#nicentidy

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Mornings!

What does it take to get you, out of bed in the morning? A warm shower? A fresh cup of coffee?  Do you often find that is your morning ritual that is making you run late? Here’s why....

You need to plan each day and account for your own habits. 

For example my alarm is set for 6:30am, do I really NEED to get up at 6:30am? No, I can wake up at 6:45am and still be on time for work. So why do I set my alarm for 6:30am.... to account for the mornings when I feel like I need a “sleep in” Most mornings I will use that 6:30am alarm to get up, take a shower and have a slow start to my day but then there’s those mornings (like this morning) where I take the 6:45am option for extra sleep.

Now there’s no harm in having that extra 15 minutes sleep BUT you can’t do your usual routine and have a leisurely morning. Some things must be changed. For me, I skip styling my hair and throw it into a braid, I also don’t have time to make a cup of tea for breakfast so I have to grab an Up & Go out of the fridge to have on my drive to work. 

Note: I have a rule that I do not respond to texts, emails or Facebook while I’m getting ready in the mornings. That is a dangerous worm hole of procrastination.

I find it also helps, if you’ve had a big night and you know you’re going to need the extra sleep to lay out what you’re going to need for the next morning. It doesn’t take long to set out some clothes, pack your work bag and lay out your makeup and by doing it the night before (no matter how tired you are) you can save yourself so much time in the morning. Hey! you might even save your self time enough to stop and get a coffee on your way to work.

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Guess Who's Back

What an interesting year it has been for me! I resigned from my full time office job in order to be a singing teacher.  Which in turn has lead to a very big adjustment for me and for Nice’n’Tidy.

I thought I would get back into the swing of things by writing about some things I have learnt from working as a teacher. I work with students from the age of four to adult, and whilst the adults tend to behave themselves that’s not always the case for children. I’ve learnt that children respond best to results and rewards.  So here is a little something that may be able to keep your house and kids in order.

  Visuals for Kids

It’s fairly well known that getting kids to do chores or even follow a simple routine can be a struggle. After all kids are just like us, they don’t want to wash the dishes, clean their rooms or brush their teeth; there are far more interesting things that can be done with that time. However kids thrive on routine, it provides them with a sense or structure, security and helps them to develop self discipline. To make the process more interesting you might like to create a rewards chart. On this chart write their weekly routine including activities such as: 7am Get dressed, 8am School, 4pm Homework, 7pm Wash dishes.  The most important thing to remember when creating a rewards chart is COLOUR! (Think of your favourite childhood book, I bet it was brimming with colour) I like to keep things colour coded, ensure an activity is the same colour every day, and for our younger kids put a picture of the activity next to the word so they can understand their schedule. As for the rewards aspect of the chart allocate a section within reach of your child to put stickers on. You can pick up a cheep pad of stickers from your local $1 store. Let your child pick their own sticker and place it on the chart, this will give them a wonderful sense of accomplishment and pride.  

Good Luck!!!!

  For more tips & hints or to book a consultation: [email protected]

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Space Saving Ideas #1

Hang it!

I was recently asked by a client what she could do about storing all her belts. I suggested that she hang all her belts and perhaps even her bras and scarfs as well. I’ve been doing this for a few years now and it’s working like a charm. You can buy all sorts of fancy gadgets to hang ties, belts ect... however I much prefer to use think I already own where possible. So I use just an ordinary old trousers hanger. (You know the one with four or five rods on the one hanger.) I can hang the scarfs over and each rod lifts out so I can put it through the belt buckle. Give it a go; you may be pleasantly surprised with the space you save.

For more handy tips or to book a consult email: [email protected]

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Don’t get your knickers in a knot!

I’m a girly kind of girl and as such I own more undies than I could ever possibly wear. I have something for every possible occasion, in all different colours, patterns, styles and fabrics. Until recently I had them all in one draw, in no particular order and stuffed in there to the best of my ability. As you can probably imagine this was incredibly impractical when it came to finding the perfect pair for whatever occasion or mood I was in. I decided something had to be done! So I trotted off to my local shops to see what they had in the way of draw dividers.  I managed to pick up a plastic divider from the $2 shop that works a treat. I roll up all my knickers and sort them by style and colour into the fantastic little separate sections with in my draw.  I have no trouble now picking the perfect pair.

  Now I’m not about to flash my undies draw on the internet however please enjoy the above artist’s rendering of my undies draw, before and after.

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Kitchen Tips #2

Do you have issues with a messy pantry? Cans here, there and everywhere? Packets of this and that sprinkled through out?

Well if this is you I have a very simple solution ............. Baskets. I have a slight obsession with baskets. I use them in every room, they are so cheap (I buy most of mine from Kmart) and they make any space instantly neater.

I use baskets in the pantry to store all like items together. (eg: Soup packets, spices, sauces, condiments.) You'll find storing items this way will allow you to locate the things you need with ease, all the while keeping for pantry sparkling clean.

For more tips or to book a consult email: [email protected]