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    Products | Magazine & Articles | Magazine Archives | Ask Deanne...
    May 2006 Edition
   
Organized Lifestyle Magazine
HOME * OFFICE * TIME * SPIRIT
May 2006
Deanne
Hello,

I have noticed that a lot of the residential magazines are now focusing on gardening. Of course this makes sense because it's May. However, in my opinion people are still in spring-cleaning mode.

Whether it’s for me or for my clients I always feel like I’m in spring-cleaning mode;paper, clothes, or food it makes no difference to me just as long as the items are being recycled or donated instead of being thrown out.

I know my clients have a great sense of relief when I donate their items to someone else who will use them. Just like the saying “One mans garbage is another mans treasure”. My clients tell me they are more likely to purge when they know their items are going to be well used. If you are looking for a list of places to donate your items, please see the April edition of the Organized Lifestyle Magazine on line at www.kaosgroup.com. In Toronto visit Community Connection.

Learn about Canada's only New Clothing Bank - Windfall Clothing Service

If you think your kitchen could use a good purge please see the closing article in this edition. I have a family that I am personally working with so that they can have food each day and your 'extra' kitchen non perishable food items or grocery gift cards would certainly help!

The Organized Lifestyle Magazine for May is all about health - your financial health, a healthy office, & your internal health.

Simplicity Made Simple
* HOME *
bread basket

If you are looking to ease the pain of "I don’t like that” during meal times, then here’s a quick solution: Create a grocery checklist with common items that you enjoy as a family. Drop this list into a word document and voila you have your own grocery list. Add to it as you go along. Simply print out a copy each week and add to it as you create your weekly meal plan.

In our house we create the weekly meal plan as a family and note it on the calendar. This allows the kids to be involved in the planning of daily meals and truly makes my life easier because they really want to eat what they helped create.

Thinking about which wonder foods you could add into your meals? Click here

Looking for more grocery lists? Visit www.kaosgroup.com residential link

Maybe you fall into the category of troubles with meal planning ideas because of allergies or long work hours? If this is you then you should be talking to Sue. Sue was featured in our first edition because she is a Simplicity Coach. She is the lady who plans your meals, shops and cooks for you - based on your personal and nutritional needs. Sue has been a personal trainer, a nutritionist, is a mother of five and will cook for you or show you how - without the stress!

You can visit Sue's web site www.friendsofhazel.com, by phone at 647.831.4348 in Toronto, Ontario or by email for long distance assistance at friendsofhazel@sympatico.ca

Sue helps you create simplicity in your life and here are a few more great things that my clients love about Sue: if you want to have a dinner party and prefer to leave the cooking/shopping to someone else or if you are celebrating a kids birthday she has a great Kids Party Kit where Sue plans the food and musical entertainment personalized for your little one. Ask me about the upcoming Pedicure Party for a group of 5 year old girls!

Note: ask about her incredible chocolate zucchini muffins - you would never know they are good for you and neither will your kids!

Kaos Community Board
Summer Rental and a Great Babysitter
board

Daly's Magical Retreat for rent in McKellar, Parry Sound.

  • Waterfront - 2 story cottage on private lot
  • 20 minutes to Parry Sound
  • 8KM to Inn at Manitou for spa, tennis lessons, & gourmet dining
  • 4 bedrooms, 2 kitchens, 2 living rooms, sunroom, 2 bathrooms
  • Ideal for 2 families or children's suite with nanny
  • Upper level - two decks, Lower level walkout to patio
  • Year round access
  • Washer, dryer, dishwasher, 2 satellite receivers and much more
If you are interested please contact me by email at info@kaosgroup.com and note Daly's rental in the subject line.

Are you in need of flexible child care for the summer? Do you live in the Beach neighbourhood in the East end of Toronto, Ontario? I highly recommend my sitter Natalie Gustar-Nicholls.

  • Successfully completed the CPR & Babysitting courses
  • She is looking for flexible part-time or full time for the summer
  • Also looking for September after school and can help your kids with homework too
  • Natalie has excellent marks in Grade 10 math and science
  • Is happy to help with dinner
  • Can take your kids out for adventures
You can contact Natalie at 416.691.6760 or 416.721.7605

Spring Clean Your Office
* OFFICE *

Let’s talk spring-cleaning. You survived tax season but now you realize that you have some issues with your office. It’s not behaving – it doesn’t file, or take messages well, it will barely let you sit down and do your work because there is no space to work at. You can conquer and you will!

Let’s talk strategy to get the office working for you. Start by booking yourself some dedicated time to tackling your office and remember to have the basic supplies that you will need:
Letter tray + incline sorter combo Staples Item # 35699-V1 appx 25-30$ or File sorter medium 13030- V1 Staples appx $10.00 and file labels (Avery 8366) with 3” tabs.

  1. Sort your piles into To-Do, To-Pay, To-File, and To-Read.
  2. Create hanging files and sub files to file the papers away.
  3. Create a hanging file for the kinds of paper that flow through your office. Utilities, gas, insurance, banking, etc.
  4. When you reach the flat surface – clean it with some soap and water – a clean space is always so lovely.
  5. Clean your drawers. Empty the over-stuffed cup with pens and pencils that don’t work into a grocery bag along with the scads of little things from the drawers.

Now that your drawers are empty - give them a wipe, put in a couple of drawer organizers from the dollar store or Staples and only put back in the writing supplies that work.

Voila - You did it! Now you can get back to work in your newly organized space and be more productive and that is better for your mental health!

Spring Cleaning from the Inside
* SPIRIT *

Spring has arrived and for many, spring means a new beginning. Rejuvenation of everything around us transforms into our drive to start things anew, to give them a fresh start and to clean up from the outside as well as from the inside.

Cleansing has been a tradition for centuries, whether for religious reasons such as Lent or for overall health reasons. Those who believed in cleansing also believed that the body would not be able to continuously heal itself if it was not properly and regularly detoxified.

Today, cleansing or detoxification, means ridding your body of toxins. Naturally, our bodies continuously accumulate toxins from the environment. Food, air, water – all contain toxins. Each person has a threshold as to how much toxins he/she can accumulate before experiencing allergic reactions such as headaches, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, skin irritations, etc. In order to avoid those reactions, we all need to regularly detoxify. Annual or ideally bi-annual cleansing will alleviate the stress that our organs endure while trying to process all the toxins that we ingest on a daily basis. Needless to say, reduced stress will also result in a stronger immune system thereby improving the self- healing processes.

Today, the market is filled with numerous cleansing products. Some are focused on specific organs, such as liver, kidneys, and the like, and others are more general, targeting the whole body. It is important that you seek professional advice when choosing which product is the right one for you.

Make your spring cleaning more wholesome by cleansing from the inside as well as from the outside. You will feel rejuvenated and ready to embark on all the new beginnings that this wonderful spring season has in store for you!

Peaches and Green, a neighbourhood health food store, carries effective natural cleansing systems to help you cleanse and detoxify.

George Chow, the store owner, has been working in the industry for over 16 years.
1561 Bayview Avenue (just south of Eglinton Avenue)
Phone: 416.488.6321 peach1561@sympatico.ca or visit www.peachesandgreen.com

Personal Health Resources I recommend

Making it Simple
Deanne's Tips

Get your Air Ducts cleaned – "If no one in your household suffers from allergies or unexplained symptoms or illnesses and if, after a visual inspection of the inside of the ducts, you see no indication that your air ducts are contaminated with large deposits of dust or mold (no musty odor or visible mold growth), having your air ducts cleaned is probably unnecessary. It is normal for the return registers to get dusty as dust-laden air is pulled through the grate. This does not indicate that your air ducts are contaminated with heavy deposits of dust or debris; the registers can be easily vacuumed or removed and cleaned.

On the other hand, if family members are experiencing unusual or unexplained symptoms or illnesses that you think might be related to your home environment, you should discuss the situation with your doctor. EPA has published Indoor Air Quality: An Introduction for Health Professionals that can be obtained free of charge by contacting IAQ INFO at the number listed in this guide. You may obtain another free EPA booklet from IAQ INFO entitled The Inside Story: A Guide to Indoor Air Quality for guidance on identifying possible indoor air quality problems and ways to prevent or fix them. Learn more Canadian Environmental Protection Act

Coming soon to a yard near you www.Yardsaleforthecure.com

Clearly organize your shoes www.clear-shoe-boxes.com

Deanne's Web Picks

Natural treatment for allergies

Pediatrics Allergies

Boost your Immune System

We apologize for the error in last month’s newsletter we called it AIDS Committee of Ontario and it should be Ontario AIDS Network

Time Management & Balancing the Core Four Seminar
Do you wish you were more organized? Do you understand the need but lack the follow through on how to optimize your systems? Do you want to have a more successful business or take your existing business to the next level?

You can find your peace of mind personally and profit professionally with the use of the “Core Four” system in your day to day life.

Learn how to implement techniques for success in the “Core Four” quadrants of your life: Home – Office – Time – Spirit. Learn how to make the most of your time, generate more money, identify your efficiency barriers, break free of the clutter and still take some time for yourself.

Contact us directly to register by replying to this email.

If you want to participate in helping a family in need of food in the East End of Toronto, Ontario - please read on.

It was just the other day when I thought that I really should take another look through my kitchen cupboards (still spring cleaning) to see what hasn’t been used lately. We generally take our bag of food to the fire hall where they send it to the food bank. When I say ‘we’ I mean the kids and I. It’s good for them to learn about how communities work together to ensure that everyone is fed and clothed. They also learn about donating & sharing and they always get to pick one of their favourite items to put into the bag for someone else to enjoy just as much as they are fortunate enough to.

However, we won’t be taking our bag to a food bank this time – we will be gathering our food and other commonly used household items and we will be giving all of it to a neighbouring family who is living in a very tough situation.

I recently learnt about a family in our neighbourhood and their struggle for food and clothing. You would never know it and sometimes that is the problem. We don’t always know about people – our neighbours - who need help. This is exactly why your food donations are so imperative year round. If you don’t want to give food you could always donate a grocery store gift card. If we all do just a little bit together we can create incredible things!

We all have things we don’t need, won’t eat, have too much of, frozen food that gets frostbite, or gift certificates that expire. The options are endless to make a difference in the life of stranger who might just be your neighbour.

  • If you have 10 minutes this week take a peek in your kitchen and see how many non-perishable food items you can donate.
  • If you have 20 minutes pull out your coupons and gift certificates and consider donating the food related items.
  • If you have 30 minutes look through your family’s clothes and donate the items that you know you won’t be using or the kids have outgrown.

The intense reality is that there are people who are our neighbours who need your help. According to statistics, the number of people using a food bank in 2005 was 823,256 and 40.7% of those people were children. Visit the Canadian Association of Food Banks www.cafb-acba.ca web site to learn more.

If you reside in the Toronto Central/East area and would like to have your donations given directly to the family I mentioned please contact me at dk@kaosgroup.com for delivery, pick up arrangements or to answer any questions.


Deanne Kelleher
Kaos Group
phone: 416.347.9002