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If you could have one superhero power, which would you choose, and why?

To fly. My dreams seem to always include leaping into the air and soaring. I love to travel and explore. Plus its always sunny above the clouds.

Ask me anything

Ask This Organizer Anything

Oh, this is going to be fun!

Here's a great little feature that will allow you to ask me ANYTHING.

You may have a question about organizing your closet or kitchen, perhaps not sure how to purge your garage or basement, or maybe you just want to know something obscure like: "If you could have an endless supply of any food, what would you get?"


It's like I'm a Magic 8 Ball without the shaking.
Sweet.

Thank you to Chris Rumpf, Rumpf Computer Solutions, for finding and sharing this cool little gadget with me. You ROCK!!

You do not need an account to ask me a question and you can ask anonymously.
This little feature will be on located on the right column of this blog.

So ask away .......

Who do you want to ask a question?

Organizing ATTACK!!!

It is the aftermath of the holiday festivities and time to get organized for the New Year.

Your hope is that there were no causalities in the mountains of wrapping paper: a lost gift card, assembly instructions or the one screw that holds together the brand new toy together. As all those new items begin to make their way to their new home, you realize ... uh, where am I going to put all this stuff?

Now is the perfect moment to look at what you are really using. As you attempt to put your new clothes into your closet or drawers, think about taking out at least 2 older items for each new one. By sorting out a few older items, there will be much more room for your new sweater to fit neatly. All your older not-so-soft-anymore socks will be gone, with space for those new these-are-my-new-favorite socks.

Perhaps you also got some new bath products, so you need to take the time to look through your bathroom cabinets and baskets and let go of those items, too. This also applies to the other areas of your home. Taking the time now to purge through the old to bring in the new will save you stress of working on it later.

It may seem like it is just easier to shove the new in with the old. Frankly, it is ... though only right now. Because later you are going to need to dig through the overstuffed drawers, closets and shelves to find something and that is not easy and it waste your time and energy.

So, take a deep breath,
... and slowly let it out.
(repeat until you are ready)

Work at letting go of some of the old and getting your new stuff put away neatly and organized. You will feel so much better.

What did you lose in your pile of wrapping paper?

SNAP! Did Not See This Coming

Whiplash.
That's how I would describe the feeling of what happened.

Went from my son's 5 year old birthday party to "I'm having an affair and I want a divorce" the very next morning. My life began spinning out of control.

Hey. I did not sign up for this.
Can I get a refund? mulligan? some store credit?
Ya' gotta give me something.

Everything seem to be stripped away from me as my ex-husband's affair burst out, through the divorce process and dealing with the aftermath of it all. Like so many newly divorced women, I pretty much felt trampled and at a lost of the future.

That was 5 years ago.

The divorce might have been the best thing I ever did for myself because not only did I gain myself back, life just feels better.

In the past 5 years I have:
-Two amazing young men.
We so ROCK!!
-Started our own business
(Our = me & my boys)
-Jumped off a 50 ft cliff into the ocean in Jamaica
-Spontaneous road trip to Chicago for Christmas (twice)
-Travelled the Florida Keys and Cancun, just me and my boys
-My very own 7 piece drum set to jam on
-Solo soul-searching trips to Key Largo and Cancun
-Gone to dozens of concerts including backstage on the Paul Simon tour buses
-Rolled down a mountain in Alaska
-Introduced my boys to the art of road trips: Michigan UP, Cleveland, Mammoth Caves, Louisville, St. Louis, Indy ...
-Journeyed to Australia
-Built homes in Guatemala
-Learned to scuba dive (and dive in 35 degF water)
-Won the Toledo 20 Under 40 Award
-Laid on the white sand bottom at 105 ft below surface
and just listened to my heartbeat in Bonaire
-Regained my friends and made so, so many more
-Created this blog
-Shot a video whose rooster call audio is featured
on Andrew Zuckerman's website
-A beautiful home in a perfect neighborhood
-Realized I am a rocket scientist
-Less money and more freedom

So, if you are in the midst of chaos in your life, rest assured that it is all for the good. Because no matter what happens, it will add to you. I know it pretty much sucks now.

Know that you will come back stronger than ever.

What have you done in 5 years?

Making Downsizing Easier for Your Family

Being a professional organizer is my business, though my passion is helping your family when the need arises to downsize your loved ones as a senior move manager.

I was delighted when asked by Trish Krebs to be interviewed for Examiner.com. Below is the article or you can go here for the original publication:


Monroe organizer makes downsizing easier
for families of seniors in Michigan

Sorting through a lifetime of items to get favorite pieces into a new, smaller home can be a tricky process for seniors and the families who love them. Angie Weid, owner of Organized Solutions and rocket scientist, knows how to make that transition flow more smoothly for all involved.

With her down-to-earth approach, Angie is a neutral, yet animated guide through the sometimes emotionally-charged situation facing seniors and their adult children as they move. (And with a bachelor's degree in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, she really is a rocket scientist!)

A member of the National Association of Senior Move Managers, Angie says, "I see where the person is and I listen to where they want to be, then I draw the line between the two." Having a professional organizer like Angie moderate the move process can be especially helpful for seniors who are facing medical conditions that limit mobility and energy, those who have accumulated a lot of treasures over the years, or those who have families that live some distance away.

"Life has a way of creating twists... I have no grandparents of my own, so I treat [my senior clients] as if they were my grandparents," says Angie. "We talk. We share our woes. I listen to my client's wishes and needs, and work to make them come
true."

Based in Temperance, MI, Angie primarily serves clients in Monroe, Lenawee, Wayne, and Washtenaw counties as well as the Toledo, OH area. However, Angie is "always up for organizing adventures" and has traveled as far as Dallas, TX and Chicago, IL to work with clients since opening Organized Solutions in 2004.

In the end, Angie knows she's done her job well for seniors and their families when a client says "Thank you for making my apartment feel like a home."

For more info: Angie Weid, owner of Organized Solutions and rocket scientist, can be reached at (734) 890-1276 or by email at angie@iorganizeyou.com. You can also check out her website, read her blog or find her on Facebook and Twitter. She is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers.

Thank you Trish for a great article!
You ROCK!!

What would you like to make easier for your family?

When's the Last Time You Said Something Kind?

"I like your hair."
"You make me laugh."
"I love your shirt."
"You are a good speller."
"I like your smile."
"You are my best friend."
"You're a good person."

These are just a few comments I heard from my son's 3rd grade class as they turned in their homework to another classmate. I stood in awe of these 8-9 year old kids standing in line, looking into the eyes of another kid and complimenting that person in some way before moving on to the next assignment.

One boy took too long, "Sorry, too long. Go to the end of the line," the girl kindly stated. When the boy approached her again he said, "You have very pretty eyes."

WOW!

These kids are practicing a skill that most adults have no clue in how to pay a compliment to each another with the expection of nothing in return.

As adults, we can go days, weeks ... sadly months, without acknowledging someone's hair, skin, eyes or personality for no particular reason except it is the right thing to do.

Imagine the impact you will have on someone as they scan your grocery items and you say something nice to them, "You have a great smile." or "I like your shirt." (sad thing is, they might think your weird or creepy).

Getting past the creep factor ... Now imagine if they were then compelled to do the same to someone else. What if we all started being just a little bit nicer to each other? I don't mean kind and respectful, these are actions that are easy.

I'm thinking we look at each other in our eyes and give a compliment to whom ever we are with. If a bunch of 3rd graders can do this every day turning in their homework, we can certainly do this as we work through our day, too.

Who did you compliment today?

Who Are You Again?

This is a self-quiz about yourself. I came acrossed this a while back, though it is a good reminder of facts we should know about ourselves but likely do not take the time to know them (does that make sense?).

So I jotted them down.......Here we go:

Items you must know about yourself
1. Allergies
2. Family health history
3. Credit score
4. License plate number (just ran out to check my car)
5. Passport? (we all need passports to leave the U.S.)
6. Emergency contact numbers
7. A will....please, just go get one
8. Where is your parent's will?
9. Health insurance details ... you don't want to be bleeding profusely and wonder what hospital to go to.
10. Vital health stats: Blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels....get a physical, find your target numbers

NEXT....Items that are good to know about yourself
1. Ring size...OK, this is for us ladies. Guys what would you substitute?
2. Your correct tax form
3. Money or items to be inherited
4. Clothing measurements...always good to give and receive clothing that fits
5. Blood type ... me, A+

FINALLY ... Fun things to know about yourself
1. 3 ways to make you smile when down
2. Strengths and weaknesses
3. Know how to give good directions to your home
4. What time were you born? ... hey, everyone needs a precise astrological chart.
5. Names of the trees and bushes in your yard ... visitors will think you are clever
6. Your mom's/mother-in-law's/best friend's favorite flower.

Take the time and find out some info on yourself.
Write these things down.
You never know when this stuff could be useful.

What did you learn about yourself?

Basementpalooza

"I want to purge "The Basement." When can you come to Chicago? I need you here," "Alicia" wrote to me hoping I could make a road trip to Chicago for some organizing fun. Always up for an organizing adventure, I was happy to make the journey.

Like so many other famous paloozas, it's all about having a great time ... a party, you might say (who knew there's a SPAM-a-Palooza?).

"Basementpalooza" is the title Alicia gave her organizing project. Her basement is a large spare room in her apartment, not a true basement, though she nicknamed it "The Basement" because that's how she treated it - a place to toss and stack stuff she really didn't know what to do with.













Alicia had every intention of getting her "basement"organized though just could not get the party started with it. Many times just continued to add to the piles and bins because it was just easier than dealing with it.

The time had come for this all to stop. She was tired of climbing over bins and moving piles to get to items. With the music cranked up, we went to work sorting and organizing.












We began looking through the bins of papers and books that Alicia had been storing for years which she moved from one home to another.

Two 90 gallon recycle bins filled with paper later, we moved onto her collection of books. Only her best and favorite ones were left on her shelves, all others were loaded into her car for resale and donation.











Alicia's clothes were next on the organizing tasks. Her dresser drawers were emptied, one by one, and all items no longer working for Alicia were bagged up for donation. We continued through her closets, sorting clothes, purses and shoes.

Finally we ended up with designated areas for her office supplies, grad school references, travel literature, holiday decorations, photos and personal memorabilia. Alicia's clothes and books were trimmed down so she no longer felt overwhelmed when she stepped into this room. We even got her bedroom decluttered and organized for a much more peaceful night's sleep.

Alicia wrote me a note that just makes me smile, part of it read:
"I really do feel like I have a new lease on life - just knowing that the basement (or room formerly known as basement) is cleared out makes me feel like I have so much more freedom and potential to do what I have been wanting to do, reach for my dreams, relax, enjoy life and be truly me!"

To help bring someone back to themselves is priceless. I truly love helping make a positive difference in peoples lives. Alicia was always there, just got a little lost. So glad she is back on track for fun and happiness with an "awesomely organized room formerly known as the basement."

If you're feeling overwhelmed and just down-right bummed about your home, you can do something about it. Get some music playing, few bags and boxes on hand and begin your own Organizingpalooza. It all starts with that first item you pick up and place in the bag.

What kind of palooza are you going to have?