Babies are precious gifts and we’re all captivated by the many items created just for them. Unfortunately tiny clothes, stuffed animals, cribs and changing tables can crowd you out in a snap. In my new book One Year to an Organized Life with Baby I offer a comprehensive guide for pregnant women and their partners/spouses. And because the arrival of a baby takes so much preparation, my co-author and mother of five, Meagan Francis and I stay with you through the fifth month of baby’s life. From how to tell your family, friends and co-workers that you're pregnant to altering your will and packing the hospital bag, we’ve got you covered.
How to Create the Perfect Nursery
When it comes time to put together a nursery, there is something we should consider beyond the ‘cuteness factor:’ safety. The overall concern is with products that ‘off gas’ or emit toxic substances into the room. Here are some tips direct from the new book to help guide your choices.
Look for low or no VOC paints. Benjamin Moore is my personal favorite. Many other paint companies offer a selection including Sherwin Williams and The Real Milk Paint Company. Be sure you paint the room or area well in advance of baby’s arrival so that it’s free of fumes and be sure the area is well ventilated during the process.
Real wood furniture is a better/safer choice than particleboard and once again it’s the off gassing of chemicals that’s the issue.
As you might imagine wool carpets and rugs are safer than their synthetic brethren.
Recycling at its Best
Do you have a big dresser in another room you aren’t using at the moment? How about the one Aunt Martha gave you that never fit in with your décor? Hasn’t it languished in the guest room long enough? If it’s got deep drawers and a wide top, it’s worth its weight in gold. Why not paint it a festive color that blends with the one you’ve chosen for the walls? At The Land of Nod stores or in their catalogue you’ll find a pad you can use to convert the top of the dresser into a changing table thus eliminating at least one item from your shopping list.
In addition to your baby shower gifts, baby will no doubt be given a wealth of hand me downs from moms in your circle of friends. Mothers have a hard time parting with these items but they love to give them to a baby they know personally. Have baby’s closetdesigned by someone from The Closet Factory so that the entire space is well utilized. Make use of containers to store items you aren’t ready to use. By the time the containers have been emptied you may be ready to recycle them into toy boxes. I like the selection at The Container Store. If you are lucky enough to have double hang rods in your closet, you can put dressy outfits or those that are a size or two too big on the bottom and keep the every day choices at your eye level. As baby grows you will want to switch these so that he or she can start making his or her own choices. You may discover your bundle of joy is a would be ‘fashionista.’
A word to the wise: whether it’s clothing for baby or for your pregnancy, accept items that do not have to be returned. Do promise to pass them on to another deserving mom when the time comes. As sure as you live it’s the precious item that will be the one you spill cranberry juice on and not the top you picked up at Target for a song. If you do however feel moved to accept borrowed items try and color-code them with a dot of nail polish on the product tag. As you or baby outgrow an item you’ll be reminded it’s one you have to return. Mommy brain sets in early. Don’t burden yourself with having to remember which items are yours and which are borrowed.
A Blessing on your head!
In the book we include some Feng Shui tips from Ariel Joseph Towne, the Feng Shui Guy. I’m going to share a few here but remember to use any traditions from your family or spiritual home to add a blessing to this room. As you put it together for example play music that you love. If you like to read or meditate, sit in a chair in this room and fill the room with all of your hopes and dreams for this child. There is no one-way to create a sacred space. For those who are open to it, here are four of Ariel’s favorite Feng Shui tips for the nursery:
Avoid placing the crib so that baby’s head is either in line with the door or under a window.
Use full spectrum light bulbs to simulate natural lighting.
We are bombarded by electromagnetic frequencies wherever we go these days. To counteract those in baby’s room, add a Himalayan salt crystal lamp. Its soft glow is the perfect night-light and it will put negative ions into the room.
Having lived in a water environment, baby may enjoy the soft sounds from a decorative water fountain in his room. This is one of the most common Feng Shui tools used. It is traditionally used near the entry to the home itself or the entry to an individual room. It is meant to draw in money. With the rising cost of college these days, it may turn out to be the Feng Shui tool of the moment!
Your baby, your way
As you set up baby’s first space, it might be fun to take some time to remember your room growing up. Did you have to share it or did you have your very own space? Did you have a hand in decorating it or did your parents make all the decisions? Were you deprived of toys or were you the envy of the neighborhood? It’s great to stay in present time and be sure that the nursery reflects the needs of this child. Very often we have unfulfilled needs from our own childhoods and then the space we create isn’t for the baby in our midst but rather the child we carry within. Unfinished business from the past can be as toxic as paint or formaldehyde! A baby represents the ultimate journey of discovery with another human being. Make it gentle, safe and beautiful from the start.
Regina Leeds is a professional organizer and the author of nine books. Number five, One Year to an Organized Life, was a New York Times best seller. Her next book in the One Year to … series is One Year to an Organized Life with Baby. It’s a guide through the often-rough waters of pregnancy and the first five months of baby’s life.
For too many of us throwing a party is just that … throwing a number of elements against the proverbial wall and hoping enough of them stick to make the party a success. Let’s not, as they say, go there. Take a few minutes to answer some questions in your Zen Organizing Journal.
Do you like to entertain? If the response is ‘yes,’ when was the last time you gave a party? Was it a success? What were the key elements that made it successful? If the answer is ‘no,’ where did you fall down? Are these correctable mistakes? We all learn through trial and error.
Do you do it regularly? Are you comfortable having friends over? If not, what don’t you like about these events?
Are you known for any particular kind of party: for example, cocktail, sit down dinner or brunch? Do you want to try something new or have another bash you know you’ve mastered?
Once you have the type party in mind, what are the elements you think will make the party a success? The most common ingredients are: food, drinks, and the right mix of people, decorations and entertainment.
1. Plan Ahead
If you are single and entertaining isn’t your strong suit, asks a friend to co-host with you. Whether it’s you and your spouse or partner or that good friend, have a planning meeting. All of the elements you felt were important are going to cost money. And there can’t be a party until you have a budget. I’m not talking about figuring out how much this is going to cost after you book the caterer and order fresh flowers! I’m talking about coming up with a party budget based on what you can afford. These are very often two different figures.
Set your guest list and plan your menu. Tailor both to your budget. You won’t enjoy your own gathering if you’re sitting there the entire time thinking: “How am I ever going to pay for this?” Guests and dishes can be eliminated to make your budget work.
Move on to decorations and entertainment. Think simple and elegant. The entire house doesn’t have to be festooned with flowers nor do you need a band or DJ. Ask a friend to make up some background or dance music for you on a CD and order some balloons!
In One Year to an Organized Life I devote the month of November to working out the details for Thanksgiving. If you can give the ‘mother of all dinner parties, you can do anything in the world of entertaining. You can check out that chapter for more in depth tips. These are the cliff notes version to get you headed in the right direction.
2. Chaos to Calm
When you have the details worked out, it’s time to make your home party ready. One of the best tips I can share is this: don’t open your entire home to your guests. They don’t have to take a tour, see any of the bedrooms or use more than the guest bathroom. How will you keep them out? Lock the doors in question or post a sign that says: ‘Please do not enter.’ If you have pets you can always use them as excuses. ‘Do not open: Cat/Dog inside!’
This will mean you have less areas to organize for the event. Walk though with what I call ‘Fresh Eyes.’ Pretend you have never been here before. If you were a guest, how would these rooms strike you? Is there clutter everywhere or do they need to be cleaned? If clutter is the culprit, start the process with a ‘speed elimination.’ Set your timer (if you don’t have one in the kitchen, use your cell phone) for 20 minutes. You’d be surprised how much progress you can make when you move like your hair is on fire! What are you looking for? Here are some of the more likely clutter culprits:
Newspapers older than 2 days and magazines older than 2 months. If you didn’t make time to read them, give yourself a break. The latest information is always available on the Internet. Take advantage. If there is an article you wish to keep, set that section or issue aside. When your 20 minutes is up, cut it out and file it.
Toss notices for sales, party invitations or any other event that is now in the past. Need to save an address? When you are clipping magazine articles, cut the return address off the envelope and save it in an envelope. Tuck the envelop in your address book. Don’t have one because you only use your computer? Put the envelope in your to do folder. Make a time to enter all new info in your computer or hard copy address book.
Take items to the rooms where they belong. Did your morning coffee mug stay in your bedroom this morning? Is your coat waiting to be taken off the living room chair and hung in the hall closet? Did you leave a snack plate in the family room or patio? Everything needs to be returned to the spot you designated for it.
Junk mail should be tossed immediately. Try not to bring it into your home. Toss or recycle it now. Shred credit card offers.
Set aside memorabilia and store those items later. Now is not the time to get lost in old love letters or cards from your kids.
When you walk past your linen closet see if you have any frayed, stained, past their prime towels or sheets. The local animal shelter or your vet would love to have them. Just thought I’d sneak that one in here!
3. ‘There is a place for everything …’
When the obvious debris is cleared away you can make an honest assessment of how much organizing you have to do before the party. You’ll find step-by-step guidelines in One Year to an Organized Life. It’s better in the long run if you assign specific places for everything you own rather than periodically do a quick tidy up before company arrives. The latter is a quick fix that will leave you wondering where items are and why the chaos returned in less than two weeks.
4. It’s never too late.
I had a client once who told me she had always wanted to entertain but she wasn’t good at it. I asked her about her ‘failures.’ I figured if we examined them perhaps we could correct whatever was giving her trouble in the world of party planning. It turns out her mother had told her she wouldn’t be any good at it and so she had never tried. She was well into her 60’s when we met. A lifetime of fun had passed her by without her making an effort to prove her mother wrong. If early misses wounded you or you took to heart the words of another, there’s no time like the present to make up for lost time. Fill your home with laughter, good food, great music and happy memories.
Regina Leeds is a professional organizer and the author of eight books. Number five, One Year to an Organized Life, was a New York Times best seller. Her next book in the One Year to … series is One Year to an Organized Life with Baby. It’s a guide through the often-rough waters of pregnancy and the first five months of baby’s life.
Baby debuts at on line retailers in January 2011 and will be in brick & mortar stores in February 2011. Regina can be reached at www.reginaleeds.com.
The first days of spring each year finds us filled with hope for positive change. A wonderful way to mark the passage is to bring order to your clothes closet. If you get dressed with ease all year, you will save time and energy. You will also save money. How? When you see those beautiful black pants in the boutique window, you won't be tempted to buy them. You will remember you already have 3 pairs at home.
Here are some tips and tricks professional organizers use to make closets not only organized but beautiful.
Group clothes by type. You can save time if all of your slacks, jeans, blouses and suits are together in one section.
Within the clothing categories you create, keep everything in the same color order. I use: white/off white; beige/brown; blue/purple; pink/red; green/yellow; and grey/black. What order will you use? Be creative and consistent.
Get your shoes off the floor! Use a shoe rack for every day pairs; hang sports/exercise shoes in an over the door canvas shoe holder and store dress shoes in an acrylic shoe drawer. These can be kept on a shelf or stacked on the floor, depending on the number of shoes and the available space.
Use one style hanger. I prefer wood myself but plastic, tubular and the hangers from the Home Shopping network all have their place.
Toss the plastic cover and the wire hanger your cleaner sends home with you. The former takes up room and seals in potentially carcinogenic cleaning agents. The latter quite simply destroys your garments.
Line your purses in color order on your closet shelf. A little tissue paper inside will help them keep their shape. Store your evening purses in an acrylic container. They will stay clean and you can admire them all year long.
Separate the items you keep on your shelf with a shelf divider. You don't want your sweaters falling onto your purses.
Sweaters can be stacked by color on a shelf, folded in a dresser drawer, tucked into sweater bags or stored in stackable acrylic shelves. It all depends on how may you have and how often you wear them. Don't forget a few cedar or lavender chips to protect them. Avoid moth balls at all cost.
Finally if you have a huge space between your existing shelf and the ceiling, pop in another shelf. It can provide a convenient area for off season storage.
For detailed instructions on how to organize your closet, pick up a copy of my New York Times best seller, One Year to an Organized Life. Looking for a specific type of tip for future newsletters? Send your ideas, comments or queries to me from my website: www.reginaleeds.com.
