Archive for the Blog Category

I hope everyone enjoyed being Irish for just a day! You don’t have to be Irish to appreciate blessings, good wishes and  pride in your heritage. My celebration, this year, was less about drinking green beer and more about reflecting on the blessings I received as the result of a very brave young couple making a hard voyage to start a new life. My grandparents, George and Nora Lemon came to America from Ireland in the 1920’s after my grandfather fought in the Irish regiment in Africa during WWI. They came to Baltimore seeking a better life. George worked as a landscaper and Nora sewed

An Empty Nester Organizes The summer of three kids at home has ended with the special significance of the twenty two year old moving to Baltimore, the twenty year old going back to college and then studying abroad in the spring, and the youngest going to college for the first time. This is all happening the same month the announcement of the first grandchild is made. By my calculations that leaves me and my beloved, empty nesters, expecting. So what does a mother-of six, artist and professional organizer do to adapt to these changing circumstances? Organize, of course! Its’ time

Did you resolve to get healthier this year? Make it easier by getting organized first. To have a healthy body* you need to eat healthy, nutritious meals. To avoid picking up dinner at MacDonald’s or buying packaged dinners, you need a simple meal plan, time to prepare, and an efficient kitchen. It’s easier to chop vegetables when the counter is clear of mail and school papers. Eating healthy meals can help you achieve weight loss too. Other ways to trim down are to burn calories with a regular cleaning and home maintenance routine. Simplifying systems can help minimize calorie intake from stress

Simple vacations are my favorite. I like them easy to get to, affordable, and not so much work while I’m away, please. So, a drive to the beach and a weekly rental can really satisfy. I’m happy to cook simple meals in order to keep costs down. When the kids were young, eating in was often easier  than dining out. One summer, while spending a week in a brand new condo in Bethany, I took notice of how much simpler it was to fix dinner when the only supplies in the kitchen were just exactly what was needed to prepare

    Green is the new annoying…. I just got recycling down! Not only are we expected to care for our families, be loving spouses, work or volunteer, eat healthfully, exercise regularly, discover our spiritual path, attend girls night out and be knowledgeable in wine and food parings, we are to do all this while saving the planet. Something’s gotta give…we’re not superheroes. As an organizer, I’ve witnessed the negative effects of we-expect- too- much- of -ourselves syndrome. Being unrealistic about what we can accomplish can leave us in a state of inertia where very little gets done or anything

So what does a groundhog know? What a great character… a ground hog that predicts our wintry fate. No matter how slightly, we all love to believe in the possibility of a few less weeks of cold weather. We’re not gullible…but gee it’s fun to fantasize! (Punxsutawney Phil was off big time this year.) Fantasizing can take us to some great places, but left unchecked our creative minds can lead us down the wrong path, as well. For instance, how are those New Years resolutions going? Were you just a little unrealistic about what you hoped to achieve?After spending some time consulting with

At my mentoring group this morning, Bonnie reminded us that the successful business person should think: God, Family, Networking. I’d like to squeeze a few more words between family and networking, so I look for alternative ways to drive business to me. This new website is a great asset…thank Chelsea…and now I’ve found a way to get my website found! I’m so happy I’ve found Thumbtack.com <a href=”http://www.thumbtack.com/md/arnold/personal-organizers/professional-organizer”>personal organizer</a>. It’s a great way to communicate my message out there and help connect me to my favorite types of clients.

There were certain aspects of marketing I had been avoiding… namely the learning about it and doing it parts.  I love organizing and helping others, I approach running TLC Home like I ran a large household, but getting the business has been, well… an annoyance. There is not one marketing task natural to my skill sets.  With no prior training or natural talent, I have been slogging through this essential part of business building from the beginning. This September and October were designated a marketing season for my business. I’ve gotten assistance, a mentor, and taken classes. I’ve begun writing,

I don’t believe in multi- tasking, but multi-purposing…now there’s a time saver. I am preparing for a trade show this week-end and the theme is managing your to- dos. I needed an activity to keep visitors at my table, so I created a quiz for them to take. Whats’ the three-fer (three-for-one)? The hours spent on this quiz are being used for my TLC Home Newsletter and this Blog, as well as a draw-in activity for the October Fest event. Now that’s getting something done! I also used my delegating skills and had my daughter write the Rate Your Score

Three day weekends are the bomb! The extra day makes all the difference. We can catch up on household demands and spend time with family and friends. There is also time to deal with something that has been nagging at us or time to get ahead. In our household, Labor Day weekend was all about the do-over. The first week of school went pretty well, but tweaking and streamlining was the order of that holiday weekend. After spending much of August purchasing school supplies, clothes, and new shoes now is the time for the check list… the time to review