If I Have To Sign Another School Form, I'm Going To SCREAM!!

How's it going?
School has been in session for about a month.

Your family should be getting back into a routine.
If not, there is likely a bit of stress in your home due to the school papers stacked up everywhere, frantically making lunches/snacks in the morning and, oh yeah, you still have to get ready for work on-time.

If you find yourself feeling under pressure, take a moment and get a grip of what's happening.
(and sing along with Queen and David Bowie)

1. Last Year vs. This Year - Think about and WRITE DOWN the pros and cons of what is going on in your home. From this list, you will be able to see areas you need to change. Writing notes down is far better than letting your thoughts clutter your head and it will be easier to see where you can make changes.

Once you've gathered your thoughts, get the family involved to come up with a plan that will work for everyone. Because if you involve people in decision making, they have a better chance of following up on actions.

2. School papers - A method to the madness of school papers coming home is a MUST! Create a spot for all the papers to be that you need to look at (preferably near the trash).


If you don't need to respond, trash it.
If it's a calendar item, get it on the calendar and trash it.
If it's a field trip, sign the permission slip and write the $5 check and trash it.
If it's the amazing handwriting sheet or math test, acknowledge the wonderful work and, yes, trash it.

Getting through the daily barrage of school papers is a success story in itself.

3. Homework - Kids need a consistent spot to get their work done. No TV/Games/iPod/phones allowed (you gotta be tough). The sooner you instill the importance of being responsible, the better for them. Some kids work best at homework right away after school. Other's need a bit of a break, then hit the books.

4. The Night Before - Preparing at night might be the last thing you want to do, though think about how well you will sleep knowing you are ready for the morning. It's your kids bags, have them make sure all is packed and signed before bed. If they forget their library book one or two time, perhaps they will start to remember. Don't bail them out! Let them learn. Get lunches ready and set in the frig. You could even go as far as setting the table for breakfast.

Getting a household to run smoothly is a constant work in progress. Like anything, little changes add up to success. Be patient. You are doing a great job.

What's your favorite school subject?

I Am One Of The 20 Under 40

I WON!!!

400 Nominees
200 Applicants
20 Winners
1 Me

The 20 Under 40 program focuses on individuals under the age of 40 who have distinguished themselves in their careers and/or in the community. It is intended that the program will further motivate young leaders in the Toledo area.


The winners are announced at the program. As the emcee, Chrys Peterson, began to say, "Our next nominee had her one of her greatest challenges in life come 5 weeks ..."

I KNEW IT WAS ME!!!
I could not sit still in my seat. I just wanted to scream with excitement.

Then she announced, "Our next winner is owner and rocket scientist, Angie Weid."
I jumped out of my seat, kissed my man, thanked my friend and danced up to the stage.

WOW!!!
Congrats to my fellow 2008 award winners.

Here's my full profile.

What title would you give yourself?

We All Could Use One Day Of Only Positive Stories

I have been dealing with a lot of customer service counters in the past couple weeks, and the experiences have all been wonderful. Perhaps these encounters were all lessons for me to remember when dealing with clients, friends, family or random strangers.

1. Best Buy - Never good when you have to take back a camera for repair within the first year. Since I purchased the extended warranty (I tend to be a bit rough on small electrical items), no added expenses incurred. Well, Best Buy guy John blew me away when he handed me a brand new camera off the floor. Better features than I had in my broken camera. Thank you John!

2. Verizon - After a new client phone call asking why is number long distance, I decided to add a second phone number to Organized Solutions. Verizon was incredibly accomodating, even sync'd my contact lists with my now TWO phones - one SE Michigan and one NW Ohio. Jennifer rocks!

3. Lowe's - A long 3 day search for a new dishwasher ended at Lowe's. I went to 3 different stores only to find insulting sales staff. (if you are a guy, you don't understand). At these stores, the men talked to me like I was 7 years old incapable of tying my shoes. One guy even told me, I could not install this myself. Another wanted to charge me delivery plus installation and negelected to mention a rebate ... nice. At Lowe's, Darren told me that installation is easy and set me up with right water supply line. Darren is the man!

4. Macy's - Got a bit of an award event to attend tonight and wanted a new outfit. Purchased it, then took back the skirt (I was iffy about it), then Leasa gave me $#&@ and told me to go get it. She's a good friend and I listened to her. Turns out the skirt was on sale and the associate, Michelle, gave me the sale price on the blouse I bought a month ago, too. Dang, I'll be looking good tonight! Thank you Michelle.

5. Belle Tire - My car tires were in need of rotating and Belle Tire helped me replace a tire last summer. I asked them to do an alignment since there was a bit of a pull to the left. Well, turns out no alignment needed, just a rotate. NO CHARGE! Ken, you made my day!

These companies did a great job treating me as a valuable customer. So much negative news going around lately. Spend the day focusing on the positive and good happening around you. Should you hear a negative story or comment, turn the channel, flip the page, get away from that person. Let's make one day of just positive stories.

What is your positive story today?

Slow Down and Breathe

In through the nose
... Out through the mouth.

In through the nose
... Out through the mouth.



In through the nose ...... Out through the mouth.

In through the nose ....... Out through the mouth.

In through the nose ....... Out through the mouth.

In through the nose ....... Out through the mouth.

In through the nose ....... Out through the mouth.

In through the nose ....... Out through the mouth.

In through the nose ....... Out through the mouth.

In through the nose ....... Out through the mouth.

It's been one of those weeks for me, too.

Do you feel better?

Taking Care of Mom

The cycle of life can be a tough cookie.

Our parents care for us for the first 18 years of our lives. We are dependent on them for these years. Then we begin to break away, live on our own, start up our own family and get all involved in soccer games, paying bills, cleaning house and writing that business proposal for the boss. Many times family members become spread out across the country and when Mom needs help, you must drop what is happening in your life and turn to care for your mom.

Well, you still have your job, your house and your kids. Soccer games are still going on, bills need attention, house is a mess and that business proposal needs to be rewritten because the boss wants to include the 5 year forecast ...... Oh, and you're out of milk.

Assisted Living facilties can help allieviate much of the stress off the family when mom (or dad) is in need of a bit more daily living help. I have had the opportunity to help several families coordinate the move of their loved ones into Browning Masonic Community in Waterville, Ohio.

I worked with mom to make sure she packed what she NEEDED in her new home. Unfortunately, you just can squeeze a house of stuff into a 1-2 bedroom apartment. Many bags of trash went to the curb, items were set aside for the family to sort through, a few loads were taken for donation. Then coordinated the moving company to load up mom's items and take them to her new home.

Then helped unpack what was brought. Made sure mom's bed was made. She had a drinks and munchies in her home. Mom was pretty much ready to settle down for night's rest. She was never alone through the entire moving process.

All this happened and you were able to stay on track with your responsibilities.

Does this make you a evil, bad daughter/son for allowing someone to help you and your mom?
Not at all.

Mom is in a beautiful, safe new home.
You no longer have to worry about mom being alone.

How awesome is your mom?

Want A Wife?

"I want a wife.
I don't want to have sex with her.
I just want her to empty my dishwasher."


That is what was said to me 4 years ago by a fellow school mom as we signed in to help out in our sons' 1st grade classroom.
"You know. I just started my own business helping moms with stuff, " I cautiously mentioned in the office.

The four people in that room all told me what a great idea.
One wanted to hire me right there.
... Huh? Could I be on to something?

I had begun working on the concept of Organized Solutions months before. My divorce was wrapping up, my ex had finally moved out of our home and I'm starting up a business ... What was I thinking?!?

Part of me knew I was crazy,
another part of me loved that I was crazy.
The timing was perfect to begin a business
because the time was NOW!

My business is 4 years old. ... WOW!

Happy Birthday
Organized Solutions!!
I always thought to franchise this puppy in 5 years.

Guess who I made contact with this week?
A company intrigued with franchising Organized Solutions.

DANG!

What do you want?

Part With Your Elephant!

It's ugly.
It's useless.
It makes you cringe.

Even though [insert name here]
gave it to you,
Get it out of your home.

... and if they ask about it, blame me for getting rid of it.

What's your elephant?

Preparation Leads To Success

"If I had six hours to chop down a tree,
I'd spend the first hour sharpening the ax."
~Abraham Lincoln

Preparation is one of the most difficult tasks.
There's no gratification and might even be BORING. You usually must take the time, gather supplies, perhaps even get all hot and sweaty.

None of this is satisfying. We just want to get to the results as fast as possible and move on to the next task.

"Mary" wanted to get prepared for the upcoming holiday season. I know it's September, but she wanted to be PREPARED. Last season, she tossed all her decoration into a basement storage area. Then slowly Mary began to throw other stuff into the area, just stacking items precariously. Afterall, the area wasn't organized, why start now ... right?










Well, the whole area had got out of control and Mary wanted to get this area whipped into shape. She wanted all her Christmas decorations in one area, canning supplies in another and luggage stored elsewhere. "I just want to walk in here and not feel like crying," Mary exclaimed.










As I dug into the piles, I found Mary had plenty of room on her shelves. Many of the bags and boxed could be consolidated into like items. Quickly the area began to become organized.

Mary could now fully open the door into the room. She had an area for canning supplies, christmas and home decor items, "the husband stuff" (what is it with guys and their stuff?) and plenty of room to spare. Best of all ... Mary walked right into her storage area, beside herself with delight that she could see everything.

The holiday season may be 11 weeks away and
Mary is ready to go!

What should you be preparing for?

Let's Celebrate!!

From Wikipedia: A half-birthday is a day six months before or after the real anniversary of a person's birth.

Most half-birthdays go unremarked, but they may still be celebrated as a special day. Perhaps the most common use is by people whose birthday falls near Christmas, a holiday so widely celebrated that it can overwhelm private anniversaries. People attending school sometimes celebrate half-birthdays if their real birthdays do not occur during the school year, so they can celebrate with friends and teachers at school.

Well ..... Today is MY HALF-BIRTHDAY!!!!!

Boys are going to their dad's and I am off for big fun this weekend.

As Kool and the Gang sings:
"Celebrate good times, come on.
Let's CELEBRATE!"

What are you celebrating?

If You Can Buy It, You Don't NEED It.

It's just stuff. It's just stuff.
It's just stuff. It's just stuff.
It's just stuff. It's just stuff.
It's just stuff. It's just stuff.
It's just stuff. It's just stuff.
It's just stuff. It's just stuff.
It's just stuff. It's just stuff.
It's just stuff. It's just stuff.
It's just stuff. It's just stuff.
It's just stuff. It's just stuff.
It's just stuff. It's just stuff.It's just stuff. It's just stuff.
It's just stuff. It's just stuff.
It's just stuff. It's just stuff.
It's just stuff. It's just stuff.
It's just stuff. It's just stuff.
It's just stuff. It's just stuff.
It's just stuff. It's just stuff.
It's just stuff. It's just stuff.
It's just stuff. It's just stuff.

What are you getting rid of today?