An exciting Announcement!

 

Hello organizing friends!  We've been doing some end of summer traveling this month.  School starts in our district tomorrow.  Can you believe it!?!

I have something new in the works for organizewithjulie!  I think you are going to be very excited to hear this news! Many of you have expressed to me that you want to set up a Home Hub or that you just don't know what to do with all of the paper work that infiltrates your home.  No worries!  Coming to Jacksonville, FL in the month of September, I am offering a FREE workshop to help us all Conquer the Paper Chaos! 

You will be able to see what a Home Hub is like in real life action. You will learn how to set up a Custom Home Hub Notebook System… and it is easy!

This is the perfect time of year to figure out: how to schedule your week, how to plan your meals, what to do with all the incoming school papers and the mail. You can get your bills paid on time. You will be able to return calls in a timely manner. Your home life will become less chaotic. This system is designed to give you everything you need at your finger tips.

With school just starting, the paper work you are about to receive will seem endless. This is my proven survival technique.

The Dates are:

Monday Sept 15, 5:30pm - 7

OR

Tuesday Sept 16, 10 am - 11:30am.

The seminar is totally FREE. If you choose to buy notebooks or supplies at the seminar, those materials will be extra.

Send an e-mail to juliebavi@gmail.com or leave a comment here to let me know that you are interested.

Summer, It's got me upside-down

Where have I been? Having fun mostly!

There's lots going on in our little corner of the world this summer. Many of you know that Paul was performing with Sax 4th Avenue in Peru for a large portion of this month. I am happy to have him home. It was an awesome opportunity and we are both very glad he was able to serve with such wonderful friends. We look forward to more summer trips like this one. He did leave the day after school was out and returned last Monday, so this was very much a whirl-wind for us all. He is still adjusting to life back in the states; but oh what a blessing!

The fourth was a very laid back time for us with NO PLANNING going into a casual block party. It was one of the greatest parties I've ever been a part of and I hope that we are able to do many more. I guess when you have neighbors as caring and fun as mine, there's no way to not have a great time!

Summer is a fun time for us as a family. We are able to spend about 3 months together making plans for daily events and big vacation adventures. Our schedule has, unfortunately, gone out the window. I know there will be a rude awakening come August, but it is light so late and we are just ready for that family fun.

As far as the organizing realm is concerned... Many of you are in the process of trying to assemble your own Household Hub Binders. If you need personal assistance, I am free to workshop it with you. Here is a general guideline and FAQ.

~What is a Household/Home Hub Binder? Its essence is that it should be a manual for your daily life. This is the place to keep your - weekly schedule, grocery lists, take out menus, sales ads/coupons, financial information, school fliers, business cards, contact info.

~How do I start? Gather all of your paper and see what it is that you need to put into your binder. Make stacks of like items (finances all together, school stuff all together, etc). Use stickies to label each broad category. Write labels for sub categories as well.

~Now what? Assemble your binder by using the categories you've created. Use pocket dividers, sheet protectors, and business card sleeves where necessary. Include a pencil pouch in the front of the binder to hold extra pens, stamps (for bill paying and correspondence), a mini calculator, and other small items.

Other uses for a Home Hub Binder:

~ New Home Owner Manual - paint colors, service companies, age of appliances. (Great Gift!) ~ Vacation Home Manual - emergency contacts, operating systems, local favorites. ~ Finance Only Binder - track investments, bank statement, and account info. ~ Health Hub - Medical/Shot Records, Insurance Info, Explanation of Benefits/Dates of Service. ~ Decorator's Dream - Fabric Samples, Paint Chips, Magazine Inspiration Pages, Measurements. ~ Correspondence with your nanny/childcare - notes, schedules, plans of action, emergency info.

I know that we don't want to think about it yet, but summer is just about half over. Wouldn't it be nice to have a system in place for all of that school generated paperwork before it begins to filter into your home?

So tell me fellow Home Hubbers, what are your questions, concerns, points of advice? If you are interested in a workshop session, leave a comment or send an e-mail. I'd love to help you bring order to your paperwork chaos.

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www.organizewithjulie.com

Reflections

Jan 20

Now that you’ve had a chance to settle in and think back positively on your holiday experience, what would you do differently next year? If that brunch you threw just didn’t seem to suit, how about a cocktail (or “mock” tail) party this year? Make some notes in that handy-dandy planner we talked about last time. You can use this same system as you go through your year this year. After each worthy event (Spring Break, Overnights away, Summer vacation, going on a blind date, finding a sitter, etc) make notes of what you would do differently next time. It might be as simple as doing the laundry a day ahead of time the week prior to a trip so that packing is easier. Let me know what you come up with this year. I love it when you all share!

Are you ready to do some cleaning out of REAL clutter now?

Take fifteen minutes to go through your medicine cabinet and dispose of any old/expired medications and prescriptions. I was recently talking with someone who just disposed of medication that expired in 1995. She has moved twice recently and moved the expired medicines with her. Twice. Also make sure that the medicine dispensers for any children’s medicine are clean and stored properly. (Some medicines are very sticky and leave a residue.)

How are you doing with your resolutions? Keep trying. Good things come to those who wait.