June 30, 2010

Our friends had a 14′ pool just sitting in their basement.  My husband told them that we would gladly take it off of their hands.  Cue to how my routine got throw out the window today….

I started out great, got my backups for work done, took a shower and got Maddie ready for swimming lessons.  We had left the hose in the new pool because it needs a whole lot of water to fill all the way up.  On the way to dropping my husband off at work, he was worrying about the pool saying that he hadn’t flattend out the bottom before starting to fill it up.  I thought how much could that really do?  Boy was I WRONG.

Now Maddie and I are are walking in from her swimming lessons and she wants to go play in her new pool.  I know, the girl can NOT get enough of water.  I am offiically calling it that she will be an Olympic swimmer when she is older.  She runs outside and I notice that the pool is spilling over (even though it’s not full yet).  I go to check out the situation, and see the problem.  The bottom isn’t flat so it isn’t letting the sides of the pool rise like they should.  Dang… Trevor was right (again).  Now I have to try and drain most of what is already in the pool so I can lift it up enough to pull the bottom so it’s more flat.  I’m sure if I drained more it would have gone easier, but nope, I wanted to do it the hard way. 

After about 30-50 minutes of hard labor (dang water is HEAVY), I finally got the bottom mostly flat, and started to fill up the pool once again.  Maddie was happy, I was spent, and the floor didn’t get mopped once again.

I did clean the downstairs bathroom toilet though!  Not the whole bathroom, just the toilet.  That counts, right?

Lesson learned to avoid lengthy and laborious tasks… read the instructions BEFORE you fill the pool.

June 28, 2010

I attended a conference this weekend (EVO Conference), where it became a bit cliche around the phrase “being authentic”.  There was a ton of truth behind it though, even though my friend Angry Julie and I are constantly mocking the phrase now.  It’s not that it’s a bad phrase, or a bad thing to be.  It just seemed like the phrase was EVERYWHERE during the conference.  I realized a few tough things though while I was listening some great people (Brene Brown and Karen Walrond).  Brene said something about a person creating an online persona that she ended up resenting.  I completely agreed with that. 

I initially started this blog as a way to drive traffic to my super duper software called Daily Home Planner back in August of 2007.  What I DIDN’T expect, or plan on, was the many opportunities that ended up coming with this blog, or the popularity that it would gather.  I’m DEFINITELY not complaining about the last 3 years.  They have been fantastic.  I’ve been invited to various full expenses paid brand events, I’ve blogged for other companies like SC Johnson, and I’ve even spoken at a few expos and conferences.  I especially didn’t expect to even appear on TV several times! 

I’ve come to a point though where I’m not FEELING very authentic, and I’m starting to resent my online persona.  I have always tried to incorporate personal stories into my tips and posts.  It’s not that I’m not organized.  I’ve been to some other people’s homes, and I am definitely not super messy.  My husband’s biggest pet peeve is clutter, so our home is definitely tidy, I mean heck, our 600 DVD’s are in alphabetical order for crying out loud!  But do you know what my worst fear is?  What my worst fear has been ever since I STARTED this blog?  That the news would want to do a story on me and they would want to tape all of my cupboards and drawers! 

The problem with me is I have all the tools and systems in place.  It’s the implementation that sometimes falls short.  Definitely not for a lack of planning.  I plan.  I plan A LOT.  The problem lies in the fact that my daily routine typically gets thrown out the window within the first few hours.  Whether it’s by a help desk call that comes in (which is usually the case about 90% of the time), or I end up distracted on the internet by something shiny.  So in a day where I have planned out things for my entire day, and then I end up on help desk calls for my job for 5 of those hours, it doesn’t leave much time for cleaning the bathroom.  It also doesn’t leave time for making my husband that dinner that I planned to make, that I purchased the ingredients for at the beginning of the week, whose ingredients sometimes go bad before I actually get around to making the meal.  (Have I mentioned how much I despise cooking?)

So what’s the point of this post?  First, please don’t think I’m perfect, that my house is perfect, my kids are perfect, and that I use every minute of every day effectively, cause I SOOOOO don’t.  Second, to let you know that the tone of this blog may be changing a little bit.  Mainly because I feel like I’ve exhausted all of the “tips” I have.  I mean really how much more can I get organized through the blog?  You can probably find a post about any topic in the house already.  Just do a little search.  So it may turn into more of a how I struggle to keep it all together every day. 

Another reason for this post is to inform you that I’m thinking about selling the blog/domain/twitter/facebook.  Everything must go!  If you are interested in becoming “The Organized Mom” and want to just start out on a Google page rank of 4 website, with subscribers, traffic, and search engine results already built in, then contact me at sarah@organizedmom.net  Like I mentioned previously… I am feeling resentful of “The Organized Mom”.  While organization is important to me, it’s not what I’m PASSIONATE about.  I beat my head against the desk every day trying to come up with posts for this site.  My passion is in technology.  My passion and what makes me irresistible (TM @lizstrauss) is explaining technology to and helping to fix technology for non-techie women.  I LOVE helping women achieve their goals, using the technical tools that are at their disposal.  I can whip out a tech4mommies.com post with the snap of a finger.  I LOVE writing on that blog, and one of the things I love about it is that technology is constantly changing.  There is ALWAYS something new for me to talk about. 

So, what do you think? 

This is me…authentic. 

(phew!  This was probably the easiest Organized Mom post I’ve written in a while!)

June 25, 2010

Today I’m headed up to EVO conference in Park City, UT.  It should be so much fun, so I’m going to keep this post brief and to the point.  My BlogHer sponsor KitchenMonki.comsent me 12 bags.  I decided that I wanted to fill the bags with stuff from my favoritest brands.  I contacted them, and they were MORE than generous to me. 

First, obviously is the bag.  I really love their monki logo, and the bag is sturdy and will be able to hold a lot.  It already can hold my 16″ laptop!

Next we have an iGo Power station (you can check out my review of the larger version on my tech blog)

Then I’ve got a coffee mug and USB drive from Bosch Appliances!  Have you checked out the Tassimo?

Moving on to the next brand Don Aslett’s Cleaning Store.  You should already know how much I pink puffy heart Don Aslett!  The awesome people at the Cleaning Store gave me the book “How to Handle 1,000 Things At Once“, a Microfiber cleaning cloth and of course the catalog so you can order all of his fantastic cleaning products!  One of the things I love the most about the Don Aslett products is that they work amazingly well, and are SOOOOOOOOO cheap!  (although when I end up spending about $100 at the store cause I just have to have EVERYTHING it doesn’t feel as cheap anymore, but really I get a lot for it)

Dell was also extremely generous to me.  They gave me some OPI Nail Polish and lotion.  Now what is a computer company giving me nail polish for, you ask??  Well, did you know that you can buy a laptop or netbook with an OPI design that matches an OPI color!  You can match your laptop to your nails!  Talk about stylin!  They gave me their latest catalogs for their main consumer lines and one for the Alienware line.  They also gave me a Dell branded Poken. 

Microsoft Hohm gave me a 1 GB branded USB key. 

Last but most certainly not least the wonderful lady behind the Healthy Meals for Healthy Kids blog, Amy (AKA My sister), gave me her Healthy Habits Plate to put in each bag. 

So, the bottom line?  You WANT this bag!  There are only 12 though, so hopefully you can find me at the EVO Conference and request a bag, and all of these items can be YOURS!  Or you can just go to their websites and buy their products… same thing, right?

June 24, 2010

Cleaning doesn’t have to be a chore, it can be quick and easy if done regularly. A clean bathroom is only 6 minutes away if you use these easy to follow steps!

Step One – Put away anything that is left out on the counter, and move the things that remain on the counter so you can clean underneath them.

Step Two – Spray everything down. Start with the shower using a cleaner designed to cut out soap scum like Scrubbing Bubbles® Mega Shower Foamer. Then move on to the counters and sink with an all purpose cleaner like Fantastik, do not start wiping yet! Let the products do the scrubbing for you by releasing the dirt underneath. Now spray the outsides of the toilet with an antibacterial cleanser like the Antibacterial Scrubbing Bubbles® Bathroom Cleaner.

Step Three – Clean the toilet bowl. Wipe the inside with a toilet bowl cleaner and brush like the Fresh Brush® from Scrubbing Bubbles. Leave the brush in the bowl while you go onto step four if there are some stains you will need to scrub out. When you are done with step four finish off the bowl by scrubbing out the stains with a pumice stone.

Step Four – Wipe all of the sprayed surfaces. Again start in the shower and wipe and wash away all of the cleaner, then move onto the counters and sink, and finally wipe the outside surfaces of the toilet.

Step Five – Wipe the mirror with a Windex Glass Wipe.

Step Six – Sweep and mop the floor at the same time with a microfiber cleaning cloth attached to your mop.

Take out the trash as you walk out of the room and you are done! Doing this process once a week will guarantee you always have a spotless bathroom, and will keep the cleaning time down since there will be no buildup to scrub!

June 23, 2010

When I was pregnant with my daughter my house was a disaster.  We had several projects going on that we were trying to get done before the baby arrived.  Our kitchen was completely torn apart as we re-did the cabinets, countertops, appliances… EVERYTHING.  So all of the items that typically went in the kitchen were all over my family room.  We were also re-doing the office to turn it into a babies room.  At one point I got so frustrated with living there that I moved in with my Grandma for a few days (when we didn’t even have a sink). 

We completed the babies room long before we got the rest of the house put together, and it became my sanctuary.  It was so clean and organized and super cute!  I would just go into that room and sit and think about my new baby that was going to be there soon, and it became a place where I could just breathe!  I realized that no matter how crazy the rest of the world (or in this case the house) got, I could go there and regroup and come back refreshed.

We all need this sanctuary in our homes and in our lives.  I also figured out that I’ve been doing the “sanctuary” thing for a long time.  When I was in college, it was the bell tower.  When I was in high school it was the temple grounds in Portland.  I’ve always had a place where I can just go and think, and not be disturbed by the rest of the world.  Sadly enough, I think right now it’s the shower, and even then most days I don’t get to do that in peace. 

To create a sanctuary for yourself, find a place where you can be alone (locks on doors help facilitate this).  Make sure that area is always clean and organized (if it’s cluttered and dirty you’ll just end up wanting to clean while you are in your sanctuary, and that wouldn’t be very relaxing).  Bring a book or paper with you (I always end up wanting to write something down, that’s what you get when you think too much.)

Create your own sanctuary today, and come back a better Mom!

June 22, 2010

First things first, please head over to my tech blog and check out my posts about my trip to Dell headquarters!  Find out what us customers want to tell the big companies, like Dell.  They invited brand detractors (people who felt negatively about Dell, and brand evangelists) –  Technology For Moms.

In the program I created Daily Home Planner there is a function called the babysitter printout.  It’s really easy and convenient, but I was thinking that you can create something similar if you do not have the program.  Open an Excel or Word document and add the following items….

• Empty space for approximate time returning
• Cell phone number
• Number to an emergency contact
• Number to your child’s doctor
• Children’s Routines*
• Special notes or instructions (if your daughter requires a sippy cup full of cold water WITH ICE in order to go to sleep, or if she requests the “jungle book” to read while she goes to sleep, or if your son sleeps with a blankie, you get the jist)
• House rules of note (like no TV after 6 PM, or only 1 dessert after dinner)

If you save the file, then all you would need to do next time you are getting ready for the babysitter is open it up, change the time you will be returning, and children’s routines, print it out, and you are on your way!

*Now for the children’s routine, you will probably either have to have different files for different times of the day, or just change the routines in the one file.  Make sure you list each child and their routines in the print out (what time they go to bed, when they take a bath, eat dinner or lunch, etc)

Having this file readily available on your computer will make it easy for you to go out, since you won’t have to write out a big long note every time.  You also won’t have to go over all the routines and rules every time you go out with the babysitter.  So your goal this week, create the file (Here is a template to a Babysitter Form), and then hire a babysitter and go out with your significant other!

June 21, 2010

You have stuff, you have closets, you like to store some of your stuff in your closets.  It’s a crazy concept, I know.  What happens though when you have more stuff than you have closet space?  It’s time to purge and organize.  I have a drawer in my kitchen that I am constantly filling up, and then taking it all out and going through it, and then I fill it up again, and start the whole vicious cycle all over again.  You know the saying, your group is only as good as it’s worst person.  The same goes for room organization.  A room is only as organized as it’s storage space (typically the closets)

Take a few minutes today and analyze the storage space in your home.  Here are some key points to getting the most out of your storage space…

1. Make sure the storage space matches the function of the room.  We store clothing & toys in my daughter’s and son’s cloesets, extra cables and office supplies in my husband’s office; workout equipment, coats and shoes in the downstairs closet, etc.  We used to store the exercise equipment in my husbands office, but it was a pain for me to go upstairs and find the right equipment to bring downstairs every day.  So we moved the equipment.  Matching the closet storage with the function of the room prevents extra trips around the house and can be a great time saver.

2. Limit the space to only a few categories or big items at a time.  Limiting the items that go into the space will seriously help when you have to quickly put things away.  If the closet is filled to the brim with other things, then when it comes time to put things away that actually go in the space, they may no longer have a spot in the closet!

3. Purge, purge, purge…when you have too much stuff, it’s time to get rid of some of it.  Good rule of thumb.  If you can’t find a good spot to keep it, you probably don’t need it.  If you really valued the item it would have a good home.

Find out what is going on in your closets and make your storage more functional today.

June 15, 2010

I recently purchased Quicken to help me with my new business finances.  As I was digging into the program I realized a few things about budgets and how you manage them.

1. RECORD EVERYTHING – When you don’t record the purchases you make, your money can go into a vast dark hole of neverending torment.  You run your little debit card willy nilly and then suddenly you look at a pie graph of your purchases and see “I really spent THAT MUCH on groceries last month!”  With all the software and debit cards it’s definitely easy to lose track of your daily purchases.  Keeping a daily log with you at all times will help you to keep your budget and financial goals in check.

2. Look at the BIG picture – Once a month you need to gather a broad view of your purchases.  $1.00 for soda here and there every day can end up looking like a lot of money when you look at as a whole months worth of purchases.  Suddenly that $1.00 is $30 a month! 

3. Software rules – I don’t know how people survived without direct imports from the bank, and automatic calculations of what you are spending in each category.  There are several different options out there.  Some are super simple like Daily Home Planner with “cash envelope” type budgeting, and some like my newly purchased Quicken that will help me with customers and invoices.  Find the flavor of software that will work for YOU, and that you will actually use, and you’ll be one step closer to having it all together!

4. Finances are important! – The last thing I really realized is that it is really important to be in touch with your finances.  Of course I ALWAYS knew this, but with random income I was never super careful about.  Like when the person down the street would give me $20 for fixing her computer.  I wouldn’t really care about it.  I would consider it free money and go buy a DVD.  Monitoring EVERY single penny that comes in and goes out though will go a long way to financial freedom.

June 14, 2010

Here is an inteview with HGTV Home Designer Libby Langdon & Home Tech Organizer David Gregg! I hope you enjoy it!

June 11, 2010

Yesterday I officially launched a new business that I am really excited about! Ever since I spoke at the Casual Blogger Conference, I have been getting a ton of questions from all over asking me about tech. I realized that there may just be a market for someone who understands moms, and who understands tech.

Enter TechnologyForMoms.com! What sets my services apart from all the plethora (one of my favorite words) of tech services out there, is that not only can I fix/setup/maintain your computer, I can also offer blogging support and training services! I speak your language, and I can help you understand your technology better, and get it working just the way you need it to.

I’m Microsoft Certified in desktop operating systems as well as servers. I have been in the IT industry for over 10 years, and currently manage an IT help desk for a network consulting firm in California.

So go ahead and check out all of my services! Anything besides hardware & internet related issues can be fixed remotely, so even if you aren’t local in Utah, you can still use my services.

As always tech questions and advice are still FREE over twitter and email. Contact me today!