Kathi Lipp's Blog, page 111

The 4 Day Love Challenge – Day 2: Love Him with Stuff

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh this week.

This week drives me nuts.

We all get to determine how much our partner loves us by the size of the gift and whether the gesture of love went viral on YouTube. Yuck.

We don’t need over the top. I think we just need a little something special for our men, presented in a slightly special way.

I wrote about this in my book The Marriage Project:

A tree ran into my car.

Yes, you read that sentence correctly.

I am blessed to live in Northern California where we bundle up in our winter woolens if there is a slight chill in the air, and the only snow we see is when someone forgets to use their Head and Shoulders shampoo.

So it was out of the ordinary when the storm rolled through town. Power outages were reported all over the city, fender benders littered the highways, and the Starbucks on our corner was closed.

Obviously, this was a desperate situation.

When I got home from my morning speaking engagement, I parked my van and ran inside, desperate to warm up and dry out.

I went upstairs to our bedroom, where my husband was working at his desk. Not five minutes after I got changed into dry clothes, Roger and I heard a big crack and looked out in horror and amazement as our giant oak tree decided to take up residence on top of my car.

All we could do was watch, laugh, and thank God that no one was in the car at the time.

Since then, I’ve been cruising around town in a series of rental cars until my van is fully functioning again. I’ve tried out hybrids and subcompacts, 4-runners and sedans.

Until yesterday. Yesterday, the rental agency ran out of the teeny-tiny cars I was renting to save money. They asked me if, for a few dollars more, I would like an upgrade to a nicer car that was available right away…a current model black Mercedes-Benz E-Class.

Um…OK.

I knew, being in possession of that car, I had to turn our ho-hum, stay-at-home night into an out-on-the-town date night. You wouldn’t want an automobile like that going to waste, now would you?

Roger and I used a gift card to get a couple of lattes at a Starbucks drive-thru, and then took a drive into the mountains, sipping our drinks and enjoying the scenery and the company. A perfect date—all for the small price of an upgraded rental car.

There was just something so fun and adventurous about that car that it turned that silly little latte into a memory that will last us a lifetime.

So this week, I want you to get him a little something, but give it to him in a special way.

Here are some ideas for a little something (all of these can be had for under $5):

His favorite candy bar (that he doesn’t have to share with you.)
A magazine that he loves but is too cheap to subscribe to.
His favorite sports drink.
5 packs of his favorite gum.
His favorite Starbucks drink delivered to work.
A frozen yogurt.
A guy-flick movie rental.
Baking him his favorite chocolate chip cookies.
A small bottle of manly scented lotion with the promise of a back rub.
$5 iTunes gift card (or google play for our Windows guys.)
A video game rental.
$5 in quarters for the local arcade.
A new ringtone.

OK – now to give it to him in a special way. You could…

Leave it on the dashboard of his truck
Hide it in his computer bag
Tie it to the dog (as long as it’s not edible…)
Have one of your kids deliver it
Put it on his pillow
Have Amazon send it to his office

What are you going to get him – and how are you going to give it to him? Share your ideas in the comments and you will be entered to win a copy of Praying God’s Word for Your Husband.

GO….

The 4 Day Love Challenge – Day 2: Love Him with Stuff

If I Could Just Get The Laundry Done…

Step One: Your Plan of Attack

Find a system that works that will keep you current with laundry. If you do not have one, here is what we use:

In our hall, we have four, 30 inch tall, plastic laundry hampers. Each one is a different type of laundry:

* Whites

*Colored underwear

*Everyday clothes

*Jeans, towels, sweats

This helps all of us to be able to sort the laundry quickly and easily.

Step Two: Sort It Out

Get your laundry room area cleaned out in order to be most efficient.  This might take an afternoon if your area is small.  If it is larger, I suggest taking fifteen minutes a day to get it in order. The best tip I have for this step is that we have a permanent “Give Away ” box in our laundry area for our clothes our kids have outgrown.  When the box gets full, I take it to Good Will.

 

 Getting rid of clutter can be a blessing to someone else as well. {click to tweet}

Step 3: Clean It Up

Before you start stocking up the shelves, give them and your washer and dryer a good wipe down. Deep cleaning makes any space a good one.

Step 4: Label It and Put It Away

This is the fun part!  Label everything in order to make it easy to find.  Some examples are stain  removers, dryer socks, and socks (Mismatched Socks might be a better title sometimes).

Step 5: Keep It Up

The best way to keep up with laundry is to do it every day. The other thing that will make your life a lot easier is to remember this rule: Until the clothes are put away your laundry isn’t done. Just because the clothes are clean, and dry does not mean the laundry is done.

These steps will change laundry from something you dread to something that you can get done quickly in order to bring blessing to your self and your family.

If I Could Just Get The Laundry Done…

4 Day Love Challenge – Day 1 Love Him with WORDS

OK Girls…

You blew me away with your response to this Challenge. I don’t think we’ve ever received so many YES! responses. Way to go loving your man!!!

Your first challenge is simple. All I want you to do is say something nice to your husband. That’s it. Really.

Because the truth is:

Tweet: often we wives have the power to change the way our husbands walk through the world by choosing the words we speak to them @kathilipp .

How you do it is up to you. Here are a few ideas:

Say it to him
Text it to him
Put it on a Post-it Note in his truck
Call him
Whisper it to him
Put it in a card in his computer case
Write it in lipstick on the bathroom mirror

Have you got your great idea of how you’re going to say it? Great. Now what to say…

Here are some ideas. These are from The Husband Project: 21 Post-it Note Sized Encouragements

And remember, tell me in the comments what you did (or are planning to do) and you will be entered to win a copy of The Husband Project! (And post a picture to my Facebook Page so I can share your love with the world!)

 

 

4 Day Love Challenge – Day 1 Love Him with WORDS

How to Cut the Clutter with All the Paper (And a Free Organizing Gift for You!)

The number one question I get when it comes to organizing is about ALL THAT PAPER. What do I do with it? What do I need to keep? How do I keep it from coming into my house? Please make the MADNESS STOP!!

Sigh…

I strongly suggest you gather all your loose paper into one place—every clutter pile of mail in your living room, all those magazines you want to save but aren’t sure why, the random sticky notes, coupons, envelopes. Search every nook and cranny around your house, and everything that was once a tree (except your furniture) goes in the box. It might be hard at first. I know that large stacks of paper make me want to roll up in a ball in a corner and weep uncontrollably. If you are already there, here are a few verses for you for FREE to comfort you!

Fist off, keep the paper from coming in the door. Here are a few tricks to stop the incoming flow:

Stop It at the Source: If you aren’t reading the magazines, don’t let them renew. Call the customer service number of catalogs you receive to get off their list.
Stop Giving Out Your Address: Don’t enter that sweepstakes to win a boat or free windows for your house. Or at least check the box that says they can’t share the information. (And don’t worry – we here at KathiLipp.com NEVER share your info.)
Keep a Recycle Bag in the Car: I would have my kids go through their backpacks in the car and any paper they didn’t need (or I didn’t need to see) got put in the bag.
Have a Plan: Our mailbox is in our garage, right next to our recycle bin. At least 60% of paper never comes into the house as it goes directly into the bin. If your box is outside, sort the mail at the box and walk into the house with two piles: one to handle, one to recycle.

You will need to organize this pile of papers into three boxes:

FILING –

This box is for anything that you need to file. Every household should have a simple filing system for receipts, warranties, tax returns, and all those other papers that aren’t currently “in motion” but may need to be referred to at a later date.

Try to keep your files as lean and mean as possible. You don’t need to keep your check stubs from college or warranties from a fridge you no longer own. Since so much of our lives are stored on our computers, we can get rid of a lot of the paperwork we no longer need. You can find most instruction manuals online, scan articles to keep on your computer, and put reminders directly on your digital calendar.

If you are still getting bills in the mail from your regular utility companies, get online and ask to go paperless. Yes – it will save some trees, but more importantly, it will save your sanity.

GIVE AWAY –

Do you have magazines that your library or some other organization would love? Ask first, and then drop them off.

GARBAGE AND RECYCLING –

You shouldn’t have much for the garbage, but I suggest a shredder for any sensitive information you want to get rid of.         

Set aside one day a week to do all your paperwork. If only for fifteen minutes that day, being consistent will make the difference in a home cluttered with paper and one clear for real living!

Finally – my gift to you! This little filing system keeps all my papers organized and where I need them, when I need them. It has saved my bacon more times than I can count!

What do you struggle with as far as papers?  Please tell me I am not the only one…

How to Cut the Clutter with All the Paper (And a Free Organizing Gift for You!)

I am over at The Happy Wives Club talking about How to ...

I am over at The Happy Wives Club talking about How to Recover from a Fight. I would love to hear your ideas about how you keep it from going from a “I don’t like the way you fold towels” to “I never liked your mom!”

Join Us for the 2014 Love Challenge

 

I’ve been getting a lot of questions about whether we are doing THE HUSBAND PROJECT on the blog this year. As much as I would love to, we are pretty chalk-full around these parts with clearing out our clutter. So this year we are keeping it simple, but on purpose – four weeks – four quick challenges. Each week, just look for the challenge, and do it – it can take less than 5 minutes and your husband will love it.

And of course, each week there will be a little give away. So once you do the challenge, share in the comments and you’ll be entered to win.

Want to join in? Let me know in the comments below and you’ll be entered to win your own copy of The Husband Project.

 

Come on. You can do it. 5 minutes to show your husband the love. Let’s make everyone’s February a little love-lier…

 

Join Us for the 2014 Love Challenge

End of the Month CLEAN SWEEP – The Kitchen

At the end of every month, I want you to focus on one area of your house and just TOSS stuff to get a fresh start in that area – and I’m starting where I need it the most: the kitchen.

During the clean sweep, (between now and Monday,) you get to count bonus items that you would not normally count in the 2014 Things Challenge (like consumables). Why are we doing this for next five days? Because:

When you don’t know what’s in your kitchen, it’s easy to re-buy things you don’t really need.
A cluttered kitchen makes meal prep and clean up impossible.
I want you to get some NUMBERS in this challenge!!!

It’s easy! Just take a garbage bag, a recycle bag, a “give away” box, a “other rooms” box, and a “put back” box check out this blog post if you’re not familiar with the 3 Boxes, 2 Bags cleaning system,) and start pitching.

For this challenge, even consumables count! So clean out those cupboards, freshen the fridge, and start clean!

And what about that food that is still good, but your family is NEVER going to eat it?  Here are some ideas:

For non-perishables, donate them to your local food bank.
Put it up on Facebook for all your local friends: “Hey, we have 4 gluten-free cake mixes we are never going to use, first person who can bet them by tomorrow, and posts here, is the winner!”
Maybe you have a friend who is on hard times who would be grateful for a grocery bag filled with some of your yummy overstocks. Take those Costco packs, break them up, and pass them on.
In a few weeks, we will be having a challenge to help you reduce your stockpile and save money. Stay tuned!!!

Want to win a copy of THE WHAT’S FOR DINNER SOLUTION? Post  a pic of your “after” kitchen declutter (it can be as big as the whole kitchen, or as small as one drawer or shelf) on my Facebook Page. We will randomly pick one winner to receive the book – but everyone who declutters is a winner.

So tell me, (because you want someone holding you accountable!) what area of your kitchen are you going to attack.

End of the Month CLEAN SWEEP – The Kitchen

Organizing So Easy a Kindergartener Could Do It

Everything I learned about organizing, I learned in kindergarten.

If you are participating in the 2014 Things Challenge, you know that we need to not only get rid of things, but organize the things we have in an easy way.

The most organized rooms most of us will ever experience are at either a school or a hospital. Since I frown on having to go through minor surgery in order to gain organizing tips, I choose instead to draw my inspiration from the classroom.

I have an inside track. My stepdaughter, Amanda Lipp, is an associate teacher at a childcare facility. While she and I were discussing how she wants her room to be set up for her students, I couldn’t help but see the similarities between a well-set-up classroom and a well-set-up home.Here are Amanda’s guidelines for a well-run classroom:

1. Everything has a place and everyone knows where that place is. Everyone in the house knows where things are because items have an established place.

2. Clearly label items with words and a picture. Label your drawers, bins, tubs, and baskets in a way that everyone in the house can understand.

3. Keep the room clutter free so children can easily roam and play. I stay on top of clutter so that we don’t have to clear off a table before we eat dinner or move piles of paper from a desk before I can work on it.

4. Clean up areas when “children finish playing” and before beginning another activity. After I’m done with a project, I put it away so that I don’t get overwhelmed by the mess.

5. Arrange the art on the wall neatly, using frames, canvas, backgrounds. A room with too much artwork will feel chaotic and agitating. I keep things in my home simple and uncluttered. I want the people in my home, not the stuff, to be the focus.

These are easy first steps to take to create an intentional life where you have the freedom to do things, not spend time trying to find things!

Do you have any “tips” to help a home run like a classroom, organized and efficiently?

Any teachers out there that can give us the secrets to organizing?

Organizing So Easy a Kindergartener Could Do It

The 2014 Things Challenge: Where is Your Clutter Hiding

Whenever someone starts to discuss the 2014 Things Challenge people have one of two reactions:

“2014 Things? I desperately need to do this!!!”
“2014 Things? I could never come up with 2014 things!!!”

I’ve been so amazed at the post to my Facebook Page of the number of Things you all are racking up!

A few of you have already racked up over 1000 things, and one brave warrior, my agent Rachelle Gardner HAS ALREADY COMPLETED THE 2014 THINGS!!!!

Here is what she said:

“Kathi, just FYI… we completed the 2014 Things challenge. Yep, in one day! And believe it or not, I haven’t even made a dent in my books. The challenge continues… perhaps we’ll make it into the 20,014 Things challenge???

And by the way, we live in a smallish house, maybe 1900 sq ft, so I know we don’t have as much clutter as many people! Once you get in the right mindset, getting rid of stuff is ridiculously easy and fun.”

I don’t want these success stories to make you feel behind. Instead, I want them to inspire you to know that it’s doable!!!

And to help you out, my team has come up with this great download: 75 Places and Spaces to Find 2014 Things

Tell me in the comments what space and place your plan on attacking next,(Roger and I have romantic plans to clean out the garage weekend after next. Pray for us,) and you’ll be entered to win a copy of The Get Yourself Organized Project

Happy Tossing!!!

 

 

 

The 2014 Things Challenge: Where is Your Clutter Hiding

“What’s For Dinner?” – Meal Planning Made Easy

Meal time can be one of the most hectic times in a mama’s day.  With today’s busy schedules, it is easier to drive through then dive in to your kitchen.

These easy steps will help you make meal planning easy so that you can get to the fun part of connecting with your family and not just the food!

Step 1:

Create a master list of meals for the month. Use a calendar in order to organize it. Go to www.ProjectsforyourSoul.com for a printable blank calendar. Keep in mind your family schedule as you create meals for each day. Tuesdays and Thursdays tend to be less chaotic in our home, so I can plan a little more elaborate meal for those days.  Now, some days, elaborate may mean that I just put a pat of butter on the green beans before serving, but usually it means that I can make something that might take a bit more time or preparation. The “What’s For Dinner?” Solution is a wonderful resource to create quick, easy, affordable meals.

Step 2:

Put each of the meals into categories for easy planning.  A few that I use are Freezer meals – ones that I have on the freezer already, Slow Cooker meals – ones that I will need my crock pot for and create ahead of time, or LOOP meals – Left Over On Purpose. This might mean a turkey pot pie from the leftover turkey from the dinner the night before. Once you have the meals, you can organize what you need for each meal.

Step 3:

Create the calendar and make copies of it for the next couple months.  Some things might change, but when you have a template to work from, it makes life a whole lot easier. After you use it, you can evaluate if the system is working.

Planning your meals ahead of time will help you feel more in control and less frazzled at dinner hour.  Thinking ahead gives you the freedom to enjoy your day. To help you start planning right away, just subscribe to my blog right over there in the purple little post-it and get a free copy of The Ultimate Guide to Man Food. Easy Peasy!

 

“What’s For Dinner?” – Meal Planning Made Easy