Audio Posts: 30 Days to an Organized Home

January 13, 2012 By Tracy Leave a Comment

Well, I’ve finally done it. I’ve stepped into the world of audio recordings.

I hope you have as much fun listening to them as I had making them.

Introduction to 30 Days to an Organized Home

Day One: 30 Days to an Organized Home

Day Two: 30 Days to an Organized Home

Day Three: 30 Days to an Organized Home

Day Four: 30 Days to an Organized Home

Day Five: 30 Days to an Organized Home

To get your copy of the ebook so you can follow along with us, simply visit 30 Days to an Organized Home

P. S. You can also listen to all the audios I’ve posted via the Cinch.fm widget in the sidebar, just scroll down a bit to find it.

You’ll find some of the affirmations we’ll be sharing in our newest ebook 30 Days to a Healthier You, too.

~ Look for more information to come.

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Filed Under: An Organized Home Tagged With: 30 Days to a Healthier You, 30 Days to an Organized Home, cinch.fm, Home Organization

How Dinner Conversation & Menu Planning Create An Organized Home

October 25, 2011 By Tracy 1 Comment

Sometimes I feel like I’m a really, really bad mother. I feel like I don’t do enough for my kids or that I should be doing more.

As you may know, I’ve been looking for ways to help me get my home more organized. So much so that I even wrote an ebook about it.

I know that family meal times are important and one of the things that I’ve been thinking about lately is using a menu planning service. Yes, I could do this myself but here are a few reasons why I’d choose a done-for-me service over doing it myself.

It would free up my time to tackle the projects I need to focus on.
It would give me some variety in my menus that I might not have thought of.
If I don’t have to focus on a healthy, cost efficient meal plan then I can use that time to play more.
If I have a plan, it will be harder for me to fail at creating family mealtime memories,

Now, that’s not to say that when I get where I need to be that I won’t create my own meal plans but, I. Know. Me.

I know that I want every tool I can get my hands on to help me create the peaceful home I yearn for.

If using them makes me less of a “homemaker” but more of a “mom – I’ll take it! Every single time!

Now, if that wasn’t enough I saw this video from Christine, The Menu Mom over at Dine Without Whine! It made me cry and solidified my decision to buy her meal planning service.

Of course, it didn’t hurt that I saw she was offering her 12 month membership for the price of 6 months. (Coupon Code is 12for6) The only catch is this offer expires on Thursday, 10/27/2011 but I’m all in.

Just to make it clear, when customers sign-up for a 12 month Membership at www.dinewithoutwhine.com and use coupon code 12for6 they will only be charged the 6 month price for a 12 month membership. This is good through Thursday, 10/27/11.

P.S. If you decide to order the 12 month membership at Dine Without Whine, I’ll give you a full printable set of 30 Dinner Conversation Cards (as seen below) as a bonus. All you need to do is email a copy of your receipt to tracy@momsinablog.com and I’ll send them to you.

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Filed Under: An Organized Home, Moms At Home Tagged With: Dine Without Whine, Dinner Conversation Cards, Home Organization, meal planning

An Organized Home: FREE Halloween Planner

October 14, 2011 By Tracy 1 Comment

To Get Your Free Halloween Planner Just CLICK HERE

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An Organized Home: You Are Not Alone

October 4, 2011 By GuestBlogger Leave a Comment

Thinking Other Moms’ Homes are Neater Than Yours?

Do you ever visit other moms’ homes and wonder how they keep it so neat?

Do you ever sit around in your own home with toys strewn over the floor, laundry piles (both clean and dirty) beckoning for attention, and three meals worth of dishes stacked next to the sink and wonder why you are the only mom on the planet who cannot keep up with her home?

If you answered yes to either of these questions, then you may be suffering from “TOMHANTY” Syndrome (Thinking Other Moms’ Homes Are Neater Than Yours). The symptoms of this terrible disease are guilt, envy, stress, and even withdrawal (did I mention guilt?). You look around as you walk from room to room wondering how it could have gotten so messy since yesterday. You believe that the new friend you just made from your weekly visit to the library could never let her house look like a tornado just went through it. You are sure that your friend whose house you visit occasionally for a scheduled playgroup would never have dust bunnies the size of . . .well, a bunny.

Welcome to the Real Moms Club, where it is not just about being a mom, but being real and knowing that you don’t have to be a perfect housekeeper.

Maybe in the days of our grandmothers when society said that kids could roam unsupervised and free around town, but a mom’s house was a reflection of who she was as a woman.

Today, there is a different set of priorities for many moms, and a perfect house is not usually the highest on the list, although we still imagine we are being judged on everything from how we raise our children to how much education we pursue to how great a job we land and finally to how tidy we keep house.

Moms of today are stretched and pulled in many directions. Life is rarely as simple as a clean house. Stop telling yourself that you are not a good mom because your house is not always as neat as you think other moms’ homes are. Most moms are struggling to keep up as well.

What is the cure to TOMHANTY Syndrome, you ask?

Well, you could drop by a friend’s house unannounced with the pretext of delivering some home-baked cookies; you could watch her face turn beet red with shame as she turns to survey the wreck of toys, laundry, and dishes behind her; you could listen to her offer up every reason why her house is in such disarray; or maybe you could just take me at my word when I say that you are not alone.

Release your guilt by making a list of what you DID accomplish today: got kids dressed, dropped kids off at school and picked kids up after, washed and folded a load of laundry, paid bills, took dog to vet, fed family for the day. It all counts toward making your house a home in which your family can grow and feel loved.

——————-

Jennifer Tankersley is the creator of ListPlanIt where you can find 400 lists and planning pages including cleaning schedules, daily to do lists, grocery lists, and holiday/party planning to put your world in order.

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Filed Under: An Organized Home Tagged With: dirty dishes, messy moms, organized home

Home Organization: 7 Tips to Stopping Clutter at the Front Door

September 12, 2011 By Tracy 1 Comment

Clutter and Organization.

They are the two forces battling for our attention, our space and our time.

Each wanted to be in control. Each fights the other.

By stopping clutter before it even gets in the door, we can help organization win the epic struggle.

The biggest player on the clutter team? Paper: junk mail, newspapers, fliers. Save a tree and check out these tips to ensure that organization wins. Every time.

Tip #1

Junk mail fills our mailboxes daily. Some estimates say over 15 pounds worth a month. That’s just crazy. If you are in a rush and just dump the mail in a pile on the table in the front hall or your kitchen counter, it can overtake you in a matter of days. Fight back. Take your mailbox back. Most fliers have contact phone numbers for people interested in advertising. Call them and request to be taken off the list. Leave a note for your mail carrier and ask then not to deliver the grocery fliers on your day.

Tip #2

Pay online. Set aside an evening to switch your accounts to online bill pay. You not only eliminate the paper bills coming in but also the need to send some of your own out. Plus, you save on that stamp each and every month.
Tip #3

Call your bank and any investment companies you use and request that they switch to paperless billing. It’s simple, really. They will just send you an email each month instead and you can access it online, at your leisure.
Tip # 4

Cancel your newspaper service. This includes taking the time to call those freebie newspapers that end up under your bushes. If you don’t read them, cancel them.
Tip #5

While you’re outside, digging newspapers out of your begonias, tape a sign to your front door. Nothing too obnoxious, just a small, typed note that requests no fliers be left. Maybe “No Soliciting”. It really is nice not to have to grab all those pizza fliers off the front door and to no longer be interrupted by a nervous teen selling who-knows-what during the big game on Saturday.
Tip #6

Catalogs. Personally, I love them. Unfortunately, they add to the clutter in my mailbox, then they pile up on the kitchen counter until I move them to my office, where they sit, collecting dust. Forever. You can do one of two things. Contact catalogchoice.org and ask them to make it stop. One quick sign up and *poof*. No more junk. Or, if you cannot live without your Pottery Barn catalog (who me?), try to take a nice 20 minute break and rip out all the pages that interest you. Set them in a folder, nice, neat and out of the way. Wait a week. Pull the folder out and look again. If you still love it, put it in a plastic sleeve and into a 3 ring binder to save for inspiration. If not, toss it. A few pages torn out is better than a bunch of glossy catalogs sliding around on your desk.
Tip #7

Magazines, while not technically junk mail, can definitely add to the clutter. You can invest in those storage sleeves from retailers like The Container Store, try the 3 ring binder technique above or you can cancel altogether. Did you know magazines can be delivered digitally? It’s a great excuse to buy that Kindle you’ve been eyeing, right?!

Now, that you’re on your way to stopping the clutter from accumulating, why not think about doing a whole home declutter? 30 Days to an Organized Home will help you get reclaim the pride in your home.

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Filed Under: An Organized Home, Moms At Home Tagged With: organized home, paper clutter

Day Three: 30 Days to an Organized Home

September 3, 2011 By Tracy 1 Comment

Today, we’re working on the “Formal” living room!

Lain, over at 30 Minute Martha (have you met her yet? She’s stinkin’ awesome!) is working on her formal living room today.

My husband is bringing my mother-in-law down to live with us so MY mother came over today to help me tackle the living room so it will be nice & pretty once they get here.

So, I took the opportunity to move the furniture around – cleaning underneath everything and in the corners where stuff seems to accumulates

Confession: We always find the most interesting things underneath the furniture and in the corners. Things like wrappers (they’re not supposed to eat in this room); legos; barbie clothes & accessories; hot wheels and this time, I was lucky enough to find a petrified wheel of cheese (Laughing Cow brand – the wax is NOT fun to scrape off the floors) <Did I mention I have FOUR kids?>

I didn’t take Before pictures but here are the After images

: Don’t mind the puddle.

: Couch & Love Seat

: TV Wall – kinda empty – needs something

: Finished “end table” with table cloth (curtain)

: Bedside tables placed back to back

For the “table” between the couch & love seat, I put my beside tables back to back, added a curtain (yep, I’m crafty like that ) and lamp and voila’

Confession: The puddle you see in the middle of the floor is my attempt at mopping & deciding to take pictures while I waited for the dirt to loosen.

Now, it’s your turn. How are you doing with the 30 Days Challenge?

If you’re following along, we’d love to see how your very own journey to an organized home is coming. Feel free to share your successes as well as your challenges.

We’re in a no-judgement zone (remember me? I failed on the very first day – nope, the foyer table is still not cleared off and let’s not get started on my desk!)

BUT, I will celebrate the success of my, now mostly cleaned living room and rejoice that at least one thing has been crossed off the To Do List!

So, leave a comment here, at 30 Minute Martha or on either of our Facebook pages – Moms in a Blog or 30 Minute Martha and share the love!

P.S. If you don’t have the book yet and you want to follow along, you can get your own copy HERE

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Day Two: 30 Days to an Organized Home

September 2, 2011 By Tracy 3 Comments

Lain, over at 30 Minute Martha, is at it again!! She’s going through 30 Days to an Organized Home for the next 30 days and today is DAY TWO!

Now, I’ll confess. I didn’t get around to cleaning off my desk. It seems like every time I clear it off more stuff magically appears and I was working on some really cool stuff for you (I’ll tell you more about that later!)

I did clean off the foyer table and I’ll try to add a picture of it all clean & shiney because it’s really a a pretty little table.

Now, today, Lain is working on her front closet. You know the one by the front door that – let’s face it- is badly mistreated. We shove as much stuff as we can in there (you know when….right before you open the door for guests )

Confession Time: I’ve stuffed so much stuff in my poor, mistreated front closet that the bi-fold doors fell off!

But, I do have to say that right now, it’s pretty darned neat so I’m going to spend today making sure my desk stays neat & tidy.

Hmmm, maybe I should invest in some storage items….

Another Confession: I’m addicted to both office supplies & organizational tools

Can you relate?

I’d love to hear (and see) how your hot spot task went yesterday…and if, like me, you didn’t quite get it done OR you’d like to join along – Heck, it’s only Day Two….then leave a comment here, share your pictures and stories on our Facebook Page. If you’re not already a fan then just click LIKE!

If you’d like another opportunity to win then head on over to 30 Minute Martha’s Facebook Page because she’s running a giveaway, too.

P.S. This giveaway ends at midnight today, 9/2/11. I’ll be drawing from random comments & facebook posts – no rhyme or reason…Just whenever the mood hits….and it could hit often

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Filed Under: An Organized Home Tagged With: 3 Days to an Organized Home, 30 Minute Martha, Front Closet, Giveaway, Home Organization

Follow Along: 30 Days to an Organized Home

September 1, 2011 By Tracy 4 Comments

My good friend, Lain, over at 30 Minute Martha, is going through 30 Days to an Organized Home for the next 30 days and today is DAY ONE!

Her “hot spot” is her kitchen counter – she’s even posted an picture of it, brave soul that she is.

So…..what’s your “hot spot”?

I’ll ‘fess up and tell you that I actually have 2 really bad spots that accumulate a ton of stuff everyday.

My first hot spot in the table in my entryway/foyer

See all the really neat stuff!? There would probably be more except that I cleaned it off yesterday.

Yep, there’s window cleaner, floor cleaner, a bunny, not one but 3 candles, junk mail and a sweet lil teddy sitting in the vase-like thingy.

And if you look really close you’ll see the top of a blue bin just under the table.

That’s actually one of two and they’re filled with toys to be gone thru & donated.

You want to know what the BEST thing about this hot spot is?

It’s right in front of the door!

Now, if that weren’t bad enough, I also have a really cluttered desk!

I mean, really cluttered!

And it doesn’t matter how many times a day I clean it off-

It is still the place where everyone puts their “stuff”.

The Left side of my Desk

This is my Desk – on this half of my desk I have:

A desk organizer (ha!) for various pieces of mail, a comb, a Netflix dvd and some sharpies (I <3 Sharpies!)
A CD case filled with accompaniment CD’s for church
A full bottle of water
2 Atkins bar wrappers
A few books
Several magazines
Some more mail, bandaids, neosporin, sunglasses and my notebook
Along with some really cute Ball jars that I spray painted during one of my “I’m feeling crafty” days.

The Right side of my Desk

This is the rest of my Desk – on this half of my desk I have:

My Nook (it’s charging) I <3 my Nook
The Nook is sitting on top of a tart warmer (not turned on)
A box of Atkins bars (Chocolate Peanut Butter)
A stack of things that include magazines, 2 calendars, a notebook & my headset
A cup of coffee and a stack of software on top of my harddrive

So, you see~ you’re not alone! But, now the hard part begins…I need to go clear off my hot spot(s)

Follow along with me & Lain and let’s get your home organized, too!

P.S. Don’t forget to share your hot spot!

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Filed Under: An Organized Home Tagged With: 30 Days to an Organized Home, 30 Minute Martha, Home Organization, Hot Spot

An Organized Home: Beating the Back to School Chaos

August 31, 2011 By Tracy Leave a Comment

UberMom to the Rescue!? Where is she when you need her anyway?

School is back in session. Yea! No more lazy, hazy days of summer with kids hanging around the house whining of the utter boredom they are forced to endure. They are gone. You are officially back to being a parent between the hours of 3 and 9pm. Let’s all breathe a collective sigh of relief. Let it go. Let it all out. Unclench your teeth. Regain your sanity. Smooth your hair, your dress. Phew!

Once you have sorted through the summer clothes, purchased all the school supplies and are back in the ebb and flow of the new school schedule, you need to return to being UberMom, pink cape and all. The ultra-organized, always prepared, ubiquitous maternal figure that has, does, knows everything. Don’t wanna go back? Never been there? It’s ok. I won’t make you go to a PTA/PTO meeting or anything, just get you a little more organized so you can enjoy the long school year the way every parent should. Here are a few tips from a pro. Ok, tips from a wanna-be. Ok, whatever, just keep reading.

The school year brings out a whole other set of organizational challenges. There is just so much stuff. And, it all has to be seen, signed, discussed, read, ok’d. Heaven forbid if you forget to sign a permission slip or acknowledge that Junior needs to turn the collar down on his uniform before arriving on the school campus. You don’t want to be labeled as “that” parent.

The worst time for wreaking havoc is when the kids return home from school. Whether you picked them up or the bus dropped them off, chaos starts the moment they touch the doorknob. Prevent the complete breakdown of modern society by giving them a space to drop everything. If it is labeled, you can train them to be on auto-pilot and deposit their gear in the right place every time. If you can afford those amazing wood lockers that Pottery Barn sells, awesome. You know the ones. If you can’t, no problem. Try those big plastic tubs (one for each kid); it’ll work. Make sure they dump it all in, backpacks, lunch boxes and shoes. Shoes. I am convinced that missing shoes at 6:30 a.m. is the bane of every kindergartner mom’s existence.

Depending on your family’s schedule, your kids may start homework, play outside or even eat dinner when they get home. Whatever the case, take five minutes to sort though and inspect everything. Pull out what you need. Admire the artwork. Hide the shoes. You can assign duties later, such as emptying lunch boxes in the trash, as long as you get those first five minutes.

Keep a huge, as in the bigger, the better, dry erase board in the same general area as the lockers or bins. Add all the info to the board as you read the crumpled notes found in the bowels of their book bags. You can always transfer it to your electronic item of choice later. Keep a few large, manila envelopes around for those items that need to go back to the teacher. Hopefully, you get the envelope back but it does prevent that whole the-dog-at-my-permission-slip dilemma.

Have a tray system set up so that each child’s artwork can be set aside until the weekend. Pick a time, after coffee on Saturday morning for example, where each can sort through their stack with you, score a little extra snuggle time and pick their ONE favorite. Slip it into a plastic sleeve and keep the weekly favorites in a 3-ring binder, which is a much better place than your fridge, the backseat of the car or the laundry room floor. Toss the rest when they aren’t looking.

That dreaded half hour or so before bed can get hectic, too. But, UberMom has it all under control. For one, there will be no rushing around to find a specific shirt for “Blue Day” or that picture of Aunt Sheila in China for Show and Tell. You knew about all this in advance. It was on your board. You were prepared. Get into a routine of bath, book, bed. Or, whatever works for your family, as long as it is consistent. UberMom thrives on consistency.
Obviously, making everyone lay out their clothes for the next day and make their lunch the night before is a great idea. It can, however, be improved upon. Organizing a basket in the pantry with the top lunch snack choices and filling another with sandwich stuff can make prepping for lunch quick and easy. Now, you (they) only need to take two items out of the pantry instead of armloads. Painless and fast.

Well, those are just a few tips to get you started. Each family is different but we all thrive on routines. Routines make the life of an organized mom much easier. Good luck.

And, by the way, has anyone seen a pair of white Hello Kitty tennis shoes that light up?

Get the stuff you need to get your home organized withing the next 30 days with 30 Days to an Organized Home today!

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30 Days to an Organized Home eBook

August 30, 2011 By Tracy Leave a Comment

“Are You Sick and Tired of Looking at the Mess Around You That Seems to Grow Faster Than You Can Clean It Up?”

Stop The Feelings of Frustration & Failure

The truth is, if you’re anything like me, you are busy and often too tired to do the things you KNOW need to be done after a long day of doing what you do. Whether you’re a working mom, a stay-at-home mom or a work-at-home mom – you’re 2 things. Busy & busy!

It’s disheartening to walk into a room (just pick one) just to find an overflowing laundry basket, dirty dishes piling in the sink, an unmade bed and/or dirty toilets. There are a million things that need to be done but other things take priority over doing anything more than the basics when taking care of your home.

That doesn’t mean that you don’t ~~long for~~ want a home that you can feel proud of.
It simply means that you’re overwhelmed and just don’t know where to start.

Hopefully, your house doesn’t look nearly as bad as mine did before I FINALLY got a handle on things. I completely understand where you’re coming from and why you haven’t crossed all those housekeeping tasks of your very long To-Do list……

After searching high & low for something – anything, that would help me conquer all the chaos that my home was, I stumbled across this “secret”.

OK, so it’s not really a secret but it felt like I was unlocking the proverbial treasure chest once I figured out that this secret system worked for me.

As a matter of fact after just a few days my house looked better and I began to feel better about it.

After the full 30 days my own mother didn’t recognize it.

And the best thing? I’m now able to keep chaos at bay spending just a few minutes a day to maintain.

That is exactly why I decided to share with you what worked for me in

30 Days to an Organized Home eBook

To take care of the extreme overwhelm, you may often feel when looking at your home wondering what to tackle first,

I created a list of daily tasks that will help you:

Feel like you accomplished something by making one spot of your home presentable – every day

Know that you are taking care of the problem that got out of control

Stop feeling guilty and start doing something

Stop being too embarrassed to invite people over

Here’s What You’ll Discover Inside:

Week One Day 1 The Spot Day 2 Front/Entry Closet Day 3 Formal Living Room Day 4 Family Room Day 5 Surprise Day 6 Junk Drawer Day 7 Mud Room/Laundry Room	Week Two Day 8 Home Office, Part 1 Day 9 Home Office, Part 2 Day 10 Fun Project: Family Binder Day 11 Kitchen Pantry/Food Storage Area Day 12 Refrigerator Day 13 Kitchen Day 14 Fun Project: Recipes/Cookbook
Week Three Day 15 Half Way Point: Master Bedroom Day 16 Master Bedroom Closet Day 17 Master Bathroom Day 18 Closets Day 19 Bathrooms Day 20 Organize Your Computer Files Day 21 Gathering Your Valuables	Week Four Day 22 Children’s Rooms Day 23 Fun Project: Home Binder Day 24 Basement/Attic/Playroom Day 25 Garage, Day 1 Day 26 Garage, Day 2 Day 27 Create a Disaster Kit Day 28 Fun Project: Insurance Binder Day 29 Finish up Insurance Binder Day 30 Congratulations!!

Here’s how to order the 30 Days to an Organized Home eBook

$10

Bonuses

I couldn’t leaving ya hanging so I’m including the following items to help you succeed:

57 Checklists & Pages to Help You Create Your Family Binder

16 Home Cleaning Checklists

57 Page/Checklists to Add to Your Family Binder – Finances

23 page Checklists/Pages to Add to Your Family Binder – Contacts

Order Yours Now!

Only $10

You’re Covered by Our

60-Day, No Questions Asked, Money Back Guarantee

You have up to 60 days after purchasing 30 Days to an Organized Home eBook to decide if it was worth buying or not.
If you’re not entirely happy with it, or even for no reason at all, you can easily and quickly get a 100% full refund through Clickbank.
Clickbank is very strict about vendors giving money-back guarantees, and they always process refund requests fast. No questions asked.
So you’ve got nothing to lose.

Warmly,

P.S. You deserve a warm, welcoming home. Stop the cycle and get your copy of 30 Days to an Organized Home eBook now.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to email me at tracy@momsinablog.com

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE

DISCLAIMER: The purpose of this ebook is to educate and entertain. The author and publisher do not warrant that the information contained in this ebook is fully complete and shall not be resonsible for an errors, ommissions, or contradictory information in this ebook. The author and publisher assume no liability or responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this ebook. The reader assumes responsibiity for the use of these materials and information. Lastly, individual results may vary and your results may not be the same as another person’s.

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Audio Posts: 30 Days to an Organized Home

How Dinner Conversation & Menu Planning Create An Organized Home

An Organized Home: FREE Halloween Planner

To Get Your Free Halloween Planner Just CLICK HERE

An Organized Home: You Are Not Alone

Thinking Other Moms’ Homes are Neater Than Yours?