I Spy

The other day I was shopping at Target and stopped in an aisle where a mother of two seemed to be used to the unruly behavior of her children. The two kids, a boy and girl were arguing over a toy. As soon as the little girl snatched the toy from her brother, he proceeded to smack her. As she screamed, cried, and began a temper tantrum, she returned the gesture by clobbering him with the toy. When he started to cry the mother turned gave a rather nasty glare to her children then snatched the toy away and returned to what she was doing. Now I'm not a parent, but at this point I figured she would have consoled her children and attempted to get them to stop screaming and crying. You have two kids fighting over one toy...It gets taken away..well you do the math...As I grew more annoyed at the situation and walked to another aisle I was reminded of a game a friend of mine played with her sister and mother when they had to go shopping.

Listen up my lovely mommy friends!! I have a great tip of the day for you! 

Tip #124 I Spy

I think all of us can agree that at one point or another we have played I Spy. Well this is I Spy with a flare. 

Cut out coupons from your Sunday newspaper or grab some of the colorful inserts and pack them in your purse for your next trip to the grocery store. Should your child become agitated by something, or someone, grab coupons you are not using or the inserts you packed out of your purse and hand them to your child. Start a game of I Spy. Tell them the first one to spot five items gets a big prize. (Something from the dollar section or some candy, this is where you can get creative.) 

It keeps them busy and less likely to throw a temper-tantrum, and gives you a chance to possibly get in and out of the grocery store without a knockdown drag out fight. 

The Ties That Bind...& The Wonders of Bleach

Spring has sprung, and so have some of my favorite flowers. I love bright colored bouquets of Garden Roses, Dahlias, and Peonies, (just to name a few).

What really frustrates me is that when I put beautiful bouquets of flowers in a vase, they some how never look quite like they did when I bought them. So I did a little research and found a few tricks to keep them beautiful and vibrant!

Tip #123 The Ties That Bind...& The Wonders of Bleach

To keep the ever so lovely shape of a beautiful bouquet of flowers first position them the way you want them to look in the vase. 

Next wrap a clear plastic hair tie like Scunci Poly Bands,

 around the stems to keep them secure, then place the flowers in a vase!

Now that the flowers are placed perfectly in a vase how do you keep your stunning bouquet from looking drab and wilted after a few days?

Take the flowers out of the vase and snip the ends diagonally. Clip the leaves off the stems that may be submerged once they are in the vase, then add a drop of bleach to clean water. Once you have done this add the flowers to the vase and you're done! 

Now you can enjoy the fabulous wonderments of Spring!

The Changing Table

As I sit in my office and look out the window, I notice the fresh blooms on the tree outside.

 Spring has definitely sprung! Spring has always been bittersweet for me. I love watching trees and flowers begin to bloom, birds chirp and mother nature waking from a winter sleep, but I am a little sad because I love cold weather. The idea of sipping hot cocoa in front of a roaring fire, or wrapping myself up in a large down comforter puts a smile on my face, and brings me warmth and comfort. If I could live in a colder climate where 4 seasons actually come and go, I think I would feel as equally content with spring and summer.
       Now that spring is almost officially here I have started helping my clients purge their winter clutter. A few days ago one of my clients asked me to come up with an idea on how to organize her gardening tools.

Tip #122  The Changing Table
 A changing table used to change infants is a wonderful piece of furniture to have, but what do you do with it once your kids are potty trained?? Give up...Turn it into a potting station for your gardening supplies. Coat the piece of furniture with a coat of semi or high gloss paint to protect it from environmental elements.  Then stack pots on shelves, stash seeds and gardening tools in the drawers, or create an easy access hanging tote with gardening tools, and gloves.

If gardening isn't your thing, turn the changing table into a one stop craft supply/gift wrapping storage station, shelving unit for storage baskets a mini bar, or even a side table in an entry way...The creative list goes on and on!

The great thing about this piece of furniture is that it can be repurposed based on your need! I guess that's why they really call it a changing table!

Friendly Fold

Good Afternoon Everyone!!! I am happy to say we are back!! The holidays and new year were chaotic, then came our big move...Thank goodness I am overly organized! With that being said I have formulated new tips to help the busy person on the go... Today's tip is going to be a doozy...
 
As you may or may not know I am a professional organizer and I pride myself on making sure I live the way I work. On Monday I started my usual weekly chores and decided to reorganize one of my linen closets. While doing this I noticed that my sheets were not folded as nicely as they should have been. So I decided to take a tip from Martha Stewart and use the pillow case trick.

Tip #113: Friendly Fold
      In order to keep your linen closet free of mismatched sheet sets, towels and other closet items use this trick to keep sheets with sheets and towels with towels...

Fold your flat sheet and one of your pillow cases and set aside...Keep the other pillowcase unfolded. Take your fitted sheet and fold it using these simple steps.

1.Stand holding the sheet inside out by the two corners adjacent to one of the shorter edges. Place one hand in each of the two corners of the sheet.

2. Bring your right hand to your left and place your right hand with the sheet in it over enveloping the two. You will then need to reach down and pick up the corner that is dangling in front; bring that up and fold it over the two corners you already have together in your left hand. (Note: the corner that is showing will be inside out.)

3. Next bring the final corner up, and fold over the other corners you have. With the right side showing, it should envelope the three other corners.

4. Lay the sheet on a flat surface and straighten the elastic part into something very similar to a "J" shape.

5. Fold the two elastic edges in so all of that is hidden.

6. Then fold into a rectangle.

7. Continue to fold until the rectangle is the size you want it to be.

Once you have completed this you will take the flat sheet and open it up like a book. Place you fitted sheet on one side, and place you pillow case on the other side and fold it back together. Once you have done this, take your sheet set and place in the pillowcase you left unfolded. Now you have a nicely folded sheet set that will sit nicely on your shelf in your linen closet. You can stack these according to size (twin, full, queen, king) or by the room you will use them in.

This tip definitely makes life a little less complicated, and keeps your sheets crisp, clean, and accessible!