Archives for 2010

About SOS:

Straight from the owner, Christie Love, “ I chose to pursue my dream career in professional organizing because I believe it is the best way to share my God given talents and abilities with others. I’ve always had a knack and a love for planning and organizing spaces and rooms as well as scheduling and managing time. One of my favorite quotes is by the British writer, Katherine Whithorn, “Find out what you like doing best and get others to pay you for it.” This quote is what inspired me to start Simple Organized Sanity in January 2009.”

Review:

Christie was so sweet! She emailed me and we set a time for my coaching call. She emailed my a short questionnaire to fill out so she could know a little background on my meal planning troubles. A few days later I had my coaching call and it was so nice, it really was. I felt encouraged and motivated to do things differently, more efficiently. She helped me organize my store list, my recipes, and recommended recipe books that would be good for my particular situation. Christie was great and emailed me a detailed recap of our phone call so I could pay attention to our discussion and not worry about missing something. The call was very conversational and I felt like I had known her for years. She gave me a ton of tips and I loved that I was able to ask questions as we went. After the call was over she sent me customizable lists to help me stay organized. Christie was motivational and provided me with the basic tools to be more efficient in the kitchen! I would recommend SOS to anyone.

Great tips:

Meal Planning Tips

1. Plan one or two weeks at a time with your coupons in mind.

2. Write your grocery list at the same time as your menu.

3. Schedule days for certain kind of meals, foods, or who cooks.

Quick tips for planning healthy meals

1. Change the milk you drink to 1% or Skim Milk.
2. Look for baked potato chips to replace traditional potato chips.
3. Fruit smoothies make a great breakfast – they are fast, easy, and super healthy!
4. When baking you can make these healthy replacements
5. Switch from refined white breads and white flour to products that contain whole grains.
6. Look for low calorie, low sodium, low fat versions of your favorite foods.
7. Try to use fresh or frozen veggies since canned ones are often high in sodium.
8. Use egg substitutes or Egg Whites in recipes
9. Replace salt with low sodium salt or even sea salts
10. Look for alternatives to rich desserts like fruit desserts, frozen yogurt, frozen fruit treats, etc…

She shared a ton of great ideas and I have already been able to put most of the tips Christie gave me to good use! While I still wish there was at least 2 extra hours in the day to do nothing but cook and bake I am learning to better maximize my time in the kitchen and work smarter not harder. I think what I am most thankful for from Christie is the permission to “cook” a frozen meal once a week. I always felt like I was cheating but she convinced me that it was OK. : ) Since my call with Christie, our family has tried two different Bertolli frozen dinners and have really enjoyed them. Each meal was ready in 10 minutes tops and only cost $5.88 from Walmart. What a great tip!

Simple Organized Sanity & The Product Review Place have joined forces to bring you 12 reviews (mine is one of them!) on many of the fabulous organizational features that SOS can offer. Not only that but a #GetOrganized Twitter Party (full of prizes) on May 5, 2010 from 8:30-9:30 pm EST (be sure to RSVP for the Twitter party). Visit the sites below to see all of the reviews and how SOS was able to help 12 women and their families!

Please note: Not all the links may be published yet so check back. The links will appear as their posts are published.

*Organizing for the WAHM: Champagne Living
*Custom Designed Planner Sheet: Thanks, Mail Carrier
*Organizing with kids: Not So Average Mama
*How to be organized on the go: My Four Monkeys
*Weekly Organizational Challenge membership: She Scribes
*Download pass to choose 15 sheets: Life With 5 Monkies
*One Virtual Organizing Session: Guessing All the Way
*Meal Planning Coaching: Beauty 4 Moms
*One time management coaching: Coupon Clippin’ Mommy
*Organizing for the homeschool family: Scraps of Life
*Organizing with ADD/Special Needs kids: Confessions of an Overworked Mom
*Organization for the busy blogger: Moomette’s Magnificents

Buy it: You can purchase an Organizing Your Meal Planning Coaching Session at Simple Organized Sanity for $30

Win it:

Mandatory Entry Tell me what area of your life you need the most organizational help with (meal planning, office organization, household planning, or anything you need help with!).

Extra Entries

• RSVP to the #GetOrganized Twitter party
• Follow Beauty4Moms & SimpleOrganized on Twitter
• Tweet about this giveaway including @Beauty4Moms, @SimpleOrganized and a link to this post (up to once daily)
• Subscribe to email alerts from Beauty4Moms
• Add my button to your blog (leave me a link so I can see the love)
• Enter one of the other Simply Organized Sanity Giveaways listed above (and let me know which ones you entered)

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This giveaway will end on May 5, 2010 at 11:59 PM EST. The winner will be drawn via random.org and will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen. I’m sorry but this giveaway is open to US residents only.

I was given one Meal Planning Coaching Session to facilitate this review. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and from my experience working with Christie Love. I didn’t receive any other form of compensation for this review.

For a limited time grab a Free sample of Green Genius trash bags! I’ve never heard of this brand and am excited to give them a try. You’ll also get a $2 coupon off your next Green Genius purchase.

One of my fabulous readers notified me that recently Origins posted on Facebook that they are giving away Free products in celebration of Earth Day. All you have to do is simply bring any one of your current skincare product to any Origins counter on 4/22 and they’ll trade you for either an Origins Checks and Balances Frothy Face Wash or an Origins Perfect World Antioxidant Cleanser with White Tea, up to a $20 value. How cool is that? What a great way to try a new product! Just make sure that your original skincare product isn’t worth more than $20. : )
Locate an Origins near you so you don’t miss out!

The free coupon offer is no longer available but you can still print $1.00 off coupon.

When you become a Facebook fan of Simply Smart they’ll send you a coupon in the mail for Free milk. Allow 4 weeks for the delivery of your coupon.

Don’t forget to become of fan of Beauty 4 Moms on Facebook!

Thanks goes to Mavin of Savin for the heads up.

Here’s more Free points for Pamper’s Gifts to Grow members. Enjoy! : )
“GTGSPRINGFREE10” – 10 points
“GETSTARTEDNOW10” – 10 points

We have a guest post today by my friend Deana from The Frugal Homeschooling Mom. Before she left work as a public school teacher to stay at home with her daughter, Laynie, she had never dreamed of being a homeschooler! Now, she’s excitedly preparing Laynie, almost 4, for Kindergarten – – at home. She enjoys blogging about this adventure, and living the frugal life.

Homeschooling works! I’ve been doing a lot of research lately on the subject, just browsing the internet, and the following is what I’ve learned: Did you know that homeschooled children score better on standardized tests in academics, social skills, and self concept than public-schooled children? Not only that, but there is no empirical evidence that shows that homeschooling causes harm in academics, social skills or self concept in any way. Here are some specific statistics comparing homeschooled children to those educated in the public school system.

Standardized Tests: Studies by the National Home Education Research Institute have reported that homeschooled children typically score 30-38 percentage points higher than their public-schooled peers on standardized tests in Math, Language, Social Studies, Science, and Reading.

College and Life Preparation: Homeschooled kids are very well-prepared for college. Recently published ACT (American College Testing) results for 2009 show that homeschooled teens scored an average of 22.5 (on a scale of 1-36), a little higher than the national average of 21.1. The National Home Education Research Institute (August 2009) reports that homeschool students are increasingly being actively recruited by colleges, and they succeed at college at an equal or higher rate than their peers. NHERI also reports that as adults they participate in local community service more frequently, they vote and attend public meetings more frequently, and they internalize the values and beliefs of their parents at a very high rate, compared to the general population. As for SAT score comparisons, a few studies (Belfield in 2005, Clemente in 2006, and Chatmon in 2006) have found that homeschooled students’ scores on the SAT are equal to or higher than private or public schooled students, but none of these studies has found statistically significant results.

Social Skills: According to a study by Dr. Patricia Lines at the Discovery Institute in July 2000, homeschooled children were reported to be “well adjusted” when compared to public schooled children, and demonstrated fewer behavioral problems. The National Home Education Research Institute published a study in 2007 that said homeschooled children had higher scores in social skills than those in public schools. Homeschooled children typically participate in various social opportunities in the community. According to the Home School Legal Defense Association, the average homeschooled student participates in about 5.2 social activities, and 98% of all homeschooled children are involved in 2 or more social activities.

Self-Esteem: According to thesis research by Dr. Larry Shyers (1992), no difference in self-esteem was found between homeschooled children and publically schooled children, and since then other studies have confirmed this finding.

More and more families are realizing that the opportunity to homeschool is a valid option, and are jumping in on the fun. The National Center for Education Statistics produced research findings in December of 2008 that the homeschool population is growing about 8% per year, and the National Home Education Research Institute reports that number is between 5-12%. During the 2008-2009 school year, there were a grand total of 41,042 children being homeschooled, according to the NC Division of Non-Public Education’s estimates. That’s the highest number ever. That would also mean that, according to the 2007-2008 Department of Public Instruction Report, homeschoolers would make up the ­­­­­6^th largest school district in the state:

1. Wake County (134,002)
2. Charlotte-Mecklenburg (132,281)
3. Guilford County (71,292)
4. Cumberland County (52,885)
5. Forsyth County (51,351)
6. Homeschoolers! (41,042)
7. Gaston County (32,583)
8. Durham County (32,455)

There are 2,476 homeschooled children in Forsyth County where I live, which would make it the largest “school” in the district, according to the 2008-2009 report by the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools:

1. Homeschoolers! (2,476)
2. West Forsyth High School (1,975)
3. East Forsyth High School (1,880)
4. Mt. Tabor High School (1,762)

When you first begin to consider homeschooling, these are some encouraging statistics. One thing I’ve learned as well is that a parent’s education level or occupation doesn’t really make a noticeable difference in their child’s performance, either. There are also many homeschool groups and co-ops that are a wonderful support. I’m already involved in three groups in my area, and through them I have a network of about 2,700 “friends” (current homeschoolers and veterans) who are always willing to help me along anytime I have a question. Homeschooled students experience high rates of success in all areas, and there’s plenty of research to support that statement! Use it the next time a well-meaning friend or relative expresses concern about your choice to homeschool, and be proud!

Print two coupons to Save $1.25 on 1 Reynolds Wrap Foil from 100% Recycled Aluminum. Remember to hit the back button to print this coupon twice. Enjoy!

This looks like a fun freebie! Pottery Barn Kids is hosting an Earth Day celebration in their stores on April 22nd. Stop by one of their stores between 11 AM and 3 PM to celebrate with earth-friendly stories, activities, and a freebie surprise that kids “can plant at home.” Check with your local store for further details.

Here’s another great beauty sample! Grab your Free sample of John Frieda Root Awakening from Walmart. Follow the link and click on the small green box that says, “Request Your Sample.” Allow 4 to 6 weeks for delivery.