20 Minute Challenge

I'm speaking to a new moms of middleschoolers group tomorrow (very excited!) so I spent some time finishing up my remarks today. When advising my organizing clients, I love to introduce them to the 20 minute challenge. Often times we put off doing things because we dread spending an entire day of drudgery battling through whatever it is we've put off for so long. More times than not, whatever task we're dreading really won't take as long as you might think to complete (or at least to get started and make some great progress!).

In the spirit of the presentation, I've decided to log my 20 minutes each day to see what I can accomplish in little over 2 hours this week. I have little daily routines that I've built into my day which keeps me mostly on track with housework, mail & the like. Things like unloading the dishwasher each morning so I can fill it up over the course of the day, going through the mail in the mornings to keep it from piling too high on the kitchen counter, etc. I'd like to say I maintain each routine daily, but, hey, I'm human too. I can say I do them most days, how's that?

So today, after I put Charlie down for his nap, I set the timer on the microwave & got started. I managed a full hand & knee scrub of the kitchen floor (long overdue...) and wipe down the lower cabinets before time ran out. I opted to spend another 5 minutes wiping down the upper cabinets too. I didn't want them to feel left out. I spent another 10 minutes sorting the laundry so that I have some piles I can toss in when I have a free minute here or there this week too. Not bad for 35 minutes!

That's another fun trick of the 20 minute challenge. You can stop after 20 minutes and feel great about reaching your goal, but often you feel so energized about what you've done, it's easy to keep on going!

Til tomorrow...

New Listing!

Welcome home to Hearthstone! 1815 Fair Meadow is a fabulous entry point into this highly desirable Boone County neighborhood. Take advantage of the community pool, playground & walking trails. Wonderful cape cod features four bedrooms, fully-finished walkout basement, plentiful storage, upgraded kitchen with granite countertops, three full & one half bath. Could be a great opportunity for a mother-daughter suite with minimal changes to lower level. Call today for more details!

Local Housing Market Heating Up

The Enquirer wrote yesterday that Cincinnati-area pending home sales in June rose 9% year over year compared to last June. (You can see the full article here.) That's great news! As I participate in the market daily, I can definitely see that activity is picking up. First time home buyers are really getting serious. They have to close before November 30 this year in order to take advantage of the $8000 tax credit. Additionally, those in the market to move up into their 2nd or 3rd home are having a hard time letting some of the current market deals pass them by. Savvy clients understand that there is a possibility that they may take a bit of a hit on the sale of their current home, but that they will more than make up for any loss with the bargains to be had on the buy side of the transaction.

One final note: current mls statistics indicate that fresh inventory is selling. Homes that have been listed for a while are sitting, while new listings to the market are generating activity & offers! Now could be a perfect time to consider listing your home for sale. Call or email me today for a free, no-obligation Competitive Market Analysis to see how we can best position your home to sell in today's market.

Drop In Daycare - A Real Lifesaver!

I've recently begun using Skidaddles, a local drop in daycare service, as a backup plan for our little guy. Both of my professions - realtor & professional organizer - often call for appointments outside of the traditional nine to five. Hubby is fantastic about helping me out, but our work & travel obligations don't always align just so. It's such a relief to have this in my back pocket now. My ace in the hole, if you will.

It's located in Florence - next to Miyoshi for all you locals. The hours are great - open til 9pm Monday through Thursday and til midnight on Fridays & Saturdays, so it's perfect for a last-minute date night too! Before, last minute calls & client requests could induce panic...who can I call? Am I imposing? Now, I can be just about anywhere with little more than an hour's notice. The staff has been great & Charlie seems genuinely happy each time I've picked him up. It's added calm & balance to our schedules which is really what it's all about. Now I can focus on my family and focus on my clients' needs too without having to worry that I'm shortchanging one for the other. Bliss.

Open House - Sunday, June 14

Please visit me on Sunday, June 14 from 1-3pm when I'll be holding 9997 Cedarwood Dr. in Union open for viewing. Come check out this fabulous home situated on a lake & cul-de-sac street. Tons of space for the family - and only 1 block to the community pool! Recent price reduction to $350,000 - a real deal in Hempsteade!

Lovely Blog Award

Neysa Ruhl, of Neysa Ruhl Photography (http://www.neysaruhlblog.blogspot.com/) awarded me the "Lovely Blog Award"! Thanks Neysa!

The rules of accepting the award are as follows:

1. accept the award

2. post it on your blog together with the name and link of the person who granted the award

3. pass the award onto 5 other blogs you enjoy following

Don't forget to let the recipients know they have been chosen so they can continue the links & awards!

My faves include:

1. Thistle Downs Wool Design (http://www.thisledownswooldesign.blogspot.com/) - I can't remember how I actually found this site...I think I was doing some online research looking for a particular type of yarn and I must have stumbled across it. At any rate, I love reading it and am thrilled to say I'm the proud owner of two fabulous bags handmade by Sarah. She put up a post that she was offering some great discounts to clear out some inventory, so I snapped them up! One was supposed to be for a friend for Christmas, but I wound up keeping them both (and getting my friend something nearly as fabulous, I'm sure!).

2. A Friend to Knit With (http://a-friend-to-knit-with.blogspot.com/) - I must have found Leslie's site from Sarah or the other way around. Another of my favorite reads...lovely photography, knitting projects, recipes. And she always seems so put together, but in a really good way. Not stuffy put together; cool put together.

3. Choosing Voluntary Simplicity (http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/) - I think I found Shirley's blog through an online organizing page maybe? Again, I'm really not sure! But I'm so glad I did. Great tips on living a simpler life; one that's based on what's important to you. It's something we can all get better at. I think what I like most about the blog is that it's never preachy...just really good insight into one family's choices on living more simply. So nice!

4. Working Moms Against Guilt (http://www.workingmomsagainstguilt.com/) - I discovered WMAG through an article in Cincy Chic (http://www.cincychic.com/) a few months back. As a new working mom myself, it's comforting to know I'm not the only one dealing diaper surprises (or worse!) just as we're ready to walk out the door. I don't always agree with every post, but who ever said we have to have 100% agreement on something in order to enjoy it? I can always count on a gem or two in Friday Finds.

5. Triple BROWNie Delight (http://www.triple3browniedelight.blogspot.com/) - "...full of gooey and nutty news from Jeff, Amber & Noah." What else is there to know? Always a fun read to catch up on what's new in the lives of friends & family. Oh, and Amber is a budding professional organizer in the making...just you wait & see!

And a quick side note...I was having a devil of a time getting my links to link properly, hence the typed links in parenthesis. Happy reading!

Really Neat Featured in Cincy Chic!

A while back I posted about my friend, Neysa, including me in an article spotlighting our work together in her home office. Hot off the presses (or cyberlinks, or whatever it is we say now...)
you can click here to read all about it!

Really Neat in Cincy Chic!

Sweet Surprises

"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." Aesop

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I was treated to the most pleasant surprise today. My friend, Neysa, included me in an article about our work together at her house for an upcoming issue of Cincy Chic. I typically count myself a generally happy person, but I find that I'm smiling even more than normal today from such a simple act of kindness. Go spread your own kindness today - it's contagious.

Growth - Part 1

I'm taking a big step today towards one of my growth focus areas for the year - growing my business - and am enrolling in pre-licensing classes in order to earn my real estate license. It's a natural extension of my current business, Really Neat. Additionally, as we're in our third home in seven years, it's also an area in which I have a fair amount of personal experience. I've set a goal to sit for the the state license exam by February 27 - I'll keep you posted on my progress!

Grow

I've never been a big fan of New Year's resolutions, but I have decided to focus on the idea of growth for the coming year. Kind of a four corners approach if you will: Grow spiritually. Grow as a spouse. Grow as a parent. Grow my business.
Grow.
Wishing you health, happiness & growth of your own sort in the coming year.