Posted by kim on March 16, 2010
Kristin van Ogtrop knows she’s lucky–fulfilling career, great husband, three healthy kids, and, depending on the hamster count, an impressive roster of pets. She also knows she is tired. Always.
Using stories and insights from her own life, she provides a lexicon for the half-insane working mom. Anyone who has left a meeting to race to the Halloween parade immediately understands van Ogtrop’s definition of “Kill the messenger” as “The action you must take in order to forget about the office for a time–that is, to remove your Blackberry/Treo/iPhone/whatever from your person and store it as far away as your neurotic self will allow.” Filled with essays, lists, and resonant observations, Just Let Me Lie Down: Necessary Terms for the Half-Insane Working Mom establishes van Ogtrop as the Erma Bombeck of the new millennium.
How would you like to win one of the very first copies of Just Let Me Lie Down? Three lucky winners that enter before the release date of April 1st, 2010 will their very own hardcover edition – Enter to win below!
Contest starts now and ends 3/31/10 at 11:59 pm CST. Limit one entry per person. Duplicate entries will be deleted. US or Canada mailing addresses only, ages 18+. Three winners will be chosen randomly and will each receive a hardcover edition of Just Let Me Lie Down ($24.99 value each).
This giveaway is sponsored by Hachette Book Group.
Posted by Guest on March 2, 2010
The following is a guest post from best selling
author Jamie Novak, founder of Bite Size Living.
Does the thought of having to invest in costly containers stop you from getting more organized? The truth is de-cluttering doesn’t have to be expensive. Simply apply my ‘shopping at home’ method to re-use common household items, even some you’ll find in your recycling bin, and you’ll get organized for free. Since we all know organizing saves us money you’ll actually make money when you organize a few key areas of your home using items you already own!
Grab these five items you probably already own and try these clever ways re-use them to get more organized today:
Cardboard Paper Towel Insert
1. For cords. Bend the extension cord back and forth then insert into the tube. Don’t forget to label the tube so you know what’s inside.
2. For pantyhose. Slip a pair into the tube to prevent snags, toss them in your dresser drawer or suitcase when packing. Don’t forget to label the tube so you can tell navy from black.
3. For kid’s artwork. Need a way to protect that noodle and glitter creation for years to come? Roll it and insert it into the tube. Put your child’s name and the year on the outside so you can remember who created what and when.
An Egg Carton
1. As a drawer organizer. In a desk, makeup or junk drawer egg cartons make great organizers. They are shallow enough to fit in a slim drawer, you can leave the lid open to hold larger items or cut the lid off and just use the “cups.” You can even customize the size by trimming down the number of cups to suit your needs.
2. As a workshop organizer. All those little compartments make a great place to sort and store nails, nuts, bolts and other little doodads like the picture hanging hooks.
3. As a jewelry organizer. No more tangled necklaces or missing earrings. Use the egg carton to store commonly worn jewelry. Earrings, bracelets and necklaces will each have an individual section plus you can use the lid as the place to store watches.
Clothespins
1. For paperwork. Use a clothespin to sort and identify papers. Simply clip similar papers together and label them by writing directly on the clothespin. At a glance you can tell the bills from the to be filed from the to be shred.
2. For chips. Prevent open bags of food from uncurling and spilling over in your pantry. Use a simple clothespin to keep open bags closed and your pantry clean and organized.
3. For socks. Do you have a pile of unmatched socks? Most of us do. Instead of trying to match socks after they’re laundered keep them together through laundering process by clipping matches together as soon as you take them off using a clothespin.
CD Cases
1. For necklaces. Keep your necklaces tangle free by placing them in a CD case prior to traveling. Not only will they be protected, they’ll lay flat and will not be tangle into those disorganized knots.
2. For recipes. Use the case to store and protect a few of the recipes you make all the time. Slide the recipe into the side where you’d usually place the CD then flip it up so it sits on the counter and you can read your instructions.
3. For photos. If you adhere a magnet onto the back of a CD case you can then stick a photo inside and hang the ‘frame’ on the side of a filing cabinet or the front of the fridge.
Magnet
1. In the medicine cabinet. Adhere a magnet to the inside of the medicine cabinet door or under one of the shelves. Then you can stick tweezers or clippers to the magnet so they are within reach.
2. In any room. Stick a magnet to the bottom or back of containers like a mint tin or even a can from the creamed corn you had with dinner. You can then stick the containers to a magnet board for and instant wall organizer.
3. In the laundry room. Grab a magnet and use it to stick a zip top bag to the front of your washing machine. Then the next time you pull loose change, a stick of gum or a tube of Chap Stick out of someone’s jeans pocket prior to dumping it in the washer you’ll have a place to put it.
Jamie’s newest book Stop Throwing Money Away is on shelves now as well as available from Amazon.com. Jamie also hosts an online community at Bite Size Living.
