The Family Manager

Hello my friends!  I have invited my lovely friend CoryAnne over to share some of her humor and wisdom with you.  Her blog, Housewife Bliss is described as; A splash of drama, a pinch of sarcasm, a handful of handy tips, and equal measures of laughter, style and compassion.  I think you will agree, this is a recipe for a great read!

Today’s modern family is busier than ever, leaving many mothers desperate for that 25th hour or the elusive 8th day. As a mother of 3 children I find that on my worst of days, I fail to find 5 minutes to sit down with a cup of tea and usually race around the house with mascara in one hand and washing in the other, and on my best of days, everything falls into place leaving me wondering what all the fuss was about on Monday. There are no set rules for finding middle ground; with children even the best-laid plans can be burned to the ground in an instant. However, with the right tools behind us, those days when we are left standing in a smoldering pile of burnt plans are easier to tackle.

I find that the happiest mothers run their homes like a business. They address domestic issues with the same professionalism they delivered when they worked outside the home. Their children are often more productive members of the family, they often have time for hobbies, and generally finish the day with a sense of accomplishment.

Every mother has a method to her madness, for me I thrive in a home that is ship shape and Bristol fashion, utilize every spare moment, and strive to keep order in all aspects of my home. I sound like a ball of laughs; I know I am crazy funny sometimes. But the truth is, all of my type A personality disorders allow me to unwind, laugh and enjoy my spare time. I hope my tips grant you the same.

Squeeze a few minutes out of your children:

• When dealing with children, keep it simple, ‘do you want A or B?’ rather than ‘what do you want?’

• Treat phones, TVs, computers, games, et all, as rewards rather than necessities. My 6 year old daughter is a helpless slob (it is a tragedy of mega proportions and only therapy will help me come to terms with it), so I reward her for keeping her room tidy by offering her 10 minutes of gaming time for every day her room is clean.

• Delegate rather than carry the burden. Give everyone an age appropriate chore that they can do on their own, without supervision. Not only does it save you a few minutes, it also empowers them to be proud of their responsibility and their home.

• Teach your children to tidy as they go. Make sure you provide a place for everything, so they can learn to put everything back in its place.


Get your kitchen working for you:

• Plan meals in advance of going to the grocery store – this will save you time and money.

• When making a meal that everyone loves, make enough to be frozen. Your freezer is your best friend; keep it stocked and it will love you back.

• Keep your pantry well stocked. A full larder will save you from nipping to the grocery store for random ingredients.

• Put your cutlery, dishes and glasses where your children can reach them. Then get your children to lay the table and help with the washing up.


Review your cleaning rota:

• Spend 15 minutes each day focusing on one cleaning task, rather than hoarding all the cleaning for the weekend. For example, Monday clean the family bathroom, Tuesday the guest bathroom, et all.

• Spend 5 minutes each morning tidying up the house rather than a big tidy at the weekend. Keep a basket by your stairs for items that need to go up and another for items that need to go down. Empty them each day.

• Don’t let your laundry pile up. Wash, fold and put away each day. It is never fun to live out of the laundry basket, and less fun to walk into a room filled with dirty laundry.

• Keep your kitchen sink clean at all times. It makes the kitchen look clean, and it reminds you to put your dishes in the dishwasher rather than the sink.


Get organized:

• Keep a family management book. I have a book that has all my numbers, contacts, important facts, to-do lists and random notes that I jot down inside my book rather than on loose bits of paper. Everything that relates to my home, my time, my life is in this bound book. If there were a house fire, I would save this book.

• Get your diary/calendar working for you. Don’t just put play dates and birthdays in it. Make notes of membership renewals, contract end dates, reminders for when you should get your gutters cleaned, anything and everything. The less you have to remember, the better.

• Plan your day the night before. Get your school bags, coats, keys, lunches all sorted out before you go to bed. Your mornings will thank you for it.

• Plan your week the Sunday before. Make sure you know what kind of week you have ahead of you so you can plan accordingly.


Simple methods for saving time:

• Embrace waiting times. Be prepared to wait, plan for it by packing thank you cards, embroidery, glossy magazines you are behind on, anything you think you could dip into while waiting.

• Avoid waiting times. Call ahead to confirm your appointment and confirm any waiting times expected.

• Embrace routine, let auto-pilot be your companion.

• Set your priorities and focus on them. When time is short focus on your ‘must do’ and leave the ‘nice to have’ list for when you have more time.

• Multi-task, we are all great at it, but do we do it enough?

• Ditch time wasters. For example, are you spending too much time looking for your keys? If so, find a safe place and keep them there.

• Start as you mean to go on. Look over your lifestyle, review how you spend your time, give it a makeover and then stick to it.

• Finish what you start, and make sure you have enough time to start something. There is nothing worse than unfinished projects floating about - too much time is spent setting up and clearing up, so do it once.


If you are a ‘veteran’ mother, I have just taught you to suck eggs (an English saying that implies that I have taught you something you already know), however if you are a new mother, I hope that some of what I have written helps you make sense of your day….I for one am going to follow my own advice and review my time management plan in the chance event I can find that 25th hour.


Thank you so much CoryAnne, for sharing a post with us!  If you haven't already, visit her Blissful blog & see what she's cooked up for you today.

I wanted to remind my readers that you can find my regular posts here every Tuesday and Thursday.  So I'll be back in two days with some more organizing tips!

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Working From Home

How many of you walk into your "office" which is really a desk shoved in the corner of a bedroom, surrounded by random storage boxes and exercise equipment?  I work from home, but try as hard as I can to stay away from the couch and all of its distractions because at one time that had become my office, and to save my posture and organizational skills, I had to find a better way. 

This article might inspire you to draw the line with your working space and turn that corner into a space you can call your own.  I don't mean to suggest you can't work from the couch in literal terms - I have been known to do work on the floor, propped up by the ottoman.  But claiming a space that is not distracting by other areas of living, such as the TV, kitchen, etc. can really bring your professionalism to a new level, and better concentration.

I just love Oprah Winfrey and the positive messages she sends out to the world. I remember when she made her shift from talk show host to women’s advocate back in the 90’s and a whole generation of new-age life gurus were born.

One of my first discoveries through her recommendation was Cheryl Richardson, a Life Coach, who’s message struck a chord deep within me. It sparked the curiosity of self discovery and lead me on a path to something more.



So how excited was I when I found the March issue of O Magazine was all about organizing! I found the article “Make Me a Ten” to be inspiring for this post, and I thought linking up to Peter Walsh’s great advice on organizing a home office was in order. “Your desk should be like the driver’s seat of a car – only crucial items within reach,” says Peter. “Pens, paper, computer. That’s it.” – I love that!

How true is that, a car is so efficient having everything you need within precise reach of where you sit. It makes sense that your desk be used as a vehicle of sorts.


In this article, the work at home photographer houses her office within her living quarters, which were cramped and untidy. Exposed cords, mix-matched furniture and a limited layout make it very hard for anyone who works from their home to be inspired.

A few things I noticed in his decorating, was that he used specific colors to spice up the environment and define the space.  He also used a CD wallet (which I frequently talk about) to store data and get rid of those unwanted cases that take up too much room.  A few hints of an accent color (like the paper tray, pencil holder & that AWESOME chair) really give the area a pop, tying all of the details together.

As a work-at-home professional in a slightly small (but very organized) space, I find it hard at times to define my own work environment.  It is most definately not a ten, although only temporary.  And oh, how I need that red chair up there!  ....ahem!

I currently house my office in a section of a large bedroom, so I struggle with claiming my own territory at times.  My question to you is, do you have a home office?  If so, what do you do to make it fit within your decorating theme, and what specifically do you like or dislike about it? 

For those who don't currently have, but want to create a home office, what is standing in your way?  Is the only room that makes sense in an awkward space?  Do your furniture or supplies need a lift?  Do you prefer working from your kitchen table or couch instead?  Wherever you call your home office, I'd love to hear about your working/blogging environment.

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Becoming, Blogging and Balance

I have recently stumbled upon a great networking site that I thought was worth mentioning. It is called the Lady Blogger's Society, which is very new on the scene. As a Professional Organizer and contributing Author, this article of mine was the very first one posted. With only a handful of members at the time, it didn't get much exposure. So I decided this would be a good time to revisit;

Coming into the New Year with a new business in tow, my blogging skills had to be sharpened and I was in luck! I discovered a whole new world that I had no idea existed until a few weeks ago. After some research, I got lost in time – little did I know there was life out there in the blogosphere.

The blogging world has become a unique tapestry of women woven together of spectacular talent from across the globe. In the past few years, this little slice of the web has become a sisterhood of support as we learn and grow into the women we have always wanted to be.

For a moment, we can escape the mundane to show the world our creative sides. We dream, we laugh, we cry. We share pictures of our children, of our pets… we drink wine…

It is so important for us to carve our own niche, full of personality and experience so that we can become experts in our fields. As I discover my own path through this amazing crowd of wit and talent, I learn as I teach. In searching for one answer, I almost always gather up ten equally wonderful answers in the process. I am consumed.

I can’t tell you how many ladies I have stumbled upon who have blown me away in the diversity of their writing. Each one I see teaches me a little more about myself, and how I would like to express my own talents through what I share. And each friendship made throughout the process teaches me how important it is for us as women to work together. Someone once wrote, “Fragrance clings to the hand that gives the rose”, which is a reminder of just how sweet it is to share our ideas and knowledge with one another.

As I delve deeper into my weekly mission, it’s apparent that I need to structure my time. My blog is a labor of love, but I can clearly see that I am becoming like a kid obsessed with recess. Since I consult people on time management in my profession, it’s important for me not to get swallowed up by the very thing I counsel.

I soon devised a plan that helped me structure my days ahead. If you find your hours quickly escaping as it has me, my best advice to you is to construct a schedule for the time you are willing to spend, so that you don’t get lost in the details. I recommend picking two or three days out of the week to posting, responding and commenting. Setting a timer has helped me to have limits which apparently I needed more than I knew. Learn how to pre-schedule your posts, and write them two at a time so that it frees you up to do other things during the day, which proves there can be balance in life and blogging after all.

If you are a blogger, I encourage you to check out both of these networks to gain some wonderful knowledge and many new friends. If you are new to the Lady Blogger's Society, please let them know that I sent you! You will be amazed how much you will take away from being a part of these networks.

Happy Spring everyone! I am sure you join me in welcoming wild flowers and sunshine :)

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Blog Organization

I have a special treat for you today, as I have teamed up with a wonderful blogger, who writes for “The Work at Home Wife”. I have found her posts to be so helpful as I learn the ins and outs of blogging for you and working from my home.  If you are new to blogging, or just need some fresh ideas, you will love this article:

Managing a blog can be overwhelming at times. You need to come up with quality content. You need to make sure it gets posted. You need to have some type of organization method to keep the process as streamlined as possible. I would like to share a few of the tools I use to keep me on schedule and keep my blog organized.

I always have a notepad in front of me while I am working. I can jot down ideas as they come to mind until I have time to research and write my blog posts. If possible, add a few points you would like to make with each subject. This will save you time, as you have it down on paper what points you would like to get across in your blog entry.

Utilizing a blog calendar can be a big time-saver. A blog calendar will allow you to see what posts you have scheduled for when. This prevents me from possibly duplicating content or posting similar subjects too close together. BlogEnergizer.com has a great free blog calendar available. It also includes little known holidays that can be used as a talking point for days when you can’t think of anything to say.

If you monetize your blog in any way, it is a good idea to keep track of where the money is coming from. This will let you see what is working and what is not. TopMomBlogger.com has a free spreadsheet you can download to keep track of your earnings throughout the year. I also keep a separate spreadsheet with affiliate links I use on a frequent basis. This saves time as I no longer have to log in to the affiliate program and generate new links. They are ready to go when I need them.

Start a “daily theme” schedule. Having a theme in place for each day you blog will allow you to brainstorm ideas more quickly. For example on my blog, I try to stick with Making Money Monday, Tuesday Tools, Work at Home Wednesdays, Thirsty for Knowledge Thursdays and Feedback Fridays. Knowing what theme will be covered on any given day allows me to write and schedule posts in advance and fill in the blanks as I go.

These are the organization methods I currently use that have kept me on track for posting quality content on a consistent basis. Hopefully, you will find one or two you can incorporate into your blogging schedule.

Angie is a Virtual Assistant and owner of ASN Virtual Services. She shares her tips and tricks for working at home on The Work at Home Wife blog.

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Spring Has Sprung

Spring is coming - can you feel it?  We are having a windy week here in Southern California, but I am seeing little signs of Spring popping up all around me.  I was going to leave today's scheduled post out for those of you still catching up on last week's Workshop but I was greeted with great news this morning that I had won a beautiful necklace from a fellow blogger, Cindy of  I Got Wired.  Cindy is a native New Yorker who creates these gorgeous wire pendants.  These Tree of Life creations are in celebration of our long-awaited Spring and as you can see the beautiful crystal blossoms popping out to say hello.  If you need a finishing touch for that Easter basket, check her out - her prices are fantastic!

With the quickly approach of Spring, some fear that dreaded chore of Spring Cleaning.  I have a basic checklist to get the wheels turning - Enjoy!  :)  CLICK HERE to get it!

I would also like to mention a brand new network that I contribue articles to called the Lady Blogger's Society.  I joined this network because it has linked me up to wonderful women and amazing blogs like the one above.  If you are a blogger and would like fresh new ideas for your content, I encourage you to join.  It's free!  Be sure to mention my blog on your application.

So I am curious - what are you all doing for Spring?  Any special family plans or outings for Easter? 

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