Be the FIRST TO KNOW when the next episode releases!

Podcast Episodes

Podcast episodes By Dianne Jimenez

Home organizing, Raise Responsible Kids

#21: Teach Kids How To Store Their Papers

Recently a mom friend sent me a message out of the blue asking me about a very popular issue most parents with pre-school and school-aged children struggle with, myself included – until I had a strategy and action plan.

What I liked about how she framed it is that it wasn’t your TYPICAL Google search question. This went deeper in thought even though the results were the same: containing the clutter and giving the items a home.

I absolutely LOVED this question because it was about nipping the issue at the bud and addressing the behavior as opposed to finding organizing solutions using physical things like better furniture or using separators like bins or file folders. These are all great solutions to contain the clutter and chaos but it DOESN’T solve the ultimate problem: how we go about dealing with our things.

I get it, we’re all looking for quick fixes and solutions to deal with the chaos and disorganization in our home. With free shipping and next-day delivery, it’s so easy now to get our hands on things that will help solve our situation. But, is it REALLY solving the underlying issue?

If we don’t have strategies and plans set beforehand when new items come into our home or when we see a sale or deep discounted items, we’re SOOO tempted to take advantage of these hot deals that we buy more than we really need, or have space for. Our home, our space feels cramped and our minds become cluttered too: having to deal with organizing and managing the excess.

Well, in this case, it’s not about deals or sales but it is about items that keep coming in from the creative minds of our little ones…and they produce some REALLY beautiful, heartwarming, almost magical things… WE want to keep them all. And why not? They came from the most wonderful beings in the world – our children!

And if the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, well you better believe your kids will also want to keep every masterpiece that they’ve created.

So….how do we nip things at the bud, or address the root cause? Well, the title of this episode gives it all away: Teach Kids How To Store Their Papers

Lead together, Raise Responsible Kids

Podcast  #20: 5 Ways To Get Kids To Listen – Part 2

It just happened one morning, as I write this episode out: during the morning rush… well I shouldn’t say rush because the kids weren’t rushing.  We were doing great in time.  We were just in the middle of making their breakfast and putting their lunches together. I was there assisting, cutting up veggies and just making sure they had what they needed and…there it was, in the middle of the kitchen floor: a rag.

People were talking and kicking it around and just not saying anything. And it’s not like they couldn’t feel it or anything, they were barefoot!  They just weren’t aware that there was something on the floor that someone could’ve just stopped to pick up.

But no.

So, as much as I was burning inside to say something, I waited.  I waited to see if someone, ANYONE would  notice. Nothing. So, I ended up doing it myself.

Oftentimes, it feels like the ONLY person who realizes the house is a mess, realizes that things aren’t where they should be, or realizes that other stuff has been sitting THERE for days or even weeks, and finally stops to do something about it?…It’s YOU!

Lead together, Raise Responsible Kids

Podcast #19: 5 ways to get kids to listen – Part 1

How do you get your kids to listen?

Well, let me be clear: they DO listen…. Sometimes, just not consistently. And one mom even said:  “sometimes, it’s as though he CHOOSES NOT to listen!”

Now, I’m talking about the boring stuff. The stuff that needs to get done around the house: picking up after themselves, cleaning their room, helping their brother or sister  out, bringing some toilet paper upstairs since they’re coming this way, or having to apologize to their sibling for whatever reason.

…. You know, regular life stuff !

Ahhh ! The frustration when they just don’t want to listen!  I see it all the time: With my own family, kids at the mall, the kids at the school…

So it got me thinking after we left our makeshift support group thing we had going on at the park. I decided to text them a list of what I usually say to get my kids to listen in hopes that it will help them with their challenges and roadblocks.

So my hope for you today, dear listener, is that while you’re listening to this episode, keep an open mind.  Listen to understand where I’m coming from and then take what you need. Tweak what resonates and makes sense for you, so that it applies to your family. I hope this helps!

Home organizing

Podcast #18: Debunking Cleaning Up Before The  Professional Organizer Arrives

I’m so excited to share this episode with you because it’s talking about breaking down a very common and popular belief in the industry of Home Organizing. I’m talking about the belief that you need to clean your house, or tidy it up, before the professional organizer arrives…for either their first session or, not even, it’s for a consultation the very first time we talk in person or via video-chat!

I know it’s SUPER hard to NOT tidy up when company’s coming.  I don’t blame you. We’ve ALL been brought up to do that. But here’s the thing, professional organizers are not considered ‘company’.  We’re here to see your space, as-is, how you live in it and how the space is working, or not working, for

Establish Your Time

Podcast #17: Let’s Talk Mental Health – Stop Spreading Yourself Too Thin

When I became a mom and went through all the first time mom-feels: joys, discoveries and all the challenges. It REALLY became apparent on my mental load after I had my second baby.

I can tell you, without a shadow of a doubt that I was spread way thin.

I was still adjusting to knowing my daughter, a very different baby than my first, and all the tricks that were working before, didn’t work at all or as effectively with her. I felt, as millions of moms out there also felt: like crap. I had no idea what I was doing. Well, I knew the basics but this was a whole different personality. It’s as though I was starting back at square one; but STILL trying to be present and attentive to my son and at the same time be a loving and supportive wife: 24/7 , 365.

My mode was either OFF, which felt like a blink, or ALWAYS ON: there for everyone AND everything. Doing things on my own and trying to figure things out, is just who I am. It’s part of my ‘being’.

Now, this isn’t to say that my husband didn’t help or wasn’t present. Not at all. He’s a very involved parent and husband. When I was in massage therapy school every second weekend, he was perfectly fine taking care of our son. And our son…. knew no difference!

But, while Onnig was asleep, call it stubbornness on my part or just wanting to ensure he’s at his best for his employees and business partners, I would rarely wake him up overnight. I tended to all the wake ups from either one or both kids.

Now don’t get me wrong, we had many conversations about me needing to wake him up, even if it was to bring the baby to me, wait for the feed, and bring her back to her crib – he was so on board with that. But my thoughts were about taking care of him too.
In hindsight, I wanted and needed to do the work: feel all the feels, gain the experience and knowledge about myself. As much as my babies were growing, I was too.

But my mental health was also taking a toll. I didn’t know or didn’t pay much attention then, but I do remember one night, annoyed after a quick feed, standing by the corner of the bed, awake but exhausted. What felt like months and months and months of trying to keep it all together, while feeling like I was being pulled in all directions, I felt resentment brewing.

Establish Your Time, Interview

Podcast #16: Time Management: A Conversation With Professional Organizer Marie-Odette Moubayed

So in today’s episode, like I mentioned earlier, is something different where I’m sharing the conversation I had with fellow pro organizer, and gal-pal.

We’ll be covering Time Management, how we set up and plan our weekly schedules, how we set up our goals, and also share what works for us when it comes to managing our tasks.

Remember, this WAS a recording from an Instagram Live so the volume or sound might be a little different from what I normally put out each week. And I almost forgot to mention, I’m so glad to be able to share this with you because, like Instagram Live newbies that we are, it was accidentally deleted from her feed just a few minutes after we went LIVE! (laughs)

And now you have it right here, for your listening pleasure any time you want!

So let’s get this whole thing started. Let’s go!

***

MO: This is very exciting. Our first LIVE together and I’m happy. I’m actually happy because you know, I have problems with time management and I know you’re pretty much an expert in time management. I have a few questions for you….

Scroll to Top