by kathilipp | Oct 12, 2017 | Clutter Free, tips and ideas |
As always, I had an amazing time at MOMCON (MOPS International’s Convention). We had a booth this year, so I got to meet a lot of moms we may have missed in the past. My favorite part? Hearing their stories from Overwhelmed (I can’t believe how many of you are doing book studies on it!) and Clutter Free.
Clutter Free Kit
And with Clutter Free being part of the MOPS curriculum this year (HUZZAH), I wanted to share with you an amazing idea one group had for a Clutter Free meeting. After showing the Clutter Free video, the leaders gave each mom a kit:
- 3 bags:
– Bag 1 for garbage
– Bag 2 for recycling
– Bag 3 for things to bring into the house
- A package of Clorox wipes (These could easily be broken down into Ziploc sandwich bags to give each mom just a few wipes.)
- A package of Windex wipes (See above.)
- A lint roller
- A Glade Car freshener
Along with the kits, they also provided vacuums and Handi-vacs for the moms to use. Then each mom went to her car or minivan and spent twenty minutes cleaning it out. Awesome, right? The MOPS leaders who tried this idea told me all the moms said it was their favorite activity ever. (Because once you watch a video about decluttering, you want to go and do it NOW.) And the best part? Everyone went home with a sense of accomplishment and fewer French fries in their back seat. Win-win!
Want to clean out your car and get a mini-craft in at the same time?
Make your own car freshener!
All you need is:
- 1 Clothespin
- Essential Oils (Lemon or Peppermint are some great, fresh flavors depending on the time of year.)
Instructions:
1. Dab five drops of essential oil on each side of the clothespin (ten drops total).
2. Clip the clothespin onto the vent. It makes your car smell yummy and fresh without overpowering. I love it.
Clutter Free Events are Being Booked for 2018!
Friends, what sounds better than a girl’s night out? You and me and a few dozen, or hundreds, of your friends!? I would love to come and share the Clutter Free life with you. This is a great reach-out opportunity. To learn more and get your date on the calendar, shoot me an email at bookings@kathilipp.com.
by kathilipp | Sep 19, 2017 | Clutter Free, Podcast, tips and ideas |
Clutter Free
If you’ve ever wished you could clear out your clutter, simplify your space, and take back your life, Kathi Lipp’s new book has just the solutions you need. Building off the success of her The Get Yourself Organized Project, this book will provide even more ideas for getting your life and your stuff under control.
Ah, Costco. Gloriously large and yet frighteningly large all at the same time. Do you ever feel lost when you enter a Costco? You are not alone. Listen in as Kathi offers tips to help guide you through Costco as a savvy shopper. Equipping us with strategies and surefire tips for preparedness that will remove the stress out of shopping (and maybe even make it fun!) your trip to Costco will never be the same.
Go and put your Costco shopping ideas/comments and we will pick one person to receive a copy of the Clutter Free book.
FREE DOWNLOAD
BONUS ~ Free Downloads!
***Bonus***
Kathi’s Free Costco checklist spreadsheet!
***Bonus***
Kathi’s Amazing Chicken recipe
by kathilipp | Aug 1, 2017 | Clutter Free, Podcast, tips and ideas |
Get Yourself Organized & Put the Disciple into Discipline
The Get Yourself Organized Project
Kathi Lipp, author of The Husband Project and other “project” books, is just the author to address this need. In her inimitable style, she offers:
- easy and effective ways women can restore peace to their everyday lives
- simpleL and manageable long-term solutions for organizing any room in one’s home (and keeping it that way)
- a realistic way to de-stress a busy schedule
- strategies for efficient shopping, meal preparation, cleaning, and more
Full of helpful tips and abundant good humor, The Get Yourself Organized Project is for those who want to spend their time living and enjoying life rather than organizing their sock drawer.
LEARN MORE
Put the Disciple into Discipline
PUT THE DISCIPLE INTO DISCIPLINE gives parents the tools they need to truly disciple their kids through their most trying discipline situations.
What do you say when your kid has really messed up?
How do you respond when your three-year-old is throwing pennies at other carts as you walk through the aisles at Target? Or when your eight-year-old daughter rolls her eyes in a dramatic fit of preteen angst? Or when your sixteen-year-old son is lying as he attempts to go somewhere that he never should be?
These are the tough moments in parenting.
But they are also the moments that will define your kids.
LEARN MORE
Do you have a morning routine that works for you? Kathi and Erin discuss how to have a clutter free morning and give you three strategies to make mornings much easier.
Implement these tips now to start the new school year stress-free.
As promised, a pick of Erin’s wall charger:
Erin MacPherson lives in Austin, Texas with her husband Cameron, her sons Joey and Will and her daughter Kate. She is the author of “The Christian Mama’s Guide Series“, a staff writer for Dun & Bradstreet and a freelancer for publications like Thriving Family Magazine, MOPS MomSense, FamilyLife Magazine, Daily Guideposts and BEMag. She blogs about her life, her kids and her faith at ChristianMamasGuide.com.
by kathilipp | Jul 27, 2017 | Clutter Free, tips and ideas |
Since starting Clutter Free Academy, we’ve had many people ask, “Where do I start?”
If you’re part of our Clutter Free Academy group or on your own, here is a beginners’ guide for those looking to jump in and get results quickly:
(This system is based on my book Clutter Free: Quick and Easy Steps for Simplifying Your Space. The entire program is in there, but this will get you started while you order the book on Amazon or wait for it at the library!)
1. Pick a major source of pain. Get mad every time you go into the garage? See red when you try to relax in the living room? Is your office where papers go to die? Whatever area of your home is causing you the most pain, that’s what needs to be addressed first.
2. Start with surfaces. Some people want to dive into grandma’s photo albums that have been sitting in the attic for decades. But I would encourage you to give yourself a goal (Twenty items a day? Thirty?) and deal with the layers. Start with surfaces that are confronting you every day: Your nightstand, kitchen counters, kitchen table, desk. As you get practice with the day to day clutter, you can start to deal with the deeper clutter. You are building your “flinging” muscles!Oh – and when you start – only pick a small area. One counter, one shelf, one drawer. (I know that’s not a surface, but if it’s a drawer you use all the time and it’s so stuffed you can’t open it, and bad words come to mind every time you try, feel free to tackle that drawer.) To stay focused, you can even use blue painter’s tape to put physical boundaries on the area you are working on. This is great for young kids or easily distracted adults.
3. Set up a donation space. I have a bin in my garage where all my donations go. When it’s filled up, I take it to the car and stop at the “donation station” on the way to church on Tuesdays for a meeting. For the first few weeks of flinging, you may have more garbage and recycling than normal. That’s OK! Understand that you may have to pay for past clutter indiscretions, but going forward, you will remember the cost of bringing clutter across the threshold and will resist the urge.
4. Get your tools together. You will need three bags or boxes to sort out your stuff. Label the containers: Other Rooms, Put Away (anything that belongs in that room, but is out of place), and Give Away. We have nifty color-coded bags with handles that are easy to use. You will also need a recycling bag and a garbage bag.
5. Declutter. Get all your containers and bags around you so it’s easy to sort out your area. Set a timer for 15 minutes and start sorting.
6. Deal with the fallout. At the end of the 15 minutes, it’s time to start dealing with the stuff you are not putting back onto/into that same space. Set your timer for 5 minutes and take care of any container or bag that is full (or close to full). If that is all the decluttering you are doing for now, deal with all the containers/bags. Don’t leave a bigger mess than when you started!
7. Stay encouraged with other flingers. You’ll need a cheering section, especially when you’re getting started or “leveling up” (dealing with harder clutter: sentimental things, family items, expensive clothes, etc.). Connect with people who have made the same hard decisions and know your pain. We have a whole Facebook group dedicated to learning the Clutter Free way.
Join us over there for encouragement and motivation. Miracles are happening in that group. Go be a part of it!
by kathilipp | Jun 19, 2017 | Happy Habits for Every Couple, Love Your Husband, Marriage, The Husband Project, tips and ideas |
Friends, I hope you are staying cool somehow in this crazy heat (at least in California we are having an epic heat wave).
I am excited to share with you that Focus on the Family is running an episode in which I share tips on “How to Have a Happier Husband”. I love helping marriages become everything you wished it would be before you were married. If you need a re-direct on focusing on you marriage or want some new ideas on how to make your husband feel loved, respected, care-for and important, this episode is fun and helpful. I hope you enjoy and share with your friends.
Check out the episode by clicking here.
by Guest Blogger | May 25, 2017 | Guest Blog, Home, tips and ideas |
I shoo the dog from the cramped kitchen, greet new arrivals, and point to the bottle opener’s location — “The next drawer over. No, other side. There, in the front” — sticky sauce splatters the stovetop. Breathe.
“What can I do to help?” she asks.
I feign casual confidence: “I’ve got it under control” — and change the subject to her family’s most recent adventure.
The truth is, I don’t know what needs to be done. Or how to articulate it. So I might as well do it myself.
Avoid the stress of hosting?
Does this happen to you? Last-minute details keep you from enjoying time with your guests. And when someone offers to help, you’re so busy doing that you can’t think if there’s anything someone else could do.
Summer’s around the corner and, with it, the opportunity to host year-end celebrations, picnics, and potlucks. But can you host a meal, and truly enjoy your friends, without all the stress?
Is There a Better Way?
It began unintentionally.
My head throbs. But I’m unwilling to cancel tonight’s social event.
I can always excuse myself early; there’s no reason others can’t have fun!
Knowing my middle-aged brain is more compromised than usual, I list all the menu items and tasks to perform on our kitchen whiteboard.
I work my way down the list, erasing items as I complete them. When guests arrive, I hear the familiar question: “What can I do to help?”
“I’ve got it under control …”
I stop, look at the whiteboard, and say, “Could you finish the deviled eggs?”
Ahhh … My headache begins to fade.
Other guests offer to help. I ask one to cut strawberries. Another wipes down the picnic table.
Peals of laughter and conversation fill the air as we prepare the meal together.
Reduce the Stress in Your Celebrations
We’ve since perfected this dinnertime ritual:
- Line the countertop with the necessary serving dishes
- On a sticky note in each dish, provide simple instructions (e.g., fruit salad — strawberries, blueberries, banana, grapes).
- Hang a list of non-food instructions on the fridge (e.g., bring chairs from the garage)
Now you can enjoy your guests from the moment they arrive rather than ushering them into the living room with drinks.
Or tripping over them as you attempt to balance food prep and conversation.
You’ll create a welcoming atmosphere and your guests will feel at home — nothing says “you’re family” like being asked to set the table!
You may even avoid scrubbing sticky sauce from your stovetop.
Need more ideas for focusing on fun and fellowship instead of stressing out about shindigs? Stop by my blog to grab your free copy of Helpful Hospitality Hints: How to Host a Meal Without Losing Your Mind.
Kendra Burrows delights in encouraging others to see God’s grace in the everyday — when she isn’t chasing the animals (and boys!) out of her kitchen. She’s still learning hospitality requires we share it all, not do it all. Connect with her at www.kendraburrows.com.
