The Posh Blog

It’s summer, so what are the items you must have in your pool or beach bag?  Here’s my list of things your pool bag should not be with out.  Having a fully stocked pool bag will help you relax and enjoy your time in the sun.

1. Sun Screen- Obvious?  Not so fast.  It took us a while to figure out we needed to keep sun screen both at home and in the pool/beach bag.  You hate getting to swim lessons without any sunscreen.  It’s also a great idea to write the date that you purchased the sunscreen on the bottle with a Sharpie Marker or even better is to write the “use by date”.  Each sunscreen manufacture is different, but you can find out how long each type of sunscreen is good by reading my previous article Sunscreen Guidelines. 

 
2. Water Proof Bag- This is essential so you can keep your wallet, keys, and cell phones safe from a leaking water bottle, sunscreen, or a big splash of pool water.   You can use a Gallon Size Zip Lock storage bag with the slide Lock.   You can also find some great sturdy bags in the travel section of The Container Store like their Clear Zipped Envelopes. 

 
3. Trash Bag- It never fails.  You’re out and about at the pool or a picnic, you just wiped your child’s chocolate covered face with a wet wipe and there is no trash can in site. I stash a few plastic grocery bags in my pool bag.  They always come in handy. 

 
4. Wet One’s(R) Hand Wipes- After a day at the pool or beach refreshments are always a must, but even with chlorinated water it’s best to have clean hands before handling food.  I keep a container of anti-bacterial hand wipes in my bag. The anti-bacterial gel is great too, but I feel like the wipes work better with sticky kid’s fingers. 

 
5. Adventure Tote from L.L. Bean. I love this bag!  It is a must have for the Summer.  The large size holds a lot while the exterior pockets keep everything organized.  See my previous article The Best Summer Bag.

Here’s to a fun and relaxing summer!

Enjoy,

Angela

Copyright (C) 2008 Angela Ploetz, POSH Space  www.theposhspace.com.

Reduce, reuse, and recycle your stuff!  Happy Earth Day!  Do you have big plans for Earth Day?  If the answer is “no” here’s an easy way you can participate.  Go through your home or closets and do a quick clean sweep.  Grab a shopping bag and fill it up with items you no longer need, use, or love.  Think of this as a challenge for a good cause.  I am challenging you to fill up two large shopping bags with stuff that you can take and donate.  Spend no more than 30 minutes going through your home and choosing the items you can part with.   

A great starting place is your kitchen.  Look through your cabinets and weed out any small appliances you have not used in one year.  Look through your kitchen drawers and pick out those kitchen gadgets you “had to have” but have never used and let them breathe new life in someone else’s kitchen. If you still need a little help it’s time to hit the closets!  Children’s closets are fantastic for this!  Children out grow clothing and shoes so quickly, it’s easy to fill up a bag with just children’s clothing.  If you don’t have children consider raiding your own closet and letting go of anything that no longer flatters your figure, your completion or your personality.  If you can’t say “this is SO me” then it doesn’t deserve a place in your closet.   

There are so many great charities that rely on the goodness and donations that we can provide them with.  For many charities the items we donate are then sold in the charities thrift shop or at a large “Garage Sale” type of event.  The proceeds are often used to fund programs, put clothes on people’s back, give people jobs, and feed people in need.  

So donate today, for the earth, for the other people you are helping, for helping reduce a little bit of clutter from your home, for the tax write off, for a little good karma during unpredictable times, or for all of the above.  But just do it!  You’ll be glad you did!

Enjoy the “Green” life!

Angela

Copyright (C) 2008 Angela Ploetz, POSH Space  www.theposhspace.com. 

Are cords from your lap top, crock pot, flat iron just getting in the way and causing more of a mess?  Here is one of my all time favorite MUST HAVE products and something I keep in my bag to use with clients all the time!  They are Velcro ® Reusable Ties (I call them cord wraps)  To use these; bundle up your cord and then wrap the cord wrap around the cord to keep it together.  Sounds simple enough? 

The reason I like these over other similar products is because they have a slit at one end so you can slip the smaller end through it.  This allows you to attach the cord wrap to a cord and it will stay in place even when you unwrap your bundle.  Unlike a twist tie, you will never lose these wraps because they are attached to your cord.  I use these EVERYWHERE for my laptop, iron, blow dryer, camera charger, the list is endless.  They are eight inches long and a packages contains 25 black and 25 gray ties for about $4.47.  Larger sizes available for outdoor use.  You can find these little gems at your local hardware stores like Lowes and Home Depot.  

Say good bye to tangled up cords! 

Enjoy the good life! 

Angela 

Copyright (C) 2008 Angela Ploetz, POSH Space  www.theposhspace.com. 

In Texas this weekend, August 15-17^th, is a Tax Free Holiday on clothing and apparel.  IF you are going to brave the crowds here are a few tips to help make your shopping trip a more productive one and help you keep your sanity. 

1.  Visit Texas Sales Tax Holiday Site for a complete list of items that are exempt from sales tax this weekend. 

2.  Shop early.  Call your favorite stores now to find out what time they will open so you can arrive right when they open.  This will help save you time fighting the crowds.

3.  Know your child’s school requirements and restrictions.  Call your child’s school or visit the school district web-site to find out if certain clothing is not allowed before you make your purchases.  After all, we want to keep returns to a minimum with the high gas prices!

4.  Take a quick inventory of what your child currently has that still fits, is still in good shape, or that he or she will still wear.  Then make a list of the things you need to purchase.  Estimate how many pants, tops, sweaters, shoes, socks, etc. that you would like to find.

5.  Last but not least, determine a budget.  AHH…the dreaded “B” word!  Having something to aim for is a great way to keep you and your child focused on what is important and to keep from being easily swayed by the illusive “SALE” signs.   

One more bonus tip:  Don’t forget to bring a bottle of water and a few protein snacks like a protein bar or even Peanut M&M’s.   

Happy and productive shopping! 

P.S. Don’t forget to donate any clothing that does not fit your child anymore, this is critical to maintaining an organized home. 

Enjoy the good life,

Copyright (C) 2008 Angela Ploetz, POSH Space  www.theposhspace.com. Angela Ploetz

    Have you ever looked at your watch, your cell phone, and your computer to find that each one is showing a different time?  This is especially frustrating if you are trying to be on time for a meeting or conference call.   

Next time this happens you can go to www.time.gov and get the exact time with a 0.2 second accuracy.  Now that’s good!  You can also check the time for each of the time zones in the US, which I find to be extremely helpful because I have many telephone conferences with people in different time zones.  Everyone always gets confused, “do I add two hours or subtract an hour?” and this web-site helps us keep it straight.   

Knowing I can rely on something to give me the right time when I need it, now that’s a relief.   

Enjoy the good life,

Angela   

Copyright (C) 2008 Angela Ploetz, POSH Space  www.theposhspace.com. 

I just did the home show last weekend and I met lots of great people.  One thing these types of shows or conventions remind me of is all the “Free” clutter; I mean stuff that people are giving away.  It may be a pen, a stress ball, a highlighter, or a magnet and you see it and say, “great a free pen” and you add it to your bag and bring it into your home.  The problem is that if you do this every time you see a “free” pen then you can end up with pens taking over your house.  I have worked with several clients who end up with shoe boxes or gallon size zip top bags full of pens.   

Managing these pens takes time, your time.  It also takes up space in your home.  Many times the pens are filling up drawers and spread over many surfaces.  So now you have to deal with the pens.  You have to gather them together, test them to see which ones work, toss out the ones that don’t work, donate some, and find a place to put the ones you are keeping.  This once “free” pen has now cost you hours managing it and all its multiplying friends.   

A big part of managing clutter is stopping it at the door.  The next time you see a free pen, magnet, note pad, or stress ball, get into the habit of asking yourself if you really need it before it comes into your home.  Your time is valuable and you are worth it!

Enjoy the good life,

Angela Ploetz