Something had to give...

We all have those times in our lives when it feels like the weight of the world is resting squarely on our shoulders and our shoulders alone... this last few weeks have been that way for me.  Hence the unexpected and abrupt end to our normally regular SOS Blog posts.  I apologize for our absence... but something had to give and for me the last few weeks that was the blog.

One of the biggest keys to being organized is setting routines and limits for yourself and obeying them... it is an essential key of time management.  With my son's surgery, the end of school, some great new projects going on in our company, and some family obligations... I set myself some limits in order for all of the pieces to stay in place in my household.

Another key to being organized is that when circumstances change... so does your schedule.  My life is now calmer... therefore allowing me to return to blogging.

I am all about practicing what I preach... so take a lesson from me and my family- when you are overwhelmed, find what needs to give and be willing to compromise for a short while.  It will save you a great deal of stress and allow you to focus on what is most important at that time.

So without further ado (starting tomorrow)... "we now return you to your regular scheduled postings... "

My unexpected weekend...

Well... we took a week's break from blogging last week because we had some BIG things going on. Some things that I am very excited to be sharing with you all in upcoming posts over the next few weeks. However, today I am taking this opportunity to blog about something that every mother is very familiar with- the unexpected.

As a mother you can plan and plan but life with children is always bound to throw you a curve ball or two. I have learned the true test of motherhood is not in how well you plan all the time but how well you can respond to the curve balls that are hurled your way.

 As Friday drew to a close at my house, I was anxiously looking forwards to a wonderful weekend that was planned and laying out ahead of us. First up was to put our above ground pool up for the summer. Since the weather was calling for 90's by Sunday I thought it would be a great time to take our first dip of the summer. About 20 min. into the process we could tell that we had a problem. The pool was not filling up normally... after wasting an hour looking for a pinpoint sized hole it was patched and we went on with the set up process. Things were looking good until I got a phone call from a neighbor saying that my backyard was flooded... *sigh*.

 I ran to the backyard to discover that one entire side of the pool had caved in at hour three of the fill up process. I had planned to take a dip this weekend in my backyard but not IN MY BACKYARD.

 As I was struggling to save the pool my middle son who is six came outside looking very pale. He was complaining of a stomach ache, so I did what most moms would do. Sent him in to use the bathroom and told him I would be right there to check on him. When I got to the bathroom five min. later he was screaming and crying. He was burning up and screaming that he was having horrible pain on the right side of his tummy. Having lived through an appendix issue myself a red flag went up in my mind right away... I quickly had him in the car and the other two kids at my moms as we raced to the emergency room with my son still screaming and crying. My fears were confirmed and he was rushed into surgery Saturday afternoon to remove his offending appendix. This was defiantly not in the plan for this weekend!!! I am happy to report that after spending an extra day in the hospital due to a fever that would not go away we are headed home today to shower and recover in the comforts of our own home.

I share all of this with you for two reasons...

• One, I want you to always remember... I too deal with life's nasty curve balls. I too have plans fall through and I too have to scramble to keep it all together at times. 
• Two, I was reminded several times this weekend why being organized comes in handy in a time of crisis like ours this weekend. Tomorrow's blog is entitled Lessons Learned from the Hospital Stay... and I hope you come back to read and learn from from my experiences.  

For now I am going to log off and pray that my plan of a long hot shower and a home cooked meal for me and my son do not get messed up by any other curve balls today... I think I have played enough baseball for one weekend.  

Are you Allergic to your Clutter?

Clutter can be much more than just piles of unmade decisions, it can also be a breeding ground for allergy irritants in your home. In fact you might be surprised to find out about all of the unwelcome germs and    irritating guests in each room of your home.  We are going to focus on the two most common today:  Dust Mites and Mold.

Dust Mites:  Dust mites are nasty little bugs that thrive on what else... our dust.  Despite their microscopic size... they can cause big time misery for those that are allergic to them.  Irritating nasal passages and leading to sneezing, runny nose, and constant congestion.  How can you banish them from your home?

1. Dust regularly with an electrostatic duster on all flat surfaces.  (Move the piles and stacks to get under them.... better yet... declutter and remove the piles and stacks for good.)
2. Vacuum on a regular basis! (In our home my oldest son was very allergic to dust mites so we tore old carpet out and put down hardwood floors.)
3. Wrap your mattresses and pillows in a allergy resistant cover that will protect from Dust Mites.  
4. Plan to regularly clean items in kids room like stuffed animals that are a haven for dust mites.  To kill them put all the stuffed animals in a large garbage sack, tie it closed, and then put it in the freezer for a few hours.  
5. We spend 1/3 of our lives in bed... so change sheets regularly. 
6. When organizing be careful of wicker... it can collect hard to clean dust and become a hot spot for dust mites.  Instead use furniture, cabinets, or plastic that closes. 
7. Be aware of hard to clean fabrics that collect dust mites like curtains, blinds, upholstery covers, upholstered head boards, etc... find a way to replace them or clean them regularly. 

Mold: Responses to exposure to mold can mimic hay fever, asthma, and allergy like reactions in your home. Here are some steps to take to rid your home of the mold:

1. Remember that bleach is your friend!  Use a chlorine bleach solution that is 1 oz of bleach per 1 qt of water to clean bathroom surfaces each week.  Make sure to clean mold prone areas like:  bathtub corners, shower curtains, and baseboards.
2. Remove carpeting from your bathrooms... even rugs are a BREEDING ground for mold.  Replace flooring with tile, laminate, or similar products.  Decorative rugs should be replaced with washable bathmats... that are washed ONCE a week.
3. Repair water leaks in your home ASAP.  Dripping water and leaking faucets can lead to mold and mildew quickly. 
4. Wallpaper can hold moisture in the bathroom... consider removing it and going with a mold resistant paint instead. 
5. Leave your shower curtain open or your shower door open after you shower to allow that area to dry out quicker. 
6. Houseplants can be a fertile ground for mold... take plants outside.
7. Make sure that you are wiping kitchen counters down OFTEN with a strong disinfectant that is designed to get rid of mildew.
8. Get Rid of the Kitchen sponge!  It is a BREEDING ground for Mold... instead use paper towels or wash clothes that are washed daily. 
9. The drip pan under your fridge can breed mold... clean it out often.  
10. Be sure that damp basements are well ventilated.  If you use a space like this to store things, be sure the items are not in cardboard!  Use plastic containers that seal shut and resist mold and mildew. 

Some of these things may seem simple enough... but if these tasks are complicated by clutter being in the way... it allows these allergy irritants to build up in your home and make you and your family sick.   So ask yourself... are you allergic to your clutter or is your clutter covering up unwanted guests in your home???  If so... it is time to make a change!

Wordless Wednesday: A new use for old Spice Jars

To help organize my Husband's Garage recently we took an old spice rack and disassembled it.  We used hooks to hang the removed rack portion and the bottles now hand on his peg board and soon will hold various sizes of small screws, nails, etc... 

This idea could also be used in a craft room with pegboard on the wall and to store beads, glitter, small pieces, etc... 

Creating a Study Alcove

I do not like to see space wasted.  If there is a section of "dead space" in my own... rest assured it's days are numbered.   

Over the winter we did an addition to our home which resulted in a odd sized alcove just off of our kitchen. 

 I could not stand that space having no purpose so I decided to design a custom build to fill that "dead space".  

Here is what we did... 

We started by building the wall brace for the desk.

Then we added the custom desk piece and anchored it to the wall braces for support.

Then we added a shelf above the desk for storage and primed and painted the wood.

Which left us with our finished project.  We have added two cubes on the top that are labeled with my son's first letter of their names.  These cubes hold their school supplies for easy access.  The dry erase board on the wall has lists of mom approved websites they are allowed to visit during their earned computer time.  There are trays on the desk (one for each student) that hold current spelling lists, homework to do, projects, etc... 

National Women's Check Up Day

Today is May 10th, 2010- National Women's Check Up Day. 

A great reminder to all of us to stop and think about our health and well being for a day.  

Living a more organized lifestyle also allows you to live a healthier lifestyle.  We had a great post recently that listed out how getting more organized can help you be healthier, read it by clicking here. 

The Mayo Clinic Says, "It's important to understand common women's health risks, but don't feel intimidated. Instead, do whatever you can to lead a healthy lifestyle — including eating healthy foods, staying physically active, getting regular checkups and paying attention to your environment. Preventive measures can go a long way toward reducing your health risks." In their recent post about the most common risks to Women's Health.  

We have some products that can help you organize your health related information in preparation for your next check up. 

1.  Our Medical Information Sheet Download (99 cents) 

This download will help you keep track of your medical history, prescriptions, family history, etc... Keeping this sheet current will allow you to save time filling out forms at the doctors office many times. 

2.  Fitness Tracker (99 Cents)

This sheet will help you get healthier by keeping track of your calories, water, and workouts each day.  Studies show that writing this information down can make your weight loss more effective. 

3.  Our Meal Planning Resources to help you and your family eat healthier (varied)

Planning ahead will allow you and your family to eat healthier which can lower your risks of numerous health conditions that often effect women in high numbers. 

I hope that today you will take advantage of National Women's Check Up Day by doing two things:

1- Call and make an appointment at your Doctor's office

and 

2- Visit our website at www.simpleorganizedsanity.com and see how we can help you reduce your stress (and improve your health) by helping you get more organized. 

Five Lessons I from my Organized Mom

It is Mother's Day this weekend, which had me thinking about my own mother.

This beautiful, smiling woman is Martha.  She is an amazing woman who is not only my mom but also one of my best friends! 

I am so thankful that growing up I had a mom that was organized and a good manager of time to give me a healthy role model to follow after. 

My mom retired from teaching after thirty years and as we spoke to many of her fellow teachers one of the most consistent comments about her was that she was always so organized and prepared.  She was able to do this while raising three of us, always being at our events, and keeping up a clean home with healthy meals. 

I speak to clients everyday and often times I hear this statement... "My mother was never organized and I did not have a good model or idea what to do to manage a home."  Every time I hear that statement I silently thank the Lord for my mom and the gift and example that she gave me. 

If you are one of these women who would agree with my clients statement then I want to share this list with you today and encourage you to break the pattern so you can give this same gift to your children someday.

Five lessons that I learned from my Organized Mom:

1.  I learned the importance of always being on time. 

2.  I learned the importance of a clean house and giving everything a place.

3.  I learned to make the most of each purchase and stretch each dollar as far as it would go.

4.  I learned that you can set aside time for family meals that were healthy no matter how busy you are.

5.  I learned that planning ahead often saved me frantic nights full of stress... so I learned to not procrastinate on a project.

I encourage you today to take a moment before Mother's Day begins officially this weekend and ask yourself are you setting the kind of example that you want to for your children?

If not, I encourage you to take advantage of our Mother's Day Special... any purchase this weekend is 25% off at http://www.simpleorgaizedsanity.com/ with the code MOMSDAY.

I would like to wish each of you a VERY HAPPY Mother's Day!!!  I hope it is filled with hugs, kisses, and great memories!