to these websites. DON'T buy new if you can buy used! Ebay now even has a local site allowing you to search for things in your area. Next time you are in the market for a book shelf or storage unit, PLEASE check these sites first. Again, I can smell 'new'. I will hunt you down and hurt you if you buy new when you could have easily found something gently used.
* Become "that neighbor." Seriously, be the one who the neighbors talk about, saying things like, "oh, there she goes again, digging through our garbage searching for reusable plastic containers." Save your neighbors the gossip by letting them know that you will gladly take any of their plastic containers off of their hands. Afraid they will think you are weird? Who cares! They are probably the same neighbors having scandalous affairs and scheduling their next liposuction.
* Finally, organizing IS green. The more organized you are, the less likely you are to buy yet another fabulous lip gloss (okay, so this is what I tell my husband when he catches me spending $20 on another shade of pink gloss, "but honey, I've searched the whole house and car, and I cannot find that gloss!" Seriously, ladies, can you blame me?)

Being organized and living green go together beautifully. And with the wealth of resources, awareness, and digital information available to us, there is no excuse not to live a bit more green.

Don't make me hurt you.


ALI The Blessed Treehouse

I'm a Guest Blogger

I have been having fun doing guest blogs for other sites as well as having guest bloggers on my site. Here are a couple of places that I have done posts for recently.

I was asked to be a guest blogger for Heather of Just Doing My Best. She had a contest on her blog asking mom's what their biggest problem was in their house. She said the Clutter and housekeeping were her big answers. Time Management was also on the list. I did an article which she is using in a 2 part series. The first part is "Does this Clutter make me Late?" that she posted today @ Just Doing My Best.

I also have a feature article in the newsletter for Organized A to Z for the month of April.

I had an article in Stretching a Buck on March 28th.

Guest Blogger - Ellen from Thrifty & Chic Mom

Ellen from Thrifty & Chic Mom is a blogger who I have had the privilege of meeting through our new local bloggers group. This is who is teaching me the art of "couponing". I told her I did NOT want to use coupons...I really didn't. I thought that I bought mostly generic and I saved more already than using coupons to buy name brand items!! (For those of you who haven't read before I have been kicking and screaming as I learn this coupon method of saving money.) She told me, "Sandy, I never pay for toilet paper, I don't pay for toothbrushes, I never pay more than a dollar for a name brand box of cereal." I was like,"What?...Are you kidding? Please tell me no...I don't want to do this!!!" But I am trying it and its not bad. It just takes some time, but I think once I get it down it will really be worth it. I am learning...but it is slow. I am thrilled because Ellen is going to put on a class locally to help us "coupon dummies" get the technique down. She has been featured on the local news several times and has it down. Her blog is one you want to follow if you want to save money.


Hi my name is Ellen and you can find me at Thrifty & Chic Mom.
I am thrilled today to share with you my money saving philosophy as it applies to coupons and hope it encourages you to take the plunge and start couponing and saving your family money.

As I continue on my journey of saving money and stretching my dollars farther I have slowly reshaped the way I shop and view my money. This attitude is constantly evolving but I am going to attempt to explain my thoughts, philosophy and methods in order to help you enjoy the benefits of saving money as I have.

This mainly refers to shopping grocery and household items but can be applied in other areas as well.

I regularly shop each week at 2 grocery store and 2 drug stores. Yes I know that is a lot of time and travel. This is only worth it if you have the stores all within a short distance and the time to do it. If you spend too much gas driving around the savings are not worth it. I am lucky and have Kroger, Giant Eagle, CVS and Walgreens all very close. Meijer is a bit farther but the deals are worth it for me to drive to.

Each week I look at the deals at my grocery stores and decide where I am going to shop at based on the store with the greatest number of applicable deals. All week I keep a running grocery list on my fridge which I update as I run out of basics. Then based on the items I have on hand and the deals running that week I make a meal plan and add the missing ingredients to my list. Next I take this list and add to it based on the items that are Great deals, these items are not necessarily for the upcoming week but are such a great price that they are to be stockpiled for the future.

I buy constantly for the future. By that I mean that by stocking up on items when they are on sale I already have them on hand when I need them. You should almost always buy when:

* it is a great deal
* you will use it at some time, now or in the future
* it is either non-perishable or freezer friendly
* it will not put you over your budget ( unless you have money to wiggle with)

If these criteria are met, buy as much as you can without blowing your budget. By stockpiling in this manner you will build a great supply to pull from in the future. This way you can plan your meals based on what you have and what is on sale. Planning your meals and shopping this way can drastically reduce your monthly bills.

A word of caution, if you wouldn't buy it normally don't buy it just because it is cheap. A great deal can suck you in but it doesn't have to. For example I do not buy most snack foods. So even if cookies are very cheap I still do not buy them because it does not help me save money if I buy things I normally wouldn't. I make snacks at home instead because it is cheaper and healthier for my family. Try to stick to your normal shopping list by saving money on those items you would usually buy, that is the best way to reduce your cost.

I also shop at both CVS and Walgreens for my household items and some grocery items. If the item is FREE I always get it ( as long as we will use it or it is good for donating). If it is cheap I check my stockpile and assess whether it is worth purchasing based on my future needs. Once again buying for the future is the key and not for now. Now should be already covered from past last weeks of shopping.

Hopefully this helps explain the way I shop and can help you develop your own shopping strategy. For more couponing and money saving advice please stop by Thrifty & Chic Mom.

Guest Blogger - 3 Bay B Chicks and a earthquake readiness plan.

My guest post is from 3 Bay B Chics Blog.
The 3 Bay B Chicks are comprised of three long-time friends, Thuy, Kacey, and Francesca, who love their little corner of the world in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. Their blog began as a way for friends to help one another remain sane after becoming parents. The three of them offer something a little different to the blogosphere each week. Kacey is the resident style expert, Thuy is the queen of bargains and tips, and Francesca writes mostly about her everyday experiences with her kids.

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As evidenced by my tendency to drive like an old lady, I have always been a cautious person. Since giving birth to our son, I’d like to think that my sense of cautiousness has taken a more focused and productive path. You see, my family lives in earthquake country in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. Because both my husband and I commute across the Bay Bridge to work, I feel inclined to be even more prepared than the average person.

What does this mean exactly? For starters, I followed the guidelines at Ready.gov to prepare food and extra supplies that my family would need in case a natural disaster strikes. In addition, I took these extra steps:

Put an extra pair of shoes underneath our bed (next to the baseball bat) in case we need to run out of the house and there is shattered glass on the ground.
Packed an emergency kit for the car, complete with water, cash (cash is king!), extra change of clothing, coats, and trail mixes.
Assigned an out of state emergency contact because the network will be flooded with calls to the area.
Last, but not least, I created a “What To Do If I Die” file on the computer for my husband.

Okay, I know that last one sounds incredibly morbid, but as the one who takes care of all the paperwork at home, I thought my husband should know about the bills he’d need to pay, the numerous accounts to keep track of, where to find our son’s medical files, who our life insurance contact is, etc.

Basically, the computer file contains a rambling of all the things that my husband would need to address in the event that I pass. I did take care to also write beautiful and heartfelt notes to my family in the file. It’s not all instructive! J

In spite of my various disaster preparedness efforts, when I saw this Life.doc book on sale recently, I thought it might help me to organize my rambling thoughts a bit more.

The book is broken down into the following categories:

Emergency plan
Family basics
Medical history
Insurance
Finance
Legal issues
Contacts (housekeeper, babysitter, etc)


It is certainly a cute little book and, after investing the time to list all the insurance policies and bank account numbers, I felt so much better about our emergency preparedness. Once I completed the various forms, I also scanned them, encrypted the file, and e-mailed it to myself so that if I couldn’t grab the Life.doc book quickly, all would not be lost.

Though I must admit that my “What To Do If I Die” file worked well, filling out the Life.doc folder made me realize that I was missing lots of information. The book is definitely something that I could easily grab if I was running out of the house, as all of our information is now nicely consolidated in one place.

Now, if only I could plan for the little things in life, like dinner!!

-Thuy

Guest Blogger - Beth from Plus Size Mommy

I asked Beth from Plus Size Mommy to be a guest blogger because she is such a wonderful person. I had the pleasure of meeting Beth at Blissdom 09. What a great time we all had! She and I had been twittering and she is always very nice and up lifting. Her blog is great with information and giveaways. Please make sure you visit her blog!
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When Organizer Sandy asked me to do a guest post on her blog, I was so honored. I had never been asked to do one before. I thought that this was so nice of her to ask me to write one. Then I started to think, wow, I am not a very organized person. I mean I have my things organized but it is by my own "system" that probably no one else could ever figure out.

My husband thinks I am nuts and he doesn't understand how I ever find anything, but I always do. As a matter of fact, I think if I ever was "organized for real" I would probably not know where to find anything !!

So I kept thinking and thinking, what in the world I could post on an Organizers blog?
I asked around and got a lot of idea's from people but the idea's weren't good enough. After all this IS my first guest blog and I wanted to be sure it was something special. So I kept asking my friend who you all know as @craftymamaof4 (Kim) what she thought. I had her thinking for me for a few days, and then she came up with a wonderful idea !!
Something I never really thought about as organizing but it definitely IS !

KEEPING YOUR INBOX ORGANIZED :

I keep my email organized. As a matter of fact, Kim told me I was the one who taught her how to do this, and that it has really made a difference in her inbox and she can find what she wants much easier. Now a lot of you may already do this, or know how to do this, and it is quite simple, but Kim, who to me is very computer savvy hadn't done this until I mentioned it to her, so maybe a lot of you who could be doing this aren't ?

Here is how to organize your email inbox. (I use yahoo email by the way, but I think it is possible to do this with any email system)

1. When you open your inbox there is a column on the left hand side that has
a. inbox
b.drafts
c. sent
d. spam
e. trash

2.Then if you go further down there is a place where you can add folders.

3.You should definitely set up a spam filter in within your email settings.This will screen out any unwanted mail and also helps t block viruses. I do check my spam folder from time to time though because somethings can get sent there that aren't spam, especially if your waiting for an email that doesn't/hasn't come.

4.The drafts folder is where you can keep emails that might not be quite done or are needing more info. before you hit the send button. Hint: this is also a great way to vent!!
I have used this folder many a time to write an email if I am upset over something and I save it to drafts overnight, if when I wake back up I still feel I want to send it I do, but usually those get deleted because it was something I felt like saying but really shouldn't and what a difference a day makes when your mad, lol It still feels good to write that down though, even if you go back and delete it.

5.The SENT and TRASH folders are self explainable, but the sent mail is useful to go back and refer to if you need something in the future.

.6. Now for the REAL organizing part. If you go to where you can add folders, under MY FOLDERS. You can make a folder for anything you want. for example, Kim told me she does a lot of surveys, but only when she feels like it and has time. So she created a survey folder, Tons of surveys come into your email everyday so now she has them all going into that "Survey" folder and it doesn't clog up her normal emails. To do this you just have to tell it to put anything with "survey" in the subject line to go to that file.
I use this for Home Interiors, I buy home interiors a lot so my consultant sends me emails about sales and things, so all of them go into that designated file and when I get a chance I will go there and read them.
It is a wonderful system and really keeps your inbox organized well. ..

Thank you Sandy for asking me to do a guest post on your blog I am touched and honored you asked me to do this.

Beth AKA PlusSizeMommy

Guest Blogger - Donna from Stop and Visit the Zoo

My guest blogger this week is Donna from Stop and Visit the Zoo. This woman is amazing (and sweet!)...amazing that she even has time to get on the computer, let alone maintain a blog. She is the mother of 9 children (and one in heaven). Ok...but she has 2 sets of triplets! Two ladies!!
I have people tell me that I am amazing having 8 children..but 3 of mine are out of the house, and of the 5 I have at home, Dave's kids (including his triplets) go to their mom's every other week...so I feel like an impostor!! Be sure to check out how she manages her day....and notice the laundry! (And you thought you had a lot of laundry)

I want to thank Sandy for giving me the opportunity to be a guest blogger. Sandy, you and your site are definitely an inspiration for me on my organizing journey. I hope I can help others along their way too.

First of all hello everyone! I am Donna from Stop and Visit the Zoo. I have a large and unique family, 9 living children which include 2 sets of triplets. My oldest daughter, 17, is a senior in a science and math magnet program. She is currently working on her senior capstone project. This is a year long project that involves working with a local scientist and staying after school to do the required work. My 14 year old is a freshman at the local high school. She is in the International Baccaleurate program. Both of them are on their respective high school speech and debate teams, which also known as the Forensics Team. So they have a weekly practice and tournaments bi-weekly.

My middle four are in elementary school. One is in fifth grade, and other three are in third grade. The two boys are currently in Cub Scouts and the girls are Brownies. My oldest son will be moving up to Boy Scouts soon. Plus I have the three two year olds at home. Since they were born 10 weeks early, the currently have a monthly visit from the Infant and Toddler teacher to monitor their progress.

My husband Richard is a career fire fighter for a local county. He is currently assigned to the training academy, where he works four 10 hour days a week. I am blessed to be able to stay home with the children. Our parental activities include Richard being an officer in one of our church’s men groups. I belong to the affiliated woman’s chapter and also teach Faith Formation to the kindergartners on Monday nights. I am also the treasure of the elementary school’s PTA.

All of this background is to give you an idea that we are definitely a busy family. I am sure by now you are wondering how we manage it. The most important tool is our family calendar. We purchase a large desk blotter size one and hang it on the wall. This becomes our family’s communication center. My favorite saying is: If is not on the calendar it does not exist! So if one of the teens comes up to tell me about something they HAVE to today. If it is not already on the calendar, it is not a high priority. They learned very quickly to mark it on the calendar when they first hear of it.

Every night I look at the calendar and plan the next day. Are there appointments, meetings, events? I try to keep errands to Wednesday. For me it limits the time out of the house and makes for a smoother week. I check the menu for day and get the meat out or bring every thing upstairs and put it in the pantry. I do plan my menu out for the month. So anyone can tell what we are having and can fix it if I am not around

My oldest two daughters are out the door very early, high school starts at 7 AM here. My daughter in the magnet program is on the bus at 6:15 AM. They each have one morning chore. The oldest unloads the dishwasher and puts the dishes away. My 14 year old starts the 1st load of laundry.

What follows is the school year schedule. Most of the boy scout meeting are Monday evenings at 6:00 PM and the Girls Scout meetings are on Wednesdays so dinner those nights are a little earlier and quick and simple . During the summer, we are bit more relaxed. Stop laughing please. Yes, I can relax if I have to.

5:00 Oldest High schooler up
5:30 Richard up and off to work
6:00 AM Donna gets up, personal hygiene, devotional time, eat breakfast, computer if time allows, make sure 14 year is up
7:00 Get the middle four up, if they aren’t already up, they get dressed and eat.
7:30 Middle four do their morning chores. Straighten room, trash collected, etc.
7:30 Get the toddlers (the girls) up, dressed and fed
8:00 Finish breakfast clean up, reboot laundry
8:15 Load up the car to take the middle four to school, run errands on Wednesday
8:45 Back from school, if no errands
9:00 Play time with the girls
9:30 Reboot laundry, fold and put away laundry, morning cleaning. Start dinner in crockpot if using. Computer time for Donna.
10:30 More time with the girls, reading, playing, sometimes a video is played
11:15 Lunch time! Reboot laundry, fold, put away when the girls go up for nap
12:00 PM Girls down for nap.

This is when I can get the heavy cleaning I need to get done, done. Wash the floors, scrub the bathrooms. Or if I need to work upstairs, this is when I do it. I will do the pantry cleaning, closet organizing, etc. I may only get one or 2 shelves or drawers done, but it is done. Then I can get on the computer and play for a block of time

2:00 First high schooler home. She will check the laundry and reboot if there is any left, have a snack and then do her homework.
Between 2:30 and 3:00 Girls up from nap. Then weather permitting we will go on a walk or just play inside.
3:00 2nd high schooler home. She will do a laundry check and reboot if necessary. Snack and homework.
3:20 Leave to pick up the middle four. (The older two watch the girls while I do this)
3:45 Home from pick up., snack for the middle four
4:00 Homework. They sit at the kitchen table to do their homework while I start dinner preps. I can help them if they need it and I can get my work done too. After they are done, their book bags go into a basket in the garage. Then they can play for a bit either outside or in the house.
5:15 Evening chores. The children all have a job to do. It rotates through the days. Monday could be feed the pets, Tuesday is wipe down the bathrooms, Wednesday is trash detail, etc. Each day a different child is responsible for a different chore. Everything is posted so no one can say it is not my day.
6:00 Dinner
6:30 Dinner clean up and baths start
7:00 Evening family prayer time for those at home. Final chores for the day. Basement toy room picked up, rooms picked up. Make sure all the laundry is put away, etc
7:30 Girls bathed
8:00 Older set of triplets to bed
8:30 5th grader to bed
9:00 Girls to bed
9:30 High schoolers to their rooms for chill out time, finish up their home work, etc.
10:00 Lights out for High schoolers. Finish up any lingering things that need to get done, start dishwasher
10:30 Time I try to head to bed, some nights are later, much later

So that is our day. Do all days go as planned, heck no! More often than not only the bare minimum gets done. But I have an outline of what needs to get done. I know what I am working on in my house so it will eventually get done.

Don't miss this Week's Guest Blog with Kim from Crafty Mama of 4!

Make sure to read about how to organize your coupons. Kim has gotten into "couponing" big time and has outlined how to make a coupon notebook to help you keep all your coupons organized.

Guest Blogger - Crafty Mama of 4 - Kim

Kim and I met on Twitter and have become twitter/blogging buddies! We both knew that we were going to be at Blissdom but I had no idea how we were going to find each other in the 250 woman that were there. Ali and I no sooner walked in but Kim and Beth (Plus Size Mommy) spotted us and said hi! We had a great time with them. Kim has been more than generous with me in teaching me things about this blogging world. You will have to visit her site Crafty Mama of 4. Thank you Kim for being my guest blogger today.
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I want to start this post by saying I am honored that Sandy asked me to do this for her! Sandy was one of the first people I "clicked" with on Twitter and we became instant friends. Thanks Sandy, I hope your readers enjoy my input.

I recently started "couponing" after hearing lots of people talk about how much money they save using coupons. I used to do it a little, but this time I jumped in full force and I have had great results. When I said I jumped in full force I really meant it, I made arrangements with the manager of the convenience store down the street from me, and every Monday morning I go pick up the leftover Sunday papers. This results in me having around 25 copies of each coupon insert per week, that's a lot of coupons to organize and keep track of and here's how I do it!

I use a coupon binder.

Here are the steps I took to set up my binder.

I started by buying (or finding around the house) the following items:
*A zipper binder (I actually have to use 2! One for food and the other for everything else)
*Sports card album pages (9 slots per page)
*A cheap 3 ring photo album (remove the pages to use)
*Clear plastic page protectors
*Tabbed dividers
*Address Labels
*Zipper Pouch for Supplies

In the front of my binder I have a zipper pocket where I keep pens, sticky notes, scissors, and paper slips. I also keep the current store ads in the accordion section in the front.

I have divided my album with tabs into main categories. Each section then includes sports card pages (on right) and photo album pages (on left) to hold the coupons. I sues the photo album pages to hold oversize coupons and when I have too many of one coupon to fit in the baseball card slot.

I use address labels to label the first pages in each subsection so I can quickly find what I am looking for.

I have the coupons in order by the layout of my primary store which is Giant Eagle. Here is how I have organized my categories and subcategories:

*Baby and Kid
-Diapers and wipes
-Bath/hygiene items
-Food
*Food
-Bread
-Baking
-Beverages
-Candy
-Snacks
-Cereal/breakfast
-Soup
-Canned
-Fruit
-pasta
-Rice
-Potatoes
-Sauces
-Mexican/Chinese
-Dressings
-Seasonings
-PB&J
-Frozen dinners
-Frozen Veggies
-Frozen Sweets
-Frozen (whatever else is left)
-Meat
-Dairy
*Pharmacy
*Household
-Paper
-Plastic
-Dish washing
-Laundry
-Cleaning
-Air fresheners
-Batteries/light bulbs
*Health and Beauty
-Dental
-Shaving
-Feminine
-Make up
-Hair Care
-Soap
-Deodorant
-First aide
-Lotions
*Pet Products
-Cat
-Dog

I also have a section for rebates where I keep the receipts, upcs and forms, I need to send in mail in rebates. Each rebate has its own clear page protector where I put all the required documentation for that rebate.

*Restaurant/Store coupons

When I am ready to go to the store I look through the ads and match up my coupons that I want to use. the site I like to use for coupon match ups is Deal Seeking Mom . I make a list on a large sticky note of the items I want to buy and I stick it to the front of the ad. Then I take out all of the coupons I have cut out for a particular item and paperclip then together and place them in a smaller coupon file that is divided by store with one section in the back where I put the coupons I don't use that need refiled. Then it's off to the store for me and my coupons! I take my large binder to the store with me also jut in case I missed something or find a great deal that was not advertised.
Organizing my coupons this way had made it very easy to find what i need quickly and efficiently. I have saved so much money with my coupons in the last few months I have even surprised myself! The best tip I can give you is to stock up when things are on sale and you have coupons for them. You may not need scalloped potatoes this week but when you do you will be glad you bought them with your coupons!
There is SO much more I could go into about how I use my coupons, but I am sticking to just the organizing aspect of my couponing adventure since this is an organizing site! If you have any questions about something I didn't cover in this post (or something I did) please e-mail me at craftymamaof4@gmail.com

KIM

Guest Blogger - Could it be You?

I have some wonderful guest bloggers coming up who are going to give me some interesting material, I can hardly wait.
But I wanted to ask some of you if you would be interested in submitting an idea on how you organize something in your life and I will pick a future guest blogger from your submissions.
Just give me an idea of what you would like to write about and a link to your site in the comment section. I will announce a winner to be my guest blogger next Monday. Then you can submit your post to me and I will get it up in the next few weeks.
Thanks!

Don't miss my 1st Guest Post

Don't miss my first guest blogger Stesta from Hot Chocolate Caramel Mocha!

Guest Blogger - Stesha Sims from Hot Chocolate Caramel Mocha !

I have decided to have some guest bloggers do some postings on my site. These are ladies that I think are fantastic and I love following their blogs, but I also want you to meet the bloggers behind the blogs.
Stesha is like super mom!! Not only does she have 5 children, she is pregnant with twins and on bed rest. Hello out there....how many of us could handle that? But she keeps her sanity, her family and her blog; Hot Chocolate Caramel Mocha in tack and takes us along with her into her world. Plus the fact that she has been soooo nice in the blogging world to me!
As mom's we all handle our routines differently. Notice some of the things that help Stesha to keep her world working. She keeps her cool (not easy to do), she has a routine planned out. Everyone knows their roles and how they need to fit together in the piece of world. The kids take on responsibility and are able to handle help out. (Don't miss that she or her hubby irons their kids clothes!!! Oh my gosh...I am like on my knees!! Just unbelievable to me!!) She is blessed with what must be an amazing husband and sounds like she handles it all with some humor. You go girl!
Thank you for being my first Guest Blogger!


When Sandy asked me to be a guest blogger on her blog I was so honored. Then reality set in and I began to ask myself several questions. Where do I begin? Do they really want to read about another large family? Of course, all of this was utter nonsense. Today I will give you a glimpse of a typical morning with our family of 7 soon to be 9.

My husband Michael and I have 5 children. We have 2 girls ages 3 and 1, and 3 boys ages 11, 4 and 5. Also, I am currently pregnant with twins due in several more weeks. As you can imagine life for us can be hectic, but very manageable.

If I could use two word to describe my family, they would be laid back. People ask me all the time how am I so calm with such a large family, and I always say trial and error. You make the biggest mistakes with the first and then as more children are added to your family you begin to realize that children, like life are very unpredictable.

A typical morning for us begins at 5:30 AM. The alarm sounds and no one moves. The snooze button is hit more often than not. Around 5:45 AM I will finally wake myself and our oldest son and point him in the direction of the bathroom. After he is finished in the bathroom, I will wake the younger 2 boys. One needs to get ready for kindergarten and the other for daycare. Around this time my husband is waking up also. Since I am currently on bed rest, the bulk of the work is done by him.

Around 6:00 AM the younger boys have finished brushing their teeth and washing their little faces, so now it is time to wake the girls. The girls both attend daycare. The oldest girl goes to the bathroom to do her girly things and the 1 year old is placed in the bed with me so I can comb her hair. After combing her hair, my husband will take her into the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. Then she comes back to the bed with me, where I get her dressed.

It is around 6:30 AM now. The boys are dressed at this point because all clothing is ironed by either my husband or myself the night before. The boys will then come into the room so I can look them over and make sure everyone has on their belts, no toothpaste is left on their faces, lotion is applied and they have their jackets, backpack, etc.

At 7:00 AM the hubby will go outside to warm up the car, because it is still cold here most mornings. This also lets the children know that they have about 15 more minutes before it is time to load up. The girls are now both dressed. Our oldest daughter dresses herself, so after I comb her hair she is ready to go, usually she likes to wear her hair in a bun with a ribbon. Pretty easy and simple for me to do.

On the weekdays the children don't eat breakfast at home, they like to eat with their friends at school or the daycare.

Around 7:15 my husband will give the 2 oldest boys their lunch money and make sure that the youngest children each have their bags for daycare. At this time we are saying our goodbyes and telling each other to have a wonderful day as hubby begins to load them into the car.

My husband or myself will scan the house to make sure that nothing is left behind before he leaves. Off they go. We only live 5 minutes away from the daycare so they usually have a smooth drive. All the children are unloaded at the daycare, even the oldest who attend school. The bus will pick them up from the daycare in the morning and drop them off in the afternoon. Don't you just love small town benefits?

It should be around 7:30 AM because my husband has to be at work for 8:00 AM. He only works 20 minutes aways, so he has plenty of time to get to work.

On a typical weekday morning I would say it takes our family 1.5 to 2 hours to have everyone up and dressed and at their destinations on time. You have to remember every morning is not typical, but for the most part they are.

So there you have it. A morning with us!

Stesha Sims
http://www.hotchocolatecaramelmocha.blogspot.com



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Stesha Sims
http://www.hotchocolatemocha.blogspot

Twitter
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