In This Issue:

Greetings from Elizabeth

I finally had a chance to sit down and relax a bit and I though I'd watch something on TV. I started channel surfing and nothing was on
so I settled on a show called "Wife Swap"!! What a strange show.

A wife will go live with another family for 2 weeks while that wife goes and lives with the other wife's family. The first week the wife lives by the rules set by the family and the second week the wife gets to change the rules. This show had a wife from New York who is a millionaire going to a rural New Jersey home. The New York wife had 3 children, 4 nannies, a maid, and a chauffeur. Yes, 4 nannies! Basically her life revolved around "Me Time". The wife from New Jersey received no help around the home, had 2 children, a bus route, and chopped wood 6 hours a day. Can you imagine the New York lady's reaction when she arrived! There was some real tension between the New York wife and the New Jersey husband. But interestingly enough they ended up getting along. The New York husband and New Jersey wife started out okay and ending up not standing each other. The show ended by the New York wife realizing she takes too much "Me Time" and needs to spend more time with her children and the New Jersey wife realizing she could use some "Me Time" and her husband realizing he needed to help her more.

Are you taking any "Me Time"? We all need to take time for ourselves. Two months ago I started taking Pilates. It's wonderful! And it makes me take 3-5 "Me Time's" a week which helps me in all areas of my life. October is a good month to:

Clean out your closet and store summer clothes.

Schedule any necessary doctor appointments for the rest of the year.

Be power-outage ready. Stock up on flashlights, batteries, candles, etc.

Prep your car for winter and check emergency kit for flares, jumper cables, etc. Store trunk with gloves, ice scrapers, blankets, shovel, sand.

Have furnace inspected for leaks.

Replace heating-system filters.

Inspect clothes dryer for lint buildup in vents.

Test smoke detectors, carbon monoxide alarms, fire extinguishers; make sure they're properly placed.

If you haven't done so yet I invite you to fill out the profile at the end of the newsletter. I'd like to know more about you!

Have a great October!

Read what others say about getting organized!

Guest Article by Cheryl Richardson

"A place for everything and everything in its place."
-Mrs. Beeton, from The Book of Household Management (1861)

Over the last week several friends have talked about feeling a need to clean and organize their living spaces. So, paying attention to
what shows up in my life, I decided it was time for a Clean Up Day.

From time to time I challenge members to handle some of the things they've been procrastinating about. These items, large and small, drain us of energy and rob us of the peace of mind we all long to enjoy. So, this week's challenge is to go through those areas of your home that you use every day and create order out of chaos. Areas such as:

* The bathroom linen closet.
* Under the bathroom sink.
* Any drawers in the kitchen.
* The cabinets where you keep your pans or dishes.
* The coat closet.
* The refrigerator.
* The space where you leave your shoes, car keys, or mail.

I don't know about you, but these are the areas of my home that tend to collect lots of stuff. Over time, as items accumulate, I find myself struggling to find what I need, mentally beating myself up for being disorganized, or frantically trying to shove something back into an already too full space.

Cleaning and organizing those areas that you frequently use will not only get rid of visual clutter, it will eliminate old, stale energy. When space is freed up, energy is also freed up and, as a result, we feel lighter, more animated, and alive.

To make the process of cleaning more enjoyable, listen to your favorite music while you work, plan a reward for when you're done, or call a friend and challenge him or her to join you in an "energy drain elimination game." As you clean out these areas, you might be surprised by what you find!

Take this week's challenge and enjoy a renewed sense of physical and emotional freedom.

*Take Action Challenge*

Choose one project from the list above and get it cleaned and organized this week. Then, go back and visit this spot several times during the day and notice how good it makes you feel. It's great motivation for tackling project #2 ;).

Cheryl Richardson
www.cherylrichardson.com

Attention Event Planners, Human Resource Directors and leaders of Christian Women's Groups:

If your group can benefit from learning easy and practical organizing skills in a creative setting, please contact me today. I'll customize one of my presentations just for you so that your members will have more time, less stress, and a better quality of life! Email me at elizabeth@elizabethhagen.com or call 605.357.8767.

* October 12, 13, 15
SD Association of Telephone Cooperatives
Cedar Shore Resort, Chamberlain, SD
"GO Seminar: Get Organized for Life"

* October 14
Sioux Falls School District Adult Community Education
"Family CEO: Managing Your Wardrobe, Closet & Figure"
6:30 pm - Lincoln High School
Class is full

* October 18
Oak Hills Baptist Church
"The Quiet Beauty of Confidence"
6:30 pm
Call 605-332-22648 for information

* October 26
PEO
"Calming the Chaos of Clutter"

* October 26
Sioux Falls School District Adult Community Education
"Family CEO: Managing Relationships"
6:30 pm - Lincoln High School
Call 605-367-7999 or visit www.sf.k12.sd.us/commed to register

* October 27
Sioux Falls School District Adult Community Education
"Are You Suffering from Recipe Stress?!"
6:30 pm - Lincoln High School
Call 605-367-7999 or visit www.sf.k12.sd.us/commed to register

* November 1
Graceville, MN Adult Education
"Calming the Chaos of Clutter"

* November 2
Care Providers of Minnesota
Hyatt Regency, Minneapolis, MN
"Go Seminar: Get Organized for Life"

* November 4
1st Reformed Church, Rock Rapids, IA
"Calming the Chaos of Clutter"
9:30 am
Call 712-472-3729 for information

* November 4
Sioux Falls School District Adult Community Education
"Family CEO: Managing Your Future"
6:30 pm - Lincoln High School
Call 605-367-7999 or visit www.sf.k12.sd.us/commed to register

Workshops