Creating Morning Routines For Kids

The new school year brings with it the need to get kids back into a normal daily routine. Gone are the lazy summer days of sleeping late and splashing around in the pool all day. Here are some suggestions to help simplify your morning routine with the kids:

• Get up about 20-30 minutes earlier than you would need for a "perfect-world" morning. This leaves you some wiggle room for the occasional kiddie meltdown, lost school work, and dressing dilemma, not to mention mom misplacing her keys.
  
• Stagger wakeup times if you have a shortage of bathrooms in your home. Also consider having kids bathe the night before.
• Eliminate distractions such as television to keep kids focused on getting dressed, fed, and out the door on time.
• Pre-pack school lunches the night before or have the kids make their own lunches in the morning or night before.
• Select outfits the night before. Lay out or hang everything needed for the outfit including underwear, socks, shoes, and accessories. This little tip works well for mom and dad too!
• Create checklists of chores or tasks that the kids should do before leaving the house in the morning (i.e. make bed, brush teeth, feed pets, gather up lunch, backpack, musical instrument, gym clothes, library books, etc.)
• Set a kitchen timer to go off ten minutes before it's time to head out the door.
• Create a "launching pad" next to the door for backpacks, jackets, musical instruments, gym clothes and mom and dad's briefcases and keys. Make sure cubbies and hooks are low enough for young kids to reach them.
• For those really hectic mornings, grab breakfast foods that can be eaten in the car such as fruit, cheese sticks, squeezable yogurt packets, muffins or bagels with cream cheese or peanut butter, and the trusty old standby of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

With a little bit of pre-planning, you and your kids can leave home feeling less stressed and better prepared to face the day ahead.

Gratitude

Today is my 42nd birthday. Throughout my life, I've never made a big fuss over my birthday. I mean there have been the occasional blowout parties, but I usually prefer to spend my birthday with family and close friends having a decadent meal (or two). There was even a time in my life where I would actually groan about the additional year I now had to add to my age.

But after surviving breast cancer in 2003, I will NEVER again complain about the privilege of growing a year older. I now spend everyday (and especially my birthday) reflecting on how incredibly lucky I am to be here. I spend time thinking about all of the amazing blessings that I currently have in my life and all the wonderful experiences I will manifest in the future. So please indulge me as I acknowledge a few of the things I am most grateful for:

* My healthy, curvy, disease-free body
* My loving, funny, dependable, frugal husband
* My parents and in-laws who truly believe I can do anything I set my mind to
* My sweet dog, Ruby Pearl, who is living proof that the law of attraction works
* Wonderful friends who are my cheerleaders and coaches
* A solid house that is paid for
* Money that flows freely into my life
* Organizing clients that bring me so much joy, laughter, and life lessons
* Having the privilege of working in healthcare with wonderful co-workers, doctors, and staff for so many years. And having this great job be just 3 miles from my home.
* A positive, trusting, hopeful vision of the present and the future
* Creative ideas that continue to abound
* Organizing and coaching colleagues who are quick to share their experiences and advice
* God and the angels who watch over me and whisper to me when I ask for direction, encouragement, inspiration, and courage
* Liberty and the pursuit of happiness

I believe that, before you can attract better things into your life, you must be grateful for what you have now. Appreciate the gifts you have been given, make the most of what is right in front of you, right now.

Then, imagine how you can make your life even better. Make it so.

Downsizing Part III: Selling the Good Stuff

In the last of this three-part series on downsizing, let us consider some ways to make money on the stuff that you no longer want to keep. With each of these options, I will cover the upsides and the downsides to help you decide which options are best for your situation.

* YARD SALE / ESTATE SALE. If you've never held a yard sale, let me tell you that it takes a LOT of work to pull one off successfully. First, you have to gather all the items together. That is no small task for most people. Then you will need to clean and price everything (and for goodness sakes, don't use cheap labels that can only be removed by using Goof Off!), place advertising, post signs in high-traffic areas, obtain tables for displaying items, have potentially valuable antiques appraised, and sweet-talk your friends and family into helping you.
UPSIDE: You get to keep all the money when your stuff sells.
DOWNSIDE: All of the steps I listed above. But if you have enough high-value items, you may make enough money for it to be worth all the trouble.
ALTERNATIVE: Hire an estate sale company to do it for you, but know that they will keep a large percentage of the sales.


* CRAIG'S LIST / EBAY AUCTION SITES: There are lots of internet-based auction sites out there now, but the most popular ones are Craig's List and Ebay. Before you go this route, I would encourage you to "shop" the auction sites to see how much similar items are selling for. You may be surprised to find that people aren't paying much for old Star Trek books, National Geographic collections, or record albums. If you decide to sell through Ebay, you'll first need to set up an account. Then take digital photos of each item, write a detailed description of the item, and determine your minimum acceptable winning bid. After you post the item on the auction site, be prepared to answer any questions potential buyers may email to you. After the auction is over, it will be your responsibility to mail the item to the winner. In most cases, you set up the auction so that the buyer pays you extra for postage. Ebay charges a listing fee regardless of whether the item sells. It is currently free to sell on Craig's List.
UPSIDE: You could get lucky and get a couple of people who REALLY want the item(s) you are selling. The competitive bidding mentality can really jack up the price of an item.
DOWNSIDE: Timing is everything with auction sites. If your timing is off and there's no real interest, the bids may come in pretty low. Also, it can be time consuming to answer all the questions and then mail each item to its winner.
ALTERNATIVE: If you can find one in your area, you could take your stuff to an online auction resaler who will keep a percentage of the selling price after posting the item, answering questions, and shipping the items to the winning bidder. Try your local phone book or Google to find an auction resaler in your area.

CONSIGNMENT: One of my favorite ways to make money on used household goods and nice clothing is through consignment stores. All you have to do is set up an account with the store and drop your items off. In my area of Decatur, I have a great relationship with Finders Keepers in Avondale Estates, GA. After I help my clients purge, I take their nicer household items to Finders Keepers (2753 East College Rd., Decatur, GA 30030. 404.377.1944) and set up an account under the client's name. Then when the client has a minimum amount of sales, Finders Keepers sends the clients a check. Other popular Atlanta-based consignment stores for antiques and household goods are Now and Again in Buckhead (404.262.1468) and Kudzu Antique Market in Decatur (404.373.6498). Check with these store for more info on their policies and the percentage of the sales that they keep. Normally, consignment stores keep between forty and fifty percent of the sales price.
UPSIDE: It is easy and convenient to make some money off your castaways if you have a good consignment store nearby.
DOWNSIDE: Most consignment stores can afford to be very particular about the quality of their inventory, so do not be surprised if they turn down some of your items. Also, you generally have no control over the price of the item, and the price goes down if the item does not sell within a set amount of time.
ALTERNATIVE: If you have a large quantity of high-quality antiques and collectibles, it may be more cost-effective to rent your own space in one of the antique consignment malls.

CLASSIFIED ADS: The last alternative that I sometimes suggest to my organizing clients is that they advertise in their local newspaper's classified section. In Atlanta, you can advertise household goods in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (online and paper version) for free.
UPSIDE: You control the price and you get to keep the full sales amount.
DOWNSIDE: Strangers will be coming to your home. I generally do not recommend this option to my elderly or single female clients.

In this three-part series on Downsizing, I have given you some steps to get you started on the purging process, some ideas about where to donate the things you no longer need, and now some ways to make a few bucks along the way. Just remember, the ultimate goal when downsizing it to purge what you no longer love and what is no longer serving you. Let these things go to make space for a calmer, less chaotic home.

What other ways have you made money on your "junk"? Please leave comments and let us know!

Downsizing Part II: Donating What You No Longer Need

In our last issue, I gave you tips to help you begin the downsizing process if you are preparing to move into a smaller space. Once you start to purge what you no longer really need, you'll want to create a few different piles:

• a trash pile
• a recycle pile
• a donation pile
• a resell pile

It's pretty obvious what happens to the trash pile, though I've given you some junk removal sources below if your pile is too big. Let's look at some Atlanta-area donation and recycling options.

Donating Clothes and Household Goods

Thrift Stores: If you haven't been to a thrift store in the last couple of years, let me just tell you that the quality of the merchandise has improved. I believe one of the reasons for this is because we are buying and getting rid of more "stuff" than ever. Clothes and household goods have a shorter life span so items often are not as worn out by they time they are donated as they may have been in years past. That said, make sure that the items that you donate are at least in fair condition. Spare the urge to donate clothes with stains or tears, shoes with holes, or chipped dishes. A couple of the more popular and more reputable thrift stores in Atlanta are Goodwill and Salvation Army. There may be others in your area, but check to see how much of their revenue goes to the needy before donating.

Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta (www.furniturebankatlanta.org) - Offers free pick-up in Cobb, DeKalb, most of Fulton, and most of Gwinnett counties. Does not accept office or outdoor furniture, large appliances, pianos, or water beds.

Atlanta Alliance on Developmental Disabilities (www.aadd.org) - Accepts clothing and household goods

Atlanta Union Mission (www.atlantaunionmission.org) - Accepts clothing, furniture, household goods, toiletries, large and small appliances. Will pick up in many metro-Atlanta counties.

American Kidney Fund (www.akfpickup.org) - Will pick up clothing and household goods or you may search for nearby drop-off boxes through their web site.

www.earth911.org - Great recycling, donation, & disposal site searchable by your area. They included DeKalb Farmer's Market, Whole Foods, and nearby county and city recycling programs when I searched using my Decatur ZIP code.

Freecycle (www.freecycle.org) - Site where you can sign up for your local Freecycle group, post the item you'd like to give away, pick which member you'd like to have it, and schedule a time for them to pick up the item. No money can exchange hands.

Junk Removal: Just Trash It (www.justtrashit.com) and 1-800GotJunk (www.1800gotjunk.com) offers residential and commercial junk removal.

Did I miss anything? If so, please leave me a comment. Be on the lookout for Downsizing Part III where we'll cover lots of ways that you can make a little money off of the things that you no longer need in your home.

Downsizing, Part I: Getting Started

Today we begin a three-part series on downsizing, a process that Professional Organizers are often called upon to assist with. Some clients downsize because their kids have flown the coop and they no longer need their big five-bedroom, three-bath house. Others reach a point in their lives where they just don't want the hassle of maintaining a big house and yard. And then there are those unfortunate souls who are forced to downsize because they can no longer live independently and must move into assisted living or nursing homes.

As we get older, keeping a handle on the volume of stuff we have in our homes is a challenge for even the most organized of families. And for families who have avid accumulators or chronically disorganized members, downsizing can feel downright overwhelming. Many of us have entered our parents' or grandparents' basements and asked, "What IS all of this stuff, and why are they keeping it?" Heck, you may have asked that very question about your own basement or garage.

If you are considering downsizing in the future, start now to take control of and responsibility for your belongings. Let go of what isn't serving you, what is broken, or what has negative feelings associated with it. Keep what you love, what has warm memories, and what serves your life in a positive way. Just make sure there will be room in your future smaller home for the items you decide to keep.

Here a few tips to help you or a family member get started:

• Take one room at a time (or even one drawer at a time) and begin to set aside items that you don't use or don't love. Keep reminding yourself that your future home will be filled with only those items that add value to your life.

• If you think a particular friend or relative would enjoy an item more than you, put a sticky note on it with their name. Later, call that person to confirm that they want the item. If they don't, add the item to your charity or sell pile.

• If you have a consignment shop nearby, go ahead and take a few resalable items over and open up an account. Then, as you systematically go through the downsizing process, it will be quick and easy to drop things off. Also, most consignment stores can help you arrange pick up and delivery of larger pieces of furniture for resale. Before you know it, you'll start receiving consignment checks.

• Throw away items that are broken and can't be easily and inexpensively fixed. Please resist the urge to keep broken items because you may use them later for "spare parts."

• Start a donation box for your favorite charity.

• Consider having a yard sale but know that this is a time-consuming, physically exhausting endeavor.
  

That's enough to at least inspire you to get started. I'll be providing more specific information about donation sources, consignment, Craig's list, and Ebay in Parts II and III of this series.

Cool Product: Travel Pack-It Folders

School's out and it's vacation time. That also means it's suitcase packing time. A really cool product to help you pack more efficiently is the Pack-It Folder from Eagle Creek. They keep everything from suits and jackets to shirts and slacks neatly folded and compact. And since garments are enclosed in the velcro-sealed pockets, they don't shift during travel, keeping them practically wrinkle-free.

The other neat thing about them is that they come with a little folding board that has graphics showing you the best way to fold different garments. While traveling, I keep my folding board in the packet so that I can re-fold any clean clothes I didn't use on the trip. (Yes, even I sometimes overpack. Gasp!)

I've been using all three sizes for a couple of years now and I LOVE them. I also got a couple for my husband but wasn't sure if he'd break his old packing routines and try them. Once he did, he was hooked! They make it so easy to find a particular garment if you are on the road for several days and don't want to have to unpack everything every time you arrive at your new hotel.

In between trips, I store my Travel Pack-It Folders in the suitcase I use most often. This follows the organizing principle that you should store items where you use them.

If you hurry, you may be able to get the Eagle Creek Pack-It Folders for 25% off from The Container Store during their travel sale!

Looking for Blue Eyes

I believe in the power of intention, that if you believe you can do something, you can. I ran across a fun story this morning about a little boy who believed he could do something extraordinary, though in his youthful exuberance he may not have realized it was extraordinary.

The boy, Nicholas Wagner of Chicago, found a one-in-a-million, blue-eyed cicada in his backyard last Friday. His kindergarten class had been studying the 17-year cicadas and he learned that a rare blue-eyed version existed. He told his parents that he was going to find one and he did! His mother told one reporter, "He's been looking for a long time."

What I find so inspiring about this story is that this little guy decided what he wanted, actively and passionately set out to get it, and kept going until his mission was accomplished. Many older, wiser individuals might assume something so elusive would be impossible to find or that it would take too much time and work. But little Nicholas Wagner didn't let those silly notions stop him from reaching his goal.

Is there something you want that you think would be impossible to achieve? Remember this little explorer the next time those doubts start creeping in.