Organize the Whole Shebang

Guess What?

It wasn't that long ago that a call to a girlfriend opening with the words "GUESS WHAT?!" resulted in the response "YOUR'E PREGNANT?"

Well sisters I'm not preggo... but we do have a new Colvin in the house...

 

WE GOT A DOG!!!!!

About 2 weeks we brought Frodo home. He's the perfect dog... for starters he's potty trained! Frodo is a 1 1/2 year old dachshund that was looking for a home. His owners found him to be too much for their older bassett hound that is battling back problems. But he's PERFECT for our family... he loves to cuddle, go on walks, and doesn't mind being dressed up ;)

Frodo was recently featured on one of my favorite blogs! Lara Blair is friend and she's OVER-THE-TOP-FABULOUS! click here to see what I'm talking about... then click around + enjoy her eye candy of a blog ;)

Changes to our daily routines have been made, the house may now smell of dog, and yes... I was the first person in the family to step in his crap and drag it into the house-oy vey. It reminded me of a post I had written a while back click here when I wondered aloud if stepping in your own dogs poop made a difference. It does.

P.S. My personal favorite thing is that Frodo is my husbands first dog EVER!

 

 

 

The Ladies are Back, The Ladies are Back!

During our Great Recession I did some 'downsizing'... I didn't miss what I gave up except for 2 things: HBO and The Ladies. Here's a peek at the downsizing list click here and here's why it hurt so much...  click here .

But as economics will have it... and my sanity... The Ladies are Back! WOOHOOO!

My nails are still buff, my networking is now mainly online, I've got my HBO, and I haven't 'tested' my spouse in a goooood looooong while.

The Secret to Staying Organized

 

The key to staying organized is
maintaining the whole shebang!

 

Simply check off the 10 items on this list [on a monthly basis] to keep yourself sane.  This list is always on the homepage under the maintain the shebang button. 

TIP: Do the first 5 items the first half of the month-to "Get Focused" + the next 5 items the second half of the month- "To Get It Done"!

GET FOCUSED!

routine review Look over your sheroutines and adjust to fit your current needs. 

schedule review Take a look at your planner. This is the time to reschedule or schedule that appt. Make a date night, email the sitter.

schedule appts. Really now, you should get that dentist appt on the books and get that massage at the chiropractor's office.

plan shetime This one is all about you! Schedule a manicure, get a coffee date on the calendar, take a walk, go window shopping.

meal planning This is my nemesis, but if I just make a simple list following the she VIP meal planning doc I'm less stressed about it.

........................................................................

GET IT DONE!

put-aways   These buggers really pile up and take away from your home's ambiance.  Put away that project you've finished or abandoned.

dash + dump  It just takes 2 minutes and feels so darn good to get the crap out of the house!  crap = trash + recycling

dash + donate  Set it free sister... take 2 minutes to gather up your "perfectly good" yet you don't even use it items and place them in the car destined for the donation center.

donation drop  Stop by the donation center then treat yourself to a latte.

returns  Get those return items out of your house and into the car so that you'll have an excuse to go to Target.

The View

WOOOHOOOO, I've been chosen to be a Brand Ambassador for The View! Yes... THAT VIEW... the one w/Joy Behar + Whoopi. I've had my eye on one of those seats for as long as I can remember.

Simply put... for the next 4 weeks I'll be sharing info with you via my blog, but mostly twitter + my facebook fan page... so join me there chicas! I'll be getting the inside scoop from ABC, a chance to be on the show (scootch on over now girls...) and a cute lil' tote + coffee mug (they had me at coffee).

Here's how to follow the conversation:

twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kristacolvin
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kristacolvin.lifestyle

You can quickly + easily check out The View Ambassador list I have on my Twitter Profile Page...  click here

Another method is www.search.twitter.com then enter #theviewmoms to see what we're saying about the show hot topics + guests. Some of the View Ambassadors are east coast, some west coast- so we'll be tweeting info at different times.

One lucky winner will be randomly selected to receive a trip to New York City to watch a taping of The View! The sweepstakes is open until February 28th. click here to enter... but I'm really hoping I win!

I want to give a big SHOUT OUT to Mom Central for providing this opportunity! If you've never been to their community nows the time to take a peek! www.MomCentral.com

“I am a participant in a Mom Central campaign for ABC Daytime and will receive a tote bag or other The View branded items to facilitate my review.”

I'm not a Laundry Snob..

I'm lazy when it comes to laundry. That doesn't mean I don't "do" laundry, I indeed almost do it every Sunday and I do a LOT of it. It simply means I don't spray every little spot on my kidlet's clothes, I don't worry about grass stains and I don't hang dry very many items.

About a year ago I wrote this post about how I tackle this menial task and the topic seems to pop up all the time... so this one's for you my laundry loathers!

Laundry Tips- What lives together Dries Together

Yes, it's never ending... it's boring, it's all over the floor- it's what you wear and it needs constant attention.  Here's how I deal with laundry.... pick and choose which ideas may work for your lifestyle.  Laundry snobs turn your head and cover your ears because this is the lazy women's guide to staying on top of your dirty laundry. click here to continue reading

The Organizing Awards 2010... after party!

I'm back from the LA Organizing Awards + ready to give you a sneaky peeky into my whirlwind weekend! Above are my table-mates at the ever-so-amazing Organize.com table. I was nestled between Julie Morgenstern + Aby Garvey!

  I arrived on Friday and spent some girly time with my friend Renay... here we are on the beach in Malibu. We walked right by Julia Roberts house after we had lunch at her friends house... click here to see this MOD + Hip house-SOOOO LA! I could have stayed for a goooood long week.

After my visit w/nay she dropped me off at the hotel I shared w/Aby! Aby snapped this pic of me in our car (well taxi) on the way to the awards.

She then snapped this shot of me on the red carpet... where they interviewed everyone on camera + took group pics. That sassy red coat belongs to Emily Wilska of San Fransisco. 

 

Then it was time to hang out with Aby Garvey + Deborah Shearer (aka Mrs. Organized!)
Aby won BEST ORGANIZING WEBSITE/BLOG!
That was a reaaaalllly tough category!
Here's here take on it... click here to go to Aby's post

[can you see how cute my earing were... borrowed from the closet of Diana Acuesta-thanks chica!]

.  .  .

I didn't have a chance in hades to beat out the fabulous
Julie Morgenstern for BEST TIME MANAGEMENT EXPERT...
she was such a gracious winner.

  

Sunday Brunch in Beverly Hills was a nice way to end the weekend..
I met some new organizers + got to visit w/my
fav John Trosko+ Katherine Macey.

 Amazing Women in the organizing industry!
The Fabulous Dorothy Breininger, Deborah Shearer
[Don't I look tall! And the bad hair... I blame it on the hotel blow dryer breaking...]

AND THE AWARD GOES TO....

2010 Recipients - In order of presentation

Thanks to NAPO-LAFacebook page for this incredible evening + list of winners.

Best Organizing Product Retailer
The Container Store

Best Organizing Book
Organizing Outside The Box by Hellen Buttigieg

Most Valuable Educational Resource
NAPO National Conference

Best Home Organizing Product
Glideouts by ShelfGenie®

Best Organizer as Coach or Mentor
Elizabeth Hagen
ElizabethHagen.com

Most Supportive or Organizer-Friendly Charity
National Council of Jewish Women, Los Angeles Section

Best Office Organizing Product
Pendaflex, SureHook Hanging File Folder

Best Garage Design Firm
OrganizIT!

Volunteer of the Year - NAPO-Los Angeles Chapter
Linda Levine-Quackenbush
Organize 4 Life

The Green Award for Most Eco-Friendly Organizing Product
Pink Grapefruit All-Purpose Cleaner
By method

The Avery Dennison Special Recognition Award
Hoarders – A&E

Best Organizing Blog or Website
Simplify 101
Aby and Jay Garvey

Best National Makeover Reality Television Program
neat – HGTV Canada, Discovery Home Channel

Best Closet Design Firm
California Closets

Most Innovative Organizer
Dorothy Breininger
Delphi Center for Organization

Best Publication Featuring Organizational Information
Real Simple Magazine

The Green Award for Most Eco-Friendly Organizing Service
Sara Getzkin
Hands On! Organizing Services

Best Show Incorporating Organizing on National Television
neat – HGTV Canada, Discovery Home Channel

Most Helpful Organizing Technology
iPhone by Apple

Best Time Management Expert
Julie Morgenstern
Julie Morgenstern Enterprises

The Philanthropy Award
Leslie Haber, An Organized Life

Raising the Bar Award - NAPO-Los Angeles Chapter
Leslie Haber, Director of Professional Development

Leading Edge Award - NAPO-Los Angeles Chapter
Robin L. Davi, Simply Arranged

 

 

Stop Over-Organizing! [today's AMNW segment]

click here to view the Stop Over-Organizing Segment!

Today was a fun lil' segment just for my "Perfectionists!". Have a quick listen + see how you can make life a bit easier for yourself... for some reason the clip cuts short so I've added tips below to make up for it~

1. STOP OVER-ORGANIZING YOUR KIDLETS!

• Maybe they don't want their Legos sorted by color lil' mama!
• Try using a basket/bin for their flimsy books, they NEVER stay or look good on the book shelf aka library style.
• Why bother folding their socks + underwear... clean is good enough

2. STOP OVER-FILING

• Forget color-coding files... it's hard to maintain
• Left justify your file tabs- they're easier to read.
• Use 1 file for your paid bills instead of a file for each company. And only keep last months statements as a receipt that you paid. [unless of course you have perpetual problems w/a company or need docs for taxes]

3. STOP OVER-DOING IT!

• Are you a serial organizing product purchaser?! Don't just buy a box because it's cute!
• Start + Finish one project at a time. You don't need to organize the ENTIRE closet- just a drawer will do.