Raising three growing boys (four if you include my husband) in our home has always come with food challenges. I often find my leftovers from a restaurant or my favorite snacks have disappeared without warning. I recently purchased a Sam's Club box of Pop-Tarts to celebrate the start of summer at the request of my younger son. As soon as I entered the house, my sons appeared, the box was opened and the contents began to disappear.
Two days later another one of my sons (1st year college student) asked where all the Pop-Tarts had gone since there was only one box of four left. I did not get into a long discussion about it, but he knew his 17 year old little brother had most likely inhaled them.
My 20 year old then took the remaining unopened box and hid it for safekeeping. In our household we have a rule that if you want a food item for a later time, you must put your name on it or hide it someplace.
If your family struggles with this like I do, make some changes this summer. If you or your kids have a favorite cereal, snack, or leftovers they wish to eat later, label it with their name. You could also keep an individual bowl of fruit and snacks for each child.
One of our recent clients was a dad who had a favorite type of chips that his kids would eat while he was at work. When he wanted a snack, they were usually gone. We gave this dad his own snack drawer in an area out of site of the kids.
While you may not have a huge problem with this now, the closer your kids get to their teenage years... well let's just say, it's coming!
Happy Summer Snacking, |
A Beautiful Mess
Messes are real life! They are part of everyday living: a child's face after eating spaghetti, an art project gone awry, backyard mud pies, a child's artistic work on his bedroom wall. The messes you have experienced at your house may help someone else see they are not alone. What looks like a disaster to one mom may seem like a beautiful moment to others. Try to see the joy in these moments as they cannot be recreated.
 As organized as we are in our work, we would love to share our everyday lives as moms with you. Here is your opportunity to share your photos showing what your job as a mom looks like in your home. Let's just get real with each other and have some fun. Share your pictures with us on our Facebook page for a chance to win a gift card to Chick-fil-A. Watch for our post on Facebook and leave a comment with your photo.
It's a chance to share life as it really is with your Get Organized! friends. Post your snapshot by July 1, 2014. We will choose a winner at random and share some of the photos in our August Newsletter.
Isaiah 61:3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord that He might be glorified.
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Adult Kids Return Home
 Whether your kids are just home for the summer, have graduated from college, or you have adult children that still have not flown the nest, here are a few practical suggestions to help your family make the necessary adjustments to keep relationships healthy and the family a productive unit:
- Plan weekly or bi-weekly family activities giving each person a turn to pick where they want to go or what they want to do. While we are not all alike, we should learn to do what others enjoy, knowing that our turn will come around. This teaches each family member to think of others more highly than themselves.
- Keeping your family values intact is important. These values taught to your children by example or set in house rules must remain strong no matter the ages of your children.
- If your child is 18 or older they should have a job or be enrolled in school while living under your roof. This gives them responsibility, creates hope for their future, and teaches them how to be a productive citizen.
- Having a standard in place for media can be a real challenge, but here are some ideas: Shutting the internet off during sleep hours, keeping all the phones in a central location during the night while they are charging, or limiting screen time whether it is TV, video games, Facebook, or other social media; install accountability software on their computers to track what internet sites they are viewing; check on them periodically through your local cell phone provider; limiting viewing levels on video providers to PG or PG-13 (age appropriate). Remember that just because they are getting older does not mean the standard has to change.
- Agree in advance as a family on how to handle friends popping over. Normally with teens you do not have to worry about how early friends start coming over, but you do have to set boundaries on how late they can stay at your home. It's a good rule of thumb to never allow the opposite sex over while the parents are not at home and to keep communication open about where the kids go when they leave the house.
I believe this statement to be true: "There are never enough rules for the heart." It is very important as parents to set limits, keep standards high, and expect our children to have respect for all those living in the house. Working on healthy relationships when everyone is home for the summer may take time but will benefit the family in the long run. Mom and dad must be on the same page about standards and be consistent with enforcement. Our kids know how to work each parent against the other to get what they want, so we must be one step ahead of them! Get organized this summer by setting the standards you expect your children to live up to and this will prove to be one of the best gifts you can give yourself, the gift of a peaceful summer.
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Summer Suitcase Packing
- Packing with a list will ensure that you don't forget anything. Create a list on your computer dividing it into hygiene, clothing, and food. You might have a few versions of the list depending on where you are going: car trip to the beach, flying to Alaska, or camping in the heat.
- Make a shopping list for anything you may need for your trip: cosmetics, sunscreen, umbrella, fanny pack, sun visor, new socks, a new purse or tote, a different outfit, adding new travel organizers to your agenda, or snacks for the journey.
- Think about each category and where it might fit best in the suitcase. Think about a jewelry travel bag, a small bag to contain liquids, a pocket or tote for personal hygiene items, a specific pocket for socks and underwear, shoes stored in a plastic bag for cleanliness, and bringing a kitchen size trash bag for bringing home dirty clothes.
- Fold each outfit and stack it together. Make sure the stack is folded to the length of the suitcase to ensure you don't accidently pull out something you planned for a different day/activity. Space savers can be helpful as well.
- Packing your jewelry and shoes after each outfit has been packed can help you accessorize. You could also use these shoe ins for your nicer pairs of shoes.
- Carry on sized luggage is economical for overnight trips by air. Store liquids in small containers to meet airline standards.
- Packing your cosmetics can be fun with this hanging bag that can go straight to the shower with you. Also, these throw away bags can be used for many items such as cotton balls, Q-Tips, makeup, or other personal items.
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Become a Professional Organizer through our
Affiliate Program
Get Organized! is interested in connecting with individuals throughout Texas who are naturally organized, creative with space planning and organizational systems, have business smarts, self-motivation, and an understanding of the importance of excellent time management. Organizing skills are often learned or enhanced through tasks and hobbies you have done both in the corporate world and in your own home. These skills, in addition to the branding advantage and professional training from a successful organizing company, can launch you into a profitable organizing business.
Our Affiliate Program allows you to focus on working as a professional organizer while you save both time and money utilizing the experience, brand recognition, and proven processes from one of DFW's finest organizing companies - Get Organized!. The initial investment includes: your time, travel expenses (for training in the Dallas area), general liability bonding insurance, and insurance for business use of your vehicle. There are no other startup costs.
We look forward to hearing from you about starting your own organizing business anywhere in the great state of Texas.
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Savvy Ways to Save
Here is a great way to save every month on your grocery bill. Check out the coupons on this site and print out the ones you need. Shop and save online before you even get to the store. They also have great restaurant deals!
CouponMom.com
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Packing/Unpacking
Services
Our team of professional organizers can de-clutter
before you pack and move
and/or pack, unpack, and organize your entire home once your move-in is complete.
We can also work with your movers for placement of furniture when the truck
arrives at your new home.
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Senior Downsizing
Get Organized! works directly with seniors and their families to help reduce what they have and get them settled into their new home.
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Get Organized! only recommends
for the services listed below,
and we proudly recommend
them to our clients.
Mention Get Organized! and get 30% off tile and grout cleaning, and ask about our area rug cleaning special! Carpet, oriental, and area rug cleaning, tile and grout cleaning and sealing, carpet repairs and stretching, leather cleaning and repairs, upholstery cleaning, 24 hour water damage restoration, and pet urine removal and treatment.
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Do you need a caregiver for your children or your elderly parent? Checkout
MomsBestFriend.com. See how they can help you.
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Need a storage unit for
a few months or long term?
Maybe a member of your family recently passed away and you inherited
things you need to store
until you have time to sort through them?
Get Organized!
recommends
Assured Self Storage
They have 20 locations
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We are a full-service moving concierge company,
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Organize Your
Summer Cleaning
Do you seem to have too many bottles of cleaning products taking up too much storage space? Minimize the space it takes to store products by making your own.
Organic Glass Cleaner
Plain club soda
or
Half water and half vinegar
Furniture Polish
16 oz. spray bottle
2 tsp. light olive oil
20 drops lemon essential oil
1/4 cup white vinegar
Add ingredients to the bottle and fill the rest with water. Shake before use.
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