Back to School: Tips to survive the chaotic morning shuffle

Getting back into the school routine has become a bittersweet event for me. On one hand, my days have freed up considerably without the stress of scrambling for childcare, but on the other hand, there is the ever dreaded morning battle that ensues between my daughters and me, and it's exhausting. Some of the problem is getting used to the early morning get-up-and-go deal. Some of it is the willfulness of my strong-headed girls, and some of it is just missing the lazy morning slumber of Summer.

After the first few weeks of school passed, I decided that it was time to stop the insanity, or at least try to make my mornings slightly less crazy. Here are a few ideas that will hopefully help you gain some control of the before school routine. Some of these ideas can even be useful if you don't have kids.

The most important part of minimizing the morning crazies is to prepare anything you can the night before...

1. Prepare lunches the night before; at least the stuff that won't get soggy.
If you are a procrastinator like me, don't wait until after the kids go to bed to do this. I have learned that when I tell myself I can do it later, I'm usually so wiped about after the nighttime shenanigans, that I have zero energy left to even consider setting foot into the kitchen. One way to avoid this problem: start bagging up dry goods while making dinner. If you're already in the kitchen anyway, why not kill two birds with one stone? You know, between your soup boiling over and the kids running around screaming :)

2. Get backpacks ready to go before kids go to bed.
This is something to teach your kids to do on their own even as early as Kindergarten. Of course help them and check to make sure they have everything, but the earlier they learn to do this on their own, the more responsible they will be as they get older.

3. Lay clothes out the night before (good for grown-ups too). I let my girls pick out their clothes because that is just another control issue I would gladly avoid. However, if they don't care which clothes they wear, then by all means, do it yourself.

4. Give kids their own alarm clocks. This way they have the chance to wake up on their own and learn the pleasure of the snooze button. More importantly, you don't have to be the mean mommy awakening them from their cozy dreamy slumber.

5. Set morning ground rules. Have a chore chart or some kind of set of rules that is a reminder of what is expected. My chart consists of getting dressed and brushing teeth (two of our biggest issues). The girls earn stars for doing both without arguing and/or procrastinating. After enough stars, they earn a little cash to put in their money jar, which will be used to buy Webkinz or whatever they so desire.

A note on Rewards and Bribery:

I fully support and use both, especially when it helps me get them out of the house on time. Sometimes it seems that no matter how prepared I am or how early the kids get up, they still find ways to dilly-dally. Find whatever makes them tick and use it! For my older daughter, the thought of me not being able to walk her to her classroom door is usually enough of a threat to get her booty moving. The younger one gets to have gum in the car. I've also used blowing bubbles in the garage, which was good a few times, but then lost its luster. It may take a little trial and error or re-evaluation, but is well worth it.

6. Lastly, know how long YOU need to get yourself ready and allow yourself that time, plus 5 or 10 extra minutes before getting the kids going. I have made that mistake of saving part of my morning routine to be done while making breakfast or brushing teeth. All that does is add more chaos and stress. If you are dressed with hair done and make-up on before the kids really need to get moving, you allow yourself the ability to focus all of your energy on yelling at your kids to hurry up. Plus it kind of nice to get ready in peace; the proverbial calm before the storm.

Three weeks into the year, and I think I have it down...only one hundred sixty something days to go!!! I wish you all the best of luck!

Give It Away, Give It Away, Give It Away Now; Not Just a Chili Pepper's Song

One of the greatest annoyances of my master bedroom is the ridiculously tiny size of my closet. However, I have come to realize that this is actually more of a blessing and than a curse. Of course, nobody likes to have to seasonally shift their clothes from storage crates to closet and back into crates again, but I have actually learned to enjoy this seasonal ritual. First of all, it is exciting for me when a new season begins. Although, those of us in Colorado know how tricky it can be to dress ourselves appropriately when all 4 seasons can happen over the span of several days. More importantly, it gives me a chance to really evaluate my wardrobe.

The average woman tends to keep roughly four to six different sizes of clothes to help compensate for that oh-so-fun yo-yo weight battle that many of us wage. I say, get rid of what you don't currently wear! Learn to love and accept your body where it is now and have clothes that make you feel fabulous NOW, not 5 or 10 pounds skinnier or just in case you add a little extra layer for winter warmth. Every time you get rid of something old, you make room for something new.

Now I am completely guilty of holding on those the skinny pre-pregnancy jeans that I just know I will get back into. But really, who am I kidding? It's kind of fun to have something as a weight-loss gauge, but just use a mirror or scale or measuring tape. When I actually got back into one of my one old pairs of my jeans, they were so outdated that they looked ridiculous. Plus body shapes change, even if you are one of the lucky ones to have made it back to your happy size.

But, I digress....Here are some tips to help decide what should stay and what should go.

1) Every time you buy something get rid of its equivalent. For example, if you buy three tee-shirts, find three old shirts to donate, or toss, if they are too worn out. I actually got rid of 6 pairs of shoes this summer. And, yes, I did buy 6 pairs to replace them before they were donated (gotta love DSW), but it really felt awesome to ditch the old pairs!

2) Go through your closet a minimum of twice a year; better yet four times. If you haven't worn something for a season or two, ditch it. If you still are unsure if you can part with your favorite sweater that Aunt Tilly knitted for you, wait one more winter, and if it never leaves the closet, it's time to say goodbye.

3) If you have so many clothes that you just can't remember what you have worn, flip your hangers backwards with the hook facing the opposite direction after you wear something. At the end of the season, the clothes on hangers that haven't been flipped are up for donation debate.

The truth is that although we have so many clothes, we tend to stick to the same several outfits. So, do a constant reality check. If that blouse that seemed like such a good buy at the time never seems to feel quite right when you put it on, then swallow your shopping pride and donate it. It is such a great feeling to purge. And if you do get to that goal weight that you were hoping for, you should treat yourself to something new. You deserve it! There are plenty of charities out there who would greatly appreciate your donation. I am on ARC's 6 week calling cycle and almost every time they call, I have at least one bag to give. I feel great to have cleaned my closet, help someone else in need, and now it's time to go shopping!

A few donation ideas:
Women's Alliance and Dress For Success take gently worn women's professional clothing

Glass Slipper Project collects and makes prom and formal dresses available.

Other charities such as Salvation Army and Goodwill generally have centers everywhere or will come to your home and pick up items.

When Soap Isn't Enough

The most disgusting of disgusting happened to me the other day. As I was helping my daughter in the Home Depot bathroom, my sunglasses fell off my head and right into the toilet. Now, there are many things I would not rescue from this particular situation, but my prescription polarized sunglasses were definitely worth saving. I stared for a moment completely mortified. Then, quickly fished the sunglasses out and hustled to the sink (luckily the toilet had a freshly-flushed bowl). I washed the glasses and my hands for about five minutes in soapy water, but felt like I wasn't quite ready to let them anywhere near my face.

After wrapping the sunglasses in a paper towel and heading home, I called my personal Optometrist and his office manager (a.k.a. my parents) to find out the best way to clean the sunglasses to my satisfaction. I learned a few things about cleaning glasses that I thought I would share here, since I know my first instinct of throwing them into boiling water then dowsing with Clorox probably was not the best course of action.

1) Use rubbing alcohol for disinfecting. NEVER use a household cleaner as it can ruin any coating on the lenses.

2) Use gentle liquid soap such as dish soap to clean. Put a dab on your thumb and index finger and rub lenses carefully under running water. At the risk of sounding like a shampoo commercial, rinse and repeat as necessary.

3) Kleenex is actually the best thing to use to dry. T-shirts, dish towels and paper towels can easily scratch lenses. And make sure your tissue is not the lotion variety or you will be rinsing and repeating a lot more than you would like.

4) If there is any leftover lint, use cloths that are glasses specific (they usually come with your glasses, if not; they are inexpensive and can be washed in the washing machine).

5) Wear and enjoy :)

Hopefully you won't have the issue of have to rescue your glasses from a public toilet, but if you do, now you know how to clean them properly.

Mother Knows Best

There are many times in my life when I swear that I am adopted and can in no way be related to my parents. And then there are times when it is pretty evident that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. The last time I visited home was when it first dawned on me that my parents are some of the most well-organized people I have ever seen. My mom claims that there had to, of course, be an Organized Mother, in order to "train and nurture" The Organized Goddess; and indeed she is right. Not only is her home in perfect order, knick knacks aside, but she is a wealth of knowledge of fun tips and ideas. So, I send lots of props to Mom as this tip was one of my mom's most recent ingenious ideas.

Everytime she visits me in Colorado, we have our ritualistic shopping madness of running around to all the stores in the area including any and all organzing type stores (she's so excited that the Container Store is now open at Flatirons, as am I). As she was perusing the dollar travel section at Target, I saw her putting tons of toothbrush holders into her cart. Of course, I think she's losing it. I mean, how many travel toothbrushes can you possibly need?

When we got home she demonstrated her new idea of using the travel toothbrush holders as eye make-up brush containers, either for travel or keeping in your drawer. This was such a great idea that I thought I should share it here. The average women can have a multitude of different brushes, and what a better way to keep them organized and separated by use and style then to use this inexpensive storage and/or travel container? The actual brush is protected and kept dust-free in a compact container.

So thanks for the tip mom, and as always, you do know best :)

Sometimes You Just Need to Get Away

After several months of child-induced sleep deprivation, a brutal week-long stomach virus and general day-to-day stress, I decided a break from life was in order. A few days in the mountains with a whole lot of doing nothing was exactly what my exhausted body and mind needed. The weekend basically consisted of a lot of lounging in bed, a few dips in the Jacuzzi, a much needed massage, venturing into town once or twice for a meal, followed by a little retail- therapy at the outlet mall on the way home.

It is often so easy to be excessively hard on ourselves and forget the absolute necessity of taking a break. If you don’t have a balanced mind, how can you have an organized home, or life for that matter? In an ideal world, it really shouldn’t take violent illness or massive bags under our eyes to force us into retreat. Why is it so difficult to take these needed time-outs before drastic things happen? The fact is when we become so consumed by our work or taking care of our homes, we neglect ourselves. Eventually it does become mandatory to actually leave your home to get some peace and relaxation.

My point to all of this? It’s ok to give yourself a break! Sometimes we need to walk away from routine every now and then. If you can do this in your own space, great! For me, I need a change of scenery and a new place to be where I won’t be tempted to do laundry or feel guilty for not cleaning and picking up. We aren’t machines, and while we are our worst critics, it’s so crucial to give ourselves some time off from all the “have-to” and “should be doings” of life.

Escaping for a little bit won’t make your issues or problems go away, but it will certainly put you in much more relaxed state of mind, giving you the opportunity to attack each day with renewed energy. It is my goal to allow the next “retreat” to come sooner rather than later, or at least before life begins to feel overwhelming again. Of course, there is always the ever helpful chant of "Serenity Now!"

Angering the Computer and Technology Gods

As I sit at my computer mortified by the amount of time that has flown by since my last blog, I realize that sometimes there is a frightening aspect of being too dependent on technology. Yes, it is here to help make our lives easier, but a majority of the time, it seems to do the opposite.

Everything seemed to be running smoothly on my computer systems, until all at once my desktop crashed, leaving me to rebuild the hard drive from scratch; my PDA decided not to accept daylight savings happening early, switching all appointments to an hour earlier at will; and my laptop wouldn’t recognize its own CD/DVD drive. Not to mention that on top of all of this mess, I managed to lockout my website and webmail from my home computers. Of course all I could think, as I screamed out several long lists of cuss words, was what have I done to anger the computer gods?

After taking many deep breaths throughout the two-week debacle, I realized I hadn’t angered anyone or anything; rather there was a lesson that I apparently needed to learn. And thus, today’s organizing tip: BACK-UP YOUR IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON YOUR COMPUTER!!! When you are done doing this, back it up again; and after that, at least one more time. It is so important to have you files stored in several different places. It doesn’t need to be every little thing on your computer, but the more you have stored in a safe place, the easier it will be to recover anything that gets erased.

• Make a list of files that you can’t live without (some of mine include all documents, photos, quicken accounts, music and website favorites).

• If you don’t have one, buy one or more external hard drives (Costco has great deals on little portable ones).

• Back-up data at least once a week. Financial data such as quicken should be backed-up daily or when new data is entered).

• Keep all program files and/or discs in an easy to locate place. These programs could include the Windows disc that came with the computer, or the Apple equivalent, MS Word, quicken, Photoshop, iTunes, etc. That way when you spend hours on the phone with your friendly computer techie, you will be able to locate these programs at ease if they need to be re-installed.
  

At the risk of sounding to Boy Scout-ish, always be prepared!!! I have had my hard drive erased twice now; the first time I didn’t have anything backed-up and the second time, I was ready for it. Lesson learned; it is much easier and less stressful to recover data when you know where it is and that is somewhere safe! Technology can be helpful as long as we still remember what to do when it fails us.

Time?!? Who Has Time for Time?

Here it is, January 31st, and I am pondering where exactly the month went. Somewhere between dance recitals, birthday parties, web designing, abandoned New Year’s resolutions and many, many more distractions, January has miraculously slipped away. I had set the goal for myself of blogging early in the month, because January is, or was, Get Organized Month. As organized as I am, it is still far too easy to fall victim to my ugly nemesis; procrastination. So, with one day left in the month (technically, I suppose this counts for a January blog), I figured Time Management was an appropriate topic.

Why is it so difficult to take charge of the day? The number one complaint I hear is, “I don’t have enough time to.... (you can fill in the blank).” Somehow the “to-do” list seems to grow exponentially, even after we are making progress crossing items off. Here are a few tips to help battle the “not enough time in the day” phenomena.

1. Identify your procrastination issues. The most common barriers are:

• You consider it low priority task (when it is not one)
• You don’t have enough information to finish the project or make a decision
• You did not set enough or a specific time aside to do it
• It seems overwhelming (if it does not break down into mini tasks)
• Something has kept you from achieving it (perfectionist personality)
• You don’t know what steps it will take to complete the task

2. Take a few moments to identify where your time is spent and discover where or who is sucking time away.

3. For one week, make a detailed calendar of exactly what you did and the times you did it. It is amazing how much wasted time ends up on this list. I know what you are thinking, “I don’t have time to do this!!!” Trust me; taking a few moments to make this list will really help you be more productive in the long run.

4. When making a to-do list, prioritize in order of importance. Try group activities that make sense to get done around the same time (such as errands that are close to each other). Always do the highest priority first. Even if it is the most painstaking item, it is the one you are most likely to put off. Once you get that big one over with, it’s much easier to fly through your day.


5. Finally, don’t be so hard on yourself if you don’t get it all done. We are only human and sometimes you actually do need to sit back and read that trashy magazine just to gain some peace and sanity. At the risk of sounding too much like Scarlett O’Hara, tomorrow really is another day.

I know for me, I plan to have a much more productive February, and hope you can do the same!