The Productive Mom

Martha Stewart's Home Office Products Now at Staples!

Guess what's hit the shelves at Staples?  Martha Stewart's latest venture - Home Office Supplies!  I happened to be at Staples today taking advantage of their 25% rebate on all purchase promotion (yay!) and saw the shelves full of organization gems and had to restrain myself from picking up one of everything.

According to the announcement on Martha Stewart's blog today,

These exciting products are made by Avery Dennison Corp. and there are hundreds of items from binders and accessories; to journals and notebooks; to labels, tags, and bands; to sticky notes and note tabs; to filing systems; to dry-erase decals; to Stack+Fit™ desk accessories.

Here's what came home with me,

The small format binders in Shagreen (a faux croc tiffany-bluish cover) - I am planning to use these as mini scrapbook albums.

The 1-, 2-, and 4-pocket sheet protectors in clear.  Both in the small format size and in letter size. - So easy to trim down photos and just slide them into the protectors.  Journaling cards fit too!

In typical Martha Stewart style, the colors are classic and subtle and have small touches that gives it an extra touch.  For example, I use page protectors for all sorts of use - to organize important documents, display frequently-used menus, to house recipes, file articles in my inspiration binder, and to scrapbook.  But the extra touch I love with the page protectors from the Martha Stewart line?  These top flaps!

Once I saw these I knew I was going to be able to use these right out of the box to hold my stamps and embellishments.  (Today, I sew the compartments into a standard 8-1/2 X 11 (letter-sized) page protector so they will stay in place.)

I went to my trusty stash of letter-sized kraft cardstock (purchased in bulk from the paper manufacturer) and trimmed the sides down to 8.25" then cut two 5.25" X 8.25" backing pages to stiffen the page and to use as a support for the stamps and embellishments.  It was so ZEN to see my current stash organized in minutes!

Some of the other things that caught my eye,

      

X Bands - Not sure how easy these are to use but intrigued by how convenience this could be for some of my work folders.

No-Iron Clothing Labels - Perfect for my kids' coats, swim and gym clothes, and extra sets of clothing sent to daycare or the school.

Dry Erase Labels - Label once and feggeddaboutit.

Tuesday’s Productivity Tip

Purchase larger bags of snacks and take the time out to divvy them up into smaller containers.  A few years ago, I was inspired by this post from Becky Higgins and allocated two pantry shelves to lunch and break snacks for the kids.  I also made the change from clear zipper storage bags to containers in an effort to be more eco-friendly.  Now it is so easy for me to grab a container with snack-sized portions for lunch bags.

Photo from Becky Higgins

I also place some healthier snacks (unsweetened applesauce, fruit bars, fruit rollups) on the lower shelf so if my kids are asking for a snack, I can send them to the pantry for them to grab those themselves.

I’d like to extend this system into the fridge with perishables like fruits, cheese, and yogurt in the fridge.  I plan to add some baskets to hold containers of prep-packaged apple slices, plucked grapes, and cheese cubes.  I will share photos when it's in play! 

Do you have a Productivity Tip you’d like to share?  Add your link below!

The Productive Mom's One Little Word for 2012

Photo of Resolution Ring from BerkeyDesigns

Believe it or not, I didn’t really think of a New Year resolution this year.  I would like to take better care of my health by incorporating exercise back into my schedule and cooking more from scratch but I’d like to think of that as more a lifestyle change than a one-year resolution.

But I really like the One Little Word concept (which I first heard about from Ali Edwards) where you take a word and you try to live by that word for the year.  My OLW last year was “Prepare” and I do feel that I went further in that aspect than any other year and that is the level of accomplishment that sits well with me.  We planned meals for the week, laid out clothes for the kids the night before.  I looked at my calendar every night before I sleep to know what the week ahead brings (and also to see what my husband added to our family calendar).  Yes I could have done better like pack my and my daughter’s lunches the night before.  And I really could have benefitted from declining to take on last-minute projects or commitments because I really should have known that without the cushion time to prepare, the effort often ends up being a not-so-pleasant experience.

So this year, my OLW is a bit of a cheater because it’s technically a “phrase”.  In 2012, I want to “Live Smarter”. 

To me, living smarter means,

1. Tuning into my energy clock and matching the energy level to the tasks I need to complete.  Then removing typical obstacles that distract me. 
2. Reading more – something I enjoy and which nourishing me mentally and spiritually but which I feel I do not do enough of. 
3. Watching less “drama-fiction” TV and more drama-documentaries about historical events, about science and people who showed purpose in their lives and endeavors.
4. Utilizing my lunch hour to run errands so (1)  I leave my work desk for a physical break, (2) I probably get more things done without being distracted with my kids.
5. Making it a point to send more handwritten “thank yous” and “just saying hi” notes because it’s smart to reach out to people who love and care for you to keep the positive energy.

I am sure some other things will pop up as I think of my OLW (ok ok I guess if you had to twist my arm, my one little word could be “Smarter”?).  Do you have a new year’s resolution or two?  Or maybe a One Little Word of your own?