mom of the month --- christie love helps us stay sane & organized --- in a simple way

You can thank Twitter for connecting us with Christie Love. It was a few months ago when we started "following" her tweets and could't wait to make her MOM OF THE MONTH! Not only is she a mother of 3 under 8 but she runs SIMPLE ORGANIZED SANITY --- a phenomenal business with a goal to help families save time and money by STAYING ORGANIZED. The best part is -- it doesn't matter where you live as everything is virtually a phone call away with their coaching sessions or virtual organizational services! You can even join their weekly organizing challenge each week where you receive an mp3 to your email - receive tips and ideas for specific areas of your home, meal planning, organizing with children and much more! We also love the many printable downloads they offer that you can buy once (most are $0.99) and then download them, save and print -- over and over and over again! As a mom you can't be without the kids point tracker, double chore chart, note to teachers and kids thank you note! As for yourself -- you should definitely download any of the meal planners, event planning log, running thank you list, weekly schedule sheet and SO many more! And of course we adore the Blog Topic Tracker -- it keeps everything organized for blogger moms!

1.) What made you begin Simple Organized Sanity?

I quickly realized when I had my first son that if I wanted to be the kind of mother that I dreamed of being I had to be organized. As my family grew and the demands of our busy life grew so did my levels of organization. It did not take long before friends and family members were always asking "How do you do it?" or calling with organizational questions for me. I started to develop a desire to help them find the kind of balance that I work hard to maintain in my life. Out of that desire to help other moms and families and my passion for organizing and time management was born the desire to begin Simple Organized Sanity.

2.) When it comes to being organized what is one thing you can't stress the enough?

The biggest thing that I stress to clients and women everywhere is: There is no cookie cutter solution to organization. I talk to so many people that are discouraged because they have developed the belief that they are incapable of getting organized. They may have tried something they read in a book, watched on TV, or saw at a friends house... and it did not work for them; thereby, convincing them that they cannot get organized. Organization is successful when it is personalized for you and your needs, which is what we do for clients everywhere.

3.) Do you have a set schedule everyday that you go by? How important is time management when it comes to being organized?

Time Management is the foundation skill of being organized, you must be able to manage your time so that you can get the most out of it each day. For me personally I have a daily routine that I follow each day to give me a starting point to build my schedule around. This is an important and often overlooked step in managing time better... you need to control the tasks instead of letting your tasks control you. Because I know my routine for each day of the week I am able to then schedule office time, family time, phone calls, appointments with clients, time to follow up, project time, and time to plan ahead each day.

4.) When you begin to organize your life - what tools must you have in front of you or in your house?

I think the three biggest tools that you need to get organized are:

1. A personalized Plan. If you have not had luck in the past getting organized on your own I suggest investing into services like ours to help you get a plan that is more likely to work because it tailor made for you and your family

2. An accountability partner that will ask you how things are going, push you when you do not feel like completing tasks or challenges, and applaud you for the progress you make each time. (We offer two programs that are good for this our Weekly Organizing Challenge and our Accountability Program. )

3. A planner. A good planner will help you manage your time and your tasks to help you stay organized in all ares of your life. We have specialty planners you can download from our website as well as a program to custom design a planner for your needs.

5.) What are your suggestions to those who just can't stay organized?

Give us a try! :) We specialize in finding real world solutions for people who just can't seem to get organized on their own. We offer solutions to help ANYONE on ANY Budget get more organized and stay that way. I would also say don't give up! If getting organized is a goal of yours then keep in mind that it is not an activity it is a lifestyle. Examine how committed you are to learning SIMPLE ways to get organized and stay that way.

6.) Do you face any challenges to running a business and being a mom?

Of course I face many of the same challenges that many working moms and mompreneurs do. I struggle with getting enough sleep, prioritizing the demands on my time, and staying on track with eating right and working out daily. However, this is part of what makes me unique from other organizing professionals... I am raising three children under the age of 8, running a company, staying involved with our community, friends, and family... just like most of my clients. I also have some special struggles that we deal with on a daily basis that require me to be creative on a daily basis. The largest is that my oldest son suffers from Aspergers and ADD which requires us to spend time each week in Occupational Therapy and extra time working together at home. This unique challenge for our family has also given me a passion for working with special needs families who struggle with similar issues and I am able to share tips and ideas for getting organized that will work for them.

Stay tuned next week for when I ask my burning questions that I have been asked by so many other moms during my coaching session with Christie. "What do you do with all the school papers your little ones bring home - basically a folder everyday? And, what do you do with shoes when you and your family come home - if they want to take them off do they go in a basket, closet, own room, etc." She has some great ideas so we will be testing driving a coaching call this week to give me ideas to try in my own house with these issues! Also, Christie is offering one of our lucky readers a meal planning coaching session PLUS $2 off the Weekly Organizing Challenge that I mentioned earlier which means it will only be $5! More details on the giveaway & exclusive code along with my sessions with Christie to come..........