Lessons from the Scrapbook Page

Life-transforming advice for parents.

A special message from Allison Bottke, highly respected author and speaker, and most importantly, a mom who has been through more than I can imagine. 

Our country is in a crisis of epidemic proportion concerning adult children whose lives are spinning out of control—leaving parents and grandparents broken-hearted and confused. This painful issue is destroying individuals, families, marriages, churches, and communities. I believe in my heart that you are reading this message today for a very specific reason. Do you know someone who has an adult child who is always in crisis? An adult child who brings chaos to virtually every situation? Could this painful issue be touching your life today?

If so, there’s a truth I’ve come to embrace that has changed my life—it can change yours, too. It’s taken me more years than I care to admit, but I no longer believe in “coincidences.” The truth I’ve come to embrace is that God is the Master of orchestrating “God-cidences.” He has a plan for who he wants us to meet, what lessons he wants us to learn, even what books he wants us to read. He even has a plan for the trials and tribulations of life.

When we begin to look at everything that happens to us throughout the day as “God-cidences” (and not accidental coincidences) it changes the way we view our world.

That said, my prayer is that you will see the following message and the book; Setting Boundaries with Your Adult Children: Six Steps to Hope and Healing as a “God-cidence” placed into your life today for a powerful purpose. Perhaps it’s to help heal your family or the family of a loved one. Perhaps you are here to help us introduce this resource to a broader audience via additional media contacts you may have. Whatever the “God-cidence” may be, please know our primary goal is to bring hope and healing to families around the nation—thank you for helping us do that.

I pray you will view what you are about to read as a “God-cidence” meant just for you.

God Bless and Keep You,
Allison Bottke

I know that many of you, like me, are mothers of young children and just starting out on this journey of parenthood. If that's you, make sure you read the answer to my last question. I always value words of wisdom from moms who have been through the fire and survived, which is why I value Allison's perspective and hard-earned answers to tough questions. She was kind enough to answer some of my specific questions about her book. I hope that you will be inspired and perhaps reminded of someone that might be in need of this exact message today. I know I can easily think of a few people struggling with these issues right now.

Here's Allison again...

Are you daring?

Would you consider yourself daring? I used to. In high school, I was voted as the most daring person on my dance team. In college, I did a backward swan dive off a bunjee jump. Pretty daring feats if you ask me.

So, let me ask you...do you dare to wear white?

Have you heard of the Dare to Wear White website and campaign? When I first heard about it, I was completely in the dark as most women are. The more I learned, the more I was shocked by the statistics...an issue that affects 10 million women and no one is talking about it. I knew I had to share this with you.

Dare to Wear White is a website where you can learn more about this issue that affects 1 in 5 women. Once you've taken a look at the site, you can take a survey. The first 250 eligible women (i.e. those who have heavy periods and are finished having children) who complete their short simple survey, will receive a $10 Amazon gift certificate as a thank you for your participation.

This is what I've learned...

Going green just got easier.

Seems everything is going green these days. From the cars we drive to the clothes we wear, people are trying to make a difference in our consumption habits that affect our environment. It's a great idea and someone really should have thought of it sooner. Well, I'm sure someone did. It's just that it's finally reached the mass audience that can make the change necessary.

Along that line, I got an email announcement from my sister-in-law that she has started a green housecleaning company in southern California: Cleanin' Green. How incredibly cool is that? I've had my house cleaned a few times for special occasions. While I love the way it looks, the smell is nearly intolerable. Knowing that the smell is so toxic makes me wonder how much of those chemicals linger after the cleaning is done. Not a good thought, especially with a little one in the house.

The email from my SIL got me thinking about my cleaning products and how eco-friendly or not eco-friendly they are. And then, as serendipity often goes, I found Clorox Green Works.

The Products
Clorox has just launched Green Works, a full line of natural cleaning products for everything from kitchen counters to toilet bowls, made from plant-based ingredients derived from coconuts and lemon oil.

The Test
The two issues that I have with green cleaning products are quality and smell. Since we've already established that I'm a bit of a clean freak, I was very interested to see how they would stack up to my regular cleaners. And if I would be able to breathe during and after the clean ups.

The Results
Citrus smelling cleaners that actually work. No chemical smell. No dry hands from touching chemicals. And sparkling clean counters, toilets, glass, and sinks. They work.

Check them out the next time you're picking up cleaning supplies!

How to Get Money For Your Used Clothing

Remember last year when I talked about scaling down and getting rid of lots of stuff. It was inspiration from Peter Walsh and his book, It's All Too Much. Well, I just learned about a great way to make that de-cluttering process work for you even more. If you itemize your tax return you are in a perfect position to pick up some extra money from donated clothing.

So this is what I learned:

If you're like most of us, you stuff a bunch of clothes into bags, drop them off at a collection center and claim a $100 deduction.

Guess what? Those clothes could easily have been worth $1,500 or more if you only knew how to value them. The values add up quickly. Books, even magazines, can be donated to libraries or churches and properly valued. The law does not allow the charity to set the value of an item. You, the donor and tax payer must do that. But how much should you claim? If you overstate the value you risk an audit, penalties and interest. If you underestimate you will pay more taxes than you should.

Here are some examples of what donated items are worth, assuming "Good" condition:

Dress: $13

Suit: $35

Jeans: $8

Sneakers: $12

Stuffed animal: $3

It can really add up quickly.

Certified Public Accountant William R. Lewis of Certified Used Clothing Values, Inc., has written a booklet, "MONEY-For Your Used Clothing; 2007 Tax Year" that comes to the rescue of uncertain taxpayers. The booklet lists values for more than 700 items of clothing and household goods commonly donated to charity. The values are obtained from annual surveys of consignment and thrift stores, conforming to IRS requirements for donated items.

"MONEY-For Your Used Clothing" is guaranteed in two ways:

1. If you itemize your tax return, Lewis guarantees you will reduce the taxes you owe or increase your tax refund by at least $250 or your money back.

2. If the IRS disallows the deduction, Certified Used Clothing Values, Inc., will personally pay any interest and penalties.

"MONEY-For Your Used Clothing" is also a workbook for all your charitable donations. It addresses recent tax law changes and guidelines for tax year 2007 (the tax return you must file by April 15, 2008). "MONEY-For Your Used Clothing; 2007 Tax Year" retails for $25.

Go to the MONEY For Your Used Clothing for more information or Debt Proof Living to order at a discount for $20.

Great News for Clean Freaks

You probably don't know this about me, but I'm a clean freak. Seems like every day and night I'm asking someone if they washed their hands, wiped down the counter, and cleaned up after themselves. It's not just because I like things being neat and clean, it's a germ issue. I don't like germs, bugs, viruses, colds, or bacteria. I don't imagine many people do, but some people just don't seem to mind as much.

For example, you'll never find me eating food off the ground, even with the 10-second rule. If I see it hit the ground it's over. If I even see food hit the table in a restaurant it's over, I won't eat it. This is good news to my husband and daughter who don't seem to mind eating things off the floor. I know it sounds bad, but that's just how they are. I think it's fine for them... they both have incredible immune systems that have been built up over the years of not being a clean freak.

But I digress. What I really want to share with you is that I found a resource that made me feel like I could loosen up a bit on the cleaning reigns and not have chaos ensue. The resource is a little guide called, What to Expect Guide to a Healthy Home. Sound familiar? It should if you read the "What to Expect" guides for pregnancy and raising your child.

The great thing is that this is a short booklet that reassures you that you're probably doing better than you think. So many things we do are habitual because we've been trained. Things like washing your hands before handling or eating food, wiping noses with tissue, not sleeves...not to mention great inventions like inside bathrooms! The booklet even talks about eating food off the ground and says that my family is actually right...at home it's probably okay to pick something up and eat it. But if it's a paci or if it's not at home, it's best to get a replacement.

The way the information is organized let's you take a look at specific rooms in the house for ideas on how and what to pay attention to. Clorox actually funded the little booklet and author Heidi Murkoff to get this clean information out. Heidi's guide is a perfect resource to keep at your finger tips. And it's yours with just a click of the button at What to Expect Guide to a Healthy Home. Enjoy!

GTD Explained: More Tips & Hints for Getting Things Done

If you haven't seen the Real Women Scrap TV episode about Getting Things Done...watch that first, then return for these additional tips...

I'm Out of the Zone

Ever felt like you were out of the zone...like a referee might call you for being off sides? Well, I have to admit that I'm out of the zone. At least that's what Aby Garvey said in her newsletter. Well, I guess she didn't personally call me out and say that I was out of the zone, but she described me pretty clearly... everything is not running smoothly, piles are stacking up, and all is not right with the world. I know why it's that way...so much traveling, not enough time at home. Aby's solution...get back in the zone.

So, that's what I've been trying to do. Whether going through the piles of mail on the front counter or cleaning my makeup brushes, it's funny how the little organizing tasks have a calming effect. I like seeing clear counters and knowing that little by little I can move safely back into the zone.

What's life like for you right now? Are you in the zone or out of it? I know that Fall always seems to bring that flurry of activity, unexpected events, and changed schedules so it's easy to get thrown off track. Even with preparation and planning, it's sometimes inevitable that life will get derailed. What I've learned is that the sooner I recognize the problem and start to course correct, the quicker it all seems to fall back together.

So what's on your list of things to do to get back on track, to find your bliss? I'd love to hear about it!

Coming up this week: Ali Edwards--Life Artist on Real Women Scrap TV.

technorati tags: Organizing, Scrapbooking, Ali_Edwards, Life_Artist, Real_Women_Scrap_TV

GTD List Of 12

I promised it, so it's about time to deliver. The list of 12 tabs that I created for my GTD Planner are:

1. Big Picture
2. @ ASAP
3. @ EMAIL
4. @ PHONE
5. @ COMPUTER
6. @ CAR
7. 2 BLOG
8. 2 WRITE
9. 2 READ
10. 2 CREATE
11. PROJECTS
12. SOMEDAY

Those 12 sections pretty much cover everything that I would need to track, record or do in my life. Every once in a while I find it hard to figure out exactly where something fits, but then I usually throw it in @ASAP and just get it done. Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any questions! Thanks for tuning in.

Maximize Your Website Marketing With Blogging

That's the title of the presentation I'm giving today, Tuesday, 8/14 at 5 pm at Bally's Gold Ballroom in Vegas.
My tackle this week: GET READY!

My husband and I are here for the Wedding and Event Videographer's Expo and Convention (WEVA). (See our publicity photo to the right!) They brought us down to speak about blogging for videographers. This will be the third speaking engagement about blogging in less than a year and I love it! Giving other small businesses the tools and strategies they need to reach their market and make a name for themselves is so important. AND videographers have great material to show—cool videos, amazing photo montages, creative documentaries.

So, these are my action steps for today:

1. Interview pro videographers re: blog statistics
2. Finalize slides for presentation
3. Rehearse with slides and video
4. Video and sound check in ballroom
5. Assemble gear:
   • Business Cards
   • Blog Your Way to Profits CD
   • Get Paid What You're Worth CD
   • What a Concept DVD
6. Rehearse again
7. Get dressed and ready
8. Show up early
9. Pray for the butterflies to stop fluttering

Not too long of a list. Since I taught junior high for so many years, when I get up on a stage to present, I usually just step right into teacher mode. I'm not really sure how it happens, but I'm sure glad it does! It's just the time right before I go on that makes me nervous. I want so much to provide value to each person attending that I start to second-guess myself.

There you have it! Wish me luck. What are you tackling this fine Tuesday?

technorati tags: Tackle_It_Tuesday, Blogging, WEVA, Speaking, Videographers, Vegas

How To Escape From Overload And Get Things Done

You wake up early or stay up late so that you can get some things done, but the inevitable happens. You sit down at the computer, open your email and spend the next 3 hours reading, writing, responding, and not really making any progress. Why does this always happen?

The better question is: What can we do to stop it? Stop multi-tasking.

Multi-Tasking Is Dead
Women are genetically wired to take in and process information in a holistic way. We connect things, look at the big picture, and try to see how it all fits together. We also learn early on that we can do more than one thing at a time. Just remember the first time you realized that you could listen to your stereo, talk on the phone, and paint your nails. If you were really good, you could read your homework at the same time. We just keep "improving" with age.

Now I can cook dinner, check my e-mail, write a blog post, read another blog, listen to music, discipline the kids, and straighten the house all at the same time. Flitting like a hummingbird from one thing to the next, getting things done (hopefully), but not enjoying the process or even realizing what I'm doing. It's like living on auto-pilot and I've checked out into a flurry of activity. Sound familiar?

Here's the solution: Start single-tasking.

Find A Better Way To Get Things Done
But how will I ever get anything done, you ask. I know it's hard to believe, but you will get things done and you'll get them done better than you did when you were focused on everything. You'll also enjoy the process, remember what and why you are doing what you're doing, and breathe a little easier.

Can't do it, you say? Too much to do and too little time. I know, I know. We all feel that way, but the truth of our lives is that busyness does not become us...

• We look and feel tired all the time.
• We aren't connecting with our friends or family the way that we want.
• We're out of shape and unhealthy because we don't rest, eat, or exercise.
• We're hard to pin down because all the things of life are pushing the life out of us.
• We age faster than we should and worry about it, which makes us age even more.

The list goes on and if you're honest, it applies to 95% of us. Stop the cycle and start single-tasking.

Definition of Single-Tasking:
Creating an environment that permits the start-to-finish completion of high-impact tasks.

Stop the insanity and start living. If you can't do it all, then start cropping things out of your life that don't quality as high-impact. Learn to say no. It's not a dirty word. Every time you say no to something else, you're saying yes to you and that's amazing. Try it today. Focus. Turn off everything and focus. Breathe and see what you can accomplish when you keep it simple and find your focus.