Healthy Living Mama

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Organizing Your Books, CDs and DVDs

It's Thursday! Time for more organizing....

If you are just joining us, we have been getting organized using Jennifer Ford Berry's Organize Now book.

It has some great info and tips on organizing various parts of our life and home. You can see past posts here:

Week 1 about Organizing Your Mind and Life Vision HERE,

Week 2 about Organizing Your Priorities HERE,

Week 3 about Organizing Your Schedule HERE

Week 4 about Organizing Your Cleaning Schedule HERE.

Week 5 about Organizing Your Personal Information HERE.

Week 6 about Organizing Your Finances HERE.

Week 7 about Organizing Your Bill-paying System HERE.

Week 8 about Organizing Your Receipts and Taxes HERE.

Week 9 about Organizing Your Files HERE

                               Week 10 about Organizing your Magazines and Newspapers HERE.
   Week 11 about Organizing Your Email HERE
                                                Week 12 about Organizing Your Mail HERE
                                         Week 13 about Organizing Your Child's Toys HERE.

Week 14 about Organizing Your Crafts HERE.

Week 15 about Organizing Your Photographs HERE.

Week 16 about Organizing Your Purse or Wallet HERE.

Week 17 about Organizing Your Vehicle HERE.

Week 18 about Organizing Your Pet HERE.

This week we are organizing books, CDs and DVDs. These things can have a tendency to get out of control. Maybe not as much these days though with all of the new technology out there. My husband loves his new Kindle Fire and we are trying to get rid of more physical books. And we have a LOT of books! lol. Same goes for CDs and DVDs. I think people are definitely buying less, and storing them electronically. This is a great solution! But since many of us still have lots of books, CDs and DVDs around, this post will hopefully still be useful.

This Week's Goals:

1. Collect all of your books, CDs and DVDs in your house and vehicle. Put CDs and DVDs back in the correct case and sort into piles:

1. throw out 2. keep 3. Sell or donate 4. borrowed from a friend

2. Clean bookshelves and put books back that you will keep, according to size. Make a date to return borrowed books.

As you go through your books, really decide if you still need them. If you have read them and do not need them anymore, consider donating or selling them. Give others the chance to love them as much as you have.

3. Alphabetize your CDs (by artist) and DVDs (by title). Develop a system for storing these things and keep it consistent. (ie - keep all spines facing the same way, etc)

I know many people who keep their CDs in a book like this. Saves on space.

Tips:

1. Get in the habit of putting your CDs and DVDs away as soon as you are done with them. (this is a work in progress for me!)

2. Consider storing your CDs on one portable electronic device. You don't need the physical CD if you do this, so you could store it in your closet or consider selling or donating it.

3. Keep track of when your library books and DVD rentals are due in your planner. Those late fees can add up fast!

How do you organize your books, CDs and DVDs?

For more information about organizing, please see the Organize Now book.

Next week we will start a new section of the book: Organize Your High-Traffic areas, starting with the entryway or mudroom. Are you ready?? Am I ready?! lol

Thanks for reading! Have a great day!

Rebecca

Monday, May 14, 2012

Our new garden!

I mentioned recently that my father-in-law came to help my husband build our new raised bed gardens. They look so great! I promised a post about this so here it is. I hope you enjoy it. We had a great time putting the garden in this weekend. Here are some picture from it. Enjoy!

This is the before picture of our garden. It was like this when we moved in almost four years ago. We have planted every year, but were not so great about keeping up with weeding.

And below is what it looks like now! We really love it. The raised beds help to keep the weeds out. It is also above ground, so it is warmer and you can plant earlier. My husband and his dad put in the white tubing along the side, which makes it easy to attach a plastic covering over it if it gets too cold outside. The soil is also much better then the clay-like soil we have here in Indiana. We are really happy with the gardens and are excited to see what kind of crop we get this year! :)

My husband and FIL did a lot of research on building the gardens. They had a great time gathering the wood and supplies and putting them together.

Digging the holes.

Ours are 4x6. Apparently if they are bigger then that, then the wood can bow and warp over time.

Using the rototiller to turn up the soil and get it ready for planting.

My in-laws were a great help and had fun putting this together.

Now that we had the gardens, we needed to fill them. We headed to the nursery on Mother's Day and had a great time picking out our plants.

The kids chose some cucumber plants for me.

We bought lots of different kinds of tomato and pepper plants and various herbs. We also got some eggplant, green onion, cucumber, spinach and lettuce. I love planting! :)

We are getting a few apples on the two macintosh trees that we planted last summer.

We went to the nursery with my in-laws when they visited a couple weekends ago. My MIL bought us two of these beautiful Iris plants for Mother's Day.

And we bought another apple tree that we planted yesterday. This time Gala. It is important to have at least two trees somewhat close together that flower in the same season so they can cross pollinate. We had another apple tree here that died last year with the high winds so we replaced it. Our kids love to help!

I also received this beautiful orange lily for mother's day from my husband and kids. It was the same flower I carried in my wedding bouquet almost 8 years ago. Isn't it pretty?

Andrew had a great time helping plant the garden. He especially loved planting this stick that he found. :)

We planted everything using Basic H2 super organic concentrate. We used the all-purpose spray (1/4 tsp. of H2 to 16 oz of water) and spray it in the hole and on the roots. Basic H2 is made of corn and coconut, and makes water 100xs wetter. This helps the roots take hold better to absorb the soil's nutrients. You can also use the window spray (1-2 drops of H2 to 16 oz of water) on the leaves to keep them moist and perk them up. It works great for this!

Have you planted your garden yet this year? Do you used a raised bed? What produce have you planted?

Thanks for reading! Have a wonderful week!

Rebecca

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Organizing Your Pet

It's Thursday! Time for more organizing....

If you are just joining us, we have been getting organized using Jennifer Ford Berry's Organize Now book.

It has some great info and tips on organizing various parts of our life and home. You can see past posts here:

Week 1 about Organizing Your Mind and Life Vision HERE,

Week 2 about Organizing Your Priorities HERE,

Week 3 about Organizing Your Schedule HERE

Week 4 about Organizing Your Cleaning Schedule HERE.

Week 5 about Organizing Your Personal Information HERE.

Week 6 about Organizing Your Finances HERE.

Week 7 about Organizing Your Bill-paying System HERE.

Week 8 about Organizing Your Receipts and Taxes HERE.

Week 9 about Organizing Your Files HERE

Week 14 about Organizing Your Crafts HERE.

Week 15 about Organizing Your Photographs HERE.

Week 16 about Organizing Your Purse or Wallet HERE.

Week 17 about Organizing Your Vehicle HERE.

This week we are organizing our pets. Have you ever thought about this? Jennifer says that pets are like children. They have things and things need to be organized.

Pets are an important part of the family. My husband grew up with a dog named Fudge and I had a cat named Mischief and rabbit named Stu (or Stew if you asked my dad.) and also a hamster named Samantha, when I was young:) My husband and I have also had fish. We cannot wait to get a dog once our boys are a little older. Right now we have our hands full but plan to adopt a dog in the next couple of years. We are really looking forward to that!

my favorite breed of dog:)

This week's goals:

1. Find a good location for all of your pet's supplies. (toys, bowls, leashes, medicines, etc) This could be in your garage, mudroom, basket near the back door, cabinet, etc. A basket works great for toys if you want your pet to have easy access to them.

2. Get rid of things that your pet no longer needs or uses. This includes cages that are broken or rusted, toys that need to be thrown out, treats they won't eat, toys from a pet that has passed away, etc.

3. Wash all dispensers and bowls for water and food. I have talked about using Basic H2 organic cleaner around my kids. But it is also great and safe to use around pets since it is all natural.

this looks a lot like my Mischief:)

4. For cat owners - completely empty the litter box and give it a good cleaning. Do this once every month. Your cat will thank you! I remember that my cat refused to use the litter box if it wasn't up to her standards. :)

5. Organize vet records. Keep a file to keep track of vaccinations, checkups, surgeries, prescriptions, etc. It is important to keep the vaccination record with you if you fly with your pet.

6. Like with children, keep a good pet description, current photo, license number, veterinarian info, etc in case your pet gets lost or for when you travel with him.

What pet tips can you offer?

Thanks for reading! Have a great day!!

Rebecca

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Skin Cancer Awareness Month

Did you know that May is skin cancer awareness month? My husband heard it on KLOVE the other day and mentioned it to me. I did not know this but was interested because skin cancer runs in my family.

I started doing a little research on the topic and learned that malanoma is the deadliest form of cancer. I was surprised at this. This kind of cancer continues to be on the rise as more and more people are being diagnosed. The lifetime risk for men is 1 in 36 and for women is 1 in 55. I found some of these facts on the Skin Cancer Foundation website, which has a lot of information to take a look at.

The American Cancer Society also has a lot of good info on this topic.

I also found some good tips at prevention through the National Council on skin cancer prevention.

PREVENTION TIPS:

1. Do not intentionally tan or burn. Avoid tanning beds!!

2. Stay in the shade. The sun is the hottest between 10am and 4pm.

3. Wear protective clothing such as wide brimmed hats and sunglasses, sleeved shirts and pants.

4. Be generous with sunscreen. Use at least an SPF of 30 and one that has both UVA and UVB protection. Apply 15 min. prior to going out and reapply every 2 hours.

5. Be careful around water, snow and sand as they are more reflective to the sun and you could burn easier.

6. Get your vitamin D safely through diet and vit. D supplements.

Since I am fair-skinned and have a history skin cancer in my family, I am careful to protect my skin when I am in the sun. I use a good and safe sunscreen through Shaklee, which is the #1 natural nutrition company in the US.

It is wonderful for my entire family, including my small boys. I like it because it isn't oily and we don't smell like a coconut after putting it on. lol. It is SPF 30 and protects against UVA and UVB rays and also helps prevent premature aging of the skin. Like all of Shaklee's skin care line, it is paraben free.

I also found this short video that is a great illustration of the natural vitamin skin care products that are available through Shaklee. I love using these products on my skin, esp. since they are scientifically proven to help slow the aging process of the skin. I never thought about this too much 10 or 20 years ago, but now that I am in my mid 30s, it is something I think about! lol

And remember that Shaklee is running a free membership with any product order in the month of May promotion. It's a great time to try some of these wonderful skin care products and always save at least 15% through your membership. Membership to Shaklee is like joining Costco but without the annual fees. No minimums or required autoship. It's a great deal, which is why I love sharing it with you!

I hope you have a healthy day and I hope this post was a helpful reminder on some things you can do to protect your skin as we head into the hot summer months.

Thanks for reading!!

Rebecca

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

grandparent fun!

My husband's parents came for a visit this weekend. It was my father-in-law's birthday so we celebrated with them. My husband and FIL also made some raised bed gardens for us, which turned out so great! I will definitely put a post up about that sometime soon so keep a look out for it.

Here are some highlights from their visit. Enjoy!