Welcome!

Thanks for visiting my blog. Hope you find some helpful hints for organizing your time and space. My passions are to help you make home a refuge instead of a crisis center, and to help you function in peace rather than chaos - at home or at work. I have switched my main blog to 1-2-3 ... Get Organized on WordPress, so please visit me there.



Friday, August 1, 2008

Announcing the Winners of My Bloggy Giveaways - and a Free Gift for Everyone Else

I'm pleased to announce the winners of my four Bloggy Giveaways:

5 Organizing books - Mechelle
Hassle Free Dinners - Tasha
3 Organizing Ebooks - Sarah
Office Organizing Ebooks - Audrey

If you didn't win, I'd still like to give you a free gift - a downloadable article on Cheating Time - an exerpt from my Time Management books. Just leave a comment on this blog and be sure to include your email address.

If you are interested in some of my books, watch for my blogs next week - I'll be announcing my new website with a special sale. Make sure you sign up for my blog so you don't miss out. :-)

Thanks so much for entering my giveaways - it was fun, wasn't it? I loved reading your comments - thanks for your kind words! By the way, since this is my first bloggy giveaway, I haven't gotten up to speed on the random selection software, so my husband chose the winners randomly.

Getting Organized for School (and life!) - Getting Enough Sleep

One of the nicest gifts you can give to your child is a good night's sleep. My goal as a mom has been to provide an atmosphere of success - creating an atmosphere where my child can succeed.

In order to do this, I must make sure that I have some routines and personal discipline in place so that my home runs smoothly and my child's needs are met. If I am living in chaos, most likely my child will not have a peaceful atmosphere in which to grow, not to mention having food to eat when hungry, clean clothes, and enough sleep to function effectively.

One of my hot buttons is getting enough sleep - for myself and for my children. Neither of us can do well if we are sleep deprived - we're grouchy, slow to respond, and easily stressed.

I came across an article this morning that details what sleep does for us - makes us better athletes and better drivers, helps us grow, reduces stress, helps us learn and remember, and gives us a positive attitude. Several of these have direct impact on school for our children. Click the title above to read the entire article - important information every parent should know.

Summertime usually means a more relaxed schedule and later bedtimes. Begin now to gradually move bedtime to the time that insures your child gets enough sleep each night. If you sense your child is sleep deprived, make it less gradual - you want your child to start school fresh and envigorated! A good indication that your child (or you) is sleep deprived is that he falls asleep when sitting.

In the meantime, observe your child - how much sleep does she need? A good way to tell is to allow your child to wake up naturally for several days. Observe yourself while you're at it, and figure out what time you need to go to bed in order to get enough sleep. It's worth it, but hard to do.

Even if you don't have school-age children, giving your child enough sleep every night creates an atmosphere where he can succeed and function at his peak. And make sure you get enough sleep yourself - you'll be such a better parent.

If you need help making this happen, check out one of our time management books on our website.