Clean Sweep Is It For You?

"More Then a Name for a TV Show"

Getting organized at home can be challenging especially for homes that have one parent households or both parents work, or where the family's schedule is constantly go and go some more. For most people, having an organized home is a continuous test of patience and determination.

Do you have a specific place, more then one spot, or an entire room in your home that desperately needs a clean sweep? Have you ignored those spots so long that the dirty sites are nagging you in the back of your mind? Don't grit your teeth and sigh; we have all been there at one point or another. There are easy solutions to your problem areas, let's do a clean sweep!

The guideline questions for clean sweeping your dirty room are; when did I last use this? When did I last wear this? When did I last play with this toy? What condition is the item in question found? The general answers to these questions are, if item is in bad condition throw it out. If you used the item the last time more then 18 months ago, donate it to charity or your garage sale. Toys can be tricky, are they memorable because they have meaning or are you a packrat?

Your ability to clean sweep the room depends on your willingness to be honest with yourself, but you say, it's a shame to throw out good stuff. If your "stuff" in question is in good condition, ask yourself, do you really want to keep this? If no, then you need to do some research on where to sell the items or where to donate it.

A problem a lot of households face is the paper issues, we generate a lot of paper, what to do with it all? Let's break down our paper mess. You need to divide your paper into several piles. Pile one, should be all the paper that has your personal information with on it, such as social security numbers, bank account numbers, credit card numbers. The second pile should be for each person in your household, and the third pile is for the trash. Anything that does not belong to one of your family members or have personal information on them needs to be placed in a trash bag and put to the curb.

Now, let's clean sweep the two piles that we have left. The pile that belongs to family members needs to be placed on the dining room table and when they gather for the evening meal, you need to ask them, to sort through it and throw out what they don't want and then they need to place it neatly in their rooms.

The last pile needs to be separated further, the first pile needs to be items that have nothing to do with paying your taxes, and the other is the paper pile that you will need to take to your tax accountant.

The pile that has nothing to do with taxes, you need to shred. Remember that trash is public domain and identity thieves like to go dumpster diving. Shred the papers that you don't need to take to your tax accountant and put the shredded paper to the curb.

The pile of papers that you need to take to your accountant needs to be placed in a file folder; ideally, you should have 12 folders. (They should have ends that are enclosed.) One folder for each month of the year, place the receipts dated in that month in the matching folder. Place your folders in a special spot, so the next time you have a tax receipt it can go straight into the proper folder.

Now, you're saying, but the spot that's a mess and needs a clean sweep is not paper, what do I do now? What are the items? If they are decorations for a holiday, purchase plastic containers that you can stack and place them inside, a closet under the short clothes, if your closet has shelves place these containers on the shelves. If your bed is high off the floor and depending on the shape of your container, you can slip the boxes underneath your bed.

Are you saying you don't have time for a clean sweep? Well, clean sweep one spot each night when you get home, five work nights equals five spots are clean swept each week, seven spots if you do one spot on each weekend day. Eventually all those untidy areas of your home will turn into clean rooms and lend a sparkling feeling to your dwelling.

Last, but not least helpful organization tips for that room that is entirely a disaster. First, enlist the help of your entire family. Advise them of what you are planning to do and agree on a weekend day that everyone can pitch in for a clean sweep of the room.

Now you have helpers. On the day, you have chosen for your clean sweep, have all the stuff taken out of the room. Divide the items up into three piles, keep, maybe keep, and toss out. After removing the items from the room, get trash bags out and dispose of all the stuff in the toss out pile.

Now apply the questions that we discussed above to the two remaining piles and divide both piles again into charity, garage sale, and keep. After this, take the stuff to the car that is going to be donated to charity and take it immediately to that charity.

If you have items to sell, keep them in the garage and the next sunny day, drag them to your yard and sell what you can, however, if you don't sell all the stuff, the rest of the garage sale items need to be taken to a charity.

Now all you should have left is the pile of belongings that you want to keep. Now evaluate your room. What are you going to use this room before it became chronically disorganized?

Now make it into that room. If you need shelving, buy it, if you need new paint get it, if you have a closet and have no intention on using the closet for clothing, use it for storage and put shelving into it. Old dressers are wonderful for storage if you are short on funds.

Regardless of which room or rooms in your home that requires a clean sweep, the guideline questions remain the same. When did I use this last? What condition is it in? Why am I keeping this item? If you cannot give a good answer to two of these questions, then you really need to dispose of the property in question.

When you move into the final phase of your clean sweep, you need to visualize the way you see the room when you are all done with the clean sweep and work towards those goals. There many ways to reach your final goal, sometimes it might be easier to go the store where they sell organization goods and price what you have in mind and then ask if there is a cheaper way to accomplish your final goals.

When you final touches are made to the clean room, show it off to your family and friends. To keep a real fund record of your clean sweep, take before and after pictures.

Another ideal way to optimize a clean sweep is as you are packing to move to another residence. You apply the guideline questions, but a much grader scale, the key is to evaluate everything you pack with extreme prejudiced. After all, if you trash it, give it away, or sell it, you will have to pack and move it! The extra space you will have in your new home will astound and please you and make you proud of your clean sweep.

Now you have turned your chronic disorganization into a totally organized home. Congratulations on a successful clean sweep!

Design Easy Face Painting

"Master Face Painting by This Time Tomorrow"

At my daughter's first birthday party, I was fortunate enough to have a cousin who is an artist and she whipped out her face painting kit and paint the older kid's faces and whole upper torsos. My nephews were completely done as the Hulk and Aquaman, the girls had their faces painted up as princesses and small cute butterflies and balloons.

Kids love face painting, they are fascinated by seeing others get their faces painted and wait in anticipation to see their face design. My daughter's fifth birthday is approaching and I was desperately, wanting a crash course on how to do it myself, so that I wouldn't have to hire a face painting artist to do my party.

The key is to start with easy face painting designs. The face designs should easy enough to be able to use small sponges cut into circles, triangles, rectangles, diamonds, dab them into the face paint and place it on the skin, leaving a base design that you can build upon or finish off with a little highlight, lowlight, or shading. Use a different sponge for each color; you will need multiple sponges in the same designs for each of the colors you are using.

A great time to practice face painting designs is at Halloween. On a night of horrors, the little odd wavering of a line will be hidden in the dark of trick or treat. If you are unsure of your ability practice on your own hand, close your hand into a fist and paint the top of it. Halloween is the most popular time of the year for face painting. The face painting design include, vampires, ghouls, witches, and ghosts.

Face painting ideas should be simple, fun, and something you have practiced. The more you practice the faster you become and the more faces you can paint.

Face painting design supplies should consist of good paintbrushes. Good paintbrushes will have the bristles securely fastened into the brush end, otherwise, the bristles will fall out and become part of the face painting design. You will spend several minutes pulling bristles out of the design. Good brushes cost between $3-10, and they will last you a long time. Invest in sponges and cut them into different designs like circles, stars, triangles, rectangles, ovals, and any other shape you can imagine. Remember to disinfect all items between faces to keep things sanitary. All face paints should state on the labels that they are face paints and they are okay to use on the skin, start out with two or three paint brushes, and a small range of colors, the basic palettes have white, black, green, red, yellow, purple, and orange. Other fun items to use with the face paints are glitter, stick on gems, stencils, and face painting stamps.

Great items for amateur face painters are stencils and face painting stamps. The face painting stamps are made of rubber and you place in on your face painting paint pad and you have an outline of the design, then you fill in the stamp design with color.

Stencils are outlines of shapes; they are picture version of the ABC's your child might use to learn to hold their pencils in nursery school. You mix and match the designs and use a base color and dab the small areas of the stencil or the entire stencil. Next, you put on the highlights and final touches. Hint, girls love glitter and body gems after all they are princesses!

Where can you put your new talent of face painting to work? Your child's next birthday party, the next fundraiser at your child's school, fairs, Fourth of July, parades, festivals, or you can start your own business.

Practice your simple face painting designs, and you are ready for your first party. Start out with your child's birthday, kids love their faces painted and will be uncaring if it's not perfect. Use thin first layer, wait until it is fully dry before beginning final designs. Hint: to pop the designs outline your design with a thin line of black around the face designs.

Starting a face painting design business begins with volunteering your services at charity events, your child's birthday parties, and very shortly, it will morph into a steady business with a line of kids waiting their turn to get their faces painted.

Face painting at charity events allows you to work on your face painting designs and develop your painting speed. Once your speed increases, begin by setting up a small canopy on the Fourth of July or Good Friday at the fair and paint away. The best way to advertise your new face painting design business is word of mouth. Build your face painting design portfolio with testimonials and photos of face designs of which you are especially proud.

When you are ready to graduate from charity events to paid business, you now need to research your area and find out, how much are face painters paid? Is a face painting design booth less money per face then private parties? Do not price yourself out of the market and remember it just might help to have lower prices to bring in clientele. Have your business cards ready to give out to anyone who asks if you do private parties. Business cards can be made at home with the help of Avery products.

Another avenue for face painting is at restaurants, as they might have a kid's eat free night and have special entertainment throughout the meal. Children's museums and creative art facilities or a community center will be a great place to begin looking for business. Another avenue for marketing could be at your significant other's corporate picnic or event.

If your community offers summer camps, where kids are, face painting will be a hit! Your child's school, fund raising events, and carnivals are great sources of income. Craft Shows are great place to have a booth. Bookstores sometimes want to launch a child's book and a great way to draw children to children's books is to hire a face painter. Theme parks and cruises ships are also great places to look for new business and the latter will give you a free exotic vacation too!

My cousin, who brought out her face painting kit on my daughter's first birthday, is a real artist and she is sells her paintings at our local galleries, however, she uses her artistic talents to make money through face painting. Or perhaps you are a stay at home Mom who wants to make money and be available to her kids after school is out, face painting could be for you.

Whether you are looking to learn face painting design for your child's next birthday or as a new, fun way to have some pocket money, remember, face painting is fun and you can make wonderful memory's for your own child and someone else's too.

Walt Disney World Vacation

"Are You Overpaying Thousands Dollars For Your Walt Disney World Vacation?"

When I read this question, I knew that I was in trouble. I just returned from Walt Disney World and I could only spend one day there, boy was it expensive! I don't feel like I was trapped by expensive-ness because it was my first time at Walt Disney World and it was my daughter's first time too. Walt Disney World was a childhood dream cut short by a stolen wallet.

So my first trip was a success, but I love cheap and free stuff and having a daughter who is interested in Walt Disney Cinderella, Winnie Pooh and Friends, Handy Mandy, Disney’s Little Einsteins, and Belle, Beauty and the Beast to name a few. I know that we’ll be going back to Walt Disney World; however, staying at an onsite Walt Disney World Hotel and Resort on the next trip was out of sight according to my research for the first trip. I didn’t have $3,200 plus to stay 7 days, and I still don’t.

When I read that Walt Disney World's 5-Star resort retail cost $3,110 for 10 days, but Beth's cost is $1,130 during PEAK Season!

I was hooked! I had to have the book! My husband is making plans to return in the Spring of 2007! This time I think we’ll visit Walt Disney MGM Studios! Now planning a grand vacation takes time, saving money takes even more time.

Trust me, I've planned a London, Edinburgh, and Far East vacations and I always get value for my dollar. However, my first trip to Walt Disney World we had a magical time, but having to watch the pennies was not quite as magical for me as saving money would have been.

Thus the purchase of "The Ultimate Disney World Saving’s Guide, 2008.". The Ultimate Disney World Saving’s Guide is written by a woman who used to be an employee of Walt Disney World and is now a travel writer. Now who better to know the tricks of the trade? Or know how to save money at Walt Disney World?

I was thrilled with my purchase. I turned on my computer and began reading. I learned how to save up to $500 just on Walt Disney World Ticket costs Alone! Wow, those tickets are not cheap. I also learned how to get exclusive discounts on 5 and 7 day park hopper tickets! These are not a good ideas except if you are going to be at Walt Disney World for more then seven days.

I love shopping for souvenirs and not necessarily souvenirs either! I love shopping for anything and saving big by shopping downtown and I could have paid anywhere from 10 to 75 percent less than the theme park prices. Now that’s saving! I wish I had known that before spending $300+ on my onsite Disney souvenirs.

I learned when exactly are the high and low price seasons and how to shop around for the best buys—online! I also learned what airlines are the most stable and won't cancel my flight, making my non-refundable tickets to Orlando, Florida invalid. Do you know that Walt Disney World offers a free “magical express” shuttle and baggage service? I didn't, not that I was staying at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel. So if you are staying at an onsite hotel, there will be no more waiting for your bags at the airport your luggage is delivered directly to your hotel room! Wow!

We were in Orlando, Florida for ten days, it rained every afternoon at, without fail every day at 3:00 p.m., and now I know what I could have done on those rainy days! And I now know which one park I should visit last! (This didn’t apply to me this time around, but I know for next time!)

Hungry? Find out what’s okay to bring inside the Parks with you and what you should leave at the hotel. However, if you’re lucky enough for Character Dining at the Crystal Palace—it's the Best Buffet in Walt Disney World OR Orlando, Florida at least in my opinion!

There can be lines at Walt Disney World and now I know how to beat those long lines and which one moves faster! And my favorite, the hidden entrances and there are several of these "shortcuts" to theme parks and attractions bypassing most of the crowds.

Walt Disney! The Kingdom, and the Magic!

Minnie and Mickey Mouse, Disney’s Goofy, Space Ship Earth, Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach, Disney’s Tinkerbelle, Toontown, and Fantasyland, what bliss, what fun, if Mom and Dad can afford the price!

So, why not plan a cheap Disney vacation? Because I will and you’ll see me on the Barnstormer, in Fantasyland, and Downtown Disney, Orlando, cause, I’ll follow the steps, and save thousand of dollars and laugh until the last firework bursts in the air!

Much, Much More Walt Disney Treasures!

The Disney Wide World of Sports Complex is for your husband if you have been there many times so that you can take your kiddies to Disney's new Wilderness Preserve, I've seen this on the Travel Channel, and boy is it nice!

Can we say Playhouse Disney and Disney MGM Studios? This is where your kids can meet the cast of Playhouse Disney and the Clubhouse run by Disney's Mickey Mouse. Oh my, I cannot wait to see my daughter's face when we go there because it will look the same as when she saw Cinderella’s Castle.

My husband raves about the different countries of Epcot Center and I am looking forward to seeing it with him. And then there is Disney's Animal Kingdom and last, but not least is the little known Toll Free Number for Walt Disney World! I'm going to be burning up the telephone wires using this telephone number!

My first trip to Walt Disney World may have only been for one day, with this ebook, the next one we will be for at stay for at least 10 days at a Walt Disney World Hotel and Resort! Hope your next Walt Disney World Vacation is as successful as mine plans to be!