Six Secrets of Organized Moms

A mom often wears many hats, taxi driver, cook, housekeeper, bread-winner, shoulder to cry on, and more. So, how does mom juggle it all? The following are six secrets of organized moms to help make things easier:

1. Routines. Organized moms serve dinner at the same time each night, have strict bed times, have after school routines with homework and socializing. If you want to be an organized mom, you have to have a routine you stick to. This might mean that you get your child up at the same time each day, and expect them to get dressed and make their bed before they come in to breakfast. You may have a few different routines, such as your morning routine, your after school and evening routine, and your weekend routine. A routine helps you, the mom, keep things on track, and helps your children to know what to expect, and what is expected of them.

2. Meal plans. Organized moms do not spend extra time in the grocery store, or standing in front of the refrigerator trying to determine what to prepare that night. Organized moms take a few minutes once a week to create a meal plan for the week. Monday: Soup, Tuesday: Chicken, Wednesday: Pizza, Thursday: Hamburgers, and the list goes on. The idea is that if you know what you are going to make you can be prepared throughout the day. For example, if you are going to roast a chicken for dinner, you will need to get it out of the freezer in the morning in order for it to be defrosted by dinner time.

3. Rules. Organized moms have rules or guidelines for their families. They may be simple like dinner is at 5:30. Or they may be more complex like, no friends, television, or snacking until your homework is completed. A mom can't keep the whole family organized without some participation, so rules, and guidelines are helpful. Make them clear, and enforce them.

4. Time off. An organized mom does not let herself get overly stressed, or overwhelmed because she knows when to say no, when to de-stress, and when to take a break. She knows that when she is starting to lose her cool, that letting dad take the kids to McDonald's rather than fixing a nice meal, is sometimes better, even if it is not the healthiest option. The organized mom knows when she needs a break, and figures out how to take one.

5. Organized home. The organized mom has an organized home. She creates a place for everything so that school mornings are not spent hastily trying to find shoes, backpacks, pens that work, etc. Instead, everything has a place, and the kids know where things go, and contribute by being sure to put their backpack on the hook, in the cubby, or whatever the case may be, the night before.

6. Back-up plans. Organized moms always plan ahead, and prepare for the worst. They carry a spare outfit, some cash, and phone numbers of friends and family, just in case. They take things in stride. So, for example, if your tire goes flat while driving, and it is your day to do carpool, the organized mom has the numbers of the other carpool moms on hand, and knows which ones can typically swap days. So, have a back up plan.

Beverly Frank is a stay-at-home mom and writer. For more parenting tips, visit http://www.surfnetparents.com.


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2nd Disk Review & Giveaway!

Week two of my review of the One on One by Tony Horton work out series.

Bikini season is around the corner and the people from Beach Body gave me the opportunity to review Tony Horton's newest DVD set. He's the guy behind Power 90, P90X, and 10 minute trainer.
Anyway, they are also allowing me to give away a complete 13 disc set to a Taking Time for Mommy reader, a value of $239.40!!

The 2nd disc is Power 90 Road warrior.
Once again Tony is a great motivator and not annoying like so many t.v. trainers.It's just you, a power band and the floor. This is done in a Power 90 circuit format and is a handy one if you’re on the road. You’re also going for max reps, not the typical 8-12 rule. Like Tony says, change is good! I'm sore but I have better flexibility than I've had in awhile!

Buy It - Can't wait until April 11 and need to buy it now? Head on over to Beachbody.com

Win It - One lucky reader of TTFM will win the complete 13 disc set! Mandatory entry!!Just head over to Beadybody.com and check out the site and their great products. Head back over here and tell me a success story, a product, or a service they offer. Good Luck!

This is closed to comments. To Enter, Head over HERE
I've added more ways for you to win!!

Longer Thicker Lashes Naturally

Women want sexy lashes, they are a symbol of femininity. I know I do. We even go as far as buying fake lashes or using special mascaras to make them thicker and longer looking. There are a few different products to assist in helping grow your eyelashes like Latisse and Rapidlash, they can get a bit pricey, especially when you can do it naturally and quite inexpensively.

1. Improve your diet – With proper nutrition your nails, hair, and eyelashes grow faster. Also make sure you are drinking plenty of water. Hydrating your body is great for you, all the way to your eyelashes. If they aren’t hydrated properly they break and fall out.

2. Keep them lubricated. The regular application of Vaseline has been known to make them grow. Use a small makeup brush to apply. You can also use Vitamin E oil, it has been known to stimulate growth and sooth irritation.

3. Remove your eye makeup at night, especially mascara. It can make your lashes brittle and break. Eye shadows can clog the pores your eyelashes grow from. By removing the makeup and giving your pours time to breath, it accelerates the growth of your eyelashes.

4. Trim your eyelashes. Yes I know this sounds crazy and you’d think it would be counterproductive but just like trimming your hair, it stimulates growth. Just remember to only trim the tips.

Remember to use caution when applying products or doing things around the delicate eye area to avoid possible injury.

Edit -It was brought to my attention that Vaseline can clog the pours - I've never had a problem but I think it's important you know.

Spring Plantings (with coupons)

We've been working hard in our yard. Freshening up our landscaping, planting fruit trees, and getting our veggies in the ground and in our veggie bins. We have several peppers, carrots, radishes, beans, several different types of lettuces and herbs. Fruits such as strawberries, thornless blackberry, a couple of different varies of grapes, papaya, figs, keylimes, limes, loquat, and many many blueberry plants!

I'm extremely excited! We haven't even gotten to the okra and corn, that should be this weekend. Yes, we've been very busy! We intend on planting a lot more! We have a large urban garden every season.


We use these totes for things like carrots, tomatoes, radishes, and lettuces.
You actually mix mud or concrete in these but we use them in our garden. Easy to move in and out of the shade. I guess these would also be good if you rented too.

We usually buy all of our pretty flowers and veggies seeds from Homedepot.
I found some Home Depot Promotional Codes for you! I'm hoping to talk my hubby
into some new patio furniture! They had free shipping on it.

Here are some more promotional codes for all types of great products!

The Ten Commandments Of Parenting Teenagers

By Joanne Kimes and R.J. Colleary with Rebecca Rutledge, PhD,

Authors of Teenagers Suck: What to do when missed curfews, texting, and "Mom can I have the keys?" make you miserable

As we all know and regret deeply, kids aren't born with instruction manuals informing us of the intricacies of how they work. As parents, our only option is to learn as we go. When our kids were babies, we learned to nap when they napped, to put valuables up on the high shelves, and that m&ms make excellent bribing tools when potty training. But now that your baby is no longer a baby (although he still may act that way from time to time), there is a whole new set of instructions to learn.

Parenting a teenager is a fulltime job, because being a teenager is also a fulltime job. Sure, they may busy themselves with school, sports, and text-messaging, but their true raison-d'etre is to perpetuate their teenager-ness 24/7. Which means while you are slacking off doing things like breathing and living, your teenagers are doing things like plotting and scheming. (They will throw in some sleeping as well, what with being teenagers and all.) Because their lives are all about them, and yours is all about working, cooking, cleaning, paying the taxes, and still finding time for Dancing With The Stars, they have the upper hand.

Were you ever a lifeguard? Me neither. As Woody Allen once said, I don't tan; I stroke. But as any lifeguard will tell you, the biggest threat to their personal safety is not a riptide or a shark. It's a swimmer in trouble. Yes, the very person they are dedicated to help will, in their own panic and hysteria, threaten to destroy them both. Sound familiar? That's because you're the parent of a teenager.

When babies, your children caused you to become sleep deprived, overwhelmed, and drink excessively. Now that they're older, they still cause you to become sleep deprived, overwhelmed, and drink excessively. As you've heard, the more things change, the more they stay the same, and that holds true for parenting as well. So how do you survive? How do you get through each day with the constant screaming, crying and demands (I'm talking about from your teens, not your babies). You follow the rules of course. For as lost as you may feel parenting your teens, there are some guidelines to follow to help you keep your sanity. Or, what's left of your sanity after parenting for so many years.

Therefore, to help you deal with your troublesome teen, keep the following rules in mind:

The Ten Commandments Of Parenting Teenagers

1. You are always right. And if you're not always right, it's because your parents messed you up when you were a kid
2. Praise in public, criticize in private. Most people do the opposite. Don't be like most people.
3. Yes, you do have to tell them a thousand times. Stop counting and get over it. Now tell them again.
4. Your teens are smarter than you think, and stronger than you realize. So don't go acting all superior just because you have wrinkles and credit cards.
5. Remember they are growing up a lot faster than you did. Advantage, you. Growing up fast is way overrated.
6. When they really screw up is when they need you most. If your parents comforted you in those situations, remember how good it felt? And if they didn't, remember how much worse it made you feel?
7. Their defeats are 50% yours, but their victories are 100% theirs. Not exactly sure what that means, it showed up in a fortune cookie. But it feels true.
8. Remind yourself, they won't be teenagers forever. Someday you will look back on these years and laugh. Definitely. Probably. Maybe.
9. Love them enough to let them hate you. Don't be their friend. Be their parent. Friends come and go. You're all-in.
10. Whatever doesn't kill you, makes you bleed internally.
11. (Bonus Commandment) You can do this.

If you keep these commandments in mind, you'll be much better equipped to tread through the dangerous road of teenhood. These rules will enable you to survive the tough times filled with defiance, rebellion, and constant eye-rolling. Like anything else from working a remote control to getting through airport security, familiarizing yourself with the rules will makes things run much smoother (although I still manage to carry-on some forbidden article like one too many ounces of liquid, that sends me straight to the frisking area). Print out this list of commandments and keep it close. Stick it on the fridge for battles at home. Keep it in your wallet to for troubles on-the-go. And remember, if you can manage to get through this difficult stage of raising teenagers, in a few years when they move out, you'll be rewarded with a lovely spare bedroom to convert into your dream room!

Copyright © 2009 Joanne Kimes and R.J. Colleary with Rebecca Rutledge, PhD, authors of Teenagers Suck: What to do when missed curfews, texting, and "Mom can I have the keys?" make you miserable

Author Bios for Teenagers Suck: What to do when missed curfews, texting, and "Mom can I have the keys?" make you miserable
Joanne Kimes has written for a number of children's and comedy television shows. This is her eleventh Sucks book. She lives in Studio City, CA.

For more information please visit http://sucksandthecity.com/

R.J. Colleary attended Emerson College and moved to L.A. to become a writer for shows such as Saved by the Bell, The Golden Girls, and Benson. He teaches writing to graduate students at Chapman University and works steadily as a playwright. He has survived two teenagers and is currently surviving one more at home in Sherman Oaks, CA.

Rebecca Rutledge, PhD is a clinical psychologist who specializes in family therapy and individual therapy for children and adolescents. She writes columns for Your Health, Memphis Women's Journal, and the Shelby Sun Times, and lives in Memphis, TN.

Learn the Right Way to Wear Your Bra

By Carole Sowe
There are issues such as health, comfort and appearance concern when selecting a bra. It is important to get the right bra as they are part of an important body appearance of a woman which boosts her confidence, beauty and sex appeal. However, women often choose the wrong bra or often wear old bras that do not fit well anymore. It is good to invest in expensive good quality bras that will last longer and keep your breast in good shape as they have better support. It will prevent your breast from sagging or dropping in future, it will also tend to make your look slimmer and having the right posture.

When you first buy a new bra make sure you adjust the straps to the maximum length and lean forward into the cups and rest your breasts into the supports. Then, hook the bra on the middle hook and put the straps on. Position it by slipping a hand into the cup and lifting the breast to avoid pinching of the breast tissue. Lastly, tighten the straps lightly without cutting the skin.

There are several signs that you need to be aware of which shows that your bra is not right for you. There could be red marks on your shoulders or your bra cup might be little too small for your breast which cause your breasts to forced over the top of the cup. If your bras front band is falling down, this may be due to the wrong bra size. Get the right cup size and style which could cover more than half of your breasts. Make sure the center of your bra touch the breastbone. The band provides almost 80% of the bras support so make sure it sit firmly against your body so that it does not ride up or move around too much. If your straps keep sliding or slipping out make sure you tighten your straps or choose racer-back or other styles to make things easier.

If you have small bust, try a balcony style bra which could enhanced neckline and show off lovely curly shape. You will also be surprised that half-cup bras also flatter a smaller bust. You could also add padding at the sides and under the bust to give maximum lift.

Large bust women need wider shoulder and back straps to give better support. Full-cups also give better appearance as well as under wire bras which give good support under the bust.

You could actually destroy your bra if you were it for too many days without washing it. Never wash your bra with hot water. Try to separate bras and other clothes as they can be tangled up easily. Never try to dry bras in heat dryers.

Never buy a bra without trying them on as they might not be suitable or fit your well. Get a lingerie lady consultation as they are well-experienced in the field and could help you pick the right bra according to your busts size and what you want.

Good Luck!

I find body shape analysis is interesting because I am able to see the ladies transformation almost immediately. Click to read more about beauty tips

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