Category Archives: Organization

Holiday Shopping Made Easy

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I’m at the point in my life where I like things to be as easy as possible. I’m old enough to know better and busy enough to make it so. When it comes to holiday shopping what used to be stressful and put me into debt now is done in a few short hours and is kept to a strict budget. How do I accomplish this?

First the planning, which saves time:

  1. I ask for wish lists or letters to Santa from my daughters and son-in-law, my husband, etc, so I know what to shop for or what to ask St. Nick and his elves to get.
  2. I write a list of what I need to buy under each person’s name. I prioritize that list.
  3. I include everyone on the list such as my daughter’s teachers, neighbors, the mail carrier. (Keeping the same list from the year before helps to remember people.)
  4. I sign up for Black Friday sites to get emails to let me know when the ads come out to check on prices.
  5. Shop online to fight the crowds.

To Save Money:

  1. I check out the prices from ads, Google and compare them. If I shop online, which I do most of the time, I look for free shipping or add the shipping costs in.
  2. I look for coupon codes online.
  3. I shop on Black Friday or Cyber Monday to get the best deals. Some stores continue their sales after these dates.

japanese computer program

Gift Ideas:

  1. Of course, I most likely buy what is on the wish list, but when those costs get out of hand, I substitute. For example, instead of a Rosetta Stone program, I’ll look for a program that teaches a foreign language but doesn’t come with all of the bells and whistles.
  2. DVD’s are great gifts for all ages, especially holiday ones. They can be watched year after year.
  3. Look for items by price. You’ll find Gifts Under $25 on Staples Holiday Center.

christmas-dvds

I will be compensated with a gift card for writing this post. It does not alter my views. Please see my Disclosure Policy for more details.

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Back To School Schedule

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We began working on getting back into the swing of things about a week before school started. Our back to school schedule has been working out very well. My daughter has no trouble waking up and getting ready for school.

There has been a change in her school hours though. She is in school about a half an hour longer than last year. That doesn’t sound like much, but it throws off our home schedule, especially dinner time. We’ve come up with one solution where she eats her snack while doing some of her homework. We look over what is required and chose something that is easy for her to do.

I sit with her while she’s eating and work with her a bit. Then she’s on her own with her homework. I do check it of course. Next we work together on some chores which help her calm down after her day in school. After dinner, she has plenty of time to play, talk on the phone and read. Bedtime is a set time every night.

Having a schedule makes school time easier and calmer for parents and children. No more yelling in my house!

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Mother Of The Bride Responsibilites

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Being a mother of the bride comes with responsibilities. As happy as I am that my daughter is getting married this Sunday, I am aware that I have many things to take care of too. First and most importantly, I am there to help my daughter cope with the stress of planning for her wedding, her nerves as the wedding date gets closer and to let her vent when she needs to let go of some steam.

Actual Mother of the Bride Resposibilities:

  • Along with the Bride’s father, if this is the case, decide on the budget of the wedding. (If parents are paying for wedding.)
  • Assist Bride choose her gown. (I did give opinions when asked, but otherwise allowed my daughter to choose her gown on her own while I was there.)
  • Help Bride to decide on location of wedding and reception. (I did not do this because the wedding is being held where my daughter and her fiance live.)
  • Help with decisions about the wedding. If you are paying, you have more say than if you are not. Still, remember this is your daughter’s wedding! Because we planned this wedding long distance, we did most of the planning online. (I gave input where asked, but I did not push my ideas on to her. This is one of the most challenging things to do.)
  • Chose your gown and share what you’ve bought with the groom’s mother so you can coordinate your clothing.
  • Provide list of family and friends’ names and addresses for invitation list.
  • Be the hostess during the wedding. Make introductions, be sure that people are comfortable, etc. Do not let Bride worry about anything that day. (We are fortunate to have a reception site that provides a wedding planner, who will assist during that day. If there are things that I can’t handle, I have her as my “go-to person”.)

That seems like a lot of work, but remember this is the one of the most important days in your daughter’s life. Also, if there is a great deal of time for planning, getting a calendar or planner to help you keep track of what needs to be done, your organization skills will come into good use and make these tasks easier.

Don’t forget to enjoy this process with your daughter. It can be stressful at times, but more often, it is fun and can bring you closer together. This has been the case with us.

Scanalog Giveaway

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*CONTEST ENDED. WINNER ANNOUNCED.*

Here’s another video and giveaway for the week of the 5 Minutes For Mom Ultimate Blog Party:

First the giveaway (be sure to look over my blog for the other giveaways for each day of the week until March 27th):

To put it simply, SCANALOG is a CD-ROM software system you can use to store, catalog and retrieve your favorite articles from your favorite magazines. There are eleven Master Categories in SCANALOG that cover a range of women’s interests, from Home Decoration to Gardening to My Spirit.

scanalog

The cost for this CD ROM program and the tabs that go along with it is $49.95. Stay organized, keep all of your photos, magazine articles, catalog pages, and more in one place on your computer!

The Rules:
1. Contest starts now and ends Monday March 27thth at midnight EST.
2. Open to people with US addresses.
3. Winner will be chosen by Random.org.
4. Winner has 2 days to claim prize.
5. Have fun and tell your friends.

How To Enter:

For One Entry For Each Below:
1. Comment about what type of papers you would organize. This is mandatory to enter to win.
2. Stumble this post – leave Stumble Upon User Name please.
3. Add this any other social media sites like Kirtsy, Reddit, Digg, etc. = 1 Point per entry
4. Twitter “Win A Scanalog and Get Organized @ConnieFoggles http://tinyurl.com/cn7ohj” and leave your Twitter ID please.
5. Leave a comment on any post on my blog Brain Foggles.
6. Subscribe to my Feed by email.
7. Fave me on Technorati.
8. Write a blog post about this contest linking to this post.
9. Add my button to your blog.

Lots of ways to enter and win!

Now here’s a fun video for you. Although we may need some help getting organized, we mothers are the best at multitasking. Thank you Anita Renfroe!