Real Life Solutions

Like many people throughout the country, you may have a love-hate relationship with the holidays. You love being able to visit with friends and family but you may not enjoy having your home life in an upheaval. There are parties to attend, shopping to get done and a house to decorate. When are you going to find the time for everything? The following tips will help you learn how to stay organized and sane this holiday season. Let’s get started!

First and foremost, ensure you get enough rest throughout the holidays. If you’re not sleeping properly, you could become sleep deprived which will add to your stress level. Rather than staying late at holiday parties, it would be better to leave early so you can get your rest.

Make a master list of what you have to do for the holidays. Once you know everything that needs to be done in a given time you’ll be better prepared to accomplish them. Here are some things you may have on your list:

* Budget – Set a budget for the things you’ll spend over the holidays for gifts, postage, wrapping materials, food and beverages. Try to purchase things over the course of the months leading to the holidays rather than having to spend everything at once.

* Food – Are you having a gathering at your home? What will you serve? How many people will attend? What special foods will you prepare? What shopping will you need to do above your normal grocery shopping?

* Preparation – There are many foods which can be made ahead of time rather than spending an entire day or weekend cooking. Pies, cakes, cookies and casseroles are some items you can prepare days to weeks ahead and freeze. Take them out before you need them to give them time to defrost.

* Decorations – Purge your current decorations for worn out or broken items. List things which need to be replaced and plan when and where you will get them. Then make plans on when the decorations will actually be put up.

* Gifts – Decide who you will be giving gifts to and what you will give. If you make a list to refer to each year it won’t be like recreating the wheel over and over again. Once you know what gifts you need to purchase, you can plan to go shopping.

* Shopping – Go shopping when the stores aren’t as full. Most stores are busy after 5 p.m. or on the weekends. Try going during a weekday if possible. Or you could do all of your shopping online so you don’t have to deal with crowded stores at all.

* Cleaning – If you’re planning on having company over, you may want to enlist help to get your house cleaned up. Paying someone to do the job can be a viable option if you’re running short on time.

* Deadlines – Set some deadlines as to when you would like to have things done. Decide when you’ll have all gift buying done, when you’ll wrap things and when you’ll make goodies. The more you have planned out, the more likely you are to actually meet those deadlines and keep your sanity.

No matter how many holiday parties you have to attend and no matter how many gifts you have to buy, you can learn how to stay organized and sane this holiday season. There’s no sense in working yourself to a frenzy or feeling like you have to do everything by yourself. Get help if you need it so you can enjoy your friends, family and festivities as well.

Get Organized Now is an amazing collection of 2,175 ideas, tips and techniques for organizing your home, your clutter, your time, your schedule, your money, your paper, your family and much more!

Whether it is the mail being delivered to your door, paperwork brought home from school and work, medical forms, magazines, receipts and more, paper piles continue to grow on a daily basis. Here are a few ideas to lessen that pileup of paper and keep it manageable before it gets the better of you.

1. Include it in your schedule and set aside a certain amount of time each day to process paperwork. Open and sort mail on a daily basis. Immediately recycle anything you do not need. Keep and handle all important documents in one designated area. Divide the papers into main categories of action whether it is to Read, Pay, File or simply Do.

2. Make decisions when it comes to your paperwork. Do not put papers into a big pile and say you will deal with it later. Decide to do something with it now and take action, whether it is to read it, pay it, file it, do it or toss it.

3. Computers have not lessened the amount of paper clutter. In fact, in many cases, they have increased it. People are printing out a lot of things that do not have to be printed. If it is not critical, do not print it out. That information will more than likely still be online to reference again.

4. Use a binder system, such as the Get Organized Now! Easy Organizer. This organizer holds all the important information you need to keep on hand in one handy location. Binders are a great way to organize many types of paperwork that you regularly need to reference. Tabs and sheet protectors are just two of the items used in conjunction with binders that help to organize all your information making it easy to locate.

5. Create a message taking system. Instead of having scraps of paper and Post-it notes all over the place, use a spiral notebook for posting messages. Even if you do scribble a note or number somewhere else, you can transfer it directly to the notebook.

6. Check with the IRS, as well as your accountant and attorney, to find out how long to keep certain documents. Before you put the documents into storage, mark them with an expiration date, if they have one. There are some documents you do need to keep permanently, like deeds for one. When you go through your files in the future to purge documents, you can then toss the documents that have expired.

7. Evaluate your current magazine and newspaper subscriptions. Consider keeping only the subscriptions that you read on a regular basis. Donate old magazines to senior centers, shelters or doctors offices after you have read them. Keep in mind that more and more magazines these days carry many of their articles, if not the whole issue, online.

Get organized once and for all! You can be Finally Organized, Finally Free. Get 2,175 organizing tips, ideas and techniques to help you organize your home, your time and your life! Visit: http://www.reallifesolutions.net/getorganized.HTML

When the cooler weather hits and the days get shorter, many of us instinctually head indoors to hibernate for the winter months. Trained from years of “spring cleaning”–this is the time of year when we may actually let the house fill up with clutter and dust. Before settling in for a long winter’s nap (or movie fest, book-reading, etc.) consider giving the house a dose of fall organizing. Clear clutter with the winter months (and holidays) in mind and you just may find you enjoy the indoor season even more!

It is possible to organize the house with the Winter months in mind–keeping things like weather, holidays, entertaining, and winter activities in mind can help you to set the house up in such a way to facilitate these realities and keep necessary items on hand (while tucking away those things you will not really need until the Spring and/or Summer comes around again.)

Pack away summer shoes, toys, and gear to clear space for winter ones. Keep in mind that muddy boots and wet coats will need to be dealt with during the winter months so as you clear away the summer clutter and get rid of unnecessary items by the front and/or back doors, set up efficient stations for dealing with cold weather outerwear. A place for boots and shoes to drain without tracking dirt and mud into the house is a good idea, as are plenty of hooks or hangers for coats, hats and scarves. Providing space will keep things from collecting all over the house. Additionally, this will keep items handy for household members to grab right before walking out the door and save time wasted hunting for the appropriate winter outerwear.

In addition to coats, boots and scarves, colder temperatures can mean the need for blankets, throws and warmer items indoors. Provide a basket, chest or other designated area for their storage in order to prevent the clutter of blankets and throws draped all over the living or family rooms. Washing all the blankets, throws and pillows can also ensure that you are starting out the cozy season with clean snuggly items. It is also a good idea to wash these items periodically to ensure their freshness and to prevent passing illnesses and germs by jointly shared family items.

In preparation for the holiday season, consider putting away summer-inspired art, dishes, etc. Many of us find that when we pull out the Holiday decorations, we are just putting them over the top of our existing decor and this can make things feel cramped and cluttered. Instead, create some blank walls and spaces that can be decorated with Autumn and Winter themes. Your home will look much more cohesive and put together, and there will be less mess and clutter to contend with. As the holiday ends or passes, clean, pack and store things away to keep from contributing to even more clutter.

Winter entertaining generally means indoor entertaining. This is not the season for picnics and barbeques. Arrange furniture in conversation groupings or to facilitate movie nights, Superbowl parties or other forms of Winter entertaining that you are likely to do. Arranging the house with entertaining in mind early in the Fall can set the stage for some worry-free and spontaneous cold weather gatherings.

Get Organized Now – An amazing collection of 2,175 ideas, tips and techniques for organizing your home, getting rid of clutter, organizing your time, your schedule, your money, your paper, your family and much more!

Kori Rodley Irons – Kori is a freelance writer, public relations and nonprofit management specialist living in the Pacific Northwest.

(ARA) – Halloween is the second most decorated holiday, so it won’t be long until ghouls and goblins, witches and vampires, pumpkins and candy corn adornments begin appearing in advance of trick-or-treating and haunting celebrations.

This year, instead of buying your decorations, why not brew a little imagination? Just stir in a few items you already have around the house and a couple of cans of spray paint to create bewitching, inexpensive pieces for your home and yard.

Here are three project ideas to inspire and help you easily put some extra spookiness in your Halloween trick-or-treating.

Ghoulish gravestones
Turn a couple of old boxes into a chilling graveyard to keep the goblins and vampires at bay.

What you’ll need: Black granite textured “stone” spray paint, such as Krylon’s Make It Stone; spray adhesive; glow-in-the-dark paint; boxes (note: old shipping boxes work well); foam or wood letters; various Halloween decorations; hot or super glue; packing tape; newspaper; large nails or ground stakes; and scissors.

How to do it: Set up a spray paint area in a well-ventilated area by covering a table with newspaper. Assemble a box and tape over folded seams leaving one end open, as that will serve as the bottom of your gravestone. Cut a name plaque to fit the box from the cardboard of another and affix with spray adhesive. Glue letters onto the plaque.

Embellish the top of your gravestone with glued-on Halloween decorations, like a bat or skull. Paint the entire gravestone with two to three coats of “stone” spray paint, letting it dry between coats. Once it’s dry, highlight areas with glow-in-the-dark paint. Place a stake in the ground, prop up your box and enjoy scaring the neighbors with your ghoulishly gorgeous graveyard.

Ghostly globes
Add a spooky twist to your outside walkway on All Hallow’s Eve – without having to carve several messy pumpkins – by creating glowing ghostly globes.

What you’ll need: Round glass votives; newspaper; one can each of white frosted glass, white and glow-in-the-dark spray paint, such as Krylon Glowz; and a black craft pen.

How to do it: Cover your workspace with newspaper. Spray several light coats of white frosted glass paint on the lip of each votive and let dry. Next, add several light coats of white paint to the outside bottom of votives, blending the white seamlessly with the frosted glass. Let dry completely.

Spray the entire exterior with glow-in-the dark paint, which will allow your votives to shine even when not lit. Finally, draw facial features with a black paint pen.

Spooky party servers
Embellish your Halloween party buffet by transforming ordinary terra cotta pots into spooky party servers.

What you’ll need: White primer; pumpkin orange, gloss white and gold glitter spray paint; black webbing spray from Krylon; brush-on black paint; repositionable adhesive; assorted terra cotta pots and saucers; metal or enamel bowl; glue; paper; pencil; scissors; and a small paint brush.

How to do it: Wash the pots and saucers. Allow to dry. Spray all the terra cotta with white primer. Let dry and spray with gloss white. Once dry, turn pots upside down and glue the bottom of a saucer to the bottom of each pot. Draw ghosts, tombstones and other scary characters on paper. Cut the shapes out and spray one side with repositionable adhesive.

Position the paper shapes randomly on the pots. Spray the outside of the bowl and terra cotta pieces with pumpkin orange paint. Once dry, spray all the pieces with black webbing spray, then lightly with gold glitter spray. When all the paint is dry, remove paper templates and add details, such as features on the ghosts and words on the tombstones, with black paint. Be sure to not to place unwrapped food on any painted surface.

For more Halloween decorating inspiration, there are a plethora of arts and crafts websites, such as yourholidaystyle.com, offering tips, tricks and inspiration to help you spook your family, guests and trick-or-treaters.

This year Halloween falls on Sunday, let’s celebrate all weekend long! Find an ample selection of fun costumes and accessories.. Spooky decorations and props, fun tableware to serve your ghoulish appetizers and witches’ brew. Candy, music, favors and much more.. Here –> Low Cost Halloween Supplies.

simple tips to make a big difference at your local school

(ARA) – While the back-to-school advertisements and school supply donation drives have faded from the airwaves, the need to do more as a nation to support our schools, our teachers and our students has not. The problem is, many of us want to help out, but we’re just not sure where to start.

We’re not only unsure of where to start, but how much we can contribute financially. The economy has not only taken a toll on funding for public schools but on our wallets too, leaving some of us unsure how to pitch in without stretching our budgets too far.

Well, you don’t have to sit on the sidelines anymore or let the economy get in your way of making a difference. Whether you can donate $5 or $50, or one to five hours, every little bit counts. Here are a few ways to contribute to your local school that will leave you thinking “Why didn’t I get involved sooner?”

1. Go online to get involved: From forums to local initiatives to national campaigns, the campaign to help public schools is going online. Bing’s Our School Needs campaign, at www.bing.com/education is a competition open to U.S. public schools, grades K-12, where students, teachers and parents can submit essays and videos explaining why their school needs funding. Visit www.bing.com/education to check out the videos and vote Oct. 27 for your favorite entry in three categories: elementary, middle and high school. Once you vote, you’ll receive a donation code for DonorsChoose.org to help fund a classroom project of your choice. On Nov. 9, visit www.bing.com/education to see which school won the grand prize.

2. Give what you can: You don’t have to donate a lot money or time to make a big difference. Many classrooms are in need of the basics, from supplies to a helping hand. If you want to donate, schools need supplies such as: disinfectant wipes, paper towels, pens, liquid soap, garbage bags, pens and glue sticks. If you want to volunteer your time rather than donate, many teachers are in need of a helping hand due to overcrowded classrooms making it hard for teachers to give students undivided attention. You can pitch in by reading to a class, helping out with an art project, organizing a book fair or even hosting a show-and-tell about your career.

To make volunteering and donating even easier, check out the Bing Education map application from Bing Maps, at www.bing.com/education which helps you locate schools that need funding, local and national volunteer opportunities as well as view the video submissions from the competition.

3. Join the PTA: PTAs can sometimes come across as a special club for select parents, causing you to shy away from getting involved. But, the PTA isn’t a special club. Rather, it’s a group of parents with the goal of supporting their school, fighting for funding, supporting teachers and organizing family events and fundraisers.

If you’re looking to get more involved in your child’s school and make a difference too, the PTA may be right up your alley. How do you get involved? Just call your child’s school or visit the National PTA website at www.pta.org to find out how to sign up.

Now, you don’t have to sit on the sidelines anymore. Here’s to making a difference in your community.

You have worked all spring and summer long to grow your garden with great success. You discover that you cannot possibly use all of the fruits that have sprung up in your garden. No problem – just star preserving fruit so that you can enjoy them after the summer passes. You can use different methods to when preserving fruits such as canning, freezing and drying. You can even use a simple recipe and create your own jams, preserves or butters to further indulge in. Best of all, by preserving your fruit you are ensuring that you are not letting all of the labor you put into your garden go to waste.

Freezing

The easiest way to go about preserving fruit is to freeze it and store it for later use. How to freeze your fruit depends on the type of fruit. For berries, drain the berries in a colander for about 30 minutes then lie them on a cookie sheet and stick in the freezer overnight. You can take the berries out the next day and bag them when they are completely frozen.

Melons should be cut out of the rinds and sprinkled with sugar before freezing. The sugar helps to preserve the flavor of the melons. All fruit needs to be placed in a freezer bag or freezer safe container and marked with the date of freeze. Frozen fruit can be kept in the freezer for up to one year.

Canning

Canning is another great way to preserve your fruit. Pick the fruit when it is at its ripest for canning methods. Cut the fruit up and place into canning jars. You do not have to use sugar to sweeten the fruit, but like when freezing melons, using a simple syrup will help keep your canned fruit’s flavor and color.

To make a simple syrup, all you have to do is melt some sugar in water and pour over the fruit in the jar. You then need to give your canned fruit a hot water bath in order to seal the jars.

To give a hot water bath, place your jars in a pan filled halfway with hot water. Once the jars are in place, pour more boiling water over the tops of the jars (with lids on) until they are submerged. Turn on the burner and boil the jars for about 10 minutes or so. Remove the jars and place them on a cooling rack or on a towel on the counter. As the jars cool you will hear a popping sound. This will be the jars sealing. It will take approximately 12 – 24 hours for the jars to complete the sealing process.

Drying

Drying your fruit is another way to preserve it for the winter months. Drying your fruit is a bit more involved than freezing or canning. To dry your fruit, pick ripe fruit as immature fruit will not have any flavor and overripe fruit will dry in a mushy state.

Once you have picked your fruit, cut it into strips to prepare for the drying process. In order to dry fruit, you first need to pre-treat the slices. You can do this by dipping in ascorbic acid (vitamin C), citric acid or lemon juice. Once the slices have been pre-treated, you can use your oven to dry the fruit. This will take between 3 – 36 hours depending upon the size of the slices. Dried fruit should be leathery and pliable to be considered done and a deterrent to microbial growth.

Preserving  fruit is a great way to prevent spoilage and waste from your labors in the garden. Pick fruit when they are ripe and depending upon your tastes and effort you can preserve your fruit in different ways. Freezing, canning and drying are all great ways to keep your fruit preserved until you are ready to enjoy them.

A Stress Free Morning Routine for Back to School
August 27, 2008 By: Real Life Solutions Category: About the Family, Organization Edit 2 Comments ?

School bells are ringing and Moms are receiting lines similar to this all over the world — “Let’s go! Let’s go! Come on … you’re going to miss the bus! I don’t know where your favorite jeans are; it’s not my responsibility. What do you mean you still have homework? Did you brush your teeth yet? Let’s go! I’m leaving… NOW!”

Oh I hope your mornings don’t sound like that above. If you recall saying words like this last year then allow me to help you to turn that ship around. The key to having a stress free morning routine is to have a smooth bedtime routine. Remember, a routine is something that is followed regularly, standard procedures. Without the consistency you will have an uphill battle.

Here are some tips to a stress free morning routine:

• No yelling. Raising your voice, albeit frustrated, is only going to escalate matters.

• Early to bed, early to rise. That one is simple.

• Showers and baths should be taken at night. You think you’ll have time in the morning, but you rarely do.

• Look over all homework for completeness before bed; don’t assume it’s finished.

• Before bed ensure lunches are made, backpack is packed and there are no surprise “Oh I need xxx today!”

• Give singular instructions. Don’t say, “I want you to finish your homework, eat breakfast, get dressed, comb your hair, brush your teeth and be in the car by 8:15.” To a child, that sounds like ” I want you to blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.” One instruction at a time works wonders.

• Set consequences and stick to your guns. If you tell your child the car is leaving at 8:15 sharp, make it happen. Clearly you can’t leave your child behind, so leaving without her isn’t an option. Tell her you will be leaving whether she is ready or not. Sending a 10 year old to school with uncombed hair, pajamas and an empty belly might be just the catalyst for change.

You are the parent; you set the tone for the morning routine. You need to be actively involved in the morning routine. Follow the steps above and I guarantee ‘joy will come in the morning!’

Visit Real Life Guidance to be armed with easy-to-follow advice at your fingertips. All of our guides are available for instant download, which means you can get the help you need any day of the week, even if it’s the middle of the night. –> www.RealLifeGuidance.com

Whether you suffer from chronic stress and anxiety or you experience it only occasionally, you’ve probably already used herbs for anxiety without even realizing it. Chamomile tea for example, is an herb that creates a calming effect. Peppermint soothes an upset stomach, however, it’s also often used to ease tension.

Let’s take a look at some other herbs for anxiety that are commonly used:

Ginseng. Ginseng is often added to energy beverages and is thought to enhance a person’s overall health. However, it is most notably used to reduce stress, maintain emotional balance and help induce a state of relaxation. Ginseng can be taken in capsule form or as a tea.

Valerian. Valerian is often used as a natural sleep aid. It is now often used as an anti-anxiety medication. It can also be used as a sedative or tranquilizer. It’s most often consumed in capsule form.

Passionflower. According to several studies passionflower was as effective as some of the benzodiazepines in relieving anxiety. Benzodiazepines are commonly prescribed to patients suffering from an anxiety disorder.

Kava Kava. Kava Kava can be used to treat mild-to-moderate anxiety. However, Kava Kava can have some serious side effects. Most notably, it can cause severe liver damage.

St John’s Wort. St. John’s Wort is often used to treat depression and mild anxiety. Studies have shown it to be effective for mild cases. If someone is severely depressed or suffering an anxiety disorder, St John’s Wort has not shown to be of any help. It can be taken as a capsule or in tea form.

It should be noted with all of the herbs discussed thus far, they can have interactions with other medications. It is extremely important to check with your physician before taking any herb for anxiety to ensure that is is safe to use with other medication.

In addition to the herbs for anxiety that we discussed above, lavender is commonly used as an essential oil aromatherapy to soothe weary nerves and create a state of calm. It can be inhaled, placed on pressure points on your body – like the inside of your wrists. Lavender can also be added to a bath.

Chamomile tea has been shown to induce a state of relaxation as does peppermint tea or peppermint essential oil. Ylang Ylang, Bergamot, Sandalwood and Cedarwood are also great essential oils for relaxation aromatherapy.

If you suffer from mild anxiety or stress, consider talking to your doctor about herbal treatments. They’re generally much safer than prescription medications which can have health side effects and be addictive. Herbal remedies offer significantly fewer side effects. However, it’s still important to be safe.

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(NEW YORK) August 10, 2010 – You help your child stay physically active. You set a good example by serving and eating nutritious foods. And you make sure there are healthy lifestyle choices at home and at school. But even as the quarterback for your child’s health, you still need some coaching. By talking with your child’s doctor, you can make an age-appropriate plan that’s a perfect fit for your child.

As the school year begins and you make the annual visit to the pediatrician, here are three simple questions to ask from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. Founded by the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation, the Alliance for a Healthier Generation is focused on reducing the prevalence of childhood obesity by 2015.

How is My Child’s Weight? Does your child need to lose weight, gain weight or maintain his or her current weight? Some kids will grow into their weight, and others may need to shed a few pounds.

What is My Child’s BMI? Body Mass Index is a number that predicts risk of disease by comparing a child’s weight to his or her height. Ask your child’s healthcare provider to measure BMI and educate
yourself on what the number means.

How Often Should We Visit? Ask about follow-up appointments and more tests, as necessary. And find out how often your healthcare provider wants to measure your child’s BMI.

By asking these three questions, you can be sure to keep them on a consistent path to a healthy lifestyle. A doctor knows how to measure your child’s total health—and can evaluate your child compared to other kids in his or her age group.

Interested in learning more tips for working with your child’s doctor? Visit www.HealthierGeneration.org and find out how the Alliance for a Healthier Generation is teaming with national medical associations, leading insurers and employers to offer comprehensive health benefits to children and families for the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity.

About the Alliance for a Healthier Generation
The Alliance for a Healthier Generation works to address one of the nation’s leading public health threats – childhood obesity. The goal of the Alliance is to reduce the prevalence of childhood obesity by 2015, and to empower kids nationwide to make healthy lifestyle choices. Founded in 2005 by the American Heart Association and William J. Clinton Foundation, the Alliance works to positively affect the places that can make a difference to a child’s health: homes, schools, doctor’s offices and communities.

Children are the future. You want the best for them. Family meals are instrumental in spending quality time with your children and helping them avoid some of the dangers that come with growing up.

Parents and kids have created shortcuts that pass for quality time. Most of us don’t even know that that’s what we are doing. Sitting in the same room watching a movie or saying ‘hello’ and ‘good night’ is not the same as holding a meaningful conversation.

Here are a few statistics that might shock you to learn. According to A.C. Nielsen, parents and children spend an average of 38 minutes per week talking to each other. That is less than six minutes each day finding out what is going on in their lives. They spend more time than that with their friends.

Kids who spend meal time sitting down with their families have a lower risk of starting such behaviors as smoking, drinking and drugs according to the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine (2004). These are three of the major concerns that parents have with their kids. The teen years are a time when depression is common as kids seek to “find” themselves. Those depressive episodes are less likely to occur in children who have meals with their family.

Also, kids (and parents) eat slower when they have meals with their families. This cuts down on overeating which is what we do when we are eating in a hurry between activities. Overeating is contributing to a greater incidence of childhood obesity.

Between school and work, very few families take the time to relax. Less often than that, they take the time to relax together. Home is a sanctuary and a place of safety. At the dinner table, you and your kids can let your guard down and listen uninterrupted to each other. For younger children, listening to conversations at the dinner table helps them to learn language and communication skills (Harvard Research, 1996).

Most of the happier moments in our lives center on food and family. That can still be true when you make time for meals. There are no set times for dinner. If your family can only get together at seven o’clock, have dinner then.

Just like working and school are priorities in your life, consider treating meal time the same way. Use that opportunity to discuss what happened during the day and also to give advice to your children concerning tough situations they are facing. In such a calm setting, they are more likely to open up and hear what you have to say.

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