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Helping Hand

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This past weekend we took my mother-in-law out for her 86th birthday dinner. Since the weather had turned cooler I looked through my closet for a nice long sleeve top to wear. Almost all of them were old and didn’t look that great anymore.  Many were too heavy for this time of year.

Since I don’t like shopping much I tend to not update my wardrobe very often.  As a result it sometimes reaches the point that everything looks washed out.  You know, where the shirts are pilling, are faded, and hanging out of shape.

I only have a few dressy outfits for good and then my everyday uniform. There isn’t much in between.  My everyday uniform consist of blue jeans or shorts and a short or long sleeve T-shirt depending on the time of year.  The advantage of working out of my house is I can save a lot of money on clothes since I don’t need a wardrobe for a workplace.

Of course the disadvantage is since I don’t need a lot of nice casual clothes (business casual) I tend not to shop much for them.  Now this may not be a disadvantage for most people, especially if they enjoy shopping, but it becomes my excuse not to shop often enough to keep my wardrobe updated.

A few years ago I joined the Missus Smarty Pants program and that helped me a lot. It taught me how to shop for the right kind of clothes for my body type. I didn’t dread going to the store so much and buying clothes that didn’t make me look my best, (wasting money?). With the help from her program I bought clothes that made me look good and were much more versatile. I think it is time to sign up again!

We all have our strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes that helping hand can help us overcome our weaknesses.  Sometimes we may need that helping hand on a regular basis (like my clothes shopping dread) so we can continue to have accomplishments in our weaker areas.

This is what I’m trying to do with my blog and website. This is why I’m writing the Halloween blog series (starts Oct 3). I want to make sure I don’t wait until the last minute to put up decorations or buy candy. Yes, I have done that before! I also hope that this blog series can help you avoid procrastinating until the last minute.  In other words, I’m offering a helping hand to help you plan and prepare for the holiday.

If this series works out well I’ll be happy to do it for Thanksgiving and Christmas and Chanukah. If you want to receive this blog series in your email all you have to do is sign-up here.

If you’re already receive the blog posts by email then you don’t have to do anything.

If you have any questions, suggestions, or ideas for the upcoming blog series, please let me know.

Thanks,

Janice

book coverThe “How To Have A Fun, Safe, And Decluttered Halloween” eBook is now available for the PC, Kindle, and Nook. It’s a witches brew of tips on decorations, costumes, and treats. Get it now before you head to the store.

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Requesting Input for New Blog Series

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I am currently writing a blog series called “Countdown to Halloween”.  My objective is to help you prepare for Halloween over the course of the four weeks of October.

I will be sending out 1-2 blog posts each week with a list of things you can do to start enjoying the holiday without all the last minute stress. This series will be set up where I will welcome your suggestions or questions. It will be a lot like a free e-course only we get to help each other through the comment section of this blog and/or on my Facebook page.

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Before I start the blog series in the next few weeks I’m asking for your input now on what you would like to see in the each post. Right now the areas I’m writing about are:

  1. Setting up indoor and outdoor decorations.
  2. Making or buying costumes.
  3. School parties.
  4. Buying candy or other treats.

If there are other areas you would like to see addressed in this series please let me know in the comment section.

If you want to receive the “Countdown to Halloween” blog series and future blog series please sign up here….

If you already receive the blog post updates in your email then you are ready to go.

For more tips on organizing and decluttering be sure to “Like” my Facebook page. This is also a good place to make comments or ask questions.

http://www.facebook.com/CutClutterWithScissors

 

book cover

The “How To Have A Fun, Safe, And Decluttered Halloween” eBook is now available for the PC, Kindle, and Nook. It’s a witches brew of tips on decorations, costumes, and treats. Get it now before you head to the store.

 

Thanks for you input.

Janice

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Tips for Labor Day Celebrations

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Labor Day is a celebration of the American Worker. Despite all the economical and political dishevel (I won’t even begin to go there!) American’s need to step back and recognize how every worker, whether paid or volunteer, from Main Street to Wall Street, is what makes this country run. Like a fine machine we all are important and need to work together to make this country run at it’s best.

Okay, now I’ll get off my high horse and give you some information you can use to help make this Labor Day a celebration. Not everyone gets the day off (firemen, police, retail store workers, etc.) so if you run into any of these people working be sure to thank them for helping this country run.

I’m leaving town to visit my son so I have been using my “Travel Planner”.  If you are traveling this weekend I suggest you read the following article and blog posts to help make the traveling more organized.

http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/make_travel_easier_with_a_travel_planner

http://organizebythemonth.com/traveling-by-car/

http://organizebythemonth.com/are-we-there-yet-travel-games/

 

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Here are some sites that have information and ideas on how to celebrate Labor Day.

http://www.dol.gov/opa/aboutdol/laborday.htm

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/labor-day/

http://labor-day-weekend.com/

http://dailyholiday.info/labor-day

 

Have a safe and fun holiday weekend.

Janice

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School Buses Are On The Move!

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The school year has already started for some.  For many others it”s just around the corner.  Whether you have school age children or not the start of the school year brings changes in almost everyone’s routines.  If you are aware of these changes you can plan ahead to avoid any frustration they may cause you.

Hundreds of thousands of school children will be walking their neighborhood streets to catch the yellow school bus at the corners.  Please be aware of them as you leave your home to drive to work or drive carpool.  We want all these children to make it to school safely. We also want them to make it home safely after school.

If you pay attention to pick-up and drop-off times, even if you don’t have children, you can plan accordingly. Allow extra time to get to your destination so you aren’t frustrated when you are slowed down while children are crossing streets or loading on or off the buses. If you are running late you know that will be the day you are stuck behind the school bus with no way to get around it!

Drive safely, teach your children about traffic safety, and hopefully we won’t hear of any tragic accident involving those innocent school children.

Janice

Facebook Page: Cut Clutter With Scissors

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Will Yet Another Organizing Product Bring You Success?

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This is the time of year where all those back-to-school and office supplies are on sale. Even if you don’t have school age children (mine are grown) it is easy to get caught up in believing that this organizing file solution or that 5 subject notebook will solve all our paper clutter or organizing problems.

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Guess what – it might work and then again it might not. How many different products or solutions have you tried over the years with limited success? I know I’ve tried many.

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What I have learned over the years is it’s not necessarily the product or idea that is bad it’s just that it didn’t work for me.  I’m sure you have had the same result at times.

So besides trial and error plus lots of money spent how can you determine if a product will help you?  That’s a hard question to answer. The best way is to take a look at what is currently working for you in any area of your home.

We all have some areas of our lives where we are relatively organized.

If you are organized when cooking in the kitchen pay attention to what kinds of organizing products and/or habits you are using that makes it work for you. Is your desk at work clean and organized but you desk at home is a disaster? Pay attention to what is working at the office and duplicate it at home if possible.

We are creatures of habit and each of us have different learning/organizing traits.  Some we are born with and some we learned when growing up or as adults. Even if we were born missing the organizing gene we can still find the right kind of products and solutions to help us learn to get more organized.

So when you find yourself tempted to try yet another product in hope that it will solve all your organizing problems stop and think about it first. The questions below will help guide you towards one that might work for you.

Ask yourself:

  1. Does this product work similar to other products I’ve used before?
  2. Have I been successful with using this kind of product?
  3. Do I already have a product or solution for this particular problem but haven’t taken the time to figure out if it will work or not?

As we are bombarded this time of year with all those ads for products to help get our children and ourselves organized we have to remember to stop and think before buying.  Most products can help but one size does not fit all.

Figure out your style (or your child’s) so it will be easier to match the product or solution to it. That will increase your chance of success.

Janice

 

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