Container Store's Annual Shelving Sale

As subscribers of this Better Organized blog know, my favorite shelving system is elfa from The Container Store. Good news! The Container Store is holding their annual 25% off Storewide Shelving Sale until October 21st. They only put elfa on sale two times per year, during this summer sale and again at the end of the year. So you should jump at this chance to save some dough if you've been thinking about upgrading your closet, basement, garage, or other storage areas. For those of you who aren't near a store, you can still take advantage of the sale by designing and ordering the components on line.

Not only is elfa on sale right now for 25% off, but so are several other shelving products that The Container Store offers. These include:

* Metro and InterMetro modular shelving
* Freestanding Shelving
* Wall-Mounted Shelving
* Modular Steel Cubes

For more info about The Container Store as well as tons of other sources for organizing solutions, go to the affiliate links at my website at www.creativeorder.com. Look under the Products tab and click on Recommended Resources. Happy organizing!

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.