How Sour Candies can Impair Your Efficiency

Good Morning!

We had a nice weekend with our foster daughter for the week. Even got in some spring cleaning in the kitchen - ceiling, walls, baseboards, ceiling fan, and light fixtures. Still have to do windows, the oven, and oiling the cabinets. Only took us about an hour and a half with three of us working!

So what do sour candies have to do with efficiency? ...


How Sour Candies can Impair Your Efficiency

The spring 2009 edition of Brush Up by HumanaDental.com warns about the lasting effect sour candies can have on your teeth:

"Walk down any candy aisle and you'll find shelves of "extreme" or intense sour and fruit-flavor candies. While the craze is popular with young children, experts say it could have a lasting effect on their teeth. Extremely sour candies are high in acids that can strip away teeth's protective surface, according to the Minnesota Dental Association.

Here's some advice when eating sour candies:

> Rinse right away. Swishing water in your mouth after eating a candy helps wash away the acid.

> Wait 30 minutes to brush. The acid of a sour candy softens the fragile surface of the teeth. Brushing immediately could cause damage.

> Skip fruit flavors. Lemon, grape, and cherry destroy more enamel than cinnamon and mind, which are lower in acid.

> Skip to sugar-free gum. It can satisfy your oral urge while stimulating saliva flow, which protects enamel."

So how does this affect your efficiency? By avoiding sour candies, you and/or your children will reduce the number of visits to the dentist. This will prevent interruptions to your schedule and productivity. It will also eliminate the number of hours you would have had to work to pay for such visits. So it becomes cost-efficient as well.

Who knew the power that sour candies could have over our lives? :)

If you receive this by email and you'd like to comment, use this link.

The Ultimate Blog Party - My Fourth Prize

My fourth prize in The Ultimate Blog Party is your choice of my time management books for mom (pdf) - part of my 1-2-3...Get Organized series. These include Three Steps to Time Management for the Stay-at-Home, Three Steps to Time Management for the Single Mom, and Three Steps to Time Management for the Working Mom.

To enter:

1. Go to my website and see which mom time management book you'd like. Come back and comment about which one you'd prefer and why.

2. Sign up to receive my blog for another entry - come back and leave a comment to that effect.

3. For a third chance to win, go to my blog introducing Mom Audience - a marketplace for moms that will bring moms, mompreneurs, and businesses-that-cater-to-moms together. Sign up to be notified of the official launch if this is something that interests you. Come back and tell me you did so.

4. And lastly, for another chance to win, if you'd like information about advertising on Mom Audience email me at Bev@1-2-3getorganized.com. Come back and leave a comment after doing so.

5. Just kidding! For a bunch more entries, blog, twitter or whatever on your networks about this prize with a link. For each one, make a separate comment and you'll get an extra entry.

Make sure to leave your email address on each entry.


To enter other giveaways, go to the Ultimate Blog Party above. The winner will be announced on March 28.

The Ultimate Blog Party - My Third Prize

My third prize in The Ultimate Blog Party is a 6-month sidebar ad on Mom Audience emails ($125). I'm offering duplicate prizes here on my blog.

Each Mom Audience email will showcase new businesses, blogs, products, social networks, causes, websites, discounts, giveaways, contests, and lots more categories that interest moms. The purpose of Mom Audience is to bring moms, mompreneurs, and mom-appealing businesses together in a marketplace for moms.

Mom Audience is my brand new venture and will be launched around April 1 and the first Mom Audience email will go out around April 15.


To enter, comment by leaving your name and email address.

For a second chance to win, go to my blog introducing Mom Audience and sign up to be notified of Mom Audience's launch. Come back and comment.

A third entry is yours if you email me to receive info about advertising on Mom Audience. Come back and leave a comment to that effect.

And a fourth way to win is to comment, telling us what you would like to showcase to other moms.

For a bunch more entries, blog, twitter or whatever on your networks about this prize with a link. For each one, make a separate comment and you'll get an extra entry.

Make sure to leave your email address on each entry.

To enter more giveaways in the Ultimate Blog Party, click above. The winner will be announced on March 28.

The Ultimate Blog Party - My Second Prize

My second prize in The Ultimate Blog Party sponsored by 5 Minutes for Mom (I'm offering duplicate prizes here on my blog):

A free sponsorship of a Mom Audience weekly email ($250 value). Each Mom Audience email will showcase new businesses, blogs, products, social networks, causes, websites, discounts, giveaways, contests, and lots more categories that interest moms.

Sponsors will have a blurb at the beginning of each email, showcasing their stuff. Your sponsorship will put you in front of your target audience - moms! I hope to bring you new readers, new clients and more notoriety!

Mom Audience is a brand new venture of mine and will be launched around April 1 and the first Mom Audience email will go out around April 15.


To enter, comment by leaving your name and email address.

For a second chance to win, go to my blog introducing Mom Audience and sign up to be notified of Mom Audience's launch. Come back and comment.

A third entry is yours if you email me to receive info about advertising on Mom Audience. Come back and leave a comment to that effect.

And a fourth way to win is to comment, telling us what you would like to showcase to other moms.

For a bunch more entries, blog, twitter or whatever on your networks about this prize with a link. For each one, make a separate comment and you'll get an extra entry.

Make sure to leave your email address on each entry.

To enter more giveaways in the Ultimate Blog Party, click above. Winners will be announced on March 28.

The Ultimate Blog Party - My First Prize

Today starts the Ultimate Blog Party sponsored by 5 Minutes for Mom. I'm offering the same prizes here on my blog as at the party.

My first prize is a package including:

- Hassle Free Dinners (pdf)- 52 weeks of dinner menus, instructions, and weekly grocery lists. The menus are color-coded, and include nutritional and cost-per-serving information. It's a marriage of professional organization and dinnertime!

PLUS

- Three Steps to Planning Dinner (pdf) with editable grocery lists and recipe pages. This books walks you through planning quick, easy, and delicious meal for your family in the shortest amount of time. Included are some of my family's favorite recipes and a place to start your own family cookbook.


What do you need to do to win?

1. Go to my website and choose a book(s) you'd like to have. Come back and comment, listing the book and why you'd like to have it or give it as a gift.

2. Sign up to receive my blog for another entry - come back and leave a comment to that effect.

3. For a third chance to win, go to my blog introducing Mom Audience - a marketplace for moms that will bring moms, mompreneurs, and mom-appealing businesses together. Sign up to be notified of the official launch if this is something that interests you. Come back and tell me you did so.

4. And lastly, for another chance to win, if you'd like information about advertising on Mom Audience email me at Bev@1-2-3getorganized.com. Come back and leave a comment after doing so.

5. Just kidding! For a bunch more of entries, blog, twitter or whatever on your networks about this prize with a link. For each one, make a separate comment and you'll get an extra entry.

Make sure to leave your email address on each entry.

So here are your four chances to put meals on the table that are quick, tasty, and balanced. I hope you win!

To enter other giveaways, go to the Ultimate Blog Party above. Winners will be announced on March 28.

Spending Too Much Time and Energy Searching for Tasteful Clothing?

Good morning! I can hear the birds singing. Just thought you might enjoy a picture of our little crocuses in our front garden - they are so cute!

Let's get on to talking about saving some time shopping ...


Spending Too Much Time and Energy Searching for Tasteful Clothing?

I keep hearing parents complain that it's so hard to find age-appropriate, modest clothing for their kids. I also find it difficult to find clothing for myself that is not too revealing. Family Circle Magazine's April 17, 2009 issue has done some searching for us and lists these sources:

www.tinylittletshirtco.com was inspired by a mom who got tired of seeing suggestive t-shirts while shopping with her girls. From the website: "Here, you’ll only find good vibes. Whether it’s for girls, moms, boys, or dads, we keep it uplifting—with a dash of humor."

www.shadeclothing.com has modest clothing for women, teens, and a few items for girls and men.

www.primoactivewear.com sells t-shirts with athletic, competetive yet upbeat messages. Examples: Believe - This is how I achieve my goals; Perseverence - This is how I earn your respect." For kids and adults.

www.etsy.com has a huge selection of hand-made clothing. While looking at their site, I got a little side-tracked searching for the perfect organizing bag. There may be hope yet!

Please share similar sites where you buy modest, age-appropriate clothing. If you receive this blog via email, go here to comment.

Spring Cleaning the Car

We had a glorious day yesterday - 70 degrees and sunny! We ate dinner outside and my husband spent some time sprucing up the flower gardens. For you who live in warmer climes, stop gloating!

Spring Cleaning the Car

With all the snow we get over the winter, we are continually tracking muck into our cars during that season. I'm so happy that spring is here, which means when we clean our cars they might stay that way for a while!

But our biggest struggle is clutter. I read recently that women are more guilty than men when it comes to car clutter. Whatever the case, it's easy for that clutter to collect! Here are a few ideas to tame that trend:

- I ask our girls to look around them when leaving the car and bring any trash they see. They do draw the line at other people's tissues, however!

- Something I don't do often enough: reminding the girls that if they bring something into the car, they need to take it back out as they leave. Even if they are eating something on the way to school, they need to take it into the school when they go. Finding two yogurt containers upside down in the cup holder is not pleasant!

- I'm not a good waiter. So I try to remember to use the time while stopped at a light, waiting for someone, etc. to pick up trash and clutter. When we travel, I try to remove trash each time I get out of the car for a break.

- When we get snacks while traveling, I ask for a bag which we can use for trash.

- If you have children who like to bring toys along in the car, limit them to one toy. Just make sure it's not a container with a jillion little toys inside!

- If you allow eating in the car, opt for dry snacks rather than gummy ones. They are much easier to clean up with a vacuum and less likely to get enmeshed in the carpeting or upholstery.

- Make sure drinks have lids, especially when stored in cup holders on the door. Slamming the door and an open drink is not a good combination!

- We ask our girls to use the sidewalk to go to the car, even though it's a bit longer than cutting across the grass. That greatly reduces grass, leaves, and other unwanted visitors.

What do you do to keep the clutter out of the car? If you receive this by email, use this link to comment.

Spring Cleaning the Walls and Windows

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I made breakfast burritos this morning and tinted the eggs green. Thankfully it didn't keep anyone from eating them! And when we mixed in salsa, it turned a pretty disgusting brown. :) All for making those memories!

I don't know about you, but I'm just not in the mood to do spring cleaning this year. Maybe because we have had tons of snow, rain and cold weather up until just this last week. But I'll do it in bite-size chunks...

Spring Cleaning the Walls and Windows

Not my favorite chore by a long shot!! Each week in the spring and summer that we have girls, we try to think of a cleaning or yard chore we can do for about an hour. It's nice to have help and it teaches them how to manage a home at the same time. So if you have kids, let them enjoy this home management instruction - I'm sure they will be forever grateful! :)

We're going to start a room at a time and clean the windows and walls. I use Mr. Clean Magic Sponges to clean the walls. All you need is a sponge and a container of water. I bought a bunch of dishpans which we use for this chore, spa day pedicures, and other various uses. We do clean them out between various activities!

So everyone has their own sponge and dishpan. All you do is wipe down the walls and rinse out the sponge. You don't have to rinse the walls afterwards. I don't know what Mr. Clean did to his sponge, but it IS magic!

While we have the furniture moved out, we may as well wash the windows at the same time. I'm not a big proponent of newpapers and vinegar as so many are - don't like having my hands and other things turn black! Just window cleaner and paper towels.

While the furniture is moved out, my husband usually gets motivated to vacuum those spots we don't often see. Bless him!

As you know, cleaning is one of my least favorite chores, but I sure enjoy the rewards of a clean house! And I can stand anything for an hour - so can our girls. :)

How do you manage spring cleaning? If you receive this blog by email and want to comment, click here.


More blogs about spring cleaning:

Clutter Statistics - Motivation for Spring Cleaning

Spring Cleaning Using Household Items - Vinegar

Spring Cleaning Using Household Items - Baking Soda

If spring cleaning or just regular cleaning puts you in overwhelm, Three Steps to Clever Cleaning minimizes the time you need to spend cleaning!

Coming Soon: Mom Audience

I am putting the last touches on a new venture I'm launching at the end of the month - Mom Audience. Mom Audience is a marketplace for moms - bringing together moms, mompreneurs, and businesses-that-cater-to-moms.

Mom Audience will be a weekly email where you can list (free of charge) your new products, blogs, websites, social networks, discounts/sales and lots more. There will also be opportunities to sponsor Mom Audience and place sidebar ads.

If you are interested in being notified of Mom Audience's launch, please make a comment below. Make sure you list your email address!

If you are interested in sponsoring or advertising, please email me at Bev@1-2-3getorganized.com.

Understanding the ADD Mindset

It's been a nice weekend - we've gone to the ballet, to a play of Cinderella, painted t-shirts, went for a walk, went to church, did some photography and cooking together, and saw Pink Panther 2. Is it any wonder that I love Mondays? :) On to our blog for today:

Understanding the ADD Mindset

If you live with or work with someone who has ADD, it may be helpful to understand the ADD mindset to give you more understanding and empathy. Here are some tips from Susan Lasky's article in NAPO News (National Association of Professional Organizers):

ADDers experience:

- "A tremendous amount of guilt and self-effacement ("Why can't I do stuff that is so simple?")

- Regret, shame and even grief ("That's another project I started but never finished.")

- Anger/depression from being criticized by others for so many years (often seen in those (my word) who can't follow the examples of their born-organized mothers)

- Unrealistic expectations having to do with their ability to complete tasks and the amount of time it will take."

Let us not add to their burdens by being impatient or critical!!

How do you encourage those around you who have ADD? If you receive this blog via email and you'd like to comment, use this link.


More blogs about ADD:

Helping Your ADHD Child Get Organized

More Tips for Helping Your ADD Child Stay Organized

ADHD Organization - Time and Energy

5 Meals for Under $50 - My Video Segments on WKYC Channel 3 News

As promised, here are the video segments from WKYC Channel 3 News in Cleveland featuring 5 Meals Under $50. I thought the Channel 3 staff were very generous with their promotion of my business and recipes!

I decided to replace the videos with links because the videos would automatically start playing when you opened my blog - annoying!

Hollie cooking dinner #5


My four video clips

You can find a link to the recipes, which come from my Hassle Free Dinners and Three Steps to Planning Dinner.

Air Times for "5 Under $50" Segments on Channel 3

Today I taped four 45-second segments promoting "5 Under $50" - a program about cooking economical meals sponsored by Channel 3 in Cleveland and www.Cleveland.MomsLikeMe.com. I selected the menus, cooked four of them, and the other one will be cooked live on the show. Most of the recipes came from my Hassle Free Dinners, a year's worth of dinner menus, instructions, and grocery lists.

One segment will be aired each 30 minutes from 5 to 7 am Thursday morning. I simply describe each meal and why it's interesting. You will be able to find the recipes at www.Cleveland.MomsLikeMe.com. I'll record the program, and if I'm not too dorky, I'll consider putting a segment or two here on the blog. :)

It was fascinating seeing Channel 3's beautiful headquarters overlooking Lake Erie. And I so enjoyed working with the gracious and encouraging Jacquie Chakirelis, co-host of Family Matters Radio and site manager for Cleveland Moms Like Me!

Thanks so much for your kind emails and comments!

If you're inspired to save money by planning meals and cooking at home, Three Steps to Planning Dinner is now available as an eworkbook in addition to being a printed workbook. Hassle Free Dinners is available as a CD or downloadable PDF.

I'm Going to Be On TV!

Channel 3 Morning News has asked me to come in to their studios on Wednesday to tape some segments that will air on Thursday morning during their 6 to 7 am slot. It is part of a program by Cleveland.MomsLikeMe.com called 5 Dinners for Under $50.

I have to take in four meals already prepared, several from my Hassle Free Dinners CD, and ingredients for another meal for someone else to cook. I imagine we'll talk about how economical it is to plan ahead and cook meals at home.

They said I would appear in 45-second segments a few times during the hour. It doesn't look like they have a live stream, so I guess only locals will be able to see it. I'll try to tape it and put it up on my blog if I don't embarrass myself. :)

MomsLikeMe.Com is all over the country - go there to find one near you.

Disposing of Unused Medication Responsibly

Lately I've been reading suggestions by several professional organizers on how to dispose of unused medications. If you flush them, they end up in our water. If you trash them, they end up in landfills even if they are diluted or crushed. Or they may be eaten by animals. Here are what I consider to be the top three choices:

1. Costco, CVS and other pharmacies will take your unused medications and dispose of them properly. Check with your local stores, though, because it seems to be a store-by-store choice.

2. Some police stations offer the same service. Again, check with your local station.

3. And my favorite: donate them to an organization who can use them third world countries. Even though this suggestion was brought up several times, I couldn't find such an organization when I searched.

Do you know an organization that takes donations of unused medications? If you receive this blog by email, please go to this link to comment.

A Dozen Tips for a Less-Stressed Wedding

Good morning! Hope you had a great weekend. Ours was busy with activities with the girls - painting t-shirts, painting wooden crafts, participating as slaves in a simulated underground railroad, a movie, church, homework, and nursing a sick one. I'm glad it's Monday so I can get some rest! :)

I wrote the following article for For Bride and Baby, a fabulous website to help you plan for your wedding or baby. If you can't use the tips for planning a wedding, feel free to pass them on to someone who might be able to use them. Add your own tips, as well! (My article appears on their blog.) It's a bit long ...


A Dozen Tips for Planning a Low-Stress Wedding

A wedding is a breeding ground for stress, one reason being that there are so many details to manage. There's not much you can do about Aunt Martha and Cousin Joe not wanting to speak to each other, but you can organize and manage details so there are as few surprises as possible.

There will always be those things that pop up at the last minute, but if you have done a good job of organizing, they are usually either out of your control or are minor. The following tips will help ease your mind as your plan your wedding:

1. Start early. As soon as you know you’re getting married, start planning. My daughter and I had almost a year to plan her wedding and we used it all! Her wedding was very large and we did much of it ourselves. If you don’t think you need that much time, it never hurts to be ahead of schedule, even if your wedding is intimate and simple.

Even if you’re not engaged yet, there are several things you can start looking at: wedding dresses, bridal party attire, invitations, etc. Don’t scare off your boyfriend, though, by jumping the gun!

2. Keep the communication lines open and healthy with your fiancé and your family during the wedding-planning process. Your relationships are more important than your ceremony. Your ceremony will take place on one day ... your relationships will continue for the rest of your life. Work on finding win-win solutions to problems and be open to their ideas.

You will spend the rest of your life finding solutions to problems. To help you perfect this skill, avail yourself of pre-marriage counseling. I highly recommend the Myers-Briggs personality type inventory. And make good choices, the most important one in my opinion: don't be selfish. It's impossible for a marriage to flourish if one or both partners are self-absorbed.

3. Determine your budget and the size of your wedding. Your budget will likely determine the size of your wedding. If your parents are paying for your wedding, get a clear picture of what they are willing to spend. You can decide to stick within that budget or contribute some yourself. Or you may be footing the entire bill yourself.

Whatever the case, I suggest living within your budget. Insisting on a lavish affair is not worth the stress that debt puts on your relationship with your parents and/or your fiancé and later on your marriage.

Do your homework as you estimate the cost of the various components of your wedding. Costs add up quickly, and being realistic about them avoids last minute sticker-shock and its ensuing stress. Overestimate your costs so that if things turns out to be higher than you anticipated, you have a little padding.

4. Get a wedding organization book and live by it! This wonderful tool provides checklists, timelines, and deadlines. It also supplies you with etiquette rules and other such valuable information. Remember, though, that just because something is suggested in your wedding organization book, if it’s not you, don’t do it! This is your wedding, and it should reflect you! If you can afford a wedding planner, she will do much of this for you.

5. Secure a venue for your wedding and reception. Some locations are booked a year or more in advance, so don’t procrastinate on this one if your location is a popular one! To avoid this hassle, some couples are deciding to marry on less typical days: Friday evening or Sunday afternoon, for example. By thinking outside the box, you may discover creative solutions to this search.

6. Decide on a wedding dress and wedding party attire. This may take a while, so give yourself enough time to find what you want. The internet makes this overwhelming task much easier! Look online to find styles you like and narrow down your search this way.

Give yourself enough time for altering, re-ordering correct sizes, etc. If you are having dresses made, allow adequate time for measuring, sewing, try-ons, and alterations. We had the bridesmaids’ dresses made by a friend. To cut costs, we used a 50% off coupon at Jo-Ann’s when we purchased the material.

7. Plan your wedding ceremony with your fiancé. Don’t just include everything you’ve seen in others’ wedding – make it meaningful to you. We actually attended a wedding ceremony that seemed like it included everything ever done in a wedding ceremony – it was eternal!!

Make your ceremony reflective of you! Sit down with the minister or person who is going to perform your wedding, and express your desires. Any wedding ceremony can be adapted to fit your values and wishes.

Our daughter and son-in-law have a very strong faith. Her engagement ring was a triangle. She and her fiance were represented by the bottom two corners, and God was represented by the top corner. They wanted their relationship to become closer as they became closer to God. The triangle shape reoccurred throughout the wedding and reception.

Our daughter didn’t want a wedding cake – she wanted cheesecake instead. We found already-sliced Cheesecake Factory cheesecake at Sam’s. They chose to eliminate the cake-cutting, obviously.

A friend of ours was into the two-step, so he and his groomsmen wore cowboy boots and it was a two-step reception. Another friend got married in his Chucks, his signature footwear! Don't be afraid to be different!

8. Keep a binder or file or box containing wedding paraphernalia – contracts with those providing services, sketches, ideas, final products, etc., so you can locate colors, samples, etc. at a moment’s notice.

9. Determine what help you need – both paid and volunteer. If you have friends who are willing to help with various aspects of your wedding, accept that help if you like their work. A friend might be able to design your invitation and/or program. Or help you address wedding invitations. Ask friends for recommendation for wedding cake bakers, caterers, etc. If people offer to help, consider saying yes!

10. Hire a wedding coordinator at least for your wedding day. Then you, your mom, your family, and your wedding party can enjoy the day and revel in your celebration. She can take care of those little details and make sure that everyone is where they need to be.

11. Prepare an emergency kit for those last minute snafus: safety pins, masking tape, cellophane tape, a stapler, bobby pins, hair spray, needle and thread, extra pantyhose, extra make-up, scissors, etc. Ask a friend to be on stand-by to run errands if necessary.

12. Relax and enjoy your day! Determine not to be stressed even if everything doesn’t go exactly as you planned. Someone may faint or goof up, but the important thing is that you're getting married!! Don't let small things spoil your celebration. And ... live happily ever after!

Any tips for reducing the stress of planning a wedding? If you receive this by email, use this link to comment.