Meal Planning

It is common for many busy moms to look for time-saving tips for cooking everyday healthy meals for their families. Often times, I enjoy using the crockpot method of cooking because the meal preparation is usually easy, and I can use common recipe ingredients that I have available in my pantry.

The food turns out tender and delicious. It is extremely easy to create a weekly or monthly meal plan when incorporating some crockpot dishes into your menu.

Some of my favorites are homemade chicken soup, chili, barbecued chicken, spaghetti and meatballs, chicken cacciatore, beef pot roast and beef stew.

It is amazing how many nice varieties of slow cookers are now available on the market. I appreciate the digitalized versions because they seem very accurate with their cooking times and ease of use.

My very favorite cookbook is the "Crockpot Girls Collection" with beautiful photos and over 500 delicious crockpot recipes! The cookbook includes meat dishes, soups, side dishes, vegetarian selections, stews, desserts and much more. The collection includes over 300 recipes for main dishes!

The "Crockpot Girls Collection" has over 500 pages of wonderful recipes with impressive photos that I really enjoy. Many of the recipes are very healthy and you may even find a nice selection of your favorite comfort foods!

The recipes are easy to make and most of the common ingredients you can find in your pantry or at your local grocery store. You don't need any special cooking talents because the recipes are easy and the gorgeous photos show you what the meal should look like when finished. 

The "Crockpot Girls Collection" is great for the beginner cook or the experienced cook looking for many family friendly recipes!

I use this cookbook all the time when I do my menu planning each week. It makes cooking fun and it is more of a joy to be in the kitchen now!

  

Declutter Workshop 101

Welcome To My Declutter Workshop



Photo Credits: By Rubbermaid Products  

I would like to begin by telling you a little information about myself. I am a registered nurse and I also earned by diploma in medical transcription.

I have several years of nursing experience and I even had the wonderful opportunity to write and teach a few online medical assisting courses on the college academic level.

However, I have always had a great passion for organizing my house. I studied many resources about home organization and decluttering a house. There is so much helpful information to learn. I decided to continue to pursue my interest in this field.

Now, I am very proud to tell you that I am a trained Professional Organizer. I successfully completed the program listed below and I enjoyed my training very much. 

We support the Institute for Professional Organizers™ Fast Track Method™ Training Self-Study Program developed by experienced organizers.

You can learn how to start your professional organizing business and how to organize. The program includes 8 hours of online videos, a comprehensive manual, and personal coaching. You can study from the comfort of your own home.

Click here to visit Institute for Professional Organizers. 

So, now you are a little more familiar with my training. We will get onto our topic of decluttering the house. I thought it would be fun and interesting to start with one of my favorite videos. As you get to know me, you will soon find out that I am a visual person and I truly enjoy many helpful videos regarding home organization.

Video Titled "How to Organize Your Home: Organizational Expert Alejandra Costello's House Tour" 

I hope you enjoyed our first video. I would like to emphasize that I do not believe there is just "one" successful method to organize and declutter your home. 

I think it is extremely important for you to educate yourself about home organization and decluttering the house and decide on specific organizing systems that will work well for your individual lifestyle and family. Always remember that good organizational habits can be learned.

I have a question for everyone reading my Declutter Workshop today. What is clutter?

• Clutter is anything in your home or office that does not serve a purpose or function in your life anymore.

• Clutter may include items in your home that are broken or nonfunctional.

• Clutter may be material items in your home that you do not need or love.

• Clutter could also include unnecessary duplicate items in your home.

• You may be surprised to realize that having too many storage containers that aren't actually be used in your home may add to your existing clutter problem. That is the main reason it may be suggested that you declutter your home "first." Then, it should be easy to figure out exactly how many storage boxes to buy and specific sizes you may need.

• Clutter could also consist of accumulated items of trash to be thrown away or removed in an appropriate manner. 

Now that we know what clutter is, why do you think our homes accumulate clutter?

• Clutter may be caused be delayed decisions.

• You haven't taken the time to decide on appropriate areas to keep your specific items in your home.

• Procrastination: maybe you feel overwhelmed about organizing or decluttering your house.

• You may be experiencing that frustrating "all or nothing" feeling about home organization. For example: you may think to yourself, "I will never have enough time to get my organizing projects done. There is just too much to do. So, why should I even start?"

• Maybe, you have a very busy family schedule and you haven't been using a good weekly/monthly planner for routine chores/tasks in the home.

• Possibly, the family doesn't realize your home organization goals and you may get easily distracted with many interruptions throughout the day. It may be very helpful for you to communicate your short-term and long-term organizing goals with your family. You may decide to have family members participate in your plan. This may be especially important in helping to keep your home maintained after you have everything set up the way you like it.

• You may have felt the lack of energy or motivation to complete organizing projects in the past.

• Often times, a major lifestyle change may cause a change in the normal flow of organization in your home. Here are a few examples: a birth or a death in the family, new marriage or a divorce, job relocation, or health problems.

How can clutter affect your life in a negative way?

• Clutter can take up lots of extra space in a home. Think of how much more additional space you may have available after you get rid of any unnecessary clutter.

• You may be using a lot of your valuable time to take care of all the material things in your house.

• You could be spending extra money for duplicate items that you have been purchasing because you haven't been able to find the things that you were looking for in your house.
  

• Many people say they lack energy because they are tired of maintaining all the material things they have accumulated over the years.

• They don't have enough time to take good care of themselves or to enjoy their favorite hobbies and outlets.

What are the positive benefits of home organization and decluttering your house?

• You will be able to focus on things that you enjoy, such as: exercise, hobbies, good nutrition, etc.

• You may find that you have more time to spend with family and friends.

• Hopefully, you won't have the need to purchase unnecessary items because you will have easy access to your items and be able to find everything when you need it. You will learn how to find "the right place for everything in your home."

• You may really enjoy the big bonus of having more space in your home once you get rid of your clutter.

• An organized house, free of clutter, may help you save time when you need to do your routine daily/weekly household chores.

• I find that I focus and concentrate better and feel more productive and less stress with work when my house and office are organized.

• You may increase your confidence to invite your friends over to your home again.

At this point in our Declutter Workshop, I think it is time to discuss how you can stop cluttering and how to begin organizing.

I think this may be a great time to introduce another one of my very favorite videos that demonstrates the important factors of home organization.



Video Titled "Organizing 101"

Next, I would like you to think of what area of your house has been causing you the most frustration?

Some examples:

• Is it your cluttered kitchen or bathroom cabinets?

• Could it be your desk with piles of papers?

• Maybe your family room is not being used for it's fullest potential because clutter is taking up a lot of space.

• Can you relax in your bedroom area, or do you have disorganization with clothes and books lying around?

• Do you have unfolded clothes in laundry baskets sitting in your family room on the couch?

• Is it taking you too long to cook and prepare family meals because you can't find what you need inside of your disorganized, cluttered kitchen cabinets?

• Do you get frustrated just thinking about cleaning and maintaining the bathroom every week because you haven't figured out the appropriate storage for that area?

• Do you dislike walking into your basement because you have been storing so much of what you have accumulated throughout the years in boxes downstairs?

• Can you park your cars in your garage, or do you use that area to store extra boxes of items that you need to sort through?

• Does it look nice around the entrance of your front or back door, or do you have shoes, mail, magazines, or pet supplies lying around?

I think you probably get the picture. I believe that you will begin to easily see a huge positive difference in even one small area in your home that you declutter. Hopefully, this will get you motivated to continue with your future home organizational plans!

After reading many of my examples, you any decide to start in the one area of your home that causes you the most frustration.

You will want to begin by planning your organizing or decluttering project.

Plan an appropriate amount of time for your individual projects. Four hours may be a great amount of time, but even if you have an hour or 30 minutes, you may accomplish a decent amount of work. 

After you become accustomed to decluttering and organizing your house, you may easily find that even 15 minutes a day may be helpful if you are busy.

Get your supplies ready, such as: garbage bags, boxes for sorting, labels, etc. You will want to wait until you declutter to buy specific storage containers that you will need to use on a long-term basis.

It is helpful to decide in advance what you want to do with any items that you definitely decide to get rid of for sure. Some examples: local charity, local consignment store, junk removal service, or a future yard sale. 

It is helpful to have items removed quickly after your organizing project is completed. It is always a good idea to completely finish one project before you begin another.

Remember to stick with one area that you are working on and do not jump into other rooms at the same time. Focus on one project at time to increase your efficiency.

Some people enjoy working with an accountable friend and they find that method to be motivating.

Others may have a need or desire to hire a Professional Organizer to help them develop specific organizing systems and storage solutions.

Here are a few stumbling blocks or excuses that people may commonly use when deciding on what to get rid of in their homes.

• People sometimes want to hold onto things because they think "they may need those items someday."  I am a strong believer that it actually becomes much easier and quicker to access items in your home after you get rid of what you don't use or want anymore.

• Many times, people just do not know what to keep, such as paperwork. I am planning on developing my Paper Management Workshop in the future to discuss this separate topic. For now, here are a few examples of purposes for keeping paper: taxes, legal certificates/proof, property documents, legal agreements, receipts/claims.

• You may feel guilty about getting rid of an item that was given to you originally as a gift. However, it is important to remember that the "act of giving" is the factor involved. If you definitely do not like the item or need it, please don't feel guilty.

• We often save certain objects for sentimental reasons. An item may be associated with an familiar memory. You can decide to even take a picture of the object and keep that to help preserve the memory. One big excuse that people use to hold onto their "stuff" is because they paid decent money for an item. Please decide if the item is useful for your life today. You may decide to have a yard sale or even use a local consignment shop as an option.

Here are some excellent organizing principles for you.

• When you purchase a new item in a certain category, you may decide to donate or sell another item that you already have in that category. This is sometimes referred to as "the one in - one out" principle. So, you won't have a tendency to accumulate too much again in the future.

• Before you decide to buy a new item for your home, try to visualize where it will " live" or be placed in your home. If you can't figure that out, it may be better to hold off on the purchase at this time, if possible. 

• Buy containers after you declutter, so you know exactly how many you will need and the correct sizes.

• You can label your containers with name of the contents, so you and your family will be able to quickly find your items when needed.

• Focus on one specific area when you are organizing your home. If you happen to find certain items that belong in another room, you can collect them in a separate box and put them back where they belong when you are finished with your organizing project. This will save you some time and keep you from getting distracted.

• Finally, make sure you have a maintenance plan to keep your house organized.

I thought a very nice way to conclude our Declutter Workshop would be to present a few more of my favorite organizing videos for everyone.



Video Titled "Pantry Organization Tips"



Video Titled "Food Storage Organizing Tips"

Video Titled "Organizing Your Closet"

Video Titled "The Four Pile Organization Principle"



Video Titled "Making Your Move"



Video Titled "Tips for Unpacking"



Video Titled "5 P's of Organizing"



Video Titled "Getting Started" 

Hopefully, you will have the confidence and motivation to plan and begin your own organizing and decluttering projects at your house. I want to thank you so much for taking the time to visit my Declutter Workshop. Maybe, you might also enjoy my Time Management Workshop and my Paper Management Workshop that I will complete in the near future.

Video Titled "How to Organize Your Office Closet (Part 5 of 9 Home Office Organization Series)"

Complete Five Part Spring Cleaning and Organizing FREE Mini-eCourse

Complete Five Part Spring Cleaning and Organizing FREE Mini-eCourse

Lesson 1

Welcome to the first lesson of the Spring Cleaning and Organization Mini-eCourse. The cold days of winter are over and the fresh breezes of spring have begun to blow. As the flowers bloom and the birds chirp, many of us take a look at our homes and want to rid ourselves of the stale, winter feeling and start the season off with a clean and organized home. Spring cleaning can be hard work, but once the job is complete, the rewards are well worth the effort. So get ready and roll up your sleeves, it is time to get your home in order.

While jumping into spring cleaning feet first might seem like the best way to approach the tasks at hand, your best bet would be to take your time and plan things out before beginning. Complete the following list of tasks before starting your spring cleaning and you will find your project going faster and smoother than you ever could have imagined.

• Start by evaluating each room and its organizational needs. Grab a notebook and jot down everything that needs to be addressed in each room before starting. For instance, if there is a messy stack of magazines on the coffee table, make a note to buy a magazine rack.

• Take stock of what cleaning supplies you already have on hand and what you will need to complete all your jobs. Add to the list any organizational tools that you need for each of your rooms. Having your supplies ready before you start will save you from running to the store to replace something that you have run out of, which might also cause you to lose motivation.

• Have a few motivators on hand. Find some type of reward for yourself for completing the larger tasks, such as a favorite snack for breaks. Turn on some upbeat music to keep you going and make the job go by faster.

In Lesson 2 we will discuss tactics for cleaning the kitchen.

Lesson 2

Spring cleaning in the kitchen is probably the hardest task of all. As many call it the heart of the home, it certainly deserves some extra love and care when cleaning time rolls around. Here are some great tips that can help you get your kitchen clean and organized.

Start from the top and work down to keep from having to clean the same areas over again. If you wipe out the cabinets after scrubbing the countertops, you will probably have to clean the counters again.

Next, wipe off the tops of the cabinets and higher shelves. While you are reaching for high spaces, it’s a good time to clean off the top of the refrigerator.

Also, while the stepstool or ladder is out, take down the curtains or blinds and clean them or replace them, if necessary. If you have a ceiling fan in your kitchen, now would be a prime time to clean the dust and polish the metal fixtures.

While your window treatments are out of the way, clean your windows and screens. Make sure to do both the inside and outside to keep the room feeling bright and cheerful. You may decide to leave the windows open a bit, once the screens have been replaced to let some fresh air in.

Start cleaning the fridge by taking everything out of both the refrigerator and freezer. Throw away expired food and almost empty items. In the freezer, properly dispose of anything that might be past its expiration date or has developed freezer burn.

Next, we will cover tips on cleaning your bathroom to a sparkling polish.

Lesson 3

As you know, bathrooms can harbor lots of dirt and germs. Because of that, a thorough cleaning is a must. A spic and span bathroom that is also clutter-free will be an oasis in your home.

First, double check that everything that does not belong in the bathroom is returned to its home. Get the dirty towels and washcloths to the laundry and take down the shower curtain and liner for washing or replacement.

Start the job by dusting the walls and wiping them down where necessary. Remove the window treatments, if there are any, and clean them or have them cleaned. Wash the windows both outside and in, scrubbing and rinsing the screens as well.

Clean your mirrors and shine the bathroom sink fixtures. Wash any soap dishes, toothbrush holders, and containers that usually sit on the sink area out, or wipe them down. Scrub out the sink and dry thoroughly when you are done to prevent water spots.

Start cleaning the tub or shower from the top and work down. Pay attention to the edges and corners, as mold and mildew can hide in these areas. Remove any mats or slip pads to make sure that they aren’t harboring mildew and replace if necessary. Scrub out the tub area and remember to polish the faucet and handles, as well. Wipe the tub dry when you are done.

Now that you’ve tackled the kitchen and bathroom, the next step is take on the bedroom. We’ll cover that room next!

Lesson 4

Most of us spend at least eight hours a day in our bedrooms, it only makes sense that they be a pleasing room to be in. You will sleep better and enjoy your leisure time much more in a neat and orderly bedroom. Here is how you can make your own bedroom or your children’s rooms, the oasis they should be.

De-cluttering the bedroom can be a big job- especially if you are a “pack rat.” Start by tackling the biggest project first…the closet. Use the top down approach, once again, and take everything off the shelves, if there are any.

Sort through the pile of things from the shelf and decide what you need, what you want, and what can be thrown or given away. If you find something that you forgot you had and have no use for, throw it out or donate the item. Dust the corners of the closet walls and wipe down the shelf before replacing the items.

Move down to the hanging items next. Take everything out and wipe off the hang bar. Now go through the pile of clothes, being blatantly honest with yourself. If it doesn’t fit, is hopelessly out of style, or is in need of repair that will never happen, throw it out or put it in a bag to be given to charity. 

While you are going through the hanging clothes, check your hangers to see if any need replacing. You can buy new ones very cheaply, or recycle those that are on the items you are getting rid of. If you find that your closet is still stuffed full, even after weeding out the old things, try adding a bar beneath one half and hanging tops on the upper bar and skirts and folded pants below.

Finish up the closet by removing everything from the floor and vacuuming thoroughly. Dust the corners and wipe down the walls if needed. Sort through the items here with the same technique of throwing out or donating the old, unnecessary items and only keeping what you need and really want.

Taking the time to clean and organize your home is only half the battle. The real work begins after the major cleaning is done and the maintenance portion begins. In our final Lesson 5, we’ll give you some tips on how to keep your rooms clean and fresh.

Lesson 5

After all of your hard work spring cleaning and organizing your home, you certainly won’t want to see things back to the way they were in a matter of weeks. Staying organized takes a little work and is certainly a learned habit, but for this small amount of daily effort, you will have a cleaner home and a happier family. Try some of these tips to help keep your home looking like you just wrapped up your spring cleaning efforts.

Keep a small basket in each room for things that do not belong. Get in the habit of checking the basket as you leave the room for items that might belong in your next destination.

Keep all of your cleaning supplies safely together, along with rags, paper towels, scrub brushes, and any other items you may need to complete any cleaning task. Using a bucket or cleaning supply caddy will make grabbing the necessary tools a snap when it is time to do your daily chores. Remember, if you have young children, it is important to store your cleaning supplies out of their reach for safety.

Sort through your mail each day when it is brought in. Place all the mail in a designated area and file the bills away after they are paid.

Every night after dinner, make sure that all the dishes are cleaned and put away, or at least rinsed and put into the dishwasher until there is a full load. Don’t let the dishes get away from you or you’ll find yourself in the midst of a marathon cleaning session.

Doing a little bit of work each night will help you start each day fresh and ready to take on the world!

I hope you enjoyed our Complete Five Part Spring Cleaning and Organizing FREE Mini-eCourse. Now, it's time to say "HELLO SPRING!" and welcome the new season into your home! This sensational resource "Spring Cleaning" eBook is available to you as a downloadable e-Book directly accessible from the Internet. Don't Wait until your in the midst of the busy summer season to start cleaning! Take control by taking action right now, today!

Here's How To Order Right Now!

Yes! Help Me Clean and Organize My Home In One Weekend Or Less! Don't wait any longer! You can be downloading and learning from this incredible information within just a few minutes . . . and using it to start cleaning and organizing today!

P.S. If you continue to go on as you are now, the clutter and dust is only going to keep building up. What I'm offering you is the easiest way to see for yourself how taking one weekend to "clean up" can be easy and effective!

P.S.S. Remember, you'll get instant access to this e-book so that you can start learning how to clean and organize things right away. There are no extra costs or wait time for shipping. What are you waiting for? Click below to order your downloadable Spring Cleaning e-book now for just $19.97, hurry now!

Click the Link Below "Buy Now" to Order
IMMEDIATE DOWNLOAD of the Spring Cleaning eBook!

Video Titled "Entrepreneur: How to Manage Time"

Part Five "Organizing 1-2-3 FREE Mini-eCourse"

“Overcoming being Dis-organized: Practical advice for De-cluttered spaces and Organized daily living”

Your final Part Five of your five-day "Organizing 1-2-3 FREE Mini-eCourse" is here! We stress yet again at this point that no TWO individuals are the same, neither will face the same circumstances, challenges or have similar obstacles to overcome. If you want to have more time to do the things you enjoy, organizing yourself is KEY! That is why it is so utterly important that you take a hands-on and proactive approach for making a difference in your own life. IT IS UP TO YOU AND IN YOUR HANDS!

To succeed and push through your organizing project you need a strong motivation "beyond” the clutter, a compelling reason, a goal you seriously want to reach. Think about the space you want to organize and ask yourself why do you want to do it. What is your compelling reason? What big picture goal in your life are you going to accomplish because that space is organized? This goal will be your compelling reason and your beacon to work towards completing the whole process.

Why try to remember everything? Help your memory by writing things down immediately when you think of what needs to be done. Prioritize your lists. Plan ahead for the next day and assign priorities to the tasks you need to do according to their importance. Planning can save you enormous amounts of time. It is important to have a motivated and positive “I CAN remember” and “I CAN do it” attitude.

Simplify your space and life! Create a simple organizing system. Zones are key. Organize any space in different zones of activity and group similar or related items or required tools together close to where the activity happens. Create places for things and assign designated places for grouping related items together close to the relevant activity zones. Then your space will work for you and help you maintain order in a natural way. Develop an efficient and very simple model to use in every space you have to organize. Divide the space in activity zones, where everything needed is stored at it’s point of use in cute, functional and efficient containers. All you need is right there!

Very important is the healing of relationships, where everyone works together for the common good to create harmony. This is worth striving for and may need some personal sacrifice, unselfishness and a very mature approach. This will make for good character building for everyone involved.

Awareness of the chaos they create and the dire need to change towards becoming more organized, and lots of encouragement instead of rejection and resentment will go a long way to help a person to grow into an attitude of honestly wanting to better themselves through acquiring and developing those organizing skills, as well as the indispensable self-discipline that is vital for success. The decision to change must come from deep inside the core of the person involved. He or she needs to choose for him or herself and then act upon it. IT IS POSSIBLE!!!

If we want to change, develop and grow, we can't let fear hold us back.

Once we understand why we believe and behave as we do there are many things we can do that let go of the past and move forward, develop more accurate, positive feelings about ourselves and to develop feelings of being in control and confidence, seeing reality as it is without the negative self-talk! Understanding your own behavior and that of others, acceptance of our own 'faults' and those of others and appreciating the effect of disorganized behavior on others can go a long way to help YOU stand up and deal with the mess right NOW!!!!

NOW IT IS UP TO YOU to foster a strong mental attitude towards your challenge. LET THE ORGANIZING 1-2-3 eBOOK WORK FOR YOU TO RID YOU PERMANENTLY OF THE SHADOW OF BEING DISORGANIZED! Discover A ROOM BY ROOM PLAN AND ACTION STRATEGY TO TAKE CHARGE AND LIVE AN ORGANIZED LIFE!

GET YOUR (TIDY) LIFE BACK! IT’S POSSIBLE! YOU CAN BE ORGANIZED! PUT YOURSELF BACK IN CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE! TODAY! YOU CAN DO IT!!!

Again, thank you for reading Part Five of the "Organizing 1-2-3 FREE Mini-eCourse". We look forward to hearing how you made out and what you have learned in the process.

Here is just some of what you will be learning from this newly released Organizing 1-2-3 eBook:

    De-clutter and Clean Up

    Insider Tips on getting and keeping yourself, spaces and life organized

    Pains and Challenges of DIS-ARRAY and DISORGANIZATION

    Harmonize and Synergize your life, space and SIMPLIFY!

    Get priorities right and categorize

    Sort, Donate, Toss, Sell

    Art and Science of ORGANIZED living

    Enable your Lifestyle and customize your living space

    Creative Genius can change your life FOREVER

    Time, Priorities and Lists

    Mothers, Homes and Rewards of NOT BEING DISORGANIZED!

    Ideas how to organize your children

… and much, much MORE!

At this point, I know you must be interested in the Organizing 1-2-3 eBook. This "how to" eBook will help you get to the bottom of the matter in one cover-to-cover, easy-to-use reference guide. Get all the facts and information you need to make the most of dealing effectively with BEING DIS-ORGANIZED! Make things simple today! YOU can learn the skills to become highly ORGANIZED!!! What are you waiting for? Order your Organizing 1-2-3 eBook today and take advantage of this limited time, special introductory offer. That is right, REMEMBER, you will pay just $19.97! BUT YOU MUST ORDER NOW - THIS WILL NOT LAST! (There are still some copies left!)

ACT NOW, BEFORE THEY ARE GONE! So grab this special price while you can!

Place YOUR order NOW by following the directions below!!

Order Your Organizing 1-2-3 e-book NOW by clicking on the "button" below that says "Buy Now."
 

Video Titled "Hit the Reset Button"