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20 Great Ways to 

Raise Great Kids

Gain over 200 practical parenting tips that will help you raise a loving, kind, responsible, confident and successful child in the newly released parenting book 20 Great Ways to Raise Great Kids that's available free at www.getparentinghelpnow.com/myfreebook.

Audrey was interviewed for the book and gives tips and strategies in the chapter "Best Back-to-School Tips".  You can download a free e-book version or purchase a hard copy.

Now available:

Great Christmas Gift Idea:

Organize Your Home 

by Better Homes & Gardens

Audrey served as a Contributing Professional Organizer for this book project and it is now available at your favorite bookseller or online at Amazon.

Filled with timeless, helpful content, your head will spin with hundreds of ideas presented.  Get it today!

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For those who are tired of the clutter and stress but need help getting started in the right direction. This package includes everything Audrey has ever published, recorded or filmed. Audrey will even autograph the books before it ships! 

Value: $221 

Our Price: $123.99  

  As always, shipping & handling is included

Learn More

October 2013

Greetings! 

I recently drove out of state to visit my mother who lives in a nursing home. It's an easy 3-hour drive and is beautiful this time of year. When I entered her room, her eyes lit up. While it's difficult for her to remember my name, she knows I belong to her and that I'm her daughter.

Nursing homes offer many activities to keep the residents engaged and that day BINGO was on the schedule. I am always amazed to watch elderly people play this game. Regardless of their mental capabilities, nearly everyone remembers how to play and loves the anticipation of hearing those numbers called out!

Mom and I also shared a lively conversation revolving around her school days. She graduated from high school in the early 1950's and married shortly afterwards. While her short-term memory is poor, many of her long-term memories are still there.

Gone are the days of making new memories with her or the days when I can call her up and ask for advice. On my drive home that night, I reflected on the memories I share with mom and am grateful for them. Memories become part of who we are and part of our family heritage.

As we approach the holidays of Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year's, my hope is that we each are mindful of the opportunities we have in making memories with our loved ones and adding to our family's heritage.

With a grateful heart,

 

  

  

 

In Minnesota, the cooler weather is our first hint. Then comes the first frost. Eventually the snowflakes will make an appearance and then before we know it, we'll be acting surprised that the holidays have snuck up on us once again.

The holiday season represents a time of year when lots of memories are in the making. And because one of the biggest components of being organized is planning ahead, this is a good time to think of things you can do in the next month or two that will help you to celebrate the holidays with less stress.

Here are a few things I hope to work on over the next 4-6 weeks:

• Review family photos to find the one I plan on sending to friends and family and order reprints online.
• Write our Christmas letter and update our mailing list.
• Get my carpets cleaned in time for holiday entertaining.
• Hang outdoor lights before the snow arrives!
• Order wreaths from the Boy Scouts.
• Purchase as many gifts online as possible.
• Plan out my baking list and purchase all of the ingredients needed.
• Be prepared to ship out-of-town gifts the week after Thanksgiving.

Perhaps it's the farm girl in me, but every year about this time, I get an urge to stock up on items in my pantry and freezer. I'm sure it comes from harvest time when I was young. It represented one of the busiest times on the farm - one where we harvested from the fields and canned jars of goodness from our large gardens.

In recent weeks I've been batch-cooking recipes for the freezer and stocking up on dry goods for the pantry. Fall is usually my busiest speaking season - I'm about to hit the road for six weeks - and when I'm home I appreciate having items on hand to make meal preparation easier.

Here are some of the things I cook and freeze ahead of time:

• Spaghetti sauce
• Sloppy Joes
• Taco meat
• Soup stock
• Cooked turkey or chicken - Cook an entire bird and then debone it, packaging the meat in several Ziploc bags for use in soups, stews and casseroles.
• Browned hamburger or ground turkey 

Click here to find out how many days until Christmas!

Disclaimer: Not responsible for experiences of sheer panic, fear, tears or hyperventilation!