The Obvious Information We Frequently Overlook ...

Mom Tip ~ The obvious information we need to have at our fingertips is sometimes the most frequently overlooked. Most of us wouldn't think of our address as being a critical piece of information ... it just seems so obvious that someone in our home should know where we live.

However, we often forget that a new babysitter will not automatically know our address if he / she had to call 911 to report an emergency. He / She may not even know your spouse's name.

Additionally, if a neighbor had to come into our home to assist in an emergency, he / she may not know our critical phone numbers. Or, if your child needed to call your spouse at work, would she know the number?

A great way to keep all of this information available at all times is to keep a laminated sheet by your phone that has the following critical information:

1. Your Names
2. Home Address
3. Home Phone Number
4. Your Cell Numbers
5. Work Number / Spouse's Work Number
6. Work Fax Number / Spouse's Fax Number
7. 911
8. Poison Control
9. Phone Number for Your Alarm Company
10. Primary Physician's Phone Number
11. Veterinarian (if you have a pet)
12. A list of all allergies, prior surgeries, and current medications for each family member.

If you have a family handbook, all of this information should be kept in the "emergency section." Make sure all of your family members are familiar with the location of this critical information.

Customized Week at a Glance Journals ~ Priceless

Journaling the "Crazy Moments" of Mommyhood Provides Laughs & Perspective.

It has been awhile since I have updated my blog with the latest happenings of the "Mo-Nado" aka our "Molly Tornado." She is now 2 1/2 years old and is still reinventing the phrase "busy toddler." The photo attached is how she greeted me the other morning at 6:30am ~ yes, that is a blue ball point pen she used to draw a "Rudolph nose" and "mustache" on herself (she told me herself - proudly).

I just had to photograph the moment before I searched the house for the other "remnants" of her "pen destruction." Luckily, she managed to avoid marking up the furniture & walls too. This photo now graces the page of January 14th in my "Mommy Journal."

My New Years Resolution was to "look for the good" in each of my children every day ~ despite the tough day to day challenge parenthood can "feel" like at times. To help remind me of their precious childhood qualities (these years are much to short) during the frustrating "ball point pen moments" I have started a mommy journal.

It is a simple "week at a glance" calendar I keep by my bedside table. Each evening I document one silly, sassy or even frustrating moment for each of my children. I journal how the moment shows their "personality," "good intentions" or "growing pains." It is something I re-read the next evening and end up laughing hysterically at how they each brighten my day ~ even in the crazy moments.

For your "week at a glance" customized mommy journal ~ email thepurplemartin@bellsouth.net or call (704) 724-9108 ~ cost is $45

Mom's Pick Their Style ~ Your Children Provide The Inspiration! Nothing replaces your hand-written record of your children's funniest moments!



All the best ~
Lori Martin

Irony ~ My Car Accident, My Handbook & A "VERY Stunned" EMT!

Today I had the unfortunate experience of being in a car accident. Defintely not what I needed as I was beginning a day full of children's activities, work commitments and christmas plans. It is amazing how something that interrupts all that we thought was important can immediately put life into perspective for us.

The accident happened while I was sitting at a traffic light. The driver behind me thought the light was green (even though I was stopped) and hit me at approx 30 mph. I am so thankful that my children were not in the car & my Honda Odyssey did a decent job holding its own & protecting me to the best of its ability.

I ended up needed medical care and emergency services (fire, police & ambulance) were on the scene pretty quickly. When the police officer approached my side door to begin asking me the standard litany of emergency related questions (insurance, where you hurt, what are you allergic to, what is your name, address, height, weight, birthday etc.) I quickly told him that I had a "handbook with fish on it (my paper choice) in the glove compartment and it had everything he wanted to know about me in it."

I was in shock from my injuries and thanks to my "dork book" (like my sweet husband calls it) the EMT's & police officers were armed with all of my emergency contacts, my emergency room of choice, auto insurance information, medical insurance information, medical history & allergies and much more!

When I was placed into the ambulance I made sure the EMT had my handbook with him. (I didn't even think to ask him where my wallet was ... it ranked way down the food chain in importance to me at the time). I knew I was facing an entire day in the ER and that I would need help with my children for the rest of the day. My contacts & family information was critical (all was in my handbook) and my phone was lost at the scene of the accident.

When my husband met me at the hospital (thanks to my handbook) he had the ability to call all 3 schools, a list of babysitters to help with the kids, neighbors to walk the dog, & my insurance agent. When the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th nurses all had shift changes during my stay and needed to ask the same health questions over again, he directed them to my handbook so I could rest!

Needless to say, it was definitely not a fun afternoon, but all was so much easier with my information all in one place! (even the EMT wanted one :-))

Happy holidays!

Thankfulness ~ A Lesson From Mom

We all have those days (I've wrote about them before) where life as a busy mom of 3 (& now the crazy dog) can just seem over the top exhausting! Well, yesterday was one of those days that was not only exhausting, it was loud, messy & chaotic ... & my own mother came to the rescue!

On a day when I would normally have been too busy to notice, I stopped in my tracks to pay particular attention to what an amazing mom she was to come and help me for 3 days.

A gift of love, and act of kindness & grace she dropped what she was doing in her own life to come and dedicate 100% of her time and attention to mine.

She took on my messes as if they were her own, she stepped in to help with the "micro details" of my mommy life that had crept up on me as I met a client deadline the night before.

She seamlessly finished the laundry, made dinner for the children, walked the dog (in the rain), hung up clothes, took out the trash cans and cleaned up the kitchen.

She said good night to me like she always did when I was a little girl and I stopped to notice what an amazing woman she is. I felt five ~ safe & warm in her care ~ but looked in the mirror & reality set in. We are both older (much older) and the years ahead of us that we have to spend together are narrowing.

This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for all that I have & all that I have had the opportunity to learn, love and cherish through the example of my wonderful mother.

May you take the time this Thanksgiving to notice ~ and thank ~ those you love & cherish.

I love you, mom.
L

Purple Martin & Co. "Holiday Gift Pick!" ~ Recycled Glass Vases From Organica Deluxe!

An online (& Charlotte, NC) find ~ ORGANICA DELUXE (as seen in magazines!) has taken organic style to a whole new level! www.organicadeluxe.com

I just LOVE it when I can accessorize my office space with something "practical" AND "beautiful" ... having it be an "organic" product takes it into the next stratosphere for me!

My next holiday gift pick is a collection of 100% recycled glass vases. They are not only gorgeous (especially when the light shines through them), but they are also very practical for holding small desktop items that are generally stored in much less attractive ways.

I use mine (see photo) to store colored pencils, thumbtacks, paper clips, and binder clips! I LOVE how they look on my desk and am even more impressed with the fact that they are "recycled" and good for our earth.

These vases make GREAT gifts for the holidays and at $12 apiece they are a big bang for your dollar! They come in 5 different colors ~ Red, Green, Orange, Blue & Pink ~ and 2 sizes - tall bud vase and short wider necked vase. For the holiday season the Red & Green colored vases will be a BIG hit!

Another creative use for these great "green gifts" is to give them as teacher presents!

I have come up with the following GREAT gift ideas (please copy them if you like!)

1. Fill one short vase for the art teacher with an assortment of paint brushes & tie with a handwritten note from my child

2. Fill one tall vase with #2 pencils for the "math teacher" and tie with a poem written by my child (she LOVES math)

3. Fill one tall or short vase with binder clips for the school secretary

4. Fill one with colored pencils & tie with a bow & special note

5. Fill one with a couple of inexpensive thumb drives for the computer lab teacher (she is sure to love this one!)

6. Fill a red or green one with your favorite holiday candy (candy canes, M&M's Hershey's kisses) & garnish with a pretty bow!

The best part about all of these ideas it that the vase will double as an actual "vase" when your child brings you teacher a small bunch of flowers from the yard throughout the year.

The note I created for my vases to give as gifts reads:
"This beautiful bottle is made of 100% recycled glass & has many wonderful uses.

Sit it upon your desk as a pretty way to organize small items such as paperclips, thumbtacks, binder clips or pencils.

It also doubles as a beautiful vase for each time I bring you a flower to school for the great job you do teaching me each day.

Or you can take it home & use it as a dispenser for olive oil, balsamic vinegar or dish soap as a pretty accent to your countertop.

Thank you for being a special teacher to me ~ Love, E"

Isn't this the best gift that keeps on giving?

Pretty, Practical, Thoughtful & Good for the Earth! What could be better?!

Order online at www.organicadeluxe.com OR if you live in Charlotte, shop at the Poole Shop where Organica Deluxe has set up a "pop up shop" for the holidays!

Ready for a "Practical Holiday Season?" Join us for our Holiday Event on December 1st!

I'm definitely ready for a practical Holiday Season! One where I give gifts that have a purpose, serve a need, or fill a void that someone would not want to purchase for themselves. One that does NOT add to the clutter or increase the noise factor of my already crazy home of 5 (plus the dog).

In celebration of a "Simpler Holiday Season" The Purple Martin & Co is partnering with Simplicity (the PREMIER home organizing business in Charlotte) and Simplify (a home organization products business) to help you have a "practical & simple holiday."

Come Join us on December 1st for our first "Shop & Learn Event!"
Date: December 1st
Time: 7:00pm
Place: 3513 Keithcastle Court 28210

Carson Tate, owner of Simplicity will present her strategies for having a simple & practical holiday!

Laurie Martin, owner of Simplify will present her favorite storage solutions for taming all of those precious holiday decorations & memories.

Lori Martin, owner of The Purple Martin & Co, will present her favorite ways to keep your "information" organized for the holiday seson (meals, event planning, shopping & more!).

Come and share drinks and appetizers with these 3 fantastic women and take home a few "free tips!" on how to make your holiday "simpler."

We will have giveaways from our favorite local businesses who also offer products that simplify our life!

Simplify, Simplicity & The Purple Martin & Co. Products & gift cards will be available for purchase (free giftwrap available).

We hope you will join us for this fun event!

Deck Your Halls With Organization & Style

The Holidays are here and can be overwhelming before “decking of the halls” even officially begins! One of the most stressful parts of the holiday season is the additional amount of “information” we are responsible for on top of our daily routine.

We pile additional shopping lists, decorating ideas, holiday card lists, gift ideas, additional meal preparation, party planning, event hosting, travel arrangements, preparation for house guests and much more on top of our daily work-life balance. All of this can feel like piling another “full time job” on top of our existing “full time job” and we simply don’t have the additional hours in the day to keep up.

Keeping track of all of this additional information in an organized manner is THE KEY to maintaining a sense of “peace and calm” in this season of “hustle and bustle.” One way to keep all of this extra information pulled together is in a “Holiday Planning Handbook.”

The Purple Martin & Co., founded by Lori Martin, has created a holiday planning handbook to meet all of your holiday “information management” needs. These handbooks can be customized to meet your specific planning needs or you can pick from a menu of “common holiday planning tabs” to include in your planner. These handbooks are decorated with gorgeous specialty paper and personalized with a name or monogram of your choice. To tame all of that holiday planning “paper” the handbooks include multiple types of pockets, sheet protectors & photo pages to keep your information & ideas contained.

After all, it is impossible to stay on budget or keep track of what we have already done in our holiday planning, let alone remember whom we have already purchased gifts for, if we don’t keep our holiday information organized.

A plan of action before each holiday season does take some effort, but organizing your “plans & ideas” in a “Holiday Planning Handbook” will have the payoff of a much smoother season, a well balanced budget and the ability to know where you left off for next year!

What’s in Lori’s personal “Holiday Planning Handbook?” ~ (Yours can be customized to meet your specific planning needs) …

• A family needs assessment
• A detailed budget (groceries, family gifts, teacher gifts, neighbors & friends)
• A detailed gift list (I shop for impact, think local & stay In budget)
• Meal plans for family gatherings are established weeks ahead of time to give myself time to shop the sales (& clip those coupons)
• A pre-planned grocery list
• Contacts for my holiday card list
• Magazine clippings for gift & decorating ideas
• A record of all receipts to accurately track against my budget. Receipts are also important for exchanges, broken items, missing parts, etc.
• A gift log so I can avoid repeats next year & add to collections I have started for my children & godchildren
• A section for Christmas morning to store user manuals for the “new gifts & toys”
• Packing lists for holiday travel
• I also savor the memories by keeping one holiday card I have sent throughout the years plus one photo of the children with Santa and store it in my binder to cherish for years to come.

Holiday Planning Handbooks start at $40. For your “Holiday Planning Handbook” contact Lori Martin with The Purple Martin & Co. at (704) 724-9108 or thepurplemartin@bellsouth.net.