New Horizons

Nettie and I are working on launching the "remote" part of Sappari Solutions.
We are hoping to get it up and running by November 1st.
It will be a new aspect of the business, but I am hoping that it will be as successful as the face to face method of working with clients that is currently the way we work.
Some really cool tools for project management:
http://www.myintervals.com/
http://hitask.com/

I am also hoping to add a message board to the website and moderate it, so that the people that are in our classes can access it after the class and we can stay in touch.
I really enjoy meeting people and hearing about the projects that they are facing. It would be so nice to be able to hear about how they are doing and maybe give them a little advice.

I am really enjoying all that we are doing to get everything moving in a really forward direction.
I love organizing and I enjoy the people so much.
I will have a report on the next phase, whenever it happens.

Getting My Autumn Act Together...

Yes, the Fall decoorations are up, and I have what I need for baking Pumpkin Bread and making soup, but there is SO much to get done at this time of year, before the cold weather chases us indoors.

I have to get the dying flowers out of the back flower bed.
I need to start raking, and this year, as I rake, I am going to be planting some extra grass seed.
I need to get all the junk that has collected in various areas of the backyard, into either Goodwill or Garbage bags.
The fence needs to be finished.
The flowers and plants on the sides of the house need trimming or removal, depending on the type.

Indoors I have plenty to keep me busy.
I have switched out half of the clothes. I still need to do Tim's and mine.
I have to get all the windows washed as Tim removes the A/C units.
I have to get the winter comforter on our bed.
I need to go through the boys belongings and purge whatever they feel ready to get rid of.
Christmas is coming...

That should keep me busy for a month or so....

After The Conference

I attended an actual Organizing conference for actual Professional Organizers on Saturday.
It was energizing, enlightening, and I got some great ideas.

I went with Nettie, the fearless owner of our company, "Sappari Solutions", and we were able to talk about plans, hopes and dreams for the business.

I listened to a really inspiring speaker about living in small spaces. Sharon Lowenheim, a professional organizer from New York city, provided some wonderful ideas for people who have to deal with very limited spaces.
One of the things that she mentioned is that so many people keep so much more than they need, just because they can. True.
I have two good sized linen closets. They have been stuffed to overflowing with sheets, towels, rugs, and table linens for years!
Why?
Sharon asked why we need more than two sets of sheets for each bed. Good question.
So today I pulled everything out of those two closets and went through them. I put everything into two piles, and the biggest one went to Goodwill. AH....

Most of that stuff was stained and worn, and I was just keeping it as a "spare". For what! I already had spares to spare!

I also went through all the clothes over the weekend and did the fall changeover. A lot of out grown and beat up clothing is going to Goodwill as well.

It is nice to see space and order in those areas!

Morning!!

I think that, for me, how I start my day sets the tone for how things will go for the remainder of it. I have had to persist, but I have been able to get into a morning routine.
I like a schedule and I like to be able to get certain things done early on.
On weekdays, because we homeschool, I need to make sure that I have my act together before the rest of the family gets going. This means getting up a bit earlier, so that I can get my exercise and personal things done, and then be ready to help the kids start their day.
I get my walk in, shower, check my email, and then I get the kids up, fix breakfast, and get the dishes done and out of the way before we go downstairs to hit the books.
After I get everyone started on a subject, I go to each room, gather laundry and get a load in the washer. Vacuuming and dusting goes on around assignments and corrections.
If I stick to this routine, a lot of what I need to do for the day gets done before about 10:00. If I don't, I have to play catch up all day.
There are days when I just don't want to get going, but when I think about how things are going to be going by lunchtime, I am much more inclined to drag myself out of bed.
I have just learned that we are all at our best when I am at mine.
It only takes a few weeks to set a habit, and when you start to see benefits, like having more time at the end of the day because of the way you started it, you are much more inclined to keep at it.
Maybe today is the first day of a habit that YOU want to start!
Make something work better today...

Away From Home

I am posting from far away. I have been traveling with my three boys for a week now, and it has been a great experience! As with anything, planning and foresight make any endeavor more enjoyable.
I have become pretty good at packing and getting everything ready to get us out the door.
I use the guest room togather everything that we are taking, and I have a checklist that I use as I pack. By the day we leave, I have things ready to go into the car in a certain order.
The other thing that makes traveling easier is having as many of the household management details available online as possible.
This is extremely helpful in making your trip more relaxing because you can deal with any issues that come up immediately.
I forwarded all the calls to my home to my cell phone, and yesterday I got a call from a biller that told me that a very substantial check hadn't cleared. Since I had all my banking information at my fingertips, I was able to clear up the situation and go back to enjoying my family. If I had gotten that call and had to call the bank, or worse, hadn't gotten the call at all and had been greeted with a major problem upon returning home, it would have cast a pretty big shadow on the trip.
We are having a great time...And I am posting a blog entry!

Today...

Today is an opportunity... to accomplish something, to start something, to finish something...just one thing.
Don't be overwhelmed by all the things that you see that need doing. Pick just one thing, and do it...today.

If you are looking around at your home, and thinking that you really need to get started on at least one organizing project... start one today.

If you have items to go to Goodwill or another charity...take them today.

If you need to get an item appraised for sale...make that call today.

If your kids' bedrooms are a jumble of toys and books and you have been telling them that "we need to work together to get this picked up"...give them a hug and teach them a few clean-up tips, today.

If you have books to return to the library or other items that need be returned to family or friends...return them today.

Tonight you can sit down with your family, or just by yourself, and look back at the day with the satisfaction of having finished something that has been nagging at you. That's a great way to go into tomorrow...

Chilly Outside, Comfy Inside...

This is one of my favorite times of year.
The snow is piling up outside, the world is white and the air is brisk. Inside, we come together as a family, enjoying our cozy house, baking projects, family movies and board games.
It is a kind of togetherness that is harder to come by when the weather is nice and we are busy with many activities. Then our time together is more concerned with keeping to the calendar and a busy schedule.
At times like these we take the chance to stop and enjoy the lack of obligation. We have no choice, and so it is a rare treat.
Our home becomes our fortress and our hideaway from the storm.
All the touches... the candles, the books, the smell of something cooking for dinner, wrap around us and bring us to a deeper awareness of why we make a home at all. It is a haven and a place to be ourselves.
At these times I am so glad that we have worked to make this a comfortable, workable space.
I am even more grateful for the chance to share it with my favorite people!

Getting It Right The First Time...

Whenever we start an organizing project we are committing a certain amount of time and energy to something that needs doing.
None of us has an unlimited amount of time or energy, and so when we set out to tackle a project, we want to try to be as efficient as we can.
If we can do the project with as little muss and fuss as possible, we will not only have something out of the way that has been nagging at us, but we will be encouraged to take on the next project because we will realize that it doesn't have to be an ordeal.
Try choosing a small area that has been nagging at you. A drawer or cupboard perhaps. Give yourself enough time, but try to work straight through. Don't put away stray items until you are finished. Put them into a box, that way you won't be distracted from your first project by going to another part of the house.
Work with purpose. Look carefully at your progress. Think about what you are accomplishing and enjoy each item in it's proper place, or removed to be put/given/thrown away.
Be vigilant about what you have done when you are finished. It's done, and since you did it right, it won't have to be tackled like that again. Maintained yes, but not made over.

It's always satisfying to have created order out of chaos. Be sure you share your satisfaction with someone.
If you can make these forays into organizing as positive as possible, one of these days you might find yourself looking forward to it!

10 Things You Can Do While You Are Snowed in...

So for the last few days we have pretty much been confined to the house, and the yard in the case of the kids, and I have been taking advantage of the time inside to do a few things that we don't usually get around to when life is going full tilt.

You can actually do some fun family activities and make some organizing progress at the same time!
Of course you don't have to do all of them, but one or two little projects will make the time at home more fun and productive!

1. Bake something yummy...and organize the spice cupboard while it is in the oven.

2.Try a new recipe...oh, and it has to come from the cookbooks that you have on hand, because after you put it together, you can organize the cookbooks, take the loose recipes and put them into a binder, and throw out all the little paper bits that always end up in with the recipes!

3. Play a board game with the kids...and when you are done, sort/organize/purge the boardgames!

4. Watch a movie...and clean up the media area while it's on...

5. Play make-believe with the kids...and then when you are through, sort and organize the toys that you used: dress-ups, Legos, Little people, whatever...the kids will love your "help" with clean-up.

6. Curl up with a good book for awhile...and then dust and organize a bookshelf.

7. Do ALL the laundry...even those little bits at the bottom of the hamper that require hand washing...no, this one isn't all that much fun, but you can get it done!

8. Spend time on a craft or hobby...and after you are through, tidy the craft storage box/closet/drawer.

9. Spend some time on that scrapbook that is languishing in a box...it will be so much nicer on a table!

10. Send the kids out to play in the snow...and while they are gone, sort the snow gear. Pair the gloves, get rid of the things that don't fit, and put everything into a bag or bin, so that you will always know where it is, next time the snow flies.

See, you will be back to a regular schedule before you know it, but there will be a little more order at home.

You don't HAVE to wait for a snowstorm to do these things, though.

Stay Warm!