POSTS

No new post today, kids.  One person can only write so much in a week...

Check out my guest post from yesterday on Praxis, blog of brookestonelifestylemanagement.com http://brookestonelifestylemanagement.wordpress.com/

I'll be back to my regular post schedule next week (MHM, Tuesday and Thursday) with the slightly neurotic musings you've come to know and love.  Until then, keep on obsessing.

YOU’VE MADE YOUR BED

I think it’s standard to have more than one set of sheets per bed, right?  If for nothing else but laundry day.  And I think most people have 3 sets per bed, but that’s neither here nor there.  I like to mix and match my sheets so my bed is a blend of coordinating colors and patterns.  I just find it’s more visually interesting.  So to keep my busy sheet “schedule” organized I have a great way to store them.  And you need one too, especially if you’re in a multi-bed house. 

What I’ve found recently, and I love that more and more vendors are doing it, are what I call “sheets in a bag”.  Vendors like Target literally sell their sheet sets in drawstring or Velcro-sealed bags made of the same material/pattern of the sheet set that you fold and put your sheets into.  Cake.  It’s all I buy now.

If you don’t want to buy all new sheets just for the purpose of using these bags, the old school way of doing it is to fold your sheets nicely and tuck them in one of the matching pillow cases from the set.  Keep all sheets in the linen closet or drawer, whatever space you designate the “spot” and you’re good to go.  Folded nicely and ready to go.

PS, ever wonder the best way to fold a fitted sheet?  I have and this is what I've found:  www.marthastewart.com/269141/how-to-fold-a-fitted-sheet  (You've probably seen this all over Pinterest).

MHM! #obsession

Fall's here and you know what that means.  My shows are back on!  Some are examples of amazing television, others guilty pleasures that let me pretend like I'm still in high school.  Whatevs.    

So, is it just me or has this month flown by?  I was a little shocked and then super psyched to see some of the old standbys in the DVR queue this weekend.  I had zero idea they were even starting.  For that reason, today's MHM is DVR, people.  Please, please, please, if you still don't have it do yourself a favor and get it.  It's an amazing feature that remembers when your selected shows are on when you're sure to forget (like me), and won't let you miss a thing!  You never have to rush home to watch a show again, nor do you have choose between watching a show or living your life ever again.  

It's the 21st century.  Join us.   

I WISH I WERE IMELDA MARCOS

…for the shoe wardrobe only, not the political tribulations.  But unless I get a major storage unit or come up with some extreme solutions for my home, there’s no way I’m fitting all of those shoes in my living space.  Girl can dream though. 

A good shoe storage idea for us common folk is to get small shoe-like boxes (they don’t have to be standard shoe box size – they’re always a little too big), all in the same color.  Make it a fun color, live a little.  Take pictures of your shoes and print the pics out in a size large enough that you’ll be able to see when the boxes are up on a shelf.  Use Glue Dots to stick the pics to the boxes (this way you can easily swap shoes/pics out later) and you’re good to go.

Of course, I keep the shoes I wear on a regular basis on my shoe rack so I'm not always up and down in my closet but do what works for you.  I'm waiting for the day I'll have a huge walk in closet with shelves on which I can display my shoes without boxes but until then this works quite fine and I'm happy with it.

BRAND LOYALTY

I’ve written about brand loyalty in the past because I’m a true believer in it.  And here I go again.  I believe when you sway from that which you know works you’re not only wasting your money but you’re wasting your time.  Of course, there’s something to be said for trying new things; I’m the first to try something new off of the advice of a friend…if I don’t already have a go-to.  The key words there being "if I don’t already have a go-to".  Because if a product has been good to me over the years, and has done its job solidly over and over again, I’ve learned my lesson (almost always the hard way) that it does not pay to sway.  Some examples?

I know that Swiffer dusters, though relatively pricey, are truly the best when it comes to trapping and picking up dust.  When I had a lapse of judgment one day and went for the cheaper cloths, I was reminded that you get what you pay for.  Now I’m stuck with these cheap things that only do a so-so job.  But of course I feel bad throwing them out because that would be a waste, so I use them, and each time I’m reminded of what could have been if only I had stayed true to my brand.  And as I’m pushing the dust around my apartment taking 2 times longer to clean, I’m reminded of the good old days.

The Roc Multi-Correction wrinkle cream I found and use each day and night is amazing.  I’m 30-something and have a few lines here and there so I do what I can, you know?  I came across an editorial in a magazine that swore by another product.  Ah, the editorials!  The special cream/serum duo was created by a famous dermatologist, cost a little more, came in a pretty bottle, and the Editor liked it so it must be good.  Right?  Wrong.  I noticed a huge difference right away but in the opposite direction.  I longed for my old cream but vowed to go through this new stuff because I had paid kind of a lot for it.  Damn my stubbornness.  So as I watched myself age in the mirror ever so slightly for a month or so I cursed my disloyal heart. 

There are traps that marketers and advertisers put out there every day to get us to buy new products.  And we do.  Because its their job and they're good and it.  And there's nothing wrong with buying new products or trying new things.  But I will argue the point until the day I die that if you have something you love: a product that does its job and does it well, stick by it like a good friend.  Because there's something to be said for loyalty.  Loyalty won't make you question your actions, stress you out, or make you kick yourself in the ass.  Loyalty will always give you comfort and dependability when you need it most. 

MHM! #obsession

Two words for today, kids.  Scrubbing Bubbles.  I've been using this amazing foaming cleanser for years and years and years for two reasons: 1) it's super easy to use 2) it's fast.  Spray your sink, tub, and faucets, let sit, wipe them down.  Everything will literally sparkle.

For about $5 a can you really can't go wrong.  And it's sold literally everywhere - drugstores, grocery stores, etc. so finding it is almost too easy.  If it can make your cleaning jobs feel like less of a chore (which it will) isn't it worth a shot?

www.scrubbingbubbles.com

TAKE COMMAND

I’ve recently become captivated with Command 3M products, as one of their commercials is on during a show my son watches.  Of course, I DVR everything and used to fast forward through the commercial break between the two 10 minute cartoons but now my son insists on watching the commercials too.  Whatever. 

So they got me.  Their perfectly placed time slot during kids’ cartoons actually worked.  Go figure.  I zoned in one day and a light bulb went off.  Huh.  One of those clips would be great to hang my dish gloves under the sink.  And the Velcro tabs would be pure magic for hanging my mom’s door mirror vs. the screw debacle we tried.  And a hook!  A hook would be perfect for my hairdryer under the bathroom sink.

But while I’ll never use the products to decorate my house like the overly thrilled woman in the commercial does (I mean, at one point she literally covers her daughter’s bedroom walls with hooks and actually looks excited about it).  I think the room looks worse off than when she started but whatevs.  I am excited to look for a Command Damage Free Hanging Solutions Center at a store near me as the announcer suggests.

I’ll let you know how it all works out.  

THE DOG DIDN’T EAT IT

When I was growing up homework always had to be finished at night regardless of what we had going on after school.  No questions.  There was no scrambling in the morning to get homework done.  It just didn’t happen.  That’s why it’s so weird to me when friends of mine with school-aged kids allow this to happen.  I’m not sure if it bothers them or if it’s the norm for them.  All I know is that listening to them talking about it stresses me out like crazy and I’m not quite sure how they deal.

Mornings are for getting your act together: eating a nice breakfast, packing lunches and actually waking up.  They’re for enjoying coffee, not doing homework.  Wtf?  I know my kid’s little so there’s a chance I’ll be singing a different tune once he’s in school but I sincerely doubt it. 

Think about school as being a career for your kids because it is.  And they work hard all day.  They may have a big test looming, teachers and kids they’re worried about dealing with - stressors similar to those that we face in our jobs.  Now imagine if you had a project due for your boss but didn’t start it until 30 minutes before you had to walk into your meeting...while you’re shoving a bagel down your throat as someone’s brushing your hair.  Exactly.  So why do that to your kids?

Check the bag for homework as soon as they’re home for the day and make sure they finish everything they need for the next.  The poor little ones don’t need to start their days in a frenzied mode just because you didn’t do some damage control the night before.  And maybe the two of you can sit over breakfast and have a conversation about the day ahead instead of yelling at each other about who’s at fault here for this homework debacle.  Now that seems like a better way to start the day for everyone, no?

MHM! #obsession

This week's MHM! #obsession is a jewelry collection that I've been loving for a while now.  Gioielli by Nikki Baker caught my eye a while ago because her simple yet beautiful style is something that I'm very much drawn to.  I actually have a necklace very similar to one in her "single stone" collection (but my mom made mine). www.nikkibaker.com 

Her styles are worn by celebrities and are featured in tons of magazines so you've probably seen her work maybe without even realizing it was her's.  As I sit and write this I'm debating which color combo of these gorgeous stackable rings ($95 each) I should get...and in which shape configuration.  This blog is sometimes very hard on my wallet.  And I know that once I get a set I'll want to get more, but they're meant to be worn together so I suppose I could (and will).

Check out the site today to see if anything strikes your fancy.  And keep in mind...they holidays are slowly coming upon us.

BE A USER

If it weren't for my friend Amy then my college friends and I wouldn't get together for our bimonthly dinners as bimonthly as we do (or maybe ever). You'd think I'd be the one making plans for my friends, right?  I'm too busy helping you all get organized, apparently.  No, the girls and I rely on Aims because she's really good at it, and she seems to like it too.

It takes her 3 seconds to have a small but broad selection of restaurants for us to choose from.  Once the reservation has been made and we’re sitting down to eat, she'll make recommendations of what to get (and actually order for us if we do tapas or family style).  I mean, it doesn't get better than that.  

It's not her profession, far from it, she just likes it I guess.  And I'm sure you have friends that like to do things you'd rather not deal with.  So go with it.  Use them!

YOU MUST GO CRAZY WHEN YOU COME TO OUR HOUSE

My oldest brother and sister-in-law have a busy schedule between their jobs, three kids, kids’ school, sports, etc. So their house gets a little hectic at moments, to say the least.  But it’s their house.  Believe it or not, I don’t walk around judging or thinking how someone’s house could work better if only…It’s not my house, I don’t live there, and I’m not familiar with the day to day intricacies that are their lives.  Judge not lest ye be judged, yeah?  Now that having been said, I can and do step in with tweaks (warranted or not) every now and then.  Occasionally.

It was on one of my last visits to their house that I came up with my ah-ha laundry moment.  Now keep in mind that it’s just my son and I at home so I don’t have to worry about this yet.  Or maybe ever.  If you have more than two people in your house you MUST, I repeat, must have individual laundry baskets.  No ifs, ands or buts.  Trying to figure out whose undershirts, jeans, t-shirts, and socks, OMG, the socks belong to whom is enough to push someone into a nervous breakdown.

I was washing some of my own clothes at my brother’s house so, of course, I finished up their laundry for them first.  I decided to take on matching up a pile of socks I had noticed from the beginning of the week as part of “finishing” their laundry.  Now, I honestly like doing laundry (maybe that’s a given?) but this pile was absolute torture.  It was so overwhelming and was probably there for a week (if not more) because everyone in the house was terrified of it.  I matched maybe five pairs in 30 minutes before quitting.  I packed it in right there.  Done.  Goodbye.

That’s when the wheels started spinning.  If everyone had their own basket, socks (and obviously everything else) would go in together and would come out together.  Minimal time wasted matching socks or deciding whose jeans, tees, other, belong to whom.  Especially in a house with 3 women and 2 men.  No thanks!

So maybe I was pushed to a certain kind of crazy on this trip but I swear, it doesn't happen often.  And being pushed can often lead to great moments. 

MHM! #obsession

Huggable Hangers, are the best for streamlining a closet and for ensuring that clothes stay on the hanger and don't end up on the floor.

It drives me absolutely insane to peek into a closet and see 1) wire hangers from the dry cleaner.  Please bring those back to the dry cleaner to be recycled...please, or I may have a "Mommy Dearest" moment.  She wasn't that crazy- they're not meant for hanging clothes long term.  2) Mis-matched or bulky hangers are next on my list.  It's more visually appealing to have one type of hanger in one color keeping your clothes in order.  This way you can focus on the clothes and not the disorder that is your closet.

I know, you're thinking I'd rather spend my money on other things than new hangers.  I get it.  But Huggable Hangers really aren't that expensive.  You can get 24 for less than $24, 36 for $29.  They're really thin too so you'll instantly have more space in your closet.  I swear.  They come in tons of fun colors so you can personalize your closet; it doesn't have to be boring.  And you don't have to buy them all at once.  You can work your way up to a full closet.  But once you buy a few you'll probably want to buy them all.  Just promise me that you'll get started.

Huggable Hangers are sold at The Container Store, Target, Amazon, HSN, etc. etc.  Look them up on Google today and start streamlining.