Once upon a time there were only sports coaches. Nowadays there are sports coaches health coaches, life coaches, business coaches and more. Since I’m a master at organizing, I became a CLUTTER COACH (spelled Klutter Koach, K for Karen). I … Continue reading Are you OVERWHELMED by clutter?
Whether Chanukah, summer, 4th of July, or other holiday/season, how often do we live in the moment and enjoy what is happening NOW? A Facebook group I follow posts seasonal images, nature pics, and Who remembers ___? like “Who Remembers grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup?” (I DO!!! and I would love one right now… except for the fact it is Passover and I can’t have bread…). I am intrigued by the sage wisdom and the variety of viewpoints posted in the comments. Today is April 25 and a photo of a decorated pine tree captioned ‘8 months until Christmas’ … Continue reading Living in the Moment
I’ve been doing a lot of cleaning above and beyond preparing for Passover. It’s SPRING CLEANING and a lot of surfaces are in need of attention. Some surfaces are so detailed that a q-tip is the best cleaning tool. Some surfaces have shmutz in such tiny crevices that a toothpick is the only way to scrape it out. Some places are so high I need something tall to stand on . In all cases, for maximum cleaning effectiveness, MATCH THE TOOL TO THE TASK. When in doubt what IS the best tool, ASK. Find your resources: friend, neighbor, WikiHow, Google. … Continue reading #1 Cleaning Tip for Spring 2019
On Monday G-d decided that I was to have a vacation day. Not vacation like ‘hey I’d like you to go sit on a beach and soak up some rays’, but ‘hey I’m not sending you a client today-I have other things planned for you.’ Hence, with all the kids not home it was the perfect day to get a jump on my Pesach cleaning. I decided to tackle the refrigerators. Yes, that is plural. We have two. Many families have one refrigerator and often an extra freezer. We have two refrigerators because in Israel you buy your appliances, even … Continue reading How much time does it take to clean a fridge?
To me, Pesach cleaning is not a daunting task. However if the term ‘Pesach cleaning’ is the all-encompassing phrase that really means ‘shopping, cooking, cleaning, spring cleaning, and turning over the kitchen from non-Pesach to Pesach’ I get overwhelmed. I’ve written … Continue reading The Truth About Cleaning for Pesach
Spring Cleaning is typically the time of year folks go through their closets and weed out clothing they no longer want to keep. With good intentions they would like to donate the castoffs for others to use. A very noble … Continue reading An Illustrated Guide to Donating Used Clothing
Soon it will be Purim with much to do to prepare. If you haven’t already discovered the sanity-saving benefits of using a checklist, here’s the perfect opportunity to try one out. Why is my checklist different from all other checklists? … Continue reading Purim Checklist 2019
Have you ever heard that the saying that things often get worse before things get better? Think: childbirth. Think: Kitchen in the midst of being turned over for Passover. When you are in the middle of either of these scenarios … Continue reading Playroom Makeover: Before & After
Last night the wind was fiercely blowing. I had hung my laundry out to dry earlier that day. Hours later, a family member alerted me that the laundry was whirling around reminiscent of the tornado scene from Wizard of Oz. … Continue reading How Many Clothes are ‘Enough’?
Things can be overwhelming especially when there is a lot on our plate. Sometimes having a friend, a buddy, or a ‘koach’ gets us past the feeling of overwhelm and allows us to move forward. A poem: I have so … Continue reading Overwhelmed
The frustrated shout of “Maaa!! These aren’t my socks! They’re _’s (fill in name of family member). Sound familiar? When different sizes are difficult to tell apart there is often some mix-ups. Right? It makes sorting laundry a nightmare. This … Continue reading Avoid Clothing Mix-ups by Labeling
Have you ever been to a clothing swap? If you aren’t familiar with the concept I will borrow Wikipedia’s definition: “A clothing swap is a type of swapmeet wherein participants exchange their valued but no longer used clothing for clothing they will use. Clothing swaps are considered not only a … Continue reading How to Avoid Clutter from a Clothing Swap
I am always looking for ways to save time especially when it pertains to the kitchen. It doesn’t matter if I’ve seen a tip previously as I always find a list to be a good memory jog. Here are 7 … Continue reading 7 Tips for Saving Time in the Kitchen
Are you one of the multitude who’ve hopped on the downsizing bandwagon and purged your closet keeping only what sparks joy? The Konmari craze of decluttering exploded worldwide with Netfix’s show Tidying Up With Marie Kondo. If you have been … Continue reading I’ve Konmari’d My Clothes…Now What?
I had to say goodbye to Michael. Not my dad Michael but to Michael Kors. We had a great relationship. At least my feet did. With his shoes. I actually have to plead ignorance because I was oblivious to his … Continue reading I KonMari’d my MKs
Tu B’Shevat, the 15th of the Hebrew month of Shevat, is known as the New Year of the trees. This day marks the season in when the earliest-blooming trees Israel emerge from their winter sleep and begin a new fruit-bearing cycle. This year … Continue reading The Olim Files #20: Tu B’Shevat and Midterm Report Cards
Did you ever do the activity in school where you had to pretend you were stranded on a desert island or lost in the woods? You had only a limited number of items with you and the point of the … Continue reading The Art of Re-Purposing
Cold and flu season has arrived. For some (like yours truly) allergy season is year-round and the allergens just change from mold to pollen to ragweed to dust. Whether cold, flu, or allergy similar complaints prevail with the stuffy nose-sneezing-achy-coughing … Continue reading Be Prepared: It’s Cold, Flu, and Allergy Season
Maybe it’s just in my home, but kid coats always seem to end up strewn across floor. Or on the couch. Or dropped in the doorway. There’s a coat tree for the taller family members, but what about the little people? … Continue reading Problem: Kid Coats on the Floor
I’m an observer and a listener. In public spaces, cyber or actual, I hear different people repeating the same conversations regarding their cleaning help. Besides the comments of “not reliable” and “Does your cleaner speak English?” I’m privy to one … Continue reading Cleaning Ladies Aren’t Organizers
