We’re all online all the time and we find so many yummy things that we don’t want to forget about. If you’re like me, those bookmarks pile up and you start to forget why you tagged them at all. All that clutter isn’t helpful. The good stuff can be lost that way.

Assignment #1: Take 10 minutes (just 10!) to organize the bookmarks in your browser.

Decide on 5-7 main categories and start putting links into those. You can sub-categorize later if necessary. And don’t be afraid to use your delete button. Maybe that recipe you loved a few months ago doesn’t match your eating goals now. Zap it!

Assignment #2: if 10 minutes didn’t get all your bookmarks organized, set a reminder on your calendar to do this once a week for the next month.

Ten bucks says, after that, your bookmarks will no longer be such a tangled mess.

Penelope Tip: After I started this website, I naturally wanted to start keeping up with more and more blogs. Given that they all offered different ways of keeping informed about their latest posts, pretty soon, my blog follow system was inefficient and frustrating.

Finally (I know, I’m so late to this party!) I discovered that iGoogle makes it really easy. You just create your own iGoogle page and then you can enter any URL and it will update you on the posts for that site.  I’ve now switched completely away from MyYahoo for my daily news/celebrity gossip fix and am using iGoogle exclusively. I have a page for “News” a page for “Entertainment News”, a page for “Business” and a page devoted to my favorite blogs. I love having a one-stop shop for all of these important links.

Related posts:

1. Assignment: purse de-clutter, or do this now, you’ll be glad you did later
2. Making Small Talk at Holiday Parties: or, things I hate more than going to the dentist
3. Assignment: Computer Desktop de-clutter, or, do this now, you’ll be glad later

Most Mommy Penelopes I know think one of the biggest perks of having kids is that they get to share great books with them. I certainly felt this way when my kids were young. In fact, reading aloud to my kids is the single thing I miss most about their younger years. Screaming tantrums? No. Reading?  Yes and double yes.

In my experience, though, some books translate better to being read aloud than others. Here is my list of tried and true “read aloud” favorite chapter books. Note that I read these to my kids when they ranged in age from 5-9, but you should (obviously) make sure you’re making the choices that are the best for your young audience.

1. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
2. The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
3. A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
4. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
5. The Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl
6. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
7. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
8. Tumtum and Nutmeg: Adventures Beyond Nutmouse Hall by Emily Bearn
9. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
10. Matilda by Roald Dahl
11. Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace
12. The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

Why shouldn’t this time be as enjoyable for you, too, right?

Tell me: what are your favorite read aloud chapter books?

Related posts:

1. Website I love: Booksfree.com – like Netflix for audio books
2. The Legacy Letter: Journaling for the next generation
3. When Eight is not Enough…

I’m not so much a pink girl, but lately, mostly because I’ve been reading Making It Lovely, I’ve been drawn to pink more and more.

Today, some cotton candy loveliness for my beloved Penelopes..

1. Letter-Size Interior File Folders in “Bloom” $4.99 – containerstore.com
2. Poppy Magnetic Board $7.99 – containerstore.com
3. Pink Floral Storage Boxes $20 – containerstore.com
4. Stripe Weekly Planner $25 – sortingwithstyle.com
5. Self-adhesive Note To-Do  www.russellandhazel.com
6. Casauri Carry All Weekender - seejanework.com
7. Poppy Mouse and mousepad  $35 – sortingwithstyle.com
8. Choco Dot Pink Pen $15 – sortingwithstyle.com
9. Small Pink Paris Notebook $13 – sortingwithstyle.com
10. Webster’s Fashion Color Thesaurus – seejanework.com
11. Pink Clipboard $22 – sortingwithstyle.com
12. Jane’s Stapler -seejanework.com

Related posts:

1. Peeping Penelope: a look at Simplesong’s home office
2. Pottery Barn does Stainless Steel well: organization for office or kitchen
3. Here’s a bird I’ve got to have: pretty ways to store your paperclips

I got this email from a fellow Penelope, Denise. She brings up some excellent points so I wanted to share her note with you.

Here’s what she says:

Hi Penelope,

It’s raining outside today and all I want to do is clean. I tried to watch a movie but couldn’t sit still.

I was cleaning the kitchen and decided to turn on my Pandora radio station. I found the best station for cleaning! It’s my Christina Aguilera Pandora station.

I don’t know if you are familiar with Pandora, but you tell it an artist you like and it will create a station with their music and other artists like them. So, my Christina station has a lot of Christina stuff, of course, but also Pink, Britney Spears, Beyonce and Destiny’s Child. That kind of thing.

I was dancing around my kitchen to “Lady Marmalade” and “Dirty” and before I knew it my kitchen was sparkling! I cleaned my patootie off and the music kept me going.

It made me think that everyone talks about having a playlist for the gym, but why not for cleaning? Makes all the difference.

Love,
Denise

Good point, Denise! I love to plug my iPhone into my Memorex Minimove Portable Boombox and listen to music or podcasts as I clean or cook. I gotta say, though, I’m glad there are no cameras in my house (that I know of) or they’d catch some pretty embarrassing late 80’s dance moves.

My favorites include “One Girl Revolution” from SuperChick (Penelope’s Theme Song) and anything by The Black Eyed Peas and Madonna. I’ve even shared my playlist with you, but don’t laugh. Pinkie promise? OK, you can find my cleaning playlist here. I pop over there whenever I need a quick pick me up.

Meredith's Cleaning Playlist

If you’re looking for more great tunes, jump over to one of my favorite websites, Good Girl Gone Glad. Jesse chooses some wonderful songs for her blog’s playlist.

Do you have a cleaning or organizing play list? Are there certain songs, or kinds of music, that help you get things accomplished? Tell us about it!

Related posts:

1. Pottery Barn does Stainless Steel well: organization for office or kitchen
2. Terrible Inconvenience = Fantastic Opportunity: My new bed means a reorganized linen closet
3. Mama needs an upgrade

Things I love about Happy Tape:

1) that such a thing exists
2) that it’s called Happy Tape, because, really, why shouldn’t tape be happy?
3) that even tape can be pretty. Course, this sets the bar high for other things. Like, toilet paper, you’re going to need to raise your game, dude.
4) that they have products called the “Cool Cranberry 5 pack”. Doesn’t that sound awesome? Or, at least, like an awesome drink?
5) that the internet makes it possible for us to get this fantastic Japanese product here in the USA.

They even have their own dispenser, which is pretty in and of itself.

Check out their blog for great ideas for cool uses for Happy Tape.

What do you think? Is Happy Tape useful and cool?

Related posts:

1. Big Ideas Notebook: a new favorite and our first GIVEAWAY
2. Mama needs an upgrade
3. Couldn’t be more excited: my first guest post

Hi Penelopes,

I’m so honored to bring to you our first guest post. It’s from a fellow Penelope and commenter on this blog, Deren Monday from MeandYourHouse.com. Deren has some incredibly useful things to say about writing a Legacy Letter to his children. It’s a fantastic idea and I’m considering starting this habit myself.

What a wonderful gift to give to future generations. I hope you’ll let him know what you think.

-Meredith

Building a Legacy Letter

Like many things in my life, it started with agitation and festered into action.

I wanted to know where I came from.  Not literally, because I understand biology pretty well, but contextually.

What were my parents thinking before I was born?  Why did they try for a third child?  What happened when I was young to make me who I am?  What similarities do I share with my parents and grandparents when they were my age?

I wanted to go back in time and talk with them when they were in my stage of life.  When they were raising kids, and dealing with social strife, and trying to build their future.

I just had to know.  So I asked.  And there was not much there. And I was disappointed.

Were they holding things back?  No.  That’s just how life is.  It’s hard to remember.  It’s impossible to remember.  So I vowed my kids would never have to wonder.

And I started writing.

Two Years Later

My legacy letter to my kids is now 250 pages long.  It’s filled with assorted snapshots of the life of my family. The depths of despair, the elation of success, the wonder of raising kids, the heartache of death, the fear of failure (a deep-down specialty of a Penelope), the resentment of hurt, the hope for a better future.

And each day, I add to it.  One entry at a time.

My kids will never have to wonder what we were like. I write the letter as if I am talking to them as young adults. And when they are 18, they will receive a bound copy.  They may just put it on a shelf somewhere, because at 18 we’re pretty stupid.  But one day they will open it.  And they will turn to their birth date.  And they will read of a father’s love.  And they will treasure it.

How To Build a Legacy Letter

Step 1 – Decide who to write to

Choose an audience. It could be your children, grandchildren, niece, nephew, heir to your business, young leader in your non-profit, children of your church/synagogue/mosque, future leaders in your city.  Anyone who you think might benefit from your story.

After determining the recipient decide when you will give it to them.  Pick a time in the next 5-20 years when you think they would most benefit from your words.  Then picture this future person as you write.  Write to them as if you are telling them a story on that future date.  Become a storyteller to the future.

Step 2 – Decide when to write

As any Penelope knows, a task like this requires discipline.  Choose a time each day (or week) to write.  Make it consistent.  Make it a time to focus.  Make it short.

For me, I write in the morning before anyone else is up.  A cup of coffee and a laptop and the stillness of the dawn.  It takes me about 15 minutes to complete an entry.  Sometimes more, sometimes less depending on current events.

Step 3 – Decide where to write

Pick a favorite spot where you can relax and be at peace.  Try to remove yourself from temporal distractions.  After all, it’s hard to think of the future when you are immersed in the present.

Step 4 – Decide how to write

Some of us are pencil-and-a-journal folks, others can type faster than we think.  (Which leads to apologizing over hastily-authored emails…)  No matter the medium, choose a writing method in which you think clearly and can tap into your deepest thoughts and feelings.

Step 5 – Decide what to write

Your audience will determine the depth and complexity of your legacy letter.  Things we might write to our children surely differ from things we would write to acquaintances.

I suggest writing about whatever is on your mind at the time.  After all, you are trying to convey who you are and what your life is like.

I write about an assortment of topics: family, politics, goals, news events, tough decisions, etc.  I try to capture a mini-theme each entry depending on my mood.

Unexpected Benefits

Building my legacy letter has had unexpected benefits.

From time to time I peruse past entries.  I’ve gotten great joy in looking back and remembering the good times.  Goals met and dreams come true, relationships healed and lives changed.

It’s also become a form of accountability for me.  My entries are sacred and I fear compromising them by not living up to my entries.  If I write about a step I need to take in my life, I feel obligated to follow through.  I can’t stand the thought of letting my children down.  I know, they do not even understand the letter exists yet.  But I still feel a sense of purpose in living my my words.

What about you?  How are you passing on your knowledge and experiences to the next generation?  Certainly there are many methods, and this is but one.  I’d love to hear your story, as would the future…

Deren Monday is a professional remodeling coach helping homeowners improve both their homes and their lives.  When not writing to the future, he does dwell in the present…

Related posts:

1. A “Wicked” Confession, or: a reminder that I’m far from perfect
2. One more chapter, please: great books to read aloud to your kids
3. Assignment: Pre-Christmas de-cluttering, or: do this now, you’ll be glad you did later

Today’s post begins a new feature on Penelope Loves Lists called “Interview with a Blogger”. I’m absolutely fascinated by the ways other bloggers work, especially how they organize their time, their physical workspace space and their blog. I decided to start asking some questions of bloggers I admire.

My first interviewee is one my favorite bloggers, Jessica from Lavender & Lilies. She’s super smart and creative and I love her blog. Here’s what Jessica says:

When did you start your blog? I started a sort of test blog in March of 2009 and then started my blog with Blogger in April of 2009.

What physical items keep your work organized? (Notebooks, binders, etc.) My iphone and my laptop.  I tend to get inspired in random places so I use my iphone to make notes of ideas for posts or interior design ideas.  I get a lot of ideas from magazines and I rip the pages out and scan them onto my computer.  I pretty much hate loose paper so I scan everything into my computer.

What software or online tools to you use to keep yourself organized? I am a huge user of the Picasa Photo Albums on Google.  I upload all of my decorating, crafting, entertaining or gardening ideas.  I also use the Notes function on my iPhone for quick note taking when I am out and about.  I also use iPhoto to store and organize photos I personally take.

Are you a “list” person? If so, what kinds of lists do you find yourself making most? I am a huge list person.  I make lists for everything: to do lists, grocery lists, weekly menus, packing lists and most recently I have been putting together lists of trips I want to take in the next few years.

Where/how do you store ideas you get for content? I am inspired by nearly everything: magazines, traveling, television, the internet…  If I am out somewhere I will make a note of it on my iPhone or snap a picture of something that I think is a good idea.  If I am online, I save photos to my desktop so I can upload the photo with my post.  If I am inspired, I always try to write the post as soon as I can.  If I wait, I tend to lose interest. I am very ADD that way.

Mac or PC? I am a Mac girl through and through. I hate PCs.

How many hours a week do you spend on your blog? I typically spend several hours on the weekend writing and scheduling my posts for the week. I also check my blog periodically throughout the day. I love comments so I  am always checking for those.

There are a lot of tasks involved with successful blogging: writing content, guest blogging, commenting on other blogs. How do you organize your time? I always try to have my week’s posts scheduled for the week by Sunday night. My work schedule and commute give me very little time during the week so I don’t write my posts during the week generally. I do guest blog occasionally but I do have to say I don’t do as much of that as I should.  I usually check other blogs and comment at random times during the day. If I stay in my office through lunch I will take 15 minutes or so to check and comment on my favorite blogs. I also spend at least a half hour or so commenting on blogs in the evenings.

Describe your current work space. I have to say my workspace is very portable. I use my laptop to store images that inspire me for content and I have a notebook I jot down ideas so I can blog while in the bed or watching a movie with my husband. I use our desktop computer sometimes for blogging but typically that only serves as a hub for our movies and photos.

Jessica's blogging workspace

As for my office at work, I am insanely organized. We are a paperless office so all of my files are stored on a server, which I access from my computer.  I keep very little paper at my desk and any documents I have to keep I store in polka-dotted Kate Spade folders in a folder stand on my filing cabinet, which is empty because I hate paper.  Did I mention that I hate loose paper? I am a trial lawyer so I have to keep resources for trials, case law, etc.  I store all of those in organized binders that I keep in a bookcase. For me, a sign of a successful workday is a clean desk.

Describe your dream work space. Oh my goodness I could keep you here all day!  I want my own office space that I don’t have to share with lots of storage for office supplies, stationery, gift wrap, crafting supplies, etc. I would love a big desk with shelves mounted above and a dock for my laptop so I can use a large monitor and keyboard when I am at my desk.  A great scanner/printer combo and a high end photo printer are musts also.

I also would want well-organized drawers and cabinets for all my office supplies and a fabulous framed bulletin board lined with gorgeous fabric.  Bookshelves for my books and accessories would line a wall. In the same room I would like a work table and stool for gift wrapping and crafting.  I would also like a large comfy chair and ottoman for reading or list making. The room would, of course, have to be painted a fabulous color with amazing drapes and a rug with all of my favorite prints on the wall. It would be sanctuary of creativity.

What about your blog work makes you most anxious and how do you deal with it? I think I get most anxious about making time to visit and comment on other blogs. I think it’s so important that we support one another and visit each others blogs. When I get really busy I always worry that I am not being faithful to my fellow bloggers. I have been blessed by so many amazing blogging friends that have supported me and my blog and mentioned my blog on their sites, which has in turn brought me so many new readers. I always want to return that favor and show that appreciation. To deal with this, I try to make sure I visit those bloggers that are faithful to my blog at least every 3-4 days. I don’t put the pressure on myself to comment every day but I do make it priority to let them know that I do appreciate the inspiration they give me.

What’s the one piece of advice you’d give to a new blogger? Let your personality shine through your blog. This took me a while to learn how to do.  When I first started blogging, I obsessed over posting on things I thought people would like or using content I thought would bring me the most readers.   It’s hard to write good content if you really are not interested in what you are writing about. Once I let that go and started posting on what inspired me personally, the traffic on my blog spiked and I started really having a lot more fun with my content.

Blogging is a huge creative outlet for me. I have a very stressful job and blogging has given me such a great way to express myself and my creativity.  Now that I really have learned to blog about where I am at in my life right now, I find that I truly enjoy blogging and that more and more people seem to be drawn to my blog as well.

Related posts:

1. Peeping Penelope: a look at Simplesong’s home office
2. Assignment: organize the bookmarks in your browser
3. Notes and Notebook for Blogging Your Way class

Now THIS is exciting: Jessica from Lavender & Lilies asked me to be her guinea pig for a new feature she’s started. She’s asking some of her favorite bloggers a few interesting questions. I love this kind of thing. It’s a great way to get to know the people behind these blogs.

While you’re over there reading all about me (and, really, who doesn’t want to do that?) make sure to make yourself familiar with some of the other things Jessica is doing at Lavender & Lilies. I love this blog and read it religiously. She does such a nice “mix” of things, and each day you know you’re going to get something interesting.

In fact, I like Jessica so much, that I’ve also asked her to by MY guinea pig for a feature I’m starting later in February. She’ll be answering some of my questions about the organization tools she uses to organizes both her life and her blog. Stay tuned!

And, look at this clever montage Jessica put together for this feature. Is she good or what?

Related posts:

1. Interview with a blogger: meet Jessica from Lavender & Lilies
2. See Jane Work’s “Desk of the Month”: More Evidence That I Have an Organization Addiction
3. Peeping Penelope: a look at Simplesong’s home office

It’s that time again: time for some voyeuristic peeking into a beautiful home office workspace.

This time, the home office belongs to blogger Suann Song from Simplesong, one of my favorite blogs. I found this little gem via another fantastic blog: Ill Seen, Ill Said (is that a great name, or what?) She does a great series called “Where We Blog From”, and I’m fascinated by it.

Take a look at Suann’s office and then be sure to pop over to each of the blogs mentioned above. The Peeping Penelope in you will be glad you did.

I love the natural light and the hardwood floors. I also love the glass-topped desk and the way she angled her shelving unit in the corner.

But I really, really love the chair. I know my Boston Terrier, Cooper, would love to curl up there while I worked. Maybe we could get Suann to tell us where she got it?

The office is simple, and so pretty. She strikes a perfect balance between usefulness and pretty touches. And, she’s a Mac girl. Just sayin’.

I wonder, too, how many of us have “Keep Calm and Carry On” posters somewhere in our offices? I know I do. Makes me feel better. It’s a stiff upper lip kind of thing.

Be sure to hop over to Jane’s post on this office to see more photos and get details.

Thanks for the inspiration, Suann and Jane!

Related posts:

1. Organizing in a pretty pink place: girly office supplies
2. Interview with a blogger: meet Jessica from Lavender & Lilies
3. Pottery Barn does Stainless Steel well: organization for office or kitchen

Today’s assignment:

Take just five minutes to clear off some of the accumulated items on  your computer’s desktop. This short period of time may or may not clear it completely, but it will help.

• trash any files you don’t need anymore
• put into folders any files you do still need
• ideally, your desktop wouldn’t have more than 10 folders on it, everything else should be in sub-folders within those.

If your desktop is a real mess, do this again for the next five days. Put it on your calendar with an alarm to make sure you do it. And remember, spend JUST five minutes.

A cluttered computer desktop is just as anxiety-producting as a cluttered real-life desktop.

Penelope Tip: reward yourself for having cleaned up your computer’s desktop by downloading some pretty “wallpapers”. I like this website. Dig into the archives. There are some really pretty ones there.

And here’s a look at the desktop of one of my three computers, just because people are asking about it. (I had no idea people would be so curious!)

Meredith’s Desktop

I really do try to keep my desktop very clean. If I have an item outside a folder on my desktop temporarily that’s fine, but I deal with it and either trash it or file it by the end of my work day. That’s just a Penelope trait of mine. I know lots of people who get a ton of great work done who don’t keep such spare desktops.

What about you? What does your computer desktop look like?

Related posts:

1. Assignment: purse de-clutter, or do this now, you’ll be glad you did later
2. Assignment: Pre-Christmas de-cluttering, or: do this now, you’ll be glad you did later
3. Assignment: organize the bookmarks in your browser