Children's Memory Books ~ From Babies to Elementary School, These are a Great Way to Store & Honor Paper Keepsakes

Baby Girl Memory Book ~ Elephant



Baby Girl 18 Month Calendar to Chronicle Milestones




Baby Boy Memory Book ~ Goldfish



Baby Boy 18 Month Calendar to Chronicle Milestones





Disney Memory Books





Preschool Memory Book ~ Giraffe



Elementary School Memory Book ~ Shark

The Art of Moving ... 3 Kids, 4 Frogs, 1 Fish & a Dog

This past week our family of 5 (2 adults, 3 children and all 6 pets) moved ~ we sold our home and are off to new adventures. We were fortunate to spend Christmas in our “old home” but as soon as the packages were unwrapped and the guests hit the road, we were taking down the tree and packing, packing & packing.

I have to admit that “Mrs. Clause” was extremely tired post Christmas and with packing for the big move on the horizon, I had to wave my white flag of surrender and ask for help. I needed this transition to a new home to be as smooth as possible. Thankfully I had worked alongside a wonderful organizational “whiz” and friend for the past 2 years and knew immediately I needed her assistance.

Laurie Martin, the new owner of Simplicity ~ Charlotte’s premiere organizational company, came to my rescue. With very little notice, Laurie came over to listen to what I “thought” my needs were. In my opinion, organizers need to be professional listeners too ~ and she has that talent mastered! She listened intently to me as I described my packing needs room by room, what we should take to the rental home, and what we should unpack once we got there etc.

When the day came for Laurie and her team to come over to help me “organize” before the packers arrived ~ I was in near panic mode. That “elephant on the chest” feeling was really bugging me. I had never moved 3 kids, 4 frogs, 1 fish and a dog ~ let alone ALL of the “stuff” that comes along with our family of 5 + pets. True I had moved across the ocean to London & back (but that was just my husband and I over 9 years ago). The amount of “stuff” in our house 9 years later started to overwhelm me and I did not even know where to begin packing.

Thankfully, Laurie spent 3 hours with me during that near “packing panic attack” and helped me sort, label, purge, and organize in preparation for packing the next day. While I was on hand to answer any questions they had, Laurie and her colleague worked seamlessly to provide order to my complete chaos.

What did I learn that day?
1. You don’t want to move trash ~ literally, if you have not emptied your waste cans on packing day, the packers will pack your garbage!

2. When you are moving to a rental home, you don’t want to unpack everything ~ organize items into “pack and store” piles versus high frequency essentials you must “pack and open” in the rental home.

3. Purge before you pack ~ if you haven’t used an item in the time you have lived in your “old” home, chances are you will not use it in the “new” home. Save money by purging before you pay the packers by the hour ~ or before you take the time to pack it yourself ~ those boxes are expensive!

On moving day, my house of boxes was loaded onto the moving truck one at a time and four hours later we were unloading the truck at the rental house. As the boxes came pouring into the new home, Laurie and her team arrived right on schedule to help turn the sea of “chaos” into organized bliss one box at a time.

Here’s how it went …..
~ Boxes were packed and labeled based on Laurie’s “pre packing” assistance (labeling and sorting).
~ As each box came off the truck it went to the room it was labeled for ~ i.e. master bedroom, laundry room etc.
~ Once the boxes for a particular room were unpacked, Laurie’s team swooped in to literally put the ENTIRE room’s contents away in a SUPER organized manner!

We’re talking bathroom drawers lined, socks put in the appropriate sock drawer, towels folded and placed with care in the linen closet, beds made, books organized on the bookshelves, clothes hung in the closet, shoes placed neatly on racks and much more!

The BIGGEST help was in the kitchen! While I would have spent an entire week figuring out where to put the plates versus the Tupperware, Laurie’s team has done this so many times that in the matter of an hour, my entire kitchen & pantry was organized better than I would have EVER done it myself!

I have to tell you the entire “move-in” went flawlessly! By 9pm (remember the move day started at 8am) my children were sleeping in their MADE beds (dust ruffles on!) with the entire contents of their rooms organized and put away (clothes, toys, books, toothbrushes!!), my husband and I were relaxing on the sofa and the entire HOUSE full of boxes had been unpacked and properly put in its new home (unless it had been labeled storage and we had it stacked in the garage for the next move).

Laurie’s team even left flowers in the middle of the kitchen table for us to enjoy. The icing on the cake was a walk through the next day of where everything was located. I was way to tired to do this the night before so Laurie arranged to come over at a time when my eyelids were not drooping to show me how everything was organized and explained why certain items landed in certain places. Her logic was flawless and her execution was perfect!

The biggest compliment I can give is that this entire experience was worth every penny and the Simplicity Team was EXCELLENT. Thanks to Laurie and her team, our move went flawlessly.

Customize Your Holiday Planning Handbook

The Purple Martin & Co.
Lori Martin, Founder & Chief Operating Mom

“Sleigh Bells Ringing Before Thanksgiving?”
The holiday catalogues have started to arrive and my children are blissfully adding to their “Santa Lists” before Thanksgiving. Truthfully, I am enjoying the “one liner” I truly can’t use in July when my children are with me in the mall and start to have a dreadful case of the “Gimmies” … “Tell Santa,” I say with a smile on my face. Since it is November, they actually do add it to their list and stop giving me a hard time about the plastic impulse purchase of choice they want at that particular moment.

While I certainly don’t “feel” like buying winter gloves & hats, stocking stuffers or holiday gift wrap quite yet, it isn’t too early to start thinking about Christmas ~ let alone getting organized for it.

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. This additional coordination 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 pulled together is in a “Holiday Planning Handbook.”


Holiday handbooks are customized to meet your specific planning needs, decorated with gorgeous specialty paper, and personalized with a name or monogram of your choice. 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” 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 my “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 gathering & 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 & keep for returns
• A gift log so I can avoid repeats next year & add to collections I have started
• 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.

For your “Holiday Planning Handbook” contact us at (704) 724-9108 or thepurplemartin@bellsouth.net.

Warmly,
Lori Martin
Founder & Chief Operating Mom

"Weaving Nets .... A Life Lesson Put Into Practice"

Peace at 30,000 feet? For me, yes …. But not for every passenger. Some sleep, some work, some read … while others try not to focus on the thousands of feet of air and clouds between the plane we are flying in and the ground below. If we thought about if for too long, we would wish there was some sort of net that we could weave to guarantee a safe landing should something go awry.

When I’m at 30,000 feet (like I currently am at present) it makes me think of the nets I have been meticulously weaving for our family over the past few years. It was exactly 3 years ago that I was deeply impacted by Randy Pausch. He was dying of pancreatic cancer and in his final months he wrote and published “The Last Lecture.” In one of his final interviews, he was asked if he was sad about dying.

His reply, (paraphrased from my memory) “I can waste my time being sad, or I can spend that time being productive & weaving nets that will catch my wife & children when I am no longer here. You see, I won’t be here to catch them when they fall anymore. And they are about to fall off of a cliff.”

That lecture, coupled with my own health scare 6 years ago, caused me to think differently. Some may say it is morbid, others say I am overly organized, while others “get it.” You see, it is not my own mortality that scares me anymore. It is that tremendous “cliff falling experience” that my husband and children would certainly have should I no longer be a part of their physical lives.

There are the popular sayings:
Live each day to its fullest …. Squeeze the most out of each moment …. Don’t leave love unspoken and affection un-shown … you just never know how each day will end … live life with no regrets…

While I make a conscious effort to practice each of those on a daily basis, as a mom, I would also add ~ weave some nets…. And get busy doing so. By weaving nets, I don’t mean to literally “take up the art of weaving.” Instead, I mean don’t wait to pass on the treasures of your heart. Preserve your legacy so that each child feels a sense of “mommy net” woven just for them. Leave them something emotionally tangible, pieces of your heart, advice you want them to know, scripture or sayings that were impactful to you, the reason you fell in love with your spouse etc. You don’t need to wait to do this…. It can become a part of your daily life.

Another part of the fabric I weave into the nets for my children are the intricate details I already know about them. For example ~

One daughter ~ loves to read & her favorite book series right now is The Guardians. She is my social butterfly and will share her heart with you when you snuggle with her at the end of the day.

My son~ is my caterpillar that doesn’t like to draw attention to himself, will play sports but will claim to dislike each one the first time he tries it, and will always eat a PB&J if he doesn’t like what you are cooking that evening.

My youngest ~ thinks her last name is “tornado” because we have described her that way for so long (lovingly of course). She can destroy a room in seconds with her messes and will help clean up if you make it a game. She LOVES her friends and school is her favorite activity.

These details I chronicle on a quarterly basis to ensure that those whom I have entrusted to care for them (in the event of the unthinkable) know my “heart knowledge” of my precious children. You see, the nets we weave for our children are also composed of tiny facets of their lives that they can’t yet describe themselves. Nobody knows my children better, when they are at their most relaxed & most vulnerable, than my husband & I. We wouldn’t want caregivers to lack the knowledge we already have of my little ones. Starting from scratch and trying to “figure them out” would be incredibly unfair to everyone involved.

So, I don’t view it as morbid or “overly organized” to regularly chronicle my children’s pet peeves, learning styles, favorite foods and fears (among other things). Instead, I view it as chronicling my heart over a series of months into a beautiful net that we hope to never need. And one day, I will publish each child’s book just for them ~ “Mommy’s heart …. Just for you.”

Warmly,
Lori Martin
Founder & Chief Operating Mom

"Get It" Before You "Need It"

The Purple Martin & Co.
Lori Martin, Founder & Chief Operating Mom

“Get it Before You Need It”
A new advertisement on television caught my eye the other day. The ad was a national Pharmacy telling us moms to “Get It Before You Get It” …. translation: stock your medicine cabinet & get your flu vaccine before you get the flu.” Another translation ~ “be prepared.”

The slogan has stuck in my head and like a dutiful mother who tries to prepare for any inconvenience when it involves my children ~ I have taken 2 of my 3 little monkeys to get their flu vaccines & have perused the aisles of the pharmacy for my fever reducers, cough drops, and chicken noodle soup. (Monkey #3 is going this week!)

The parallel for “preparing for anything unexpected ~ not just the flu” in our family’s life didn’t escape me. I immediately thought of the handful of mommies I am working with whom are anxiously awaiting the arrival of their new babies. These mommies are putting all of their critical information into a valuable family handbook before they need to use it. I applaud their natural nesting instincts to care for their families and I absolutely “get it.”

After all, I was the mom who thought I had it all pulled together prior to the birth of my son in 2004. As life would play out, my version of vital information organization at the time (my computer, blackberry, drawer of business cards, posted daily schedule and physician’s phone number) didn’t allow anyone to step into my shoes when I truly needed their help. Hence, I pulled together my first “Martin Family Handbook” and 4 years later, founded The Purple Martin & Co. Read more about my story at www.thepurplemartinandco.blogspot.com (click on my story)

Whether you’re just now hearing about how a Family Handbook can help you prepare for the unexpected or if you’ve interested in getting started, contact us at thepurplemartin@bellsouth.net. We’re here to help use our talents to help your family “get organized before you need to be.”

Warmly,
Lori Martin
Founder & Chief Operating Mom

A Well Organized “Command Central” = Key to Back to School Sanity

I often chuckle about the fact that my husband has “man land” – a nice cave tucked away in a corner of the house where he can barely hear the children if the door is closed. Not a single toy to be found and if the surround sound is on the TV, he can hear absolutely nothing – I envy that peace & lack of items to trip over – although it is well deserved. He loves and deserves his space – as do us moms. Which is why I carved out a piece of “woman land” in our home.

Contrary to his “man land” – my “woman land” may not look or sound peaceful (the photo above is NOT typical ... it is usually a chaotic mess), but it is our family’s command central and keeps me sane during the chaos of the school year. “Woman land” at our house is my haven for all things critical to our success: book bags, kids shoes & coats, school work, laundry, coloring books, crafts and coupons. The iron and ironing board live here, the dog eats & sleeps here, my computer and printer reside here, the memo board that holds all birthday party invitations hangs on my wall like a “work of art” and even the extra freezer containing all “frozen essentials” is kept in my “woman land.” I call it my “laundry room extraordinaire,” while my 9 year old makes fun of me and calls me ”Fancy Nancy” for giving such a “posh term” to a place that looks like a dumping ground most of the time.

Sometimes I believe the only thing missing from this sacred place is my college diploma. After all – when I was asked by the pledges of my sorority “where I saw myself in 10 years,” the response of “honing my talents of folding laundry while emailing my son’s teacher while simultaneously feeding the family hermit crab, preventing the dog from drinking from the fish bowl and grabbing a bag of frozen broccoli for dinner” ~ did not exactly cross my mind back then. That is college diploma worthy!

What does bring me peace about our “chaotic command central / laundry room” is how it functions. The key element of any command central is that it meets your family’s daily information and organization needs. You don’t need a large space to create a practical command central for your family. In fact, the only requirements are that it be “completely yours” (most of the time) and that it “easily organizes information relevant to all family members.”

Every mom needs a space for both organization and disorganization (those moments when we just don’t have time to be organized.) The tips that work for my command central are outlined below … but please use this as a guideline and make whatever system you have work for you! Remember the importance of “trying a system before you buy a new product.” Don’t spend a lot of money on products (shelving, files, pretty memo boards etc.) to “help you organize” until you develop the plan for a command central that works for you and your loved ones. Once the system is in place, the products will be easy to pick out and can found on even the tightest budget.

The best news is that with just a few minutes dedicated each day to organization, your command central can turn into a “woman land” that you reign over and are proud of! Toys can even be “optional” ☺

My plan …

1. Kids, Empty those Book Bags and Hang them Back Up (oh and put the shoes away too!)
Most days your child’s school bag will contain something that needs your attention. Give your children the responsibility of emptying their book bags every day after school and give them a designated spot in your “command central” to put all papers that need your attention. Have a designated “book bag spot” where your children can easily reach a hook to hang their own book bag up off the ground. Have shoes (and clean socks) land in a bucket or basket that is near the book bags so they don’t have to go hunting for them on their way out the door the next morning.


2. Moms, Tackle the In Box - 15 mins. or less
After you put the children to bed, pour yourself a cup of tea (or decaf coffee) and designate 15 minutes to address all of the “papers” that came into your in-box from the children. For me this generally means ~
a. completing forms
b. filling out book orders
c. signing permission slips
d. signing homework
e. putting items back into kids book bags

3. Moms, Post Visual Cues - 2 mins
After you finish your “homework” use the next 5 minutes to post relevant items on the family communication center. Your family communication center should be visual and someplace all family members can see and reference on the way out the door. The refrigerator or a bulletin-board by the back door are both great places to post these important items! You can even use space in the garage next to the door they go in or out!
a. monthly lunch menus
b. class schedule
c. activity schedule
d. project deadlines

4. Moms, Update Those Calendars – 5 Minutes or Less
Take 5 minutes at the end of each day to update your calendar with any additional dates or times that came in through your voicemail, email, or bookbag “express” that day. Send your husband a quick email reminding him of any dates that will need to be put on his calendar. I often “cc” myself so I have record of having sent him the reminder ☺
a. parent / teacher conferences
b. parent’s night at school
c. lunch dates with your children at school
d. field trips relevant to them

5. Moms, Cull Through The “To Do Bucket” – Every Sunday
If you have items that do not require your attention this week and can be put on the back burner, put these papers in a “to do pile” (I prefer a clear sterilite brand 6 qt container) to address at your convenience. Glance through your “to do bucket” every Sunday to ensure there is nothing else that needs immediate attention for the next week. A word of caution ~ do not let your to do bucket expand beyond a 6 quart container (shoe box size) otherwise it will become a “to do mountain!”

6. Moms, Turn Those Piles Into Files – 10 Minutes Weekly
Take 10 minutes at the end of each week to file all documents that you need to save for reference. I keep the following documents in my family handbook so everyone in my household can reference them if needed.
a. activity schedules
b. team rosters
c. teacher instructions / special notes
d. class lists & school contact information
e. updated medical information / physicals (new shot records)
f. activity receipts & registrations

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do ....

I'm generally good at saying "good-bye" to "stuff and clutter." When I am through with something I am definitely ready to "move on." The single exception has been with my children's precious artwork. As I mentioned in an earlier post, it is not that I am attached to the item ~ we really don't have a Van Gogh in the house. I am actually very sentimental and attached to the memory associated with the item.

I remember the day Emma made the sign welcoming me home from the hospital with baby Molly with such joy! The neon pink poster board with the handwriting of a 1st grader's inscription of love was impossible to toss. The snake made of modeling clay that Charlie used to walk around the house on a string and called "Snakey" makes me giggle inside that putting it in the garbage was out of the question! All of this until a recent intervention with my good friend, Laurie Martin.



Laurie is Charlotte's premier home organizer and she runs the business "Simplicity." I mentioned my dilemma to Laurie (see the photo of my attempt to purge the mess above) and told her the "stuff" was weighing on me and I was having a terrible time sorting trash from treasure. The "memories" were just getting in the way.

Laurie gave me the following tips that helped me tremendously:

1. Keep only what you LOVE! Holiday items tend to be favorites and are fun to display over the years.

2. If you REALLY love it ~ consider framing it.

3. If it looks like the teacher painted it / assembled it ~ definitely toss it.

4. If you have a memory associated with it ~ take a photograph of the item and put it in an album dedicated to "Emma's Artwork."

5. Try to not let artwork pile up. Putting it in a cabinet or drawer to "deal with later" just creates a bigger project for another day. For example, Charlie just came home with a precious easter bunny basket made out of a milk jug - I displayed it through Easter and then took his picture holding it. I felt good about subsequently tossing the piece of art into the trash.

My solution? My piles of artwork (above) are now neatly preserved as photographs in "memory notebooks" for each child. I have saved 10 pieces of "holiday artwork" that I have laminated and stored in a slim art portfolio.

The end result? My children LOVE flipping through their "art albums" and remembering when they made a specific piece and brought it home to show mom & dad. Turns out the memories (and not the construction paper, glue & sequins) were what mattered most to them as well.

Today is trash day ~ the artwork has made its way into the bin. The tug at my heartstrings no longer exists because I have preserved the memory ~ which ultimately is what matters most.

Warmly,
Lori Martin