Buttoned Up on Shine

Staying Close When You're Not Together

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by Sarah Welch and Alicia Rockmore

With the price of travel increasing, and the amount of money in American pockets decreasing, many families won’t be spending the holidays together this year.

However, with a little creativity and some innovative thinking you can find ways to…

Organizing a Thanksgiving Feast When Time and Money are Short

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by Sarah Welch and Alicia Rockmore

Even if money and time are tight, you can have a wonderfully rich and full Thanksgiving. All it takes is a little organization and some willingness to let go of the need to do everything.

Sarah on “Never Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth”

“My…

Good Ideas To Get Kids Moving

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By Sarah Welch and Alicia Rockmore

It can be tough to think of fun things to do to get out and about as the days get colder and/or darker. If you’re finding that the DVD, TV, or computer (or all three) is working overtime to entertain your kids, here are some ideas to get everyone moving. If…

Organizing for Stress-Less Holiday Travel

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by Sarah Welch and Alicia Rockmore

The holidays are upon us, which means tens of millions of Americans will soon be taking to the skies, rails and roads.

An estimated 41 million people took a trip last Thanksgiving, even with record gas and fare prices. With airfare costs expected to be…

Unleash Your Inner Rocky: Get Organized to Achieve Your Goals

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by Sarah Welch and Alicia Rockmore

As the leaves turn to golden hues, the temperature drops a degree or two, and you get settled back into regular routines, it is the perfect time to revisit some of those goals you set back in January.

Have you gotten caught up in the daily grind and let…

Haunting for a Cure: How Ernie Romegialli Organized a Haunted House That Has Raised Over $650k for Diabetes Research

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By Sarah Welch & Alicia Rockmore

18 years ago, Ernie and Carol Romegialli got some news that changed their lives.

In late August of 1991, at the tender age of 6, their daughter Johanna was diagnosed with Juvenile (Type I) Diabetes. Motivated by two things: a desire to keep…

Get Prepared: How to Ensure You Have What You Need in an Emergency

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by Sarah Welch and Alicia Rockmore

Why is that that the only time we think to get prepared is when disaster is breathing down our necks?

So often we hear about hurricanes, fires or other disasters and think, ‘I should really put a few things together in case of an emergency,’ but…

Organize for an Emergency: 5 Tips To Get Your Home Insurance Buttoned Up! (9/28/09)

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by Sarah Welch and Alicia Rockmore Homeowner’s insurance or renter’s insurance is a necessity; it covers you for unexpected occurrences ranging from robberies to fires.

However, when it comes to assessing whether or not you have adequate coverage, the devil is in the…

Fall tag sale time

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By Sarah Welch and Alicia Rockmore Shifting wardrobes from spring and summer to fall and winter clothes is the perfect opportunity to streamline. As a general rule of thumb, we wear a very small percentage of the clothes we have in our closets, some people put the figure as low as 10-20%. So as you swap out flimsy fabrics for thicker ones, take a long, hard look at the clothes you have and ask yourself: “Do I actually wear this?” In addition to clothes, what else is lurking in your closets that you never use? Have each family member go through their closets (and toy chests) too and put all those unused, rarely worn items aside in a few big boxes. Once everyone has gone through all of their closets and drawers and straightened and organized them, it’s time to part with what’s inside those boxes. A great way to do that and earn a little bit of extra money for holiday spending: host a tag sale. Read on for a few tips on how to organize a successful one.

September is a good month to prepare for an emergency

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By Sarah Welch and Alicia Rockmore

Why is that that the only time we think to get prepared is when disaster is breathing down our necks?

So often we hear about hurricanes, fires or other disasters and think, ‘I should really put a few things together in case of an emergency,’ but never actually get around to doing anything about it. It’s a universal problem driven by two things. First, for many of us, it’s difficult to be sure of what is needed or how to put it together. And second, the thought of something bad happening to our loved ones is often too difficult to consider. These are fears worth overcoming.