As a parent, you can nurture your children’s imaginations by providing good books that inspire them to imagine and art supplies that give them a way to express their creativity. If they’re musical, be sure to give them access to musical instruments. One of the best gifts you can give your kids is clutter-free space in which to create.

It’s also a good idea to encourage kids to share their dreams when you’re at the breakfast table every morning, as sharing dreams will cultivate the child’s ability to remember their dreams and learn from them. Children love to talk about their dreams, I know because whenever I get the privilege of being with a messy-haired, sleepy-eyed child, I always ask and it always turns into a wonderful and creative discussion. Try it tomorrow morning as you sit and enjoy the start of your day with your kids. 

So many of us rely and depend on the lessons Marla provides us with. Marla and I sat and talked at one point and this was one of the most important things to come out of that chat.

You don’t have to succumb to the Halloween candy frenzy. This short video  just might persuade you to give non candy treats to those little witches and goblins that come trick-or-treating. And don’t miss the end of the video because I give you a great way to use most of the candy your kids haul in on Halloween.

In this video clip, my sister Peggy and I demonstrate the crazy ways we came up with last-minute creations for our kids to wear on Halloween and how fun they were to throw together. As usual, our television talk show hosts were somewhat speechless (that happened a lot!) when we’d shove coat hangers into tights and smear our faces with Karo syrup and coffee grounds.

The important lesson here is when we become more organized we set the stage to create. We become creatives! Clutter gets in the way of our creativity. Decluttering and ending your "stuff management" days will pave the way to fun, creativity, new adventures and excitement on Halloween as well as all the days of the year!

October is such a beautiful month and in order to fully enjoy it, you might want to eliminate the happiness sappers that get in your way of the joy you were born to experience.

1. News: News is just official gossip. My definition of an investigative reporter is: an authorized, nosey gossip. I stopped watching or listening to the news after 9/11. I figure Terry, who was a television reporter, will inform me if I need to pack up and head for the hills.

2. Gossip: Since I’ve cut out the official gossip, why would I want to indulge in any unofficial info?  

3. Calendar that’s too small: A big happiness sapper is having a calendar that’s so small you can’t read your personal shorthand. “3pmTk grm Dr. rmb t tk nts.” A month later when you're trying to figure out what the heck you’re supposed to be doing on that day, chances are you’ll never figure out you’re supposed to take Grandma to the doctor and you need to take notes. Say goodbye to little squared happiness sappers.

Does procrastinating make you happy and stress free? Of course it doesn’t, so why do we do it? Take it from an expert! As a woman who has done her fair share of procrastinating, I’ve come up with 7 steps that I hope will open your eyes to how silly it is to put things off. Before you read the 7 habits pick something you’ve been putting off and hopefully at the end of my blog you’ll take care of it.

Marla Cilley, also known as Flylady, has helped millions of women get organized using the systems my sister and I created over the years.

By Greta Heddy

September 4, 2015

As I explained yesterday in Part I of my blog for you, I do not like exercise. I don't like to sweat either. "Exercise" is a four-letter word in my vocabulary. And, yet, exercise is good for us. Even if you don't buy into the weight loss benefits of exercise (which I don't), exercise is still good for building muscle, gaining strength, and pouring those wonderful endorphins into our brains. Exercise helps us sleep better at night, be more emotionally stable, and all around helps us be a better us. Most exercise articles give lists upon lists of ways to exercise, places to exercise, and with whom to exercise. This is not that kind of article. As I did in Part I, I'm going to list some more ways for you to get your unique self in your unique situation to exercise for your unique reasons.

1. Get Others Involved

Make a pact with a friend. Find a goal she wants to work on, and then set up a time every day to call or text each other to say if you did it or not. Give each other whatever encouragement you can. No yelling allowed. Currently, I am in an 88 Day Challenge with two friends - one who wants to declutter her house a little each day, and one who wants to get back to exercising regularly. It's fun to report successes and great to have a sympathetic shoulder even when you don't need one. Use the "Oh, yeah?" Principle. If someone tells you that you can't do something, you say "Oh, yeah?!" and then work hard to prove them wrong. Pretend that someone has said that to you and then prove them wrong! Get an exercise buddy if that will help. Or join a gym, class, dojo, etc.

by Greta Heddy

September 3, 2014

I do not like exercise. I don't like to sweat either. "Exercise" is a four-letter word in my vocabulary. And, yet, exercise is good for us. Even if you don't buy into the weight loss benefits of exercise (which I don't), exercise is still good for building muscle, gaining strength, and pouring those wonderful endorphins into our brains. Exercise helps us sleep better at night, be more emotionally stable, and all around helps us be a better us.

Most exercise articles give lists upon lists of ways to exercise, places to exercise, and with whom to exercise.

This is not that kind of article. I'm going to list some ways for you to get your unique self in your unique situation to exercise for your unique reasons.

1. Know Who You Really Are

Ask yourself what worked in the past. Think back to your childhood. Kids never "exercise,” they play. Whether it’s a sport or game like tag or hide and seek they have fun. Biking around the neighborhood, climbing trees and fences, building tree houses and forts, hiking in the wood, running everywhere, they have fun at it.

Ask your inner child (that little girl who still resides in your psyche) what might be fun to do! Are you a morning or night person? Do you like to exercise outside, or inside at a gym or at home? Do you swim and are near a pool with hours that fit your schedule? Would you prefer to sneak exercise into your routine, like having an exercise ball instead of a chair at your desk, or walking up stairs instead of the elevator, or would you like the camaraderie of a martial arts class after your day in the office? Do you like to exercise with your children or prefer exercise to be alone time? Do you like a personal trainer that bosses you like a drill sergeant or would you prefer a kinder, gentler instructor? Only you know for sure. Choose exercise(s) that fit into your current situation three to five times a week.

I’m a hermit exerciser. I loathe working out with others with the exception of dance classes which don't feel like exercise to me - they feel like fun! I get easily bored with routine activities. I have a flexible work schedule, which makes planning exercise time a challenge.

My favorite exercises are reading, knitting and watching movies, but recently, I decided I needed to really exercise. Though I've successfully gone to a gym in the past, this time I chose some aerobic/strength-building exercise videos by Teresa Tapp, plus a yoga video for "inflexible people." I have the benefit of an instructor but on my own time schedule and in my own living room. After I memorize the routines, I plan to mute the videos and listen to audio books, music, or movies while I work out so I don't get bored.

Have you heard people say, “The kids today have short attention spans. Because of quick-paced television, they’re used to watching three to four-second bites and become restless when the action is diminished.”? HOG WASH! As I sit in an Amtrak station waiting for a train that’s now 38 minutes late, I’ve been watching a grandmother read Curious George to her five-year-old grandson.

From my vantage point, she appeared to be a rather listless reader, void of expression, sound effects and lifted eyebrows accompanying some of Hans and Margaret’s incredible thoughts, yet the child was glued to his grandma’s side listening to the story.

When the book was finished, he pulled another from his backpack and she proceeded to read it. The train turned out to be an hour late and the child remained interested in books the entire time. So much for the short attention span.

So here are what I believe are 6 benefits of reading bedtime stories to your children.

1. Cultivates Imagination

Now that visual stimulation is served up via television, IPads, IPhones, Xbox etc., children rarely get to tap into their imaginations unless we read to them, or until they can read. As a child, I loved radio (it was before we had television) because my imagination provided the visuals. Because we don’t have kid radio, unless we read to our kids, their ability to use their precious imaginations and be able to visualize will weaken.

I remember one Christmas, my daughter Peggy bought a bunch of children’s books at a neighborhood garage sale and recorded reading them on a cassette tape recorder for her non-reading cousins as gifts for Christmas. As adults, those cousins still speak of how they loved her gifts of being read to.

My husband Terry and I recorded books on CDs, the same way Peggy did with a cassette recorder. This way our grandchildren could listen to us read the books we gave
them as gifts.

I am delighted to announce the House Fairy now has a forum where young moms can privately discuss the joys and challenges they’re having with their children. It’s also for the seasoned moms who have been on all the amusement park rides of motherhood and can issue helpful advice from wisdom and experience.

The creative ideas and inspiring words you all can share with each other will give you encouragement and support, no matter where you are in your journey of raising healthy, happy organized children.

I’m the wind beneath House Fairy’s wings and I’m so grateful to have this platform to keep me in touch and help me stay abreast of what you young moms are thinking and doing. Times are different from when I raised my kids and I truly think you are far more stressed than we moms were in my day. I’m here to help in any way I can to relieve stress and get you to lighten up.

The forum is open to anyone, not just the moms who have purchased a House Fairy program. Of course, we’ll have a moderator to make sure everyone is nice.

To reach the forum click on the button above or please go to: www.housefairy.org. Then to Moms Only and Chat With Other Moms.

See you there, 

Love,