We’ve all done it, probably more than once.

Whether it is coast to coast or down the street, Americans move and move a lot. According to the US Census Bureau, the average American changes houses once every five years. Given our nomadic tendencies, you’d think we’d have a system for minimizing headaches and maximizing efficiencies. Yet anyone who has moved is almost certain to have multiple horror stories — we hear about them all the time. And we’ve certainly experienced our fair share of nightmares – between the two of us, we have moved 26 times! While we can’t promise that it will ever be easy, we have learned that with a bit of pre-planning and some creative thinking, most of the biggest pitfalls can be avoided.

Alicia on ‘Overcoming Inertia’

‘Although the actual moving day may be weeks or months away, your move actually begins the day you decide to change your residence. The impending day is likely to produce a fair amount of anxiety. You know you should be getting organized, but it can be a daunting, even overwhelming prospect, so many people procrastinate until the last possible minute. Knowing where to start is truly half the battle. We’ve got two simple tasks that you can do right away that will help you overcome procrastination and organizational inertia. The first is: create a master calendar to plot out the major events. Keep it in one central place and use it to write down everything from cable appointments to house closings.

It’s much easier to stay on top of all the details if you also can see the big picture. The second is: have each family member over the age of 6 pick one closet and make a pile of items to give away or throw away before you move. The simple act of deciding what not to take often makes it easier to start thinking about what you will take.’

Sarah on ‘Keep a Notebook’

‘Moving is by definition, a period of flux. It can be incredibly challenging to stay on top of all the bits of information that inevitably accompany a move. Most people just jot down critical information (from telephone numbers to bids to emails) on slips of papers or post-it notes…and waste hours searching for them later. You’ll eliminate half of the headache of a move if you get one notebook that can serve as the central repository for all notes, numbers and notices.’

Here are three more moving tips that will help you get ready for that big day:

#1: Create a YUNKâ„¢ Box
YUNKâ„¢ stands for ‘You Never Know’. Set aside and label one moving box for just that purpose. You might throw in a remote control that you still have but are not sure what it goes to. Put in those plastic ‘do-hickeys’ in the kitchen that probably make something work. You will surely find a home for some of these things when you unpack at the new place.

#2: Consider What You Need to Open
First Put aside one box for items that you will want to get to first and label it ‘Open Me First.’ We like to include things like toilet paper, garbage bags, box opener, paper towels, pens, and screwdrivers. Make sure to put this in the moving truck last so it is easy to get to right away.

#3: Pack a ‘Gift’ Box!
Whether you’re single or have a family — take few minutes to pack a small gift box to open on your first day in the new house. Include some of your favorite items — ones with sentimental value and things that make you smile. Write a quick note to yourself (or have each family member write a note to the entire family) with your wishes for your life in your new home and your top 5 favorite memories of your old home.

Chances are you think there’s a “right” way to organize something. But who defined the “right way” in the first place? Listen and discover what habits of your mother’s you may be subconsciously repeating, why we have it easier…and harder…than our moms did when it comes staying organized, and what you should be doing for all mothers on Mother’s Day!

Today, Sarah and Alicia honor Mother’s Day by taking a look into the source of so many of our organizational habits (and quirks): our moms.

Listen in as we discuss the complexity of organization for mothers today and the easier (and harder) ways we have it. As technology keeps getting better and better, it seems to help us organize yet, arises a whole new set of organizing problems that our mothers did not have generations ago.

Join us as we sit down with Buttoned Up’s Resident Picaso Hollie Sehrt, her sister Heather and their mother Janice to discuss organizational habits they share, how their habits differ, and how organizing today has evolved. It’s a conversation you don’t want to miss!

So, in honor of Mother’s Day, sit back, relax and check out this show and you may just realize how much your mother has influenced your organizational habits!

Give Mom a day off at least one day a year! Mother’s Day! Handle breakfast, lunch, and Dinner without Mom lifting a finger – that includes Clean up!

Give Mom a good book this year – and then the time to read it! Schedule in time in her busy week where she is ‘off limits’ – meaning she is not to be disturbed and she can sit, relax and read if she likes!

My mother travels every year from Arizona to Michigan and back again. She is what is referred to as a ‘snowbird’. That’s right, she flees at the first chill in the air. I can’t blame her; the winters in Michigan can be terrible.

So Mom packs up and brings whatever she can in two to three humungous suitcases. No one can lift them, but somehow she manages. So this year she will be coming to Michigan after Mother’s Day and I wanted to send a personalized Mother’s Day gift, something rather light to her, but something she won’t have to toss out like flowers, or kill like a plant. I’m thoughtful that way.

I received a gift code from Personal Creations and decided to see what gift ideas for Mother’s Day I could find that my Mom might actually use and like. I was actually shocked to find not one, but two affordable items!

The first is a monogrammed cosmetic bag. What a great idea for her! She can use it travelling and stash whatever she likes into it – you know the small things like jewelry that always gets lost! I had it monogrammed with her initials and honestly, when it came I was really impressed! I ordered the white with pink lettering.

Item Description:

Cosmetic Bag
Soft, waffle-knit fabric is extra absorbent, lightweight and durable. Cosmetic bag is plastic-lined and has a durable zip closure. Choose from pink, white, blue or black. We embroider with any single letter, or 3-letter monogram (please specify order of initials) or name, up to 9 characters with choice of pink, black or white thread color. Measures 7″ L x 4 1/2″ W. Machine washable.

Actually, this is a very LARGE makeup case – I was surprised just how big it was. Here is a photo of the one I got Mom. (The photo came out a little yellow, but the bag is pure white!)

The second item I purchased was an Ultra Soft Travel Shawl. How many times do we freeze on a plane? And I thought Mom would love it and the color purple! The only hesitation I had was that the Monogram on the site looked, well, bunched up and not nice. But I took the chance thinking that would be the last thing my Mom would care about and was not disappointed. The Monogram (MOMogram?) was perfect.

And I must say this shawl is HUGE! She can use this instead of getting a blanket – and on some flights you have to pay for those now. Plus I thought she could use it when she’s reading at night, or watching TV too. I KNOW she will love it!

It came in it’s own travel bag too!

Item Description:

Travel Shawl
Made of super-comfy t-shirt fabric, our pretty purple travel shawl works great on a plane or in a car as a wrap, blanket, or pillow. We embroider her 3 letter monogram in the corner. Made of lightweight 100% polyester. Measures 70″ L x 40″ W. Machine washable.
Item #30064844

If you are looking for gift ideas for Mother’s Day, be sure to look at all that Personal Creations has to offer – you won’t be disappointed, I wasn’t!

Giveaway

We are giving away a Red Envelope gift code valued at $50.00 to one lucky winner just in time for Mother’s Day! The winner will be announced here on our blog and on our Facebook page.

There are two ways to win

1. Sign up for our newsletter
or

2. Like us on Facebook, AND comment on our wall.

Deadline is Sunday, May 13, 2012 – Mother’s Day!

The winner of the $50 Gift Code is Deanna Hanson!
Congratulations! Please email annemarie @ getbuttonedup dot com with your details.

This contest is now closed.

Mother’s Day is creeping up on us! Do you ever get tired of giving the same old same old? I do.

So this year I decided to change things up thanks to ProFlowers and their great mothers day gift ideas. If you wanted to give a flower bouquet, they have some really lovely ones but they also have some surprises like these Chocolate Covered Strawberries and three Mini-Cheesecakes. This I didn’t order as I knew I’d eat them right up and there would be no gift come Mother’s Day. If you have the willpower, this is a ‘sweet’ gift for Mom!

If you prefer to give something living, you may prefer this Gorgeous Spring Bulb Garden!

I found and ordered these cute felt containers with pretty plants in them. They made me smile and I thought they’d make a mother smile, especially if they are from cute kids! You can buy them separately or together “duo” here.

Item Description:

• One 10” yellow kalanchoe
• One 10” red kalanchoe
• Includes both bee and lady bug felt pail
• Care instructions included
• Item #30067799
Bug them with something they’ll “bee” happy about! Our adorable felt bee and ladybug duo each hold our popular tropical plant – the kalanchoe – in red and yellow. Send today for a smile tomorrow!

The plants came and I must say it was packed nice and securely:

These are cute, and different, which is what I was going for – something that will live beyond Mother’s Day and makes you smile when you look at it. Here are the items from the front and back. The eyes look a little goofy on mine, but i kind of like that!

I liked the Bee Wings on the back!

All I had to do was take the plant and put it in the pot. So easy! The tiny flowers came as buds and are starting to open and are gorgeous. I just need to keep them alive until the 12th! Also I like is that they are like little baskets, so if you wanted to hang them up, it would be super easy.

You could buy these separately or as a set. OR you could find so many beautiful Mothers Day Gifts at ProFlowers!

Giveaway

We are giving away a Red Envelope gift code valued at $50.00 to one lucky winner just in time for Mother’s Day! The winner will be announced here on our blog and on our Facebook page.

There are two ways to win

1. Sign up for our newsletter
or

2. Like us on Facebook, AND comment on our wall.

Deadline is Sunday, May 13, 2012 – Mother’s Day!

Disclosure: I received a gift code to use to purchase the items listed; all opinions are my own.

The winner of the $75 Gift Code is jrosencr! 
Congratulations! Please email annemarie @ getbuttonedup dot com with your details.

This contest is now closed.

Every year I try to find something for the mom who has everything, my Mother-in-Law Giselle. My own mom is easy…but I digress.

Since she is an avid gardener and loves the outdoors we usually buy her a plant to add to the garden. Honestly, there is just no more room for more plants. Since she also likes little things I tried to find something small that would make the outdoors even prettier. So you’d think I could find something easily, right? Well, not really.

But this year, thanks to a $75 gift code from Red Envelope, I found some unique Mothers Day gifts online at Red Envelope! Thank heaven for Red Envelope! They had many things to choose from for mom from jewelry to cooking items, t robes to, well, these little Animal Wind Bells ! I liked them so much I purchased a second set for my own Mom!

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:

The Animal Wind Bells are so sweet!

They came in this box:

They each have a different tone – I can imagine them on my mother-in-law’s front porch or hanging in the back by her garden! If you want to shop for Mother’s Day Gifts online, be sure to check out Red Envelope. It was so hard to choose something that I thought she’d like but I know she’ll like these wind bells. PLUS they were on sale so it was very affordable and if you’ve ever bought anything from Red Envelope you know they will send you discount codes, and update you an every step of your order via email, which I appreciated!

What will the Mother in your life like?

Giveaway

We are giving away a Red Envelope gift code valued at $75.00 to one lucky winner just in time for Mother’s Day! The winner will be announced here on our blog and on our Facebook page.

There are two ways to win

1. Sign up for our newsletter
or

2. Like us on Facebook, AND comment on our wall.

Deadline is Sunday, May 13, 2012 – Mother’s Day!

Easter is a fun time at our house! We usually try and find something fun for the nephews and bring it to the family Easter Dinner. This year we are looking at the personalized Easter Baskets
from Red Envelope. They are too cute! If you want to surprise your little egg searchers, this is the place to shop!

They also have Easter Decorations you can use for your table. Aren’t these chicks adorable? You can personalize with names, or even just something like “Spring is Sprung” or “Happy Easter” or “Spring Chicky”. Get creative because Red Envelope lets you, be you!

Mmmmmm Chocolate….

Now, as an (ahem) adult, we usually bring an Easter Lilly or other flower to add to my mother-in-law’s flower bed. But this year, thanks to a $50 gift code from Red Envelope, I will be bringing this cake!

Here is the description from the site:
A dome shaped cake filled with a velvety chocolate mousse and clothed in a gorgeous chocolate glaze. A veritable black diamond!
5″ chocolate velvet boule
serves 8
Certified Kosher Dairy by Orthodox Union
net weight 1 lb 12 oz

Ordering was simple and fast, and I’ve ordered other items from them and have been very pleased with the option to choose a delivery date that is convenient to ME, and I’ve also gotten things personalized – which was a huge hit as a gift. So if you are looking for something cute or delicious or even – dare I say it? – healthy for your Easter Basket or celebration, check out Red Envelope!

Disclosure: While I received a $50 gift code for the product, the opinions given are my own.

This is part two of my journey from slapdash meal assembler to cook. If you missed the first two posts, find the the post detailing why I made a resolution to get my weeknight cooking buttoned up and my post about the first tentative steps I took on my journey from slapdash meal assembler to organized cook.

Phase II: Mastering the Basics

After the fits and starts of January and February (okay and most of March too), I was starting to feel like I was getting the hang of cooking.

Because I kept making and re-making “standards,” I now could prepare the likes of a very basic baked ziti, red lentil dahl, and baked fish without consulting a cookbook. Not to mention rice, barley, and couscous, which were (and still are) my go-to starches.

As far as vegetables were concerned, I found my boys gravitating to salads, green beans, and broccoli. Dark leafy greens like spinach and kale were not ever well received when I experimented with them. So I didn’t fight it and focused on keeping the things they liked rotating in and out. My default prep for veggies is still to this day steaming.

Here are two of my “standard” menus from around this time. They are basic, basic, basic – some might even say boring. But they weren’t frozen or take out. That meant I was, in the words of Charlie Sheen, “WINNING.” The rest of team Welch loved them too.

Super Basic Baked Ziti Dinner

• 1 lb of dried ziti pasta
• 1 15 or 16 oz tub of ricotta cheese
• 1 jar of pasta sauce (sometimes I make my own by sautéing a little garlic in 1-2 TBSP olive oil, after a few minutes adding a can of diced tomatoes and some Italian seasoning or fresh herbs if I have them like parsley, oregano, and basil. I let it simmer for 5 min or so and voila. Done and look ma, no preservatives! Now if they’d only start canning tomatoes in glass jars rather than BPA lined cans…sigh)
• 1 Cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• Italian seasonings
• Salt & Pepper to taste

To make, just boil the pasta until it is al-dente. Once you drain it, return it to the pot and add the ricotta cheese, pasta sauce, and about 1 1/2 tsp of Italian seasonings. Mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Then dump the coated ziti into a 9×13 baking dish, top with the cheese and put in the oven for 30ish minutes at 350. Sprinkle the top with parmesan cheese and serve.

While the pasta is cooking, use the time to make a salad or steam some veggies.

As I promised yesterday, here is the story of the first part of my journey from someone who relied heavily on packaged goods, frozen dinners, and take out to someone who cooked healthy dinners from scratch at least 6 nights a week.

Phase I: Fits & Starts

Of course I started strong out of the gates.

On January 1st, I think I pored over the 10 cookbooks in my stash for about two hours while I made a detailed menu and shopping list. I carefully printed or copied recipes for the week and organized them in a plastic sleeve that I boldly labeled “Recipes” and kept on the countertop. I dragged the family shopping at Whole Foods, embracing my new Mother Earth image with aplomb. Dinner the first night took me a full 3 hours to get on the table, half of it hands-on prep. I made an absolutely delicious vegetarian lasagna from the delightful cookbook The Healthy Kitchen by Andrew Weil & Rosie Daley.

My husband, a meat lover, thought it was delicious. My oldest shouted, “THANKS FOR MAKING SUCH A BAWICIOUS BRAZAGNA MOMMAY!” My youngest slurped it up too, occasionally grinning at me from across the table between fistfuls of spinach and noodles.

Lights twinkled and the angels sang. My chest swelled with pride.

I can DO this!

And then the weekday hit. I got something resembling the dinner from scratch I had planned on the table the second night. But by the third, my usual chaos was back. Conference calls, immovable deadlines, and revisions, revisions, revisions kept me in a frenzy until 5:55pm. Oops. Thank heavens I still had some frozen Bertolli dinners in the freezer. Three more days like that and my pride-filled chest was nothing more than a deflated sac.

Who am I kidding?!

The image of my mom was a powerful motivator though. The next Sunday morning I got right back in the saddle, poring over the cookbooks, making my menu and shopping lists, although this time I shopped at my local Stop & Shop. The second week went much like the first: three real meals, four quazi-ones.

And around and around I went in fits and starts through most of January and February. I can DO this! Who am I kidding?! I can DO this! Who am I kidding?!

Fortunately, I had done two things right when I framed my resolution. 1) I had given myself plenty of runway to figure this out – 12 whole months. Even though I was technically “failing” in this stage, December still felt far enough in the future that I believed I could crack it if I stuck with it. And (2) I had tied one hell of an emotional motivator to my resolution. How could I not want to carry my mom’s legacy forward for my boys?

I cannot understate the importance of having a massively important emotional reason to keep you going when you want to give up.

Suggested Reading

As my interest in healthy foods/cooking grew, so did my appetite for books on the topic. There were two books I read during this period that made a lasting impression – and strengthened my resolve to make this resolution stick.

The first, Eating Animals, by Jonathan Safran Foer, the acclaimed novelist and author of Everything Is Illuminated.

The author was motivated to explore the topic by the arrival of his own son. As an on-again, off-again vegetarian his whole life, he felt he needed to come to terms with the issue as he would be making dietary choices on behalf of his child – a responsibility he took very seriously. Just that notion alone reminded me that I hadn’t been making the best dietary choices for my boys (because I was “too busy”). It made me want to redouble my efforts.

Mr. Foer is a wonderful storyteller, so even though this is very much a non-fiction book, it reads more like a fast-paced novel. For me, by far the most compelling portions of his book involved his dive into the horrifying world of factory farming. I honestly had never really thought much about how the animals that I ate and fed my family were raised, slaughtered, and brought to market. But his chilling accounts of the mass cruelty as well as the biological and ecological ramifications stopped me in my tracks. His findings have been reinforced by other books and articles I have read since, so I don’t think anything is fabricated or exaggerated. The book provided a wake up call that has profoundly affected how we think about and consume meat and dairy products. We’re still omnivores, but we only consume meat and dairy products that have been pasture-raised and we made the shift right away. Yes, it’s more expensive, but you offset that by eating less of it, which is healthier anyway.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough for anyone who is in the process of making a transition to eating healthier.

The second book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michal Pollan brought me even deeper into the world of agriculture.

This book posed exactly the same questions that I was seeking, which is what compelled me to pick it up in the first place, namely: what exactly am I eating? Where does it come from? Why should I care?

Much has been written about this book, so I won’t bore you with another book report. Yet, I feel compelled to say, his analysis of the various elements that create our modern food chain has profoundly and permanently changed how I purchase the ingredients that go into our meals. For example, I no longer equate organic with sustainability and I buy almost exclusively from the Farmer’s Market when it is in season.

Literally, not a day goes by where I don’t think about something I learned in this book.

Have you read any compelling books about food? If so, please share them! Have you read either of the books I mentioned here? If so, what did you think about them?

Continue on to read Part 2 here.

PS – I just love this poster. Even though I no longer AM that woman, it still makes me crack a smile. You can buy one on AllPosters.com.