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Planning a baby shower is the perfect way of expressing congratulations to a newborn’s parents. The baby shower is often arranged by a relative or close friend, usually during the last months of a mother’s pregnancy.
If you want the baby shower to go off without problems, careful organization and planning is required, just like any other party you might host. Here are some things to keep in mind as you prepare for the event:
- Where will you have the party? – It is common to have the baby shower at the house of the parents to be because it is easiest for the expectant mother. This is usually best if the party is going to be only a few people, such as family and close friends. In addition to convenience, the guests will feel more comfortable if the party is at home. However, if the expectant parents like being outdoors, you might also consider an outdoor barbecue or a party at a local park. Least complicated of all would be reserving a private area in a restaurant. It may be more costly, but you will not have to worry about decorations, food, drinks and cleanup.
- What is the theme of the party going to be? – It’s not necessary to have a theme for the party, but having a theme can make the occasion even more festive. If you have trouble coming up with an idea, consider the expectant parents’ favorite movies or hangouts. Another option is to decorate the party site by re-creating the place where they had their honeymoon or their first date. A childish theme might also be fun, as a celebration of the future baby. For example, you might choose cartoon characters, bright colors, and other designs depending on the baby’s gender.
- What type of menu will you offer? – Finger food, pastries and other baked goods are typical fare and are very convenient. However, consider the time of the event. If the event will be held during lunch or dinner time, it may be more appropriate to serve a meal or have a buffet. Consider also if you want to serve alcohol and, if so, if you will limit it to “soft” drinks like wine, or if harder liquors will also be available.
- Design a fun program. – Unlike many adult parties, a baby shower is a perfect time to include games; it’s not just a time for mingling, eating, drinking and giving gifts. The main point of the party is not only to celebrate the baby’s birth, but for everyone to have a good time as well. If you can’t think of any games or don’t have a lot of time, you can download games from the internet at a reasonable price from sites like best-baby-showers.com or allbabyshowergames.com
- Who will you invite and when will you have the party? – Make sure that you have the expectant parents’ approval of your guest list before you send out invitations. You don’t want to risk spoiling a good time by inviting the wrong people and causing an embarrassing moment. Remember that even though you are planning the party, this is the expectant parents’ party, not yours. Homemade invitations are always a nice touch, but if you are tight for time, ready-made baby shower invitations are available in gift shops and craft stores. Send out invitations out two to four weeks before the party to give time for the guests to fix their schedule. Baby shower invitations follow the same format as any other invitation — it indicates the date, time, place, attire preferred, gift registry, if any, the host’s contact numbers for RSVP. Just to be organized, prepare a final list of attendees a few days before the baby shower.
Use a “To File” box or pile – separate from your “Out Box” – near your desk. This will help keep the clutter on your desk to a minimum.
Before you put a piece of paper in the To File box, write a key word in the upper corner of the paper before you put the document in the box to help you remember where you want to file the paper. It is easier to make filing decisions when you have just read the item. Once you have made the filing decision, half of your work is done.
Do not use paper clips – they tend to catch on other papers when you file and take up more space than staples.
Put your most recent papers in the front of the file – you will see the current information first and file cleaning will be easier because the oldest papers (most likely candidates for discarding) will be in the back of the file.
Date the papers you file or hi-lite the date on the document – if there is not a date on the document, write or stamp the date in corner. If a date is listed, then use a hi-liter to make it more visible to the eye. Having the date easily visible will help you locate the correct document quickly. Also, dating will help you determine if you need to request updated information on a subject and help when you decide when it is time to discard a document.
Allow at least 3 inches of extra space in the drawer for easier filing and retrieval. One of the reasons we hate to file is because we dread trying to cram yet more paper into an already full file drawer.
Sometimes we avoid organizing a space because it contains a Pandora’s box. Pandora’s box is a mythical story about a box, which contained all of man’s miseries. An organizational Pandora’s box can contain photographs of deceased loved ones, photographs of ex-spouses or simply any reminders of a painful emotional time. Even happy memories can evoke strong feelings, which can be difficult to recover from quickly. Often we may not consciously acknowledge the drawer or closet is a Pandora’s box, we just know the contents give us an uncomfortable feeling.
There are a few ways you can shield yourself from the magic in the box. My first suggestion would be to limit exposure. Set a timer for 15 minutes and force yourself to leave the area when it rings. It may take a long time to clean out the space but it will get done. Also, each time you work on the area you may be less emotional because you know what to expect and are a little more comfortable with the emotions. Psychologists call this phenomenon systematic desensitization and the process is used to help people deal with phobias.
Another possibility is to have a sympathetic friend sit with you while you go through items. A friend can provide emotional support and be a sort of coach who will help you keep going through the rough parts. Plus, the work always goes faster when you have an extra set of hands.
If you must the get the space clear within a specific time period and cannot find a friend to help you, here are two choices. You can hire a professional organizer to assist you with the task or you can simply box the items up, label it and pack it away for a time in the future when you will be better able to deal with the contents.
Do you have an evacuation plan? While none of us wants to think about having to leave home at a moments notice, the consequences of being unprepared are worse. Your evacuation plan should include important documents you will need to take with you.
Essential documents are those that prove your identity, contain important contact information, account numbers and codes. Copies of these records should go into a disaster supplies kit that you can grab either on your way out of your home or bring with you into a safe room.
Consider storing copies of all the records you have in a bank safe deposit box or home safe and put them in a portable fire resistant waterproof box that you keep near by at all times. Following is a list of documents you might want to include in your kit:
- Copy of driver’s license or other photo ID.
- Birth, death, marriage certificate.
- Passport, citizenship papers.
- Copy of SSN card.
- Adoption papers.
- Military records.
- Divorce and child custody papers.
- Mortgage/property deeds/loans.
- Stock and bond certificates.
- Car titles.
- Trust documents.
- Copies of power of attorney, living will and other medical power.
- List of insurance policies (life, health, disability, long term care, auto, homeowners, renters) including the type, company, agent name, policy number, and name of insured.
Additional things you may also want to include in your kit are:
- Letter of instruction to your loved ones in case you are not there to help them through a disaster.
- Federal and state tax returns (if space is an issue, keep the three most recent ones).
- Copies of important medical information, including your heath insurance card, doctor’s name and phone number, immunization records and prescriptions (including prescriptions for glasses and contacts).
- Major home improvement records.
- Inventory of your possessions.
- Warranties and receipts for major purchases.
- Appraisals of valuable items.
- Credit Card Records.
- Retirement Account records.
- Recent checking, saving and investment account statements.
- Recent pay stubs and employee benefits information.
- Backups of critical digital information.
- Safe deposit box information (location, key).
- A list of PINS, passwords and user codes.
You also need to consider which possessions you would take with you, if you had to evacuate. Think about what you would really miss if you had to leave quickly. Compile your initial list from memory because the first things that come to mind are probably what you would miss most. Make a list and put a note next to each item regarding location. Put this list with your disaster kit. Also make sure you have several empty storage containers that you could access quickly. Collapsible file-storage boxes (often called bankers boxes) that store flat are easy to assemble and cost about $2 each in packages of four or more.
It may seem overwhelming trying to gather all this information but at least try to make a start. Get something, even if it’s only a large manila envelope, to store the copies. Begin by simply making a copy of all the vital information you carry in your wallet. When the bills come in, try to make copies so you can retain the important information for your disaster kit. Think when you’ll have some time to visit the safety deposit box and make copies of the information stored there. It may not all get done but anything you can do toward preparing yourself and your family will pay off greatly in the event of a disaster.
Most articles about organizing always make some mention of paring down, throwing things away, cleaning out, etc. In this article, I will be mentioning the words – stock up, buy extra, have a surplus. Why? Because school will be starting soon and it’s time to buy school supplies. Here is a case where buying extra saves time and money. The selection of school supplies is always best and least expensive in August.
Buying more than you need in the beginning of the year will keep you from having to run out and buy more supplies when it may be inconvenient for you to do so and the price will be higher. In my experience, you can never have enough pencils, pens (red, blue and black), magic markers, permanent markers (Sharpies), colored pencils, crayons, highlighters, erasers, loose leaf paper, spiral notebooks, colored folders (with brads and without), page protectors (clear sheets of plastic that hold one piece of paper – good for handouts you must keep and refer to all year long). I usually put all the surplus supplies in a bin that is easily accessible. Loose-leaf paper and page protectors are stored flat in a drawer so that they don’t get wrinkled.
Other items that I have found worth buying more than one of, if your budget allows: lunch boxes (sometimes they get lost or torn and the selection of lunch boxes during other times of year is minimal and the price is higher), gym uniforms, and locks for lockers. If your student is hard on three ring binders, buy extra or invest in the kind with hard plastic covers and sturdy rings.
If, at the end of the year you still have excess supplies, many schools collect them for less fortunate students.
There are countless articles written about meal planning and numerous gadgets out there designed to save time in the kitchen. Yet there are still many, many of us who cringe when asked the dreaded the question “What’s for dinner?” Most of the time people don’t know what to cook that’s quick and healthy. Another common problem is we are unable to find or do not have the proper tools to prepare a recipe. Here are few simple things you can do to make meal preparation easier and faster.
Take 15 minutes and purge your utensil drawer. You may have duplicate items or infrequently used items that are cluttering up the drawer. If you can’t throw them away move them to another spot in the kitchen that is less often used. This decluttering process may also alert you to basic utensils you may be missing. At a later time you can purge other areas (pots, pans, baking pan, plastic containers). Purging your utensil drawer is your first priority and will make it much easier to find the tools you need
If you already own knives for cutting up meat and vegetables, get them sharpened. If you hate cooking, a good sharp knife will do wonders for your attitude. You’ll be able to prepare food much faster and you’ll spend less time in the kitchen. There are several hardware stores in the area that offer sharpening services. If don’t own these types of knives, commonly called chef knifes – go out and buy some. These knives don’t have to cost a fortune. Check online or ask friends that cook frequently for recommendations.
Find a cookbook that emphasizes quick, healthy meals with a few ingredients. These books contain recipes that call for, at the most five or six readily available ingredients and you don’t need any fancy cookware to prepare them. I have several of these “easy meal” cookbooks and use them all the time. Again, go online or ask friends for recommendations.
Try as a beginning step to prepare one recipe per week from the book. You won’t be overwhelmed and feel you have to cook every night. As always, success breeds success. In time you will build up a repertoire of recipes and become more efficient at preparing them. You’ll eat better, feel better and save money.
“Did you get that email?” This question can strike fear in our hearts if our inbox is awash in a sea of unread email. Email is a quick and easy way to communicate but the downside is that we receive so many of them that critical information is easily lost. We may not see an important message because it is buried in a long list of unread mail.
There are several simple things you can do to keep your email down to a manageable stack. First, use a filter. Email programs come with an option to filter out unwanted email. Second, if you need to save emails, file them in folders. Again, email programs come with an option to create files or folders. That way the information is easily accessible but not cluttering up your inbox. Third, take five minutes every morning to declutter your email box. Decluttering every day will help you see urgent emails more easily and you’ll start your day with an accomplishment.
Another way to keep email management from eating your time during the day is to limit how frequently you look at it. For some of us it’s procrastination too i.e. a way to avoid beginning a difficult task. It is easier to check your mail than to start on that tough project you are dreading.
Sometimes you can’t avoid having to check it because people call you and want to know if you received it. If your email is organized you’ll be able to respond more quickly which will enhance your reputation and save you time.
Whenever I set out to do an organizing job, I always take my kit. Using a kit saves me from having to stop what I am doing and search for something such as a stapler or scissors. Also, each time you leave the room, the probability that you will get distracted only increases. As we all know distractions are the enemy of project completion.
So here is a laundry list of items you might want to have on hand before starting an organizing activity. Most of these are things you probably already have around the house.
- Large Bins – These can be made of any material. Even cardboard boxes will do if you have nothing else. Use the bins to sort and store large to medium size items and stacks of paper (you can purchase cardboard boxes designed to store files at office supply stores).
- Garbage Bags – Any organizing job generates trash. Have a good supply of garbage bags available.
- Permanent Markers – Helpful for labeling the contents of boxes, outsides of manila envelopes, and establishing ownership (kid’s items). Use silver colored permanent markers to mark dark surfaces.
- Highlighters – I use these for marking dates on documents that need to be filed in date order.
- Post it notes (extra sticky) – After you have sorted, it is useful to attach post it notes to help you identify what is in the various stacks or bins. Use extra sticky because often when you are cleaning out there is a lot dust and the regular notes tend to lose their stickiness.
- Stapler, binder clips, and large rubber bands – Mostly you will need these when you are organizing documents. Large rubber bands are good for securing bulky files, collections of slim workbooks and magazines and electrical cords.
- Resealable plastic bags (all sizes)- The two-gallon bags can hold 8 ½ by 11 papers. Snack size bags are ideal for small items. Gallon bags are excellent for holding markers, pens, crayons etc.
- Scissors – Often you won’t need to save an entire magazine or booklet and if you have your scissors handy you can easily clip what you need.
- Small stepstool – If your organizing closets and are less than 6 feet tall – you’ll need one of these.
- Timer with a loud ring – Just to make sure you don’t stay too long on the job. If you don’t set a time limit you can easily get overwhelmed.
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