Organizing Tips for Busy Moms

What can you do today in 15 minutes?  

Clear out one cupboard - the other day, while I was watching Oprah, I decided to clear out our cup cupboard. This cupboard had been bothering me for some time.  We had a bunch of old sippy cups and “to go” coffee mugs with no lids!  It literally took less than 15 minutes to clear out.  Even my husband noticed how organized it was!  Get rid of the dishes you are no longing using, the dishes that are missing partners or are broken.

Purge the Junk Drawer - You don’t need to organize it all at one time, just take  a few minutes to throw away anything you no longer need.  Old menus, old notes, check for pens that no longer work.

Clear out the Utensil Drawer- I am so guilty of buying the latest and greatest utensil thinking I may use it.  I have not once used my lemon zester! Time to take inventory, donate, and keep what you love and what you use!

Do One Large Sweep- Set the timer for 15 minutes and go through as many cupboards and drawers as you can and donate all of the old appliances you no longer need, want, or are broken.

Clean the surfaces of your refrigerator- Having a clean refrigerator makes a difference.  I suggest taking out old food right before your trash day.  Take a damp washcloth with a little soap and clean the spills.

Pantry- I hate to admit this, but sometimes food is wasted at our house.  And it is always a good idea to check the pantry for stale potato chips and moldy bread.  You can do this very quickly, and then take note of what did not get eaten and don’t buy it again! Or at least make sure the bread is eaten quicker!

Spices- Take a few minutes to do a little spice inventory, what do you have, what are you low on.  Re-organize them. Sometimes depending on who is cleaning up the meal, the spices sometimes get put back in the wrong spot, now is the time, to make sure they are all together.

What are you going to do today?

Happy Organizing!

Provided by www.takecontrolorganizing.com

Three weeks ago, the chaos around me might have been almost amusing if it hadn’t been so utterly depressing.  The house was a mess.   Pizza boxes were stacked up at the end of the coffee table, children’s toys were scattered throughout the living room, the large wilting plant in the corner had been knocked over, and, due to my toddler daughter’s new fascination with her reflection, the mirrored closet was a muddle of tiny finger prints.  I had a growing box of clothing that no longer fit me, and I’d never felt so far from the super-mom I planned to be when embarking on the adventure of parenthood as I did at that moment.  Maintaining a clean home and high level of fitness, for busy moms like me, was far more difficult than I ever imagined it would be.

Today, my mirrors still have fingerprints, but the clutter is virtually gone.  Better than the fresh scent of cleaner surrounding me, however, is the satisfying fact that I have begun to unpack that box of once too-small clothing.  The key to weight loss and fitness for busy moms, I’ve found, is to combine it with every-day cleaning tasks.  In fact, fitness, for busy moms, can become synonymous with housework. 

The first step, of course, is to set aside some time for your housework/fitness.  For busy moms like you and me, finding extra time in a day can be difficult.  Luckily, all it takes is about 30 – 45 minutes every second day.    The next step is to figure out what tasks need to be done and make a list.  You may want to start with a broad, overall tidy.  When you work at an even, steady pace, you will inevitably burn calories.  Activities like vacuuming, vigorous dusting, and mopping floors can help you work up a sweat.  When you’re cleaning the counter, use large, broad motions.  If your laundry machine is in the basement, take down laundry baskets one at a time.  Hanging up or folding laundry?  Put on some great music and move your body while you work.  This type of fitness for busy moms is easier to justify than leaving the home for a gym class – and even more productive! 

Cleaning for fitness, for busy moms, may feel more manageable if you organize your tasks into rooms or sections.  For instance, perhaps every Monday you’ll want to do the kitchen and bathroom.  Sweep and mop the floors, wash down the appliances and counter-tops, wash the walls, wash the windows, sort the recycling – all at a firm, quick pace.  Extra time or energy?  Wash the inside of the fridge or stove.  

By committing yourself to regular cleaning, you can lose weight and increase your physical fitness.  For busy moms, cleaning with fitness in mind can be exactly what is needed to regain a sense of control in hectic lives.  For me, discovering the fitness benefits of cleaning my home was what I needed to motivate me.  Now, I’m fitter, happier, and more energetic, and I am enjoying my organized home.  To be honest, though, I like the fingerprints.

Whether you are a SAHM or you punch a corporate time-clock, you know how hard it is to find some time for yourself.  While you like to play superwoman, that crazy schedule and always taking care of everyone but yourself can catch up with you. Carving out a little time for yourself once in awhile goes a long way in saving your sanity. You don’t necessarily need a full day at the spa or spend hundreds of dollars either. Sometimes five to ten minutes is all that you need.

Here are some things that you can do in the few free minutes between sibling disputes or on your lunch break.

• Take off your rings and watch if you are wearing them and get your favorite pretty smelling lotion and give yourself a hand massage. Really concentrate on rubbing in the lotion on to each knuckle, between the fingers and especially the cuticles…in fact, go ahead and push them back while your at it.
• Give your feet a moisture surge while you sleep. Before you lay down, dig out that peppermint lotion and using a good amount, massage your feet and then slip on a pair of cotton socks.
• Get an assortment of new moisturizing shower gels in your favorite scents. If you buy the travel size, you can get several varieties so that you try a different scent every night of the week.
• Make a refreshing smoothie. Mix some low-fat yogurt, some of your favorite fruit, and a bit of ice, pour it into a tall glass, then enjoy!
• Keep a pretty notebook handy (in the car, kitchen, in the nightstand, etc.). When you find you have a moment to breath, open it up and jot down the thoughts that come to you, note the things you are thankful for, or even a note about something funny the kids said today.
• Keep a stash of flavored teas in the cabinet and steep a cup and put your feet up for a few minutes and enjoy.

Raleigh Motherhood ExaminerJoy Hamilton

Top 7 Affordable Ways to Pamper Yourself:

1) Take a Cat Nap

2) Read a book or magazine

3) Take a Bath

4) Mani or Pedi (you can find inexpensive salons now-a-days)

5) Nice Glass of Wine

6) Listen to Music

7) Get in a Good Workout

“And it melts, God forgive me, it melts ever so slowly on your tongue, and tortures you with pleasure.” Yvette Marceau played by Elisabeth Commelin in Chocolat.

Legend has it that Montezuma drank 50 cups of chocolate a day prior to his medieval dates with 600 women. And to think, you thought all he was responsible for was enacting revenge. In fact, the first people to convert beans into a spicy chocolate drink were natives of Central America, specifically the ascendants of Mexicans. “It’s an historic food and a source of mood enhancers for many people and societies — especially ladies.” according to Neil Edley, professional chocolatier with a candy company called Sugar Plum Chocolates based in  Pennsylvania. “Just as a cat’s evolution designed its olfactory senses to delight in catnip, women and chocolate have a natural chemical harmony like no other.”

Have women, as a collective, unwittingly manipulated their evolvement to delight in chocolate? “Chocolate tastes good, is available when you want it, is a delight to the eye and the palate, is never boring, and doesn’t need any enhancements like Viagra®!” Edley adds wryly, perhaps making a stab at the general dissatisfaction women feel towards men, lately.

Satisfaction aside, chocolate can be healthy, “Chocolate is good source of antioxidants, known for their cell-protecting properties. Antioxidants fight off free radicals that damage cell membranes and the DNA,” said Susan Burke March, MS, CDE, author of Making Weight Control Second Nature: Living Thin Naturally. “Although berries, tea, garlic and wine are sources of antioxidants, “cocoa beans top them all,”  says Joe Vinson, Ph.D., a chemistry professor at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania. His research shows that cocoa beans are the most potent source of polyphenols, a large subgroup of antioxidants.

Carrie Toppano, Director of Sales & Operations of Sweet Beauty Spa, an organic chocolate spa in Seattle taught me that dark chocolate has twice the antioxidants of red wine and four times the antioxidants in green tea. This is why dark chocolate is commonly attributed to being healthier over milk chocolate. The Sweet Beauty Spa website advises that “If you wouldn’t eat it, don’t wear it on your skin.”

The ideal solution would be a healthy chocolate, that helps us to not get fat and puts us in a good mood. According to research firm Frost & Sullivan, “chocolate contains anandamide like ice-creams and other positive neurotransmitters such as oleolethanolamine and N-linoleoylethanolamine, caffeine and theobromine. All these chemicals have been determined to have active psychological effects.” Fact is, even if fit women were to find the guy of her dreams, it wouldn’t matter since most of you seem to prefer chocolate over sex. Irony is chocolate is actually an aphrodisiac.

Article provided by Stefan Pinto 

(http://www.pintofactory.com/stefanpinto)