In a previous post, I looked at holiday stress and how to reduce it. It’s a real fact of life for many of us. It’s too easy to become so wrapped up (ha! see what I did there?) in the busy-ness of getting things done that we don’t enjoy the season. So last week I […]
My mom cried because the turkey wasn’t done. I remember this incident from a childhood holiday very clearly. We had all been told that dinner was ready and that it was time to come to the table. As my dad began to carve the bird, it was discovered that the meat was in fact not
Holiday Stress Relief: DO’s to Simplify Christmas Read More »
Pumpkin Spice Everything Food trends come and go, but few have captured the hearts and taste buds of people quite like the pumpkin spice craze. As soon as the leaves start to change and the air turns crisp, pumpkin spice lattes, pies, and even cereal start appearing on menus and store shelves everywhere. But what’s
Overview: Guest contributor Lynna Sutherland is a veteran large-family mom who is amazing at keeping things organized and stress-free. Here she shares step-by-step instructions for using Google Calendar with your teen. Parenting small children requires a lot of energy. The diaper changes. The baths. Carrying or following them everywhere. I think we all imagined that
Using Google Calendar with Your Teen to Communicate and Coordinate Read More »
Burnout is a thing among homeschool moms. The homeschool lifestyle is one of constantly giving and serving and going and doing, and it can be very hard to make time for yourself. In this episode I give 10 suggestions for how you can arrange your day and activities so there is time for YOU, time
Episode 47: 10 Doable Ways to Make Time for Yourself Read More »
I love pretty magazine pictures with beautifully organized shelves, don’t you? The kind where everything is stored in identical black baskets with little calligraphized labels. No strings hanging out, nothing sticking up out of the top — oh, and the shelves themselves are pristine white inside a gorgeous antique cabinet. Sigh. But that’s not reality, is
3 Ordinary Items You Can Use for Organizing and Storage — without spending extra money! Read More »
Do you ever feel like you could spend the rest of your life trying to be organized and on top of things, and yet you’ll never get there? Maybe you’ve enjoyed this series, but even these simple ideas seem like impossibilities in the current circumstances of your life? Or are you the type who organizes
Day 31: The Perspective You Need to EMPOWER Your Organizing Life Read More »
Lesson plans, grading, supplies, papers, books, cd’s, workbooks, workspace, manipulatives, scheduling, etc. etc. etc. There’s a LOT to keep track of when it comes to keeping our homeschools running smoothly. I bet you were wondering when we would ever get around to talking about homeschool organization specifically, lol. Well, that day is today; and rather
Day 30: How to Organize Your Homeschool — 36 Expert Solutions Read More »
I am FREQUENTLY overwhelmed with all the things I have to do. The house is a mess, I have a to-do list for the blog a mile long, I’m way behind in grading, and the kids have to be driven to Kingdom Come and back three times today. And lately, I have to go to
Day 29: What to do when you are OVERWHELMED by all you need to do Read More »
What is one thing in your house that it seems you never can find when you need it? Tape? Scissors? Your car keys? Tweezers? The library cards? The library BOOKS? How many times has looking for that thing caused you to fall behind in your schedule or be late to where you were going? What
Day 28: This OLD Organizing Hack is Still One of the BEST Read More »
You woke up this morning with the organizing bug. Something has GOT to be done about the dining room, where you’ve stashed everything you didn’t know what to do with for the past several months. You’re raring to go — except you don’t have any extra cash to head to the store to buy all
Day 27: When you want to be organized but think you can’t afford it Read More »
There is something I know about myself that I have to fight. It’s a daily thing. I still fall into the trap more times than is healthy. What am I talking about? True confessions, here: I have a tendency to be late wherever I go. Welcome to 31 Days of Practical Organizing Tips for a
Day 26: You’ll Save Time, Frustration, and Money When You Do This Read More »
You know the old proverb about eating the elephant? You don’t? Here’s how it goes: How do you eat an elephant? Answer: One bite at a time. Why anyone would want to eat an elephant is something I don’t want to speculate about, lol, but the idea behind the proverb is that big jobs get
Do you keep old magazines? If you do, how do you store them? Do you try to stand them up on a shelf? How’s that working for you? Maybe you’ve got them stacked horizontally on that same shelf. I bet they never slide off and become one big fan of magazines all across the shelf
Day 24: A Useful Storage Hack That Will Make Life Remarkably Easier Read More »
Making a to-do list is such a satisfying thing, isn’t it? THIS is what I’m going to do today. I’m SO organized, because I’ve made this list. I feel great!! Fast forward to the end of the day: Well, I crossed off two things and the rest are all re-written on tomorrow’s list. I feel
Day 23: How to Get Ahead — and Actually Stay There Read More »
Picture a house where the clean laundry is piled all over the sofa, but when you open the underwear drawer (not that you would do this in someone else’s house, but humor me here for a moment), you see all the little panties folded up and put away by color, with drawer dividers in-between. Why
Day 22: Do You Make This Disastrous Organizing Mistake? Read More »
“It’s all one big circle,” I said to my husband for about the gazillionth time. I use this phrase often with him, because it helps him understand the state of my brain at any given moment. It refers back to an analogy we heard when we were newly married. The analogy says that inside a
Day 21: Don’t Do This if You Want to Be Really Productive Read More »
Pop Quiz: Name two places in your home that are always cluttered. I bet you passed! It wasn’t that hard, was it?? LOL. If you’re like me, you were easily able to rattle off at least a couple of spots (and most likely a few more than that) that gather stuff as if they were
Day 20: A Quick Solution for When You Are Drowning in Clutter Read More »
(Were you here yesterday? Did you wonder what to do if a task will take MORE than two minutes? LOL. Don’t worry; I’ve got you! Read on.) Every week I get an email from Build a Menu. It’s a reminder to go to their website and plan my meals for the week. They’re not gonna
Day 19: One “Temporary Fix” that will Transform Your Day Read More »
You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today. –Abraham Lincoln What is Abe talking about? He’s talking about procrastination, which is a time management no-no. So often we put aside tasks for later — and then they pile up and overwhelm us. Sometimes it’s necessary to wait to do something; but often
Day 18: You’ll Get Things Done Quickly with this Helpful Time Management Hack Read More »