The Posh Blog

I had the chance to attend my sister-in-law’s (hey Margo!) baby shower this weekend, she’s expecting twin boys!  So I was able to give her a few words of advice on what a mom must have in her car at all times to be prepared for any situation. 

Here are a few of the things I suggested:
1. Wet One’s Hand Wipes.  You never know what will happen, especially when you have children!  But there are many times when someone’s hands are messy or someone will be eating in the car after playing at the park.  These anti-bacterial hand wipes are perfect to have in each vehicle and will be used often!

2. Tissues-I know it seems like a no-brainer, but there are so many times when a simple tissue will come in handy.  Especially during flu season. These are a must have in every car. I keep a small box in each car.

3. Trash bags-If you have dirty tissues and a used Wet One you have to have a place to put them!  It seems like your car can get filled up with trash quickly.  So trash bags are a must!  You can keep a small stash of plastic grocery bags or you can get something like Sassy Diaper Sacks.  I love these because 50 bags come in a nice and neat bag I can keep in my car.  I have found these bags at my local grocery store in the baby supply aisle or the at a large baby supply store.  

4. Money-These days it seems like very few people carry real money anymore, but there are some places that only accept good old fashioned money.  I recommend you keep a very small amount of money in your car.  I recommend $10-20 dollars in case of a small emergency.

5. Pen and paper- Even in the days of GPS and smart phones, I am always amazed how much I rely on a pen and paper.  I keep a post-it pad in my car and use it to jot down: songs I want to download, directions to someone’s house, a great thought or idea, a web-site I heard on the radio, and more.  Note pads are also great for keeping children entertained on road trips!

6. Bonus Tip-Container- I use a container that sits on the floorboard of the car in the back seat.  It is large enough to hold all the things I described above and a few other things I didn’t mention. One of the containers I use in my husband’s car is the small Trunk Tray from The Container Store.  It has a non-skid bottom that prevents it from sliding across the back of your car. 

Enjoy safe travels this summer!

Angela

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

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.

This week I am in Orlando, Florida for my Professional Organizer Conference.  I traveled yesterday and used one of my favorite products while on the plane.  It’s the three in one pen, highlighter, and Post-it Flags from Post-it ®.  This pen is handy to have while you are traveling or to keep in your purse or briefcase on a daily basis.  It saves you from having to carry multiple items when you’re on the go.   

I also like to keep one in my bedside table so when I’m reading at night I can have my highlighter and flags handy.   

The highlighters are available in two formats:  either the highlighter and the Post –it ® flags (shown above) or the highlighter, pen and Post-it ® combo.  Both are great to have depending on your needs.  One less thing to carry while you travel!   

Enjoy organized travels!

Angela

  I just learned about this product and wanted to pass it on to my readers who travel or who frequently use a laptop.  The MoGo Mouse BT is a wireless Bluetooth® enabled mouse the size of a business card.  When not in use you can store and recharge this tiny mouse inside your laptop computer’s PC card slot.  

  Now you will never forget your mouse again and what’s even better is that it does not take up any additional room in your laptop bag or carry on!  Love this!  There are two different versions of the MoGo Mouse and the price ranges from $69.00-$89.00.   

Never forgetting your mouse on a business trip, how sweet it is. 

Enjoy the good life,  
Angela  

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

This week I am at an organizing conference in Reno, Nevada. As an excited traveler I was preparing by getting all my items packed. My carry-on was packed with the essential items: toothpaste, underwear, make-up, and plenty of reading material. My suitcase was very lightly packed with plenty of room to spare. I actually thought that I may be able to get everything in two carry on bags, but quickly discounted that idea so I would have space to bring conference material back home.

Fortunately, my organizing efforts paid off, but unfortunately my flight was canceled three times and rescheduled four!!! “The Airline” as we will call it, canceled 500 flights that day throughout the U.S. Needless to say, I was stuck in DFW for the night. I was one of the lucky ones who actually got a hotel room.

Lessons Learned:
Lesson 1: Pack your PJ’s. Although I had my essential make-up and toiletries I had not packed my pajamas or a second set of clothing. Not a problem if you’re traveling alone, but I had an organizing buddy who I was sharing a room with. So we got creative and got bought some lovely leprechaun t-shirts at Bennigan’s where we had dinner. Now we had pajamas!

Lesson 2: Pack some munchies. I had packed all my snacks, except for a package of gum, in my suitcase. After being at the airport for 7 and a half hours there comes a time when you want a small snack and you are tired of paying for the usual overpriced food and snacks at the airport. So next time I will pack a few of my own snacks on my carry on.

Lesson 3: Find out the location of your hotel.

After waiting in line to rebook our second canceled flight and to try to get a hotel voucher our booking agent was able to work some magic and find us a room for the night! Thank goodness!! The problem was that she called the hotel, held the room for us, and then told us which courtesy van to look for. We were too mentally drained to ask what the location of the hotel was and when we tried to get on the courtesy van he asked “which location are you going to?” We looked at each other dumbfounded. In the end we made it to the right hotel after calling them both and waiting another hour.

Lesson 4: Have a good attitude.
What struck me the most about this unpleasant experience was the attitude of everyone from the ticket agents to the people in line. Most people were handling the whole thing with patience and a little humor.

So, next time you are set to travel learn from my travels woes and be prepared for all the possibilities.

Enjoy the good life.

Angela Ploetz

   Don’t forget this weekend we will turn our clocks forward because of Daylight Saving Time.  The change happens on Sunday, March 9^th and at 1:59 a.m. you should move your clock to 3:00 a.m.  If you are not planning on partying like it’s 1999, then you should just move your clocks forward one hour Saturday night when you go to bed.   

You can also visit Time and Date to find the current time anywhere in the world!  

Enjoy the good life,

Angela   

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