Questions to Ask Yourself for 2019

We’ve all done the New Year’s Resolutions thing umpteen times. We’ve made lists with ambitious goals, hopeful ideas, and grand declarations. Everything from getting fit to managing finances better to organizing your home to hiking more with your kids. Raise your hand if you’ve gotten to March, with that list long forgotten, or with very few items checked off. (Raises hand.) I have found that lists of lofty goals can sometimes make me feel worse if I have not come close to achieving everything in due time.

For the past few years, instead of making a list of resolutions, I’ve made a list of questions. Seriously, questions! Questions that may help me prioritize factors in my life, that make me think twice about some things, and yes, that lead me to question what I have taken for granted. But of course, you don’t want a brain explosion! It doesn’t have to be all so deep, life-changing, and philosophical—it just needs to help you give more thought to what’s already in your world, and what you’d like to add or improve.

To help you get started, I’ve categorized the questions. These are just ideas to kickstart your own question-making process.

Having guests visit for the holidays is an exciting time for the whole family, although some needs may vary from guest to guest. Senior citizens are especially unique in their needs. If you’re expecting a few elderly family members in for the holidays, you’ll need to prepare accordingly. Whether they’re spry or a bit mobility-impaired, you’ll find it’s best to have a safe home ready for your senior guests.

Here are some adjustments for your holiday gathering that will make it safer for your guests.

Arrange transportation

While rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft are a great way to save time and ferry your guests to and from the airport, it’s not always a good idea to use those as a substitute for a personal pick up. Particularly when your senior guests need assistance, it’s usually best that you or another family member meet them at the airport.

elderly, guests, Holidays, hosting, seniors

5 Self-Care Appointments You Need to Schedule Today

I get it, you are super busy. I also get that you are tired to people talking about everyone being busy. But here you are reading this blog (for which I thank you), so you must have a couple of minutes of free time. But before you click away to another page, get your phone out and make these important self-care appointments. Your healthy, and well taken-care-of self will thank you later.

Don’t delay, get these appointments on your calendar now:

Your annual exam or physical. While not everyone needs a PAP once a year, the bloodwork and check-in your primary doctor or OB/GYN is critical to your long-term health.
Your mammogram. Just do it. Or else, I will tell you horrid stories of women who didn’t

caregiver, declutter and thrive, Self-Care, time management

Five Holiday Prep Tasks You Can Do Now

I am talking not about buying a jack-o-lantern and decorating for Halloween. Because I know that most of you have already done that. I am talking about time-saving holiday preparation for the BIG holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Clear the Space

Say you are a crafty person, and your dining table is currently being used for ‘non-dining’ purposes. This is the time to finish whatever project lay in pieces on the dining table. We’re always busy. Put some specific times on your calendar and prioritize finishing the project. Devote time to clearing the space for the holiday celebration.
Sound completely overwhelming? I get that.

Christmas, cooking, holiday menu, holiday prep, Holidays, Thanksgiving

The Real Cost of the Stuff We Buy

Every day, retailers appeal to us with promises of special deals and savings on all kinds of stuff. We love a great deal. But our shopping habits may be costing us much more than we think, not just in terms of the money, but in time – our most precious resource.

No More Space

When we bring new purchases into a cluttered home we might struggle to find a place for the new items. When items don’t have a home, they become part of the clutter. When we can’t find what we own we re-buy the same items repeatedly.

clutter, home organizing, laundry piles, shopping

Style Guide: Prepare Your Home for Baby’s Arrival

If you have a baby on the way, you should start preparing your house for the new family member in advance. In just a few months, you won’t have time to deal with your house, so it’s better to get this out of your way as soon as possible. Not only will you be able to prepare your home for your baby stress-free, but you’ll also be able to create a stylish, safe and healthy environment for your family.

baby care, decluttering, nursery

Support your Student’s Learning by Keeping School Supplies Organized

Keep School Supplies Simple for Young Children

For young children, homework often involves the use of crayons, colored pencils, stickers, colored paper and the like. Keep a small amount of each of these in a handy caddy or a desk organizer. Choose a product which has space for writing utensils and paper. Keep this caddy on hand where your child does homework. An important step in organizing school supplies is to have your student put their tools back into the caddy when they are finished. For example, a sixteen pack of crayons is plenty (vs. a box of 64), your child will be able to make decisions faster and clean-up will be a cinch! Keep it simple. There is no need to create an elaborate

back to school. homework, school supplies, student organizing

5 Simple Self-Care Ideas for Busy Moms

Self-care is so important for all caregivers

Being a mom may be one of the best jobs in the whole world, but it’s definitely one of the hardest as well. Most often we are so preoccupied with our children that we completely forget to do something nice for ourselves and thus unwind all the accumulated stress. Unfortunately, lack of self-care not only has negative consequences on our health and general well-being, but on our children as well since they can feel our frustration and discontent. In order to help you be the best mom and still manage to take good care of yourself, we’ve prepared several simple self-care ideas for you to take a look at. Enjoy!

motherhood, Self-Care, the caregiver

Three Stress Reducing Strategies for The Caregiver

It’s happened. You’ve received that phone call you’ve been dreading for years now. Your parent or beloved relative is ill. It’s time for you to help out, fill in, assume the role of the caregiver. You are probably feeling scared, anxious, overwhelmed. Perhaps you are feeling a whole slew of feelings you can’t even name at the moment. Take a deep breath, you CAN do this. Here are three strategies which will lighten your load.

Caregiver Strategy: Take Notes

Take copious notes from the beginning. As a caregiver you may attend many doctor’s appointments with your loved one. You may spend a lot of time in the hospital. You may need to arrange care providers and follow up with doctors. Take note of doctor’s names, contact information

declutter and thrive, elder care, stress reduction, the caregiver

How to Bring Your Goals Closer With a Vision Board

What is a Vision Board and how can it help you reach a goal?

A vision board is simply a visual expression of a goal or outcome you wish to reach. Many interior designers use vision boards to give concrete layout and color scheme ideas to clients who want to transform a space. In the context we are using vision boards, we are giving form to a state of mind or goal. It can also bring understanding to shifts in our lives where we perceive that something is off but are not quite sure

Alison Grabicki, Goals, the easily distracted, vision boards

Declutter and Thrive