Saturday 27 July 2013

Good News and Giveaway!

I'm not going to hide it - this post is nothing but a shameless plug for my new book "Preparing your home and life for baby" ;-)

It has been on my wishlist for some time, so writing my first book has been a fantastic experience and achievement for me. I'm sure you can understand my excitement and desire to share it with you all! This is the first of a series of four books I am busy with:

  1. Preparing your home and life for baby
  2. Organising your home and life with baby
  3. Managing your home and life with a busy family
  4. Freeing your home and life from clutter and chaos

If you are time-poor, or simply overwhelmed with the sheer number of decisions you need to make while preparing for the arrival of your baby, then "Preparing your home and life for baby" is here to help. It serves as a basic guide to help navigate through all these decisions. Broken down into key areas like sleeping, changing, feeding, and even budgeting, I offer practical advice, ‘green’ nursery tips, and checklists to make your preparations that much easier, saving you time and money.


Pregnancy book, baby planner, planning for baby

A lovely lady by the name of Kirsten has recently reviewed the book and had this to say:
"I am 25 weeks pregnant and just finished reading Beverley's book. I feel a huge sense of relief! Two weeks ago I went to the baby store but left empty handed and overwhelmed; not knowing where to start, or what was essential versus gimmicky. Her advice is well-informed and up-to-date, while being empowering and objective, with an understanding that every mum & baby is different. I feel so much clearer and more confident about where to start and I'm ready to return to the stores today with my printed checklists in hand. Thanks Beverley!"

The book is now available for sale as an ebook and soft cover from my website: www.homeandlifeorganising.com.au/shop

To celebrate the launch, I am giving one lucky reader a free copy if the ebook - all you have to do is comment below on why you NEED to read it! Of course if you are not pregnant yourself please share with your friends, family and colleagues who are, and give them the chance to win. Everyone who comments will go into the draw, and the winner will be announced next Saturday (3 August). Good luck!



Friday 19 July 2013

So what exactly is a Baby Planner?

Most people get "professional organiser", but "baby planner" still manages to get a lot of quizzical looks.
The most obvious comparison to make is with a wedding planner - someone who helps you plan and prepare for something specific. But unlike a wedding planner, a baby planner is not helping you plan and prepare for one significant event, but a significant and complete life change.

There is of course the preparations for delivery day that we can help with, but a baby planner's services cover so much more than that. From setting up the nursery, evaluating what baby gear you do and don't need, and rearranging your home to be more conducive to those early sleep-deprived days, to adjusting your time and budget management, preparing for returning to work, and child-proofing. I can also help you set up a non-toxic home and eco-friendly nursery - known as "green proofing".

From the moment you find out you are pregnant, you are bombarded with information, opinions, and decisions to be made. A baby planner can help you navigate through this overwhelming time to reduce the stress of all this logistical gumpf, and free you up to focus on what really matters. 



Baby planner, preparing for baby, pregnancy

These services are particularly valuable for those expectant mums who are very time-poor, do not have any close family or friends to help them, or are restricted to bed-rest. For the expectant grandmas out there looking to get their children something special - remember I have gift vouchers!

If you have any questions on professional organising or baby planning feel free to ask!

Saturday 13 July 2013

There's no such thing as bad publicity

I'm afraid I have to disagree with that old saying.
What got me thinking about this was watching The Living Room a couple of weeks ago, with "Oprah's favourite organiser" Peter Walsh. If you missed it, you can catch up here.


Peter Walsh, professional organiser
Image courtesy of Howards Storage World

While I appreciate the fact that local Professional Organisers and the industry as a whole can benefit from this kind of media exposure, my concern is that we can all get tarred with the same brush, and if you as a viewer didn't like what you saw, you could understandably make a judgement on Professional Organisers and the process of getting organised. To add to my unease on the matter, when I was explaining to someone recently what I do as a Baby Planner, the response was "Oh, like Rosie Pope?". Well, yes, kind of, but in a completely different way. Rosie Pope is a maternity concierge to celebrities and millionaires, and host of the reality TV show Pregnant in Heels. I cannot help but question whether her advice and the way she deals with her clients is all about making "good" TV, and not really about serving her clients' best interests.

So, dear readers, this is what I would like you to know:
1. I would never ever force my clients to empty their household contents on to their front lawn. I think this is an unnecessarily confronting approach to take.
2. I would never send my clients away while I implemented storage or organising solutions. I believe in working alongside my clients to develop systems together which make sense for them and their unique requirements.
3. I would never be pushy and opinionated with my clients. My aim is to equip my clients with the knowledge and tools to make the best possible decisions for themselves.

I would hate it if people were put off hiring a Professional Organiser out of fear of having their clutter and chaos displayed for all the world to see. Please know this too was done for the sake of a TV show! If you would like to know more about Professional Organisers, or find one near you, visit the Australasian Association of Professional Organisers' website. If you would like to know more about Baby Planners and maternity concierge, you'll have to wait for my next blog post :)

Saturday 6 July 2013

Tap tap... Is this thing on?

Well, hello there! I'm starting this new financial year with a bunch of new exciting projects on the go - one of them being this blog! It has been on my wish list for some time, and I am thrilled to finally launch it. 

My hope is for this to be a relaxed and informal space where we can chat about all things organising. I welcome your comments and questions, and if there is anything specific you would like me to cover please feel free to ask. I will be sharing a range of practical tips, simple organising projects you can do at home, and general ramblings about things I am doing and thinking about.

Thank you for coming along for the journey...



freedigitalphotos.net by nuchylee