fond farewell ...

too many hobbies and too little time ... I am combining all of my blogs into one ...

http://musingsoflittleme.blogspot.com/

check me out when you have some time!

Teresa

2nd Happiest Place on Earth!

Let me just start by shouting out ... "I LOVE IKEA!" I would like to say that it is due to all of the time I spent in Denmark .. ikea is really reflects Scandinavian style ... but back on point, I loved it even before I went to Danmark. Probably the clean lines in the design or the minimalist approach or even just the simplicity of everything ... I LOVE IT!!

Well, the boys love it too ... there is a play area and good lunch/dinner food ... and of course, $1 ice cream.

So, I packed up all of the boys yesterday afternoon and we hopped on the freeway to the 2nd Happiest Place on Earth!

The trip was as expected ... I found a couple GREAT solutions to current issues at my house ...

This is going to solve my "boys messy room" issue. I bought one for both of my older guys with the idea that they can put all of "their" stuff in it that doesn't fit tidily in their dresser top organizer ... wish me luck & we'll see how it goes!!! The beauty of this lies in the peace from knowing now they have one place that neatly zips to dump all of their junk instead of pushing it under the bed!!!

Next, for me ... I keep lots of information in little folders ... I have a School folder, a Scout folder, a Church address list folder, a weight loss folder, a Christmas folder and a good idea folder ... yep, lots of folders. I like to label them with cute labels, but this is a topic for another time. I have run out of space and found these cute, minimalist magazine files. They should work perfectly and they have a spot for another label!!! YAHOO! Plus, I love the green color!

So, I found my great finds and treated the boys to lunch + dessert. It was a good trip ... I also learned a couple things ...

1) Everything is better after eating Swedish meatballs with syltetoj! YUM!

2) There actually can be a place for everything ...

3) My soon to be 17month old is He-Man! He wouldn't stop carrying around this stool ... I was so impressed!

Christmas Planner

I love Christmas! Everything about the season. The carols, the cookies, the colder weather, the gifts, the pagents, the lights. I love EVERYTHING about Christmas and I never want to miss a thing!!!

So, this year, I have created a new Christmas Planner. Created especially to manage multiple projects/dates/etc. It is still a work in progress, but I think the skeleton of it is pretty good ... but there is always room to improve, so next year's will even be bigger and better!

My planner is in Microsoft Excel - consists of 10 linked worksheets. If you don't have a Christmas Planner that you like, let me know ... I don't mind sharing! Just email me at Teresa@TeresaHeaton.com. (unfortunately, i can't figure out how to post an excel file here!)

Happy Planning & Merry Christmas!
Teresa

Start with the end in mind ...

Most projects you really have to "start" way before you actually "start". There has to be some type of plan to put into action to accomplish whatever goal you have in mind.

Well, what happens when you want to accomplish long term change, not just a short term project. What about changing habits or solidifying character changes? How do you plan for living, fluctuating, long term personal change?

Starting with the end in mind is the key ... I realize this, but what are your practical tips and applications for affecting these types of change? Would love your input!?!?!

I, Teresa, do hereby bequeath ...

For YEARS, I have been thinking about the need for a will. Some way to make my (& my husbands) wishes known should we pass prematurely ... and even more vitally important, keep my children cared for, safe, and let them know that we had taken the time to (get organized) think about the horrible possibility of something happening to us before they were grown.

Not a happy thought, to say the least ... and that is probably why it has taken me so long to officially do anything about it. But, with the thought of my husband leaving Sunday on his current business trip, I seriously started to unravel a little. While, I know nothing is going to happen to my him, while he is gone, the thought of him being so far away and us not being prepared, left me breathless - in a bad way!

So, I spent a couple hours, using a silly little "fill-in-the-blank" estate planning software, I had purchased a number of years back to the very least bring me some peace until we get something a little more detailed in place.

So, this is my reminder to all of you, that haven't put anything in writing, yet ... "get-er-done" ... especially if you have children. The last thing you want to do, is leave this earth without a plan for them or your assets. Luckily, in this day & age, there are so many quick and pretty painless ways to put something together ... attorneys, legal documents you can purchase on the internet ... pretty painless and will give you such a peace-of-mind.

Poor Neglected Walls ...

Have you ever noticed how versatile walls are? They hold almost anything imaginable ... artwork, of course ... kitchen utensils, bath essentials, (what a killer rhyme) ... white boards for notes & reminders ... hats, coats, scarves, clocks, books on shelves, TV's & other electronics.

The possibilities for creative asthetics with inherent functionality is almost endless.

So, next time you need to "re-oganize" a room, don't forget to fully utilize the walls. This is my newest project ... we'll see how it goes!

By the way, here are some great pictures I had stashed away in my "binder of good ideas" (most likely from Queen Martha - she is inspiring! or PB)

First Tenet of Organization ....

The First Tenet of Organization ... as I see it ... is 'Everything has its place'.

The basis of organization is making sure there is a place for everything, even if that place is the trash can or recycle bin. Clutter is the ultimate organizational foe and must be fought relentlessly to conquer.

Here are a couple ways to deal with Physical Clutter ...

Mail ... specify a place for 1) Outgoing mail; 2) bills to be paid; 3) mail that has a task associated with it, such as a dental reminder to make an appointment or coupons to cut; 4) items to shred & Most importantly, have a recycle bin close by for all of the junk mail & envelopes

School Items ... for those of us with school aged children ... schools tend to send home immense amounts of paperwork in the form of notices, awards and completed work. I have found having a small folder usually suffices to keep all the notices/student handbooks, etc. for the year. Also, having a special place (such as the refridgerator) to post the childs most current or favorite paper/award, etc. makes for happy kids (& proud teenagers, too ... even though they may not show it). Just remember, after a set amount of time - week or month or until the next item is brought home, take down the paper and either store it right away in a specific place (not in a stack).

Other Organizations ... most hobbies (sports teams, clubs of any sort, memberships, etc.) have paperwork associated with them. If you don't have to access this routinely, this would fit nicely in with other files. However, if you will utilize the information regularly, best to keep it in a folder or binder (depending on quantity of items) and neatly stacked with other like folders.

Other People's Items ... if your house is like my house, the other occupants often get items out, forget to put them back and leave. Having a bin for each person in the family works well. Items go in the bin until the end of the day/night when the owner of the basket is required to return the items to their place.