Amanda Darlack's blog

One of the best things to do when you are feeling stressed, anxious, or angry is to BREATHE. This is true for children as well as for adults.

I teach the children in my preschool class to breathe deeply by pretending to "smell the flowers" and then to "blowout your birthday candles." We even pretend to hold a flower up to our noses as we breathe in, and then we put up our pointer finger to be a candle when we blow out.

Amanda Darlack, Living Peace Professional Organizer, offers some clutter-free gift ideas for your child's teacher.

A good friend recently shared this quote with me.  I had not heard it before (although it is commonly mis-attributed to Nelson Mandela's 1994 Inaugural Address).

"...Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.

So, here's the scenario:

You are decluttering. You're doing a stellar job.  Lots of things are ready to leave your house and you will have more clear space!

Uh oh, but then you come across that complete set of china (or antique bedframe or leather jacket) that you no longer have any use for.  You don't love it. You don't need it. You don't really have room for it.  "But it's so nice!  It cost so much!..."

"...It's too good to give away!"

I've been there too.  Here are some questions to ask yourself to find the best solution.

Amanda Darlack, Living Peace Professional Organizer, shares three tips to help you and your kids have a great summer.

I recently started reading Creating Your Best Life: The Ultimate Life List Guide by Caroline Adams Miller and Dr. Michael B. Frisch.  I confess I was a little skeptical at first (and you know how much I love lists).  But after reading a couple of chapters, I was feeling a sense of possibility and enthusiasm which I haven't felt in a very long time.

A friend just emailed me asking me for some organizing advice.  "Is there any need to keep cards we received for our wedding?"

The answer to that question would be different for everybody.  So here is the big question to ask yourself when deciding whether or not to keep wedding cards or any kind of memorabilia:

Does it feel like a treasure?

Amanda Darlack, Living Peace Professional Organizer, shares her technique for keeping her car clear of trash.

The other day, I put a couple of papers on the stairs to take up with me next time I go up.  I told my husband that's why I put them there.  Then he asked a very sensible question: "Should we get a basket to collect things on the stairs?"

NO!

Whether your attending a professional development seminar for your job or a presentation about a personal interest, I wanted to share with you some of the things I do to get the most out of my investment of time and money.

1. Bring a way to take notes, whether that be a paper and pen or your laptop.  You will be bombarded with ideas and new information during the seminar, and you will never be able to remember it all. 

2.  As you take notes, focus on the following: