Coolest Tees Designed by a 918mom!!!

Have I been living under a rock? I had no idea that the latest must-have item of the moment in Tulsa can’t be found at Saks or Miss Jackson’s. I just discovered Debbie Vinyard with Happy First right here in Tulsa! Debbie called me last week to assist her with inventory, who better to call then an organizer…who worked in retail?!?
Debbie is a 918mom who designs and sells the super cutest and works of art tees that are flying off the shelf as I write this blog. Now you have more reason than ever to add to you ever-expanding collection of cute tees.
On top of that she offers yoga wear as well. Happy First yoga wear with a stylish twist. First of all, there's the Dream Pant Fitness pants that are long enough! These pants are super comfortable to work out in or just run around in. Very flattering at the waist and hips. Then there are the tops, these tanks are the best and it's long enough to stay in place. But, if that's not your style, there are tons of cute tanks and hoodies to complete a really put-together, layered look. All I have to say is thank goodness my boys are seven and nine or I would have ended up buying most darling baby and toddler clothes!How did Happy First come about? In her own words “Thus, Happy First was created to ask the question, “What is happiness to you?” – and to help you discover the answer. Whether that means taking new action, adjusting an outlook, or simply finding a way to wear happiness on your sleeve, Happy First is your catalyst for identifying that first step. Because the best thing you can do for yourself is to become happy above all things. Happy with your circumstances. Happy with your talents. Happy with the life you lead. So rise up. Take control. Find something to celebrate. Be Happy First. Then make it last.”
Since dressing up your cool tees has already emerged as a prominent spring trend, those looking to layer with some individuality should make Happy First your first stop for spring/summer shopping, trust me, you will love her clothes and what better then to help a fellow 918mom? I know you're going to love Happy First just as much I do!

The Family Binder

A family binder will save time, cuts stress, and enhances communication in any-sized family or household. It is basically a reference book for busy families. The binder holds a lot of different information your family needs on a regular basis that often ends up being scattered around the house. The Family Binder makes it easy to keep everything together, in one reference book.

Putting one together is easy: Just get any kind of three-ring binder, and a bunch of plastic sheet protectors or I use index dividers with two-sided pockets. Then just print out forms you need, put calendars from school or summer camp and continue to fill in as you it fits your family.

Here are some ideas (including some that I use) but customize it to fit your family.
The BOLD words are the labels for the tabs.

Mom
· Family Calendar: Birthday invitations, upcoming events, family vacations.
· Activities: Anything outside of the home, tennis, luncheons, scheduled coffee with friends.

Dad
· Work Related Information: meetings outside of work, upcoming work related trips.
· Activities: golf schedule, tennis, fishing trip, anything outside of work.

Extra
· Your Choice: information of everyone, birthday and anniversary list, children’s chore list, car maintenance schedule, cleaning schedule…

Child One
· School Stuff: School Calendars, newsletters, any other papers that come in.
· Activities: Sports calendar, Sunday school calendar, music lessons. Any extracurricular activity.

Child Two
· School Stuff: School Calendars, newsletters, any other papers that come in.
· Activities: Sports calendar, Sunday school calendar, music lessons. Any extracurricular activity.

Documents
· Documents: Grocery List www.grocerylists.org
· Documents: Medical records (copies of shots records) and Babysitter information’s sheets. (www.theparentsite.com/parenting/babysitter.asp)

Food
· Take Out Menus: When you don’t have time for your weekly dinners! Place an envelope in here with coupons of your favorite restaurants to help save you money.
· Weekly Menu: Plan out your weekly dinners.

Finances
· Finances: Receipts that you need to keep. Jeans you are not sure about, shoes you may not keep after all or any product you are not sure it is going to work out.
· Finances: Your budget, bills to pay, etc.

Place in the sleeve of the back of the binder so you can access it quickly!
· Emergency info & Important Phone Numbers: Phone numbers for your doctor and pediatrician, emergency numbers for fire and police and hospital and poison control, other important numbers. Mom’s cell phone & work number, Dad’s cell phone & work number, grandparents, everyone’s best friend, vet number and any number that you call frequently.

When Does Make-Up Get Bad?


Okay…since we exposed ourselves about styling products now would be a perfect time to go over our make-up. We all have a pile of makeup in our drawer that we 'sometimes' use, just like the styling products!
Cosmetics do have a shelf life, however, and chances are that blue eye shadow you bought in the 80’s has long expired. Here is a quick guide on the shelf lives of typical beauty products. Keep in mind if you bought any cosmetics with an SPF in them please read the expiration date on the bottom of the bottle.
· Cream & gel cleansers 1 year.
· Foundation Check the ingredients: A water-based foundation will last up to 12 months, oil-based will last up to 18 months.
· Concealer Up to 12 months.
· Powder 2 years.
· Pencil eye liner Should be sharpened regularly. Will last up to 3 years.
· Eye shadow Will also last up to 3 years.
· Mascara This product expires the fastest: Throw out after 4 months.
· Brushes Wash every 2-3 months in a mild detergent
· Lipstick Some experts say 1-2 years. Others say up to 4 years.
· Lip liner Up to 3 years.
· Nail Polish Up to 12 months

Remember, if you didn’t like the color when you bought it, you are not going to like it later. Sephora, Ulta and Target will refund your money, with a receipt, if you don’t like the color on you after you have worn it for a few days. Please don’t keep anything that you don’t like it will just clutter up your bathroom!

Organizing Your Jewelry

How many times do your sort through your jewelry box hoping to find your black drop earrings that go perfect with your blouse but can only find one? You don’t even try to wear the matching necklace because you already know it is in a knot waiting to be fixed when you have a spare moment. Here are some great and easy tips for the organizing your jewelry.
First let’s go through all of your jewelry and categorize by type or style such silver, gold, beaded and pearls. Take a moment and make sure that everything in front of you is what you love and if something is broke or needs to be cleaned place in Ziploc baggie to be fixed the next time you are out and about running errands.
If you have an empty drawer, I have found that tackle boxes are very good for storing and organizing your jewelry. They normally have ample room in their many little compartments for storing anything from rings to watches. They come with dividers that can easily be arranged to the size you need on top of that they are inexpensive. I bet if you look in the garage there may even be a couple that no one is using!

Necklaces should be hung if it is at all possible, so they do not turn up in a knotted mess. If hanging them is not an option, use Ziploc snack bags to separate and keep them from getting tangled up with other necklaces. Another idea for bracelets or necklaces is a tie rack from your husband’s side of the closet that he is not currently using.

Rings can be organized and stored on ring trees or I have used ice cub trays depending on how many rings someone may have. Watches also work well in ice cube trays for easy storing. Ice cube trays are stackable and fit into most drawers.

Another idea for organizing jewelry is to use the roll up type of make up bag; they usually have several different pockets, some with a zipper closure as well as some with velcro closures. These come in handy when you travel with your jewelry.

I like to keep a tea cup of my “daily jewelry” in my bathroom drawer. These are the four to five pairs of earrings I wear often, my watch and my wedding ring. I keep my other jewelry stored in my closet. These are all just ideas and if you have questions please feel free to email me at cleartheclutter@cox.net

Any Change Is Good Change

I know all of you have change laying around the house. If you look in your closet, ash tray of your cars, the bottom of your purses and of course the top of your husband’s dresser you will find pennies, dimes, nickels and quarters. It's amazing how much change you can accumulate in a single day.

Try this tip for keeping your change in one place. Find a container, jar or even a piggy bank to hold all of your change. We use an old popcorn can from when the Boy Scouts sold their chocolate caramel covered popcorn. Oh so yummy but that is for a different blog! We keep ours in the master bedroom closet. Two reasons; my husband dumps out his change from his pocket everyday and our youngest son loves to play banker and deposit money from my billfold into the can.

Periodically go around the house and gather up all the change and drop into the container. When it is full take the container to the bank or Coinstar and cash it in! I like to cash in every year in the month of May to have fun money to use through out the summer for treats, bowling or just a rainy day fund. We usually cash in around $250 a year. May is right around the corner, can you hear the ice cream truck coming? Change is good!

Organizing Your Medicine Cabinet

Spring is in the air along with allergens, sun burns, insect bites and scraped up knees! Now is a great time to for you add a few necessary supplies to your medicine cabinet for spring’s medical needs. “Clearing the Clutter” in this one aspect of you of your home will get rid of outdated medicines so you are prepared for what ever comes your way this spring.

Let’s start by gathering all the medicine in your house to one location so that you can go through all of it together. As you are checking expiration dates on the bottles or boxes start categorizing your medicine. Example: Children’s medicine and adult medicine, from there make sub-categories; allergies, cold, flu, upset stomach, antibacterial ointment and so on. Keep in mind that expired medicines lose their effectiveness and nearly empty bottles create clutter and may not even have enough medicine left for a full dose.

As for the disposal of your medicine, some people like to throw it into the trash others prefer to flush it down the toilet. We now know that medicine can actually get into our soil, creating an environmental hazard. Another option is to contact your local pharmacy. Many pharmacies now have drug recycling programs in place. Some take it back at any time, others hold periodic drives to collect expired medicine.

Now that all of your medicine is thoroughly checked and categorized look to see what duplicates of items you may have that you can store in two places. I would suggest keeping adult medicine in your master bathroom, including any prescriptions that you have currently. In your kitchen you might want to keep vitamins, children’s Motrin or Tylenol, or any medicine that you need to administer daily/frequently (allergy medicine, current antibiotic or cold medicine). You may want to consider having some medicine in your upstairs bathroom. If your child wakes up in the middle of the night coughing or crying from an ear infection, it is nice to have their medicine handy rather then running back downstairs to get the medicine. I also like to keep a Ziploc bag of Neosporin, antiseptic foam wash, band-aids, sunscreen and children’s chewable Motrin tablets in the glove box of my car for any collusions the boys may have while playing at the park.
Some things you may want to make sure to add to your medicine cabinet this spring are sunscreen with the right amount of SPF protection, Aloe Vera to threat burns, insect repellant, insect bite relief and make sure you have a heating or cooling pack for sprains.

If storage is an issue in your bathroom, these little three-drawer units are great for organizing your medicine. Again you can categorize each drawer. One for pain reliever, cough and cold, and bandage drawer. They are around $20 at Target or Wal-Mart and are deep enough to hold a full-size bottle of pain reliever, cough syrup, or an bandage box. Each drawer can be fully removed so you can take the entire "cold" drawer to your child’s bed to take their temperature and administer medicine or take the "bandage" drawer to the child with the scraped up knee.

Once you have organized your medicine cabinet you will be surprised how much faster you can find what you are looking and not have to worry weather it is still “good” to use.

Do You Do Your Best Thinking in the Shower?

I know when I am just standing there relaxing and going over my day in my head I remember all the things I am suppose to do but as soon as I step out and blow dry my hair, I have forgot half of them. I was reading one of my colleague’s blog (Tanna Clark, Complete Organizing Solutions) when I saw this picture. Obviously from the picture I had to read all about it! Waterproof notepads, oh my, has the world gone crazy or is this about the coolest thing invented?!?!?

My Aqua Notes came up with this waterproof notepad and can be ordered online http://www.myaquanotes.com/ for $8.99. The only down side I can see is if I were to put it in the boys shower my youngest son would not come out of the shower because he would be doing artwork in the shower. He just passed by me as I was doing this blog and said “Wow that is so cool!” See what I mean?!?! He would never get out of the shower!

Where was this when my boys were young? I can not begin to tell you how many times I would stuff my pockets with keys, cell phone, fruit snacks and a passy hoping none of it would fall out when I chased the boys around the park or when I sat down to rest! Now Stacks and Stacks came out with this great new product to hold everything including your coffee and juice boxes! They come in two colors; black or red for $29.99. Happy strolling—-Michelle

Welcome!

Hi Everyone! My name is Michelle Lehman and my business is Organizing Solutions "Clear the Clutter".

I teaches others how to identify priorities and create a significant change in personal organizational habits. Instead of simply showing clients how to organize their spaces, I work with clients to help identify behavior patterns that create inefficiency and clutter. I help establish new habits that work for my clients – and get them organized in style, while making the organizing process fun.

I have been quoted and featured in many publications including Online-Organizing, Tulsa World, The Oklahoman and appears on FOX23 News This Morning. I am also a frequent blogger for 918Moms.com.