“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is:  what are you doing for others?” – Martin Luther King Jr.

MLK Day is an opportunity to turn a day of service into a life of service.

There are so many worthy causes and organizations that need volunteers to operate every day and work towards achieving their mission.  Wondering how to choose among them?

Think about your skills, interests and causes that impact your life or the lives of those around you.

What can you offer?  Time? Expertise?  Resources?  And then do it.  Volunteer.  Do everything that you can to help.

As a professional organizer, my favorite & most frequent project for clients is closet organization.  Also, evaluating a space and organizing it for function is my specialty.

My 11-year old daughter, Shelby, loves clothes and has a passion for sewing & fashion.

Women’s issues is certainly something that means a lot to me…especially women in business and creating every opportunity for women in the workplace.  It’s also something that I want Shelby to understand and support as she gets older.  Both the importance of being an independent woman as well as the importance of giving back to your community.

I recently had the opportunity to volunteer, with Shelby, at Wings for Success, a Chester County based non-profit, dedicated to helping women achieve autonomy, success, and confidence.  Since its founding, Wings has helped more than 11,000 women obtain the clothing, advice, and employment preparation needed to become self-sufficient. Thanks to their dedicated volunteers, a supportive community, and a solid vision for the future, they’ve been able to achieve this mission for more than 20 years.

Wings for Success works with women in need. They may be veterans getting back into the civilian workforce or homeless women getting back on track, going on job interviews or even women escaping domestic violence and trying to start a new life.

The volunteer stylists give their time to help women feel their very best when they are job hunting or starting a new job. They help clients look their best when interviewing for a new job.  Feeling and looking good gives clients an immediate sense of confidence that employers will see from the moment they walk in the door.

Upon arriving at Wings for Success’ location in Frazer, I knew this would be a transformative experience.

Displayed on the wall as I entered, their mission was clear:

A small piece of art of the wall that read:

“Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over.  She became a butterfly.”

A spacious and inviting dressing room wall emblazoned with words of encouragement…

“You are enough”

“Believe in yourself”

“Decide.  Commit.  Succeed.”

Shelby and I spent the day helping to organize the racks of clothing and accessories so that stylists and clients can find items easily to create outfits for job interviews, employment opportunities and needs, for a variety of industries, at no cost.  We organized the accessories by color, style, and size. Shelby worked with the stylists, putting clothes on hangers, shining up shoes and seeing all of the beautiful items coming in.

Shelby enjoyed the day so much that she wants to bring her best friend along next time.

As a professional organizer, getting to know our area’s non-profits helps me to educate my clients on where they can donate their household items, clothing, etc. but I also love every opportunity that I get to volunteer my time to help these local organizations and learn more about their mission.

Interested in helping Wings for Success?  They can always use more volunteer stylists but they are in need of a variety of items including:

New items:

• Toiletries
• Pantyhose
• Trouser socks (new or like new)
• Bras
• Shapewear
• Undergarments
• Makeup
• Nail polish

Gently used:

• Coats, gloves, knit hats, scarves
• Winter boots
• Scrubs – for those clients entering positions in the healthcare field
• Shoes – basic black, any heel, flats
• Black leggings
• Black tights
• Large size belts
• Maternity clothing

Other:

• Reusable shopping bags – for clients to take home their outfits
• Handheld steamers
• Jewelry cardboard boxes
• Lint brushes

Friday, September 14^th, 2018 was my 16th wedding anniversary. 

It started off as a regular day for me.  Got the kids off to school and headed off to see a client. My husband left early for some routine medical testing.

At 11:00am, I got the call that would change everything.

It was my husband. He told me his routine tests results were not good. He was having a medical emergency, affecting his heart, and I needed to get to the hospital right away. The days after that initial call were a blur…

 

Endless hours in the critical care ICU…

The sound of alarms going off…

A constant barrage of specialists in and out of his room…

Doctors, nurses, surgical teams…

All day surgery…

A second surgery one week after the first…

Uncertainty.  Fear. Stress.  Exhaustion.

 

Now, we’re a few weeks removed. After 2 surgeries, my husband is home, recovering but I want to share my experience from that day and the weeks that have followed and how important it is to be organized in every aspect of your life.

No one wants to get that call. 

You never think at 42-years old, you’ll get that call.

 

What would you do?

 

Who do you call?

Who’s your person?

Who will handle the things that you can’t…home, school, kids, work?

 

6 Ways to Be Organized In Case Of A Family Emergency

• Know Your Point People

For Communication: My husband has one brother so it was a no brainer to make him the point person. I shared all the details with him so he could communicate with others. You will not have the time or the energy to deal with phone calls.  Your focus is on the person in crisis.

For You: Contact a close friend who can be there for you at the hospital. It’s a scary time and you do not want to go it alone. Your head and your heart are going a mile a minute and you need someone you can lean on. This person can also run quick errands if needed and make sure you are taking care of yourself.

For Home/Kids:  We all have emergency contacts on file, at school, for our kids.  Make sure that those individuals KNOW that they are your emergency contacts.  Seems obvious but make certain.  If the situation is urgent enough, your emergency contact may need to take your children overnight.  Are they okay with that?  Are you?  Make sure that you have your children’s school phone number (and address)  as well as your emergency contacts’ phone number (and address) in your phone so you can easily contact them AND share that info with your point people.

• Grab The Essentials

Thankfully, I only live 15 minutes from the hospital. Once my husband was settled, in the ICU, I ran home and packed an overnight bag. That included:

• Layers of clothing (since hospitals are notoriously cold)
• Enough clothing for a couple of nights
• Warm socks
• Toiletries
• Headache relief
• Chargers for my devices/electronics
• My own pillow
• My warm snuggle
• Non-perishable snacks and drinks

Now that you have the list of essentials…think…

 

Could you (OR SOMEONE ELSE) pack your essentials in just 15 minutes?

Would they easily find everything if you couldn’t leave the hospital?

Is your closet a mess?

Is your bathroom over-run with stuff?

Is that helpful friend or family member going to pack the jeans that don’t fit?

Or those yoga pants that have a hole in the knee?

Everything about the hospital experience is uncomfortable, stressful and uncertain.  Your comfy clothes & must-have essentials provide such a comfort.  Being organized saves time & reduces stress…on the daily.

Do not wait to declutter that closet or organize that pantry & bathroom!

 

• Ask For Help

Asking for help is hard. But, you know what? People WANT to help so LET them. 

I’m always the first person to raise my hand when people are in need. Now I’m the one that needs help. I was most concerned about my children and needed a lot of help taking care of their everyday needs, trying to maintain some sense of normalcy in their daily lives. I called upon my friends from my women’s networking group, the Bizzy Mamas.

My point person there provided updates to the group and was able to coordinate food deliveries (in disposable containers, no less, so no dishes!), essentials & transportation for the kids and more daily tasks.  They jumped right in and took care of so much!

• Surrender Your Home

For the first week, I was home for less than one hour a day. I came home to shower, hug my kids and make sure there was enough food in the house.

After Day 1, we knew it was going to be at least 10 days in the hospital. My

in-laws stayed in my home, without me there, for at least a week. They had, certainly, been there many times before but this time was different. They were staying overnight, caring for my home and children, getting them on and off the bus, and, just for kicks, dealing with the tail-end of a 6-month home renovation.

 

Would you be able to surrender your home to others?

Are you the only one who can find things in the home?

Is your guest bedroom ready for last minute, extended stay guests?

Would guests know where to find towels, sheets, etc.?

Start now.  Thinking about making your home “user-friendly.”  In case of emergency, loved ones and trusted friends can come in & seamlessly take care of the important things…rather than spending time searching the house for those everyday items or worse…calling you to ask where they can find something.

 

• Get Your Affairs in Order

When faced with life and death situations you need to be prepared…for the worst case scenario.

Have the tough talks well in advance. 

Thankfully, our wills were already professionally prepared and up to date. And make sure you’ve discussed any advanced medical directives.  This is the last thing this 42 year old EVER wanted to discuss with my 45 year old husband. But it was our reality, right in our face, and we had to be prepared.

If you don’t have a will, do it now!

 

• Share Your Passwords

Thankfully my husband and I are organized with our passwords for all of our monthly bills. While he is the one that manages the household finances and pays the monthly bills, we were already prepared in case something happened. I would still be able to pay the bills on time, do the banking and not have an issue.

That is not always the case.  We all have our household roles, be it school contact, meals, finances, etc…but could your spouse take over your role, seamlessly, if you were unavailable, impaired or worse?  Share those passwords.

Write them down or save them in a secure location so that your spouse can access them in case of emergency.

I hope that this advice will help someone else when they are faced with what I experienced last month.  Don’t put off the big things.  Have the hard conversations, get organized and do your very best to be prepared…for the best and the worst of times.

 

Getting Organized…

NOT Your Mother’s Wedding Registry

By Carrie Kauffman, Professional Organizer & Stephanie Seal, Event Coordinator

 

As a professional organizer, I have seen more than my fair share of wedding gifts…

But not exactly as you’d expect…

I see them years after the big day…

…in their original boxes,

…collecting dust,

…tucked away in a closet or in storage.

Think ice cream maker (sure, sounds super fun but…), bread maker, fine china, crystal…

Stephanie Seal is the owner of Seal Events, a Philadelphia-based event planning service.  Stephanie works with many local couples prepping for their big day.  She has seen a real shift in registry selections, a move from traditional household items towards experiences, accessories to fuel their hobbies, lifestyle subscriptions while still embracing good old gift cards, but to new locales, services.

“Luggage, camping gear, power tools, speaker systems and subscriptions to services like Blue Apron have been popping up on registries. Couples are registering for things that are unique to them and not with Aunt Florence in mind.”

Further, registries are getting smaller, according to Seal.

“Couples are registering for fewer items in an effort to upgrade their current inventory to a few spectacular items. They’ll choose an espresso machine over a bread maker to fit their lifestyle.”

As a professional organizer, I LOVE that modern, engaged couple are choosing to pack their registries with low clutter or clutter-free options!

So how can you, as a newlywed, plan a better registry with functional (and fun) items you’ll use and love vs those that you won’t? Check out our practical tips to your best wedding registry.

3 Practical Questions To Ask When Planning Your Registry

Does This Make Sense With Our Lifestyle?

Think about your lifestyle right now, as a couple. Do you love to make elaborate meals together, entertain family & friends? Or are you a couple who orders Hello Fresh or prefers to eat out due to busy schedules?  How necessary is an 8-piece professional knife set or a Cuisinart Dual Blade 8qt Mixer or the 10-piece mixing bowl set if you have a compact kitchen?  Are you planning to start a family right away or is travel and entertainment on your immediate agenda?

Think about what fits your lifestyle as a couple.  For example, my husband was a chef, in a previous life, so the kitchen tools we received as wedding gifts have been well-loved & well-used over the years!  So DO register for what you love…whether it’s cooking or entertaining, camping or traveling!

If you’re already keeping your life simple, don’t clutter up your kitchen or other spaces with big bulky items you’ll use once or never at all.

Or save the clutter all together…Stephanie sees more of her engaged clients opting for registries focused on experiences vs household items.

“Newly engaged persons may not have the immediate dreams of having several children, hosting large dinner parties or holiday events and filling a home with material things. Instead there’s a big shift towards travel, activities and adventures. Weddings are now about customization to reflect the couple, not traditional standards. And registries have followed suit.

What Do We Already Have?

If you and your soon-to-be spouse lived in separate homes before getting married, now is the perfect time to see what you already have for your new space. Put everything where you want it.  You may find that your future bride already has a brand new Kitchen Aid Mixer and a set of glass mixing bowls, so no need to register for them. Have extra towels? Set some aside for guests.

Now you’ll have a great idea of…

…what you’re missing or might need,

…what is on its last legs and needs to be replaced,

…what items are duplicates and can be donated or passed along to a friend.

Repeat this process in every room in your home – declutter, evaluate, and adjust your registry accordingly.

More often these days, offers Stephanie, “couples are sharing a home before their wedding day so they have basic registry items such as spatulas and a toaster. Couples are also marrying at a more mature age and may have their own homes before tying the knot.”

But make no mistake…merging households could require quite a bit of decluttering…definitely more so than starting from scratch.

What Would Our Future Selves Do?

Your wedding registry is all about your future, so fast forward…5, 10, 15 years…

• Do you see yourself using that must have juicer?
• Are those higher thread count sheets really a priority?
• Do you really need a 6-slice toaster or should you opt for nicer everyday towels?
• The bread maker. Will being married motivate you to make your own bread?
• Will you ever really host formal dinners that require fine china & crystal?

As someone who has been married for 15 years, I can tell you that, over the years, we’ve donated at least half of our wedding gifts…for one reason or another.  Remember less is more so don’t overdo it…but get what you love to make your house a home!  Good luck!

About Carrie Kauffman

Carrie Kauffman is an award winning professional organizer, member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals, Greater Philadelphia Chapter (NAPO-GPC) and owner of Carrie’s Essential Services, LLC. Carrie Kauffman provides organizing services, in homes & offices, on the Main Line and surrounding communities. Carrie’s Essential Services specializes in moving & packing, preparing homes for sale, office setup including filing systems as well as general organizing & de-cluttering.

About Stephanie Seal

Stephanie Gambescia Seal is a Philadelphia based event coordinator providing planning and event staffing services for occasions of all sizes. Her company, Seal Events, helps clients truly be a guest at their own event and have a stress free run up to the big day.