Decluttering Your Books with BookMooch

Good morning! We got about six inches of snow yesterday! My poor flowers are buried.

Let's move on to a brighter topic ...

Decluttering Your Books with BookMooch

I heard about BookMooch from some fellow organizers and thought it was a great way to declutter books and save some money at the same time - even give to charity! Here's how it works, according to their website:

"BookMooch is a community for exchanging used books.

BookMooch lets you give away books you no longer need in exchange for books you really want.

Give & receive: Every time you give someone a book, you earn a point and can get any book you want from anyone else at BookMooch. Once you've read a book, you can keep it forever or put it back into BookMooch for someone else, as you wish.

No cost: there is no cost to join or use this web site: your only cost is mailing your books to others.

Points for entering books: you receive a tenth-of-a-point for every book you type into our system, and one point each time you give a book away. In order to keep receiving books, you need to give away at least one book for every three you receive.

Help charities: you can also give your points to charities we work with, such as children's hospitals (so a sick kid can get a free book delivered to their bed), Library fund, African literacy, or to us to thank us for running this web site .

World wide: You can request books from other countries, in other languages. You receive 3 points when you send a book out of your country, to help compensate you for the greater mailing cost, but it only costs the moocher 2 points to get the book. John Buckman, who runs BookMooch, has lived in California, England, France and Germany, and was frustrated by the vast number of books that were printed in just one country and not available in the other countries (for example, many books are published in Britain and never made available in America).

Wishlist: you can keep a "book wish list" that will automatically arrive to you when you have the points and/or the book becomes available in our catalog.

Feedback score: each time you receive a book, you can leave feedback with the sender, just like how eBay does it. If you keep your feedback score up, people are most likely to help you out when you ask for a book."

Isn't this a great idea? If you'd like to comment, and receive this email via email, use this link.

Don't forget to sign up for Mom Audience!

Mom Audience is Live!

Mom Audience is now live! Mom Audience is a marketplace for moms. My goal in creating Mom Audience is to provide a place where moms, mompreneurs and businesses with mom-appeal can come together.

So ... if you're a mom and you'd like the convenience of shopping at a mom-specific location, please subscribe!

If you have a business, blog, product, sale, giveaway, contest, event, employment need, or other important news you want to get out to moms, you can list it FREE!

Your listing will go out on a weekly email to our subscribers - every Tuesday. The first Mom Audience email will go out on Tuesday, April 14, so listings need to be in by Sunday noon on April 12.

Mom Audience provides you with a central location to showcase your stuff and get some attention. If you want some additional attention, sponsor one of the emails or be seen on the sidebar of the Mom Audience website or Mom Audience email.

Would you do me a favor? Could you forward this information to your email lists, social network lists, your moms groups and to anyone else you know who might be interested in Mom Audience? I'd like your listings to get as much attention as possible!

Thanks so much!

Bev Coggins

Questions? Email me at Bev@momaudience.com

10 Eco-Friendly and Wallet-Friendly uses for Olive Oil

Good morning! I hope you had a nice weekend. We did a variety of activities (a class on making Faberge eggs, a farm park, National First Ladies Library, a hike) with our foster daughters over the beautiful weekend. And today we're supposed to get 1-3 inches of snow! Will winter never end?

In light of Earth Day coming up and people trying to pinch pennies, here are a few ideas that are kind to our environment and save us from having to buy unnecessary household products.

10 Eco-Friendly and Wallet-Friendly uses for Olive Oil

An article I read suggested several uses for olive oil which I thought were creative, green, and money-saving:

"Use Olive Oil to:

1. Shave. Olive oil can provide a closer shave when used in place of shaving cream.

2. Shine stainless steel. Many cleaning standbys, such as ammonia, can dull and even corrode chrome and stainless steel. Olive oil, however, is a safe and effective shining agent.

3. Remove eye makeup. Dab a little under the eyes and rinse off with a washcloth.

4. Prevent wax from sticking to a candle holder. Rub a thin coat on the base of the holder before inserting a candle. Dripped wax should peel away easily.

5. Care for your pet. Add 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon to your cat’s food to help prevent hair balls.

6. Moisturize cuticles. Apply a small amount of olive oil to the nail beds.

7. Treat dry skin. Rub a thin layer over the skin after a shower or a waxing.

8. Unstick a zipper. Using a Q-tip, apply a drop to lubricate the teeth. (Avoid touching the fabric.) The zipper should move up and down freely.

9. Dust wooden furniture. Apply a bit of oil to a cloth and wipe.

10. Silence squeaky doors. Lubricate hinges by applying a small dab to a cloth, then wiping the top of the hinges so that the oil runs down the sides."

Do you use household products creatively? Let us hear from you! If you receive this via email, use this link to comment.

Quadruple Batch of Teriyaki Marinade

It's that time of year - time to think about grilling! This is also the time to make a quadruple batch of Teriyaki Marinade. It keeps for a long time in the fridge, and it simplifies your life when you want to make fajitas, teriyaki chicken or London broil. During grilling season, I always make quadruple batches so I have some on hand at all times.

Our girls requested fajitas this week, so yesterday morning I made the marinade and let the steak marinate all day. I also cook the onions, mushrooms, and peppers in the marinade as well. Here's the recipe for the best Teriyaki Marinade I have ever tasted:

Teriyaki Marinade

3/4 c. oil (3.c.)
1/4 c. soy sauce (1 c.)
1/4 c. honey (1 c.)
2 T. vinegar (1/2 c.)
1 T. garlic powder (1/4 c.)
1 1/2 t.ground ginger (1/8 c.)
2 T. dried chopped onion (1/2 c.)

Combine ingredients in a jar or a container with a lid. (Amounts in parentheses are for the quadrupled amount.) Shake or stir together and pour over meat to be marinated. I usually place meat in a zip lock bag, and turn the bag over occasionally.

For boneless chicken breasts, marinate 4-6 hours.

For London broil, marinate up to 3 days, but at least 1 day. Grill 6-10 minutes on each side, turning frequently. Or broil at 400 degrees for the same length of time. Let steak rest for 10 minutes before cutting so it won't lose its juiciness.

You can fin this recipe and other great recipes on Hassle Free Dinners and Three Steps to Planning Dinner.

Spring Cleaning Bedrooms

Good Morning! It's going to be a beautiful day here today - in the upper sixties. We haven't seen that kind of weather much yet this spring! I think we may take another hour to wash living room walls this afternoon - we might even get to the windows, as we have three girls in our house this week - lots of help!

But let's talk about spring cleaning the bedrooms now ...

Spring Cleaning Bedrooms

When the weather starts to warm up, it's a great time to spring clean the bedrooms. Spring is one of the times during the year I like to wash all the bed linens for each bedroom. When the girls clean their rooms this week, I will ask them to completely strip their beds down to the mattresses. If you have children and they are old enough, they can do this chore for you, too.

It's a logical time to clean all the linens, as it's time to remove blankets for spring and summer months anyway. And it will be nice to store a freshly washed blanket, ready to use when it gets cold again.

I'll take down the curtains since they are washable. If yours are not, send them to the dry cleaners or vacuum them, using the brush attachment.

While the linens are off, you may want to take the opportunity to recruit the family to sweep the ceiling, wash the walls, clean ceiling fans, vacuum, dust, and wash windows. While you're at it, flip the mattress, too.

Even little ones can dust or wash walls with Mr. Clean Magic Sponges. All you have to do is wash the walls and rinse the sponge - no rinsing of walls!

If it takes longer than an hour or so, you may want to break it up into hour-long segments so as not to overwhelm yourself or your family. Repeat for each bedroom until you're done. You'll be surprised at how quickly it goes!

It's a lot more fun if you all work together. Put on some fun music and enjoy! Tell jokes or funny stories. Then do something fun to celebrate everyone's hard work.

It's amazing how washing walls brightens the room! And freshly laundered comforters, sheets and curtains add a spring crispness to the room! It's a big job, but a clean fresh bedroom is worth the effort!

More blogs on spring cleaning:

Spring Cleaning the Walls and Windows

Spring Cleaning Using Household Items - Lemons

Spring Cleaning Using Household Items - Salt, Newspaper, Coffee Filters, and Olive Oil

If cleaning isn't your thing, and you need a little help, try Three Steps to Clever Cleaning - a short, colorful, glossy, fun little book.

A Dozen Helpful Hints to Simplify Your Life

Happy April Fool's Day! We received a new house of girls yesterday, and one of the girls is dreading going to school because of all the pranks. She's in middle school - need I say more?

Our blog today originated from an email I received from a friend. I thought the hints were worth passing along:

A Dozen Helpful HInts to Simplify Your Life

1. Broken Glass clean up:

 Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can't see easily. 




2. No More Mosquitoes : Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away. 




3. Squirrel Away!: To keep squirrels from eating your plants, sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant, and the squirrels won't come near it. 



4. Flexible vacuum nozzle: To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge, add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum . It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings. 



5. Reducing Static Cling: Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and -- ta da! -- static is gone. 



6. Measuring Cups clean up: Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out. 



7. Hate foggy windshields?: Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car. When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!




8. Reopening envelope: If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Viola! It unseals easily .




9. Hair Conditioner: Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's a lot cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair..




10. Goodbye Fruit Flies: To get rid of pesky fruit flies , take a small glass fill it 1/2" with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid , mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever! 




11. Get Rid of Ants: Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it , take it "home," can't digest it, so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works and you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed! 




12. To Extend the Life of Your Dryer and Prevent Fires: Dryer sheets cause a film over the mesh of the lint filter - that's what burns out the heating unit. You can't SEE the film , but it's there. It's what is in the dryer sheets to make your clothes soft and static free - that nice fragrance, too. You know how they can feel waxy when you take them out of the box, well this stuff builds up on your clothes and on your lint screen. This is also what causes dryer units to catch fire and potentially burn your house down with it!

The best way to keep your dryer working for a very long time (and to keep your electric bill lower) is to take the filter out and wash it with hot soapy water and an old toothbrush (or other brush) at least every six months. It doubles the life of your dryer.



Wait - Don't Throw That Away!

Are you ready for April Fool's Day tomorrow? If not, here are some ideas. My favorite is the kitchen sink trick. I'll use it on the girls - after school, though!

So here's our blog for today - can you believe I'm encouraging you to keep things rather than throw them away? This article by Amanda Kwan encourages us to save money and our landfills by finding uses for things we would normally throw away.

15 New Uses for Old Clutter

"Springtime is here again, and with it the annual tradition of cleaning house. But that doesn't have to mean bag after bag of garbage.

Given fears of a recession and worries about overflowing landfills, there's new incentive to find second lives for many household items.

"We can't afford to keep living disposable lives," said Lori Baird, a co-author of Don't Throw It Out: Recycle and Reuse to Make Things Last, a compendium from Yankee magazine. "It makes sense for all of us to be more careful about how we spend money."

Some of Baird's favorite tips include using the wire racks from an old refrigerator as cooking racks for baked goods, and donating old towels to animal shelters, which use them for dog baths.

But not everything can be salvaged. Baird warns against reusing items such as children's car seats, which have expiration dates because of frequent changes in safety features. "If there's ever a question of safety involved in reusing an object, I'd say don't do it," Baird said in an e-mail.

For everything else, repurposing often requires just a little washing and a touch of imagination. The next time you're contemplating giving something the old heave-ho, here are 15 tips to give it new use.

OLD DISHES, NEW PLANTER

Filling large outdoor planters with soil for a small plant can be costly. Pieces of a broken clay pot or ceramic dish help drainage and prop up undersized plants. Place shards at the bottom of a large pot until almost half the pot is full. Add a layer of plastic foam pieces or a mixture of gravel or pebbles (you can also use filler from old aquariums or wine corks), and then fill with potting soil.

OLD BRANCHES, NEW DECOR

If you're trimming trees to prepare for the growing season or cleaning the yard, save long fallen twigs or branches that are in good condition. Tie in a bunch and let dry completely in the garage. Spray paint them in white, silver or gold, and display in a vase or large urn as indoor decorations.

OLD MAILING TUBES, NEW WINE RACK

ReadyMade, a savvy do-it-yourself magazine, suggests making a wine rack with mailing tubes and an old milk carton crate from your college dorm years (or a box that's at least 12 inches deep). Measure the depth of the crate and cut the tubes to this length with sharp scissors. Stack the tubes in the crate and turn the crate on its side on a flat surface. Each cubby hole can fit a wine bottle. Be sure to store the crate in a dry, cool area.

OLD PENS, NEW SILVERWARE

Forks, spoons and knives with broken handles can get new bodies from old pens, according to Jaspal Marwah and Sarah Hunt of Vancouver. They're winners of ReadyMade's MacGyver Challenge, a monthly contest that challenges readers to find innovative ways to reuse common objects. To make their pen cutlery, discard everything inside the pen except its tube and cap. Fill the tube with hot glue, shove in the heads of the cutlery, and let dry.

OLD SHOWER CURTAIN, NEW GRILL COVER

Got a stained or tired shower curtain? Baird suggests using it as a waterproof cover for outdoor furniture or a grill.

OLD PAPERWORK, NEW DOG BED

Shredded paperwork from your home or office shredder, small rugs or bath mats, and old towels can be donated to local animal shelters. The paper and bath mats make beds for dogs and cats, and towels are needed to wash animals.

OLD BINDER, NEW CD CASE

Watch this: Three-ring binders from yours or your children's old school days can house CDs or DVDs that've lost their cases. Don't Throw It Out says to store them in album refill pages for 5 x 7 photos.

OLD SOCKS, NEW ORNAMENT SAVER

Save old socks or ones that've lost their partner to store delicate Christmas ornaments. You can also use socks to stuff the insides of shoes so they don't lose their shape in storage.

OLD PANTYHOSE, NEW BROOM

Revitalize an old broom by covering the bristles with ruined pantyhose. Cut a piece from the leg, and stretch it over the broom's bristles. The nylon's static will attract lint and small dust particles as you sweep.

OLD BOOK, NEW SAFE

Make a safe out of an old hardcover textbook or outdated encyclopedia. Don't Throw It Out suggests opening the book to a spot at least one inch from the back. Prop the book open with a paperweight. Use a pencil and a straightedge to mark a rectangle in the middle of the page. Cut out the rectangle with a craft knife - score the edges heavily, and you'll be able to cut through several pages at a time. Repeat until you're about to cut into the back cover. Place a piece of cardboard or a thick piece of scrap paper over the cover so that you don't cut into it.

OLD PILLOWCASE, NEW TOY

Fashion a toy for Fido from a discarded pillowcase. Roll it lengthwise and make three knots - one in the middle and two at the ends.

OLD NEWSPAPER, NEW WINDOW WASHER

Go through the paper recyclables before you wash the windows, because you can use old newspapers to clean glass surfaces. Scrunch up newsprint and dip it into a mixture of equal parts white vinegar and warm water. Wipe windows with the wet paper.

OLD YARN, NEW NEST

Another tip from Don't Throw It Out: Help birds build nests by giving them leftover yarn from a crafting project. Cut the yarn into 3-inch strips and put them in a netted bag, similar to the ones garlic or onions come in. Hang the bag in a tree.

OLD MOP, NEW CURTAIN ROD

The long handle of a broom or map makes a cheap curtain rod for a small window or doorway. Wrap the length of the pole with metallic contact paper. Drill a small hole at the ends of the pole to insert an L-hook, from which you can hang the curtain.

OLD SOAP, NEW MOTH REPELLANT

Dry leftover slivers from bath soap bars and place them in a large zip top plastic bag. Use a hammer to smash the bars into small pieces, and then close the bag. Poke several small holes in the bag with a pin, and then toss the bag into storage bins with clothes. The soap will repel moths and other insects, and keep clothes smelling fresh."

Please share your ideas on repurposing clutter! If you receive this via email, use this link.

Reduce Your Stress - Say No

Happy Monday! Hope you had a nice weekend! We concluded a lovely visit with my friend Margaret, worked on taxes (yipee!) while watching two different versions of Pride and Prejudice (not at the same time!), had one of our former Shelter Care girls over for dinner (she's in college now), and relaxed a bit.

I'm also discovering how clutzy I am! I hurt my back on Thursday (don't know how!) and can't pick things off the floor. So I've become aware of how many things I drop and have to leave on the floor for my husband to pick up! Looks like the chiropractor is in my future.

So, on to our blog ...

Reduce Your Stress - Say No

Why is it so hard to say no? Maybe it's because we don't want to disappoint, or maybe it's because we feel empowered when we rescue others. We may not know our own skill sets well enough to know if we are equipped to meet the need. Or maybe it's because we don't have a clear picture of our own priorities against which to measure others' requests.

Whatever the case, saying no can be difficult! If you have trouble saying no, you may find yourself over-committed, doing things you are not passionate about, feeling used, ill-equipped to do the job, or seeing your own priorities take a back seat to those of others.

How do you learn to say no?

1. The first step is to know your own priorities - at work and at home.

If you are asked to take on an assignment at work and you are already overloaded, you can say something like this: "These are my current top priorities. Where do you see this fitting in, in light of them?" Then your boss sees your current workload and must decide if the new assignment is more important than those on which you are working. He/she also gets a sense that you have clear priorities, yet are available for clarifying input. If need be, draw up a time line of when your current projects will be completed, to give context to expectations.

If someone asks you to take on the PTA bake sale, or even just donate a batch of brownies, ask for some time to think about it. If you have trouble saying no, this should become your mantra, "Let me look at my schedule and get back to you." This gives you a chance to think calmly about whether this is something to which you want to commit your time and efforts.

2. Ask yourself if you are the best person to do the job.

If you are well-equipped to do the job, ask yourself if it is something that fits with your priorities and time availability. If you are not well-equipped to do the job, suggest someone else who might have the needed skills. If the job is something you'd like to learn, ask to be mentored by someone who could teach you to do it.

I was asked to be the church treasurer for our little church. I immediately said no. I don't know how much time it would have taken, but I don't have much of that. Nor am I well-equipped to do the job. There is a reason I switched from accounting to business finance in college! Plus I hate tedious jobs like that, and I think I would have dreaded doing the job.

By knowing yourself well, you can choose to operate in the areas of your strength, which is energizing and satisfying. Operating in areas of weakness is draining and high-risk.

3. Ask yourself why you want to say yes.

Are you committed to the project or cause?
Does it fit with your priorities?
Do you have the time to do it?
Do you want to look good in the requester's eyes?
Do you feel you can't say no to a boss, client, co-worker, friend, etc?
Are you attracted by the power it would give you?
Are you only thinking about how good it would look on your resume?
Do you have a realistic picture of your skills?
Do you want to have the feeling of rescuing the person/project?
Do you have a realistic picture of the time the project will take?
Are you feeling intimidated by the person asking?

Evaluate your answers to the above questions to gain insight into your own motivations.

4. Make your decision based on your priorities, time availability, skills, passions, and motivations. Becoming over-committed at work or at home not only affects you, but those closest to you.

If you are stressed because you can't say no, you are losing opportunities to say yes to the things that are important to you!

5. If you are unsure of your gifts, priorities, and passions, start studying yourself. Enjoy your unique design and shine in areas you love! If you need some help getting started, see the resources below.


What helps you say no? If you'd like to comment and receive this by email, use this link.


Similar blogs:

Why Throw Shallow New Years' Resolutions at Yourself When You Really Need to Rethink Life?

Getting Organized for School (and life!) - Determining The Legacy You Want to Leave Your Children

To Do List or Not To Do List - That is the Question!

Resources:
- Any of the 1-2-3...Get Organized time management books will help you determine your priorities, passions, and gifts. Available in books, ebooks, workbooks, and eworkbooks.

- If you prefer one-on-one interaction, a Rethinking Life coaching session may be of interest to you.

- Myers-Briggs Personality Type Inventory. Discover your own distinctive design - understand and appreciate yourself and others in a new way! Comment below if you'd like more info.

Announcing my winners!

Good Saturday morning! I don't usually blog on Saturdays, but this is an exception - announcing the winners of my giveaways:

My first prize: Hassle Free Dinners PLUS Three Steps to Planning Dinner goes to: Diane from where do I get started?????????. Drop by her blog for a visit!

My second prize: A free sponsorship of a Mom Audience weekly email ($250 value) goes to: Em from Em - M is for mommy. Check out her skyoozmee - a unique new burpcloth to make feeding time cleaner and easier than ever before! www.skyoozmee.com.

My third prize: A 6-month sidebar ad on Mom Audience emails ($125 value) goes to: Angie from Tiny Tots With Style. Such cute clothes for your little ones!

My fourth prize: your choice of my time management books for mom - part of my 1-2-3...Get Organized series goes to: Meagan at Meagan Designs Kaedan Krafts. Check out her "tomorrow's fashions today."

The "Do It Now" Mindset

So enjoying Margaret being here! We've talked and laughed, had high tea, played Settlers of Catan...

On to our blog. Let's talk about clutter, shall we?

The "Do It Now" Mindset

Since this is still National Clutter Awareness Week, let's address clutter once again. Adopt the "Do It Now" mindset.

- Instead of putting something down, telling yourself you'll put it away later, put it away now.

It probably only takes a few steps and a few seconds. Even if it takes more than a few steps, you're moving which is a good thing.

By adopting this mentality, you'll be saving yourself long spells of decluttering.

And your surroundings will be clutter-free.

And you'll feel light-hearted because of it!

- Instead of letting your cleaning stack up, do it as you go.

Wipe off the bathroom sink each morning as you finish your morning routine.

Wash or rinse dishes as you cook. Wipe kitchen counters when you make a mess. By doing so, things don't get hardened, making cleaning harder and more time consuming.

If you notice a room needs to be dusted, get out your duster and do it now. It will probably take less than five minutes, and it will be done!

Clean during commercials or when you're on the phone. Then you don't have to designate as much time for concentrated cleaning.

- Don't let laundry build up to massive proportions.

Have sorting baskets in your bedroom for each color (see blog below).

Do a load when a basket gets full.

Dry it when you will be around so you will be able to take clothing out of the dryer immediately, saving time, wrinkles, ironing, or more drying.

- Read a magazine or newspaper and toss it.

How quickly these items produce clutter! If you haven't read today's paper, It's likely you won't read old news tomorrow. Or if there's one section you want to read, toss the rest. But give yourself a deadline - if you haven't read it in three days, for example, toss it.

When you read a magazine, tear out the pages you want to keep and toss the rest of the magazine. File the pages or insert them into page protectors in categorized notebooks so you can find them easily.

Don't create more clutter with torn-out pages lying around - file them now!

So here are a few ways to reduce your clutter, save time, and make your surroundings more pleasant. Try the "Do It Now" philosphy!


What do you "do now" to reduce the clutter in your home? If you'd like to comment and receive this blog via email, use this http://1-2-3getorganized.blogspot.com">link.

Similar blogs:

Organizing Laundry

Laundry tip - color-coded laundry bags

Decluttering in Three

Oliver's Labels

Good Morning! Our foster daughter of the week went home yesterday at 5 pm, and my good friend Margaret arrived about an hour later. When we both lived in Maryland, we would walk together in the mornings. My girls babysat her boys. This summer one of her boys is going to intern for Comfort's graphic design business. Wow! Time flies. What a treat to have Margaret here for a few days!

On to our blog ...

Oliver's Labels

I'm trying out Oliver's Labels. Specifically, I'm trying out Stick-eez clothing labels. I haven't really used labels lately, as my own kids are grown. But Oliver's Labels asked me if I'd review their labels and I do send things to Sara frequently via her headquarters office. I need to label those things. So why not?

So, to give them a test, I attached a Stick-eez label to the label of a towel and washed it in hot water, dried it, and inspected it. I didn't have to iron it on, I just stuck it on! Now that's a time saver! After the washer and dryer, that label didn't look like it would go anywhere for a very long time.

An amazing aspect of these labels is that there is a tracking number on each label. So if your daughter leaves her coat on the bus, the person who finds it can report it to Oliver's Labels, and Oliver's Labels will notify you! I'm thinking cell phone, laptop .... That's a time saver and a money saver.

There are a variety of cute designs for kids and even designer labels for adults. Oliver's Labels are also available for fundraisers - what a nice change from overpriced food! And if you need some extra cash, you can become an agent.

I have to say I'm pretty impressed with these cute little labels. If you label your child's clothing/possessions or need some labels for yourself, save some time and use Stick-eez labels. There are iron-on labels, too, if you prefer. Click the link above for ordering info.

If you receive this blog via email and want to comment, use this link.

National Clutter Awareness Week - Give it 5 or 10

It's National Clutter Awareness Week! As if we needed help being aware of our clutter!

I have been using every available minute to work on my new venture, Mom Audience. When I get busy, my office gets cluttered. I know ... I'm a professional organizer ... it shouldn't be that way. But that's how life is, isn't it?

But it only took me about 10 minutes to declutter my office this morning. Why didn't I do it sooner? It's been bothering me for several days now.

My husband and I have been doing 5 Minute Challenges to keep things under control this week. It's amazing what five minutes can do! It's hard for me to give up even five minutes, but it's worth it. Our trouble areas: the office and the laundry room/pantry/storage room.

I took about 10 minutes earlier this week to look through my closet and rearrange some things. While doing so, I got brutal - I got rid of three tops I don't wear. When I swap out my seasonal clothes, I'll try to be as brutal.

It is motivating that Amvets is coming early next month. I keep a container in which I can deposit unwanted items to donate. Then my decluttering doesn't create clutter!

The less clutter I have, the less time it takes to clean! That motivates me! I've just been in the mood lately to live leaner, get rid of the excess.

If you're motivated (or not!) and want to live leaner, take a few minutes and declutter some messy places. Get the family involved! It is mentally, emotionally, and physcially refreshing to have an uncluttered environment.

If you receive this via email and want to comment, use this link.

More blogs about decluttering:

Decluttering in 5 - 20 Decluttering Tasks You Can Do In Five Minutes or Less

Get Organized Month 2009 - Family Five Minute Challenge

Clutter in Your House or Office Means Clutter in Your Mind

Organizing Your Garden - Creating Your Own Compost

Good morning! It's still a little chilly here in Ohio, but we did a little work outside last evening. I sanded our front red railing which is in need of some touch up paint.

And my husband put organic compost (pc name for manure!) around our flowers. Our foster daughter for the week helped us do both. Organic compost is not very expensive, but you can make your own, according to Jenn Savedge of mothernature.com. In light of Earth Day coming up April 22, I thought this was an interesting topic.

Here's what Family Circle magazine, April 17, 2009 says: "Instead of paying for fertilizer, create your own compost, suggests Jenn Savedge, blogger at mothernaturenetwork.com. Mix dinner scraps like veggies, eggshells and coffee grounds - no meat or dairy - into a small mound in your yard. Turn with a shovel and sprinkle with water every few weeks. Within a month your pile will be garden-ready."

This was news to me - I thought that you had to leave it much longer than a month. We had a compost heap when we lived in Kenya, but we haven't done one here. The major drawback for me is having scraps sitting in my kitchen before they go out to the compost heap. I guess I could have something out the back door to put them in.

Have any of you tried this? If you receive this blog via email, use this link to leave a comment.

More blogs about gardening:

Tips from a Master Gardener - Watering, Mulch

Tip on Daffodils from my Master Gardener

Tips from a Master Gardener

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.