New ways to find me!

Greetings!

I'm delighted you are interested in my work.  I've become a monthly blogger for two popular sites.  You can visit both as I'll be sharing different tips and tricks at each location: www.TheClosetFactory.com and www.PsychologyToday.com.  I think you will enjoy the material and learn a lot of useful tips for your everyday life. There are direct links at my website to the current articles.

It's November 2011 and while all of us are thinking about Thanksgiving, I've got a big trip coming up first.  I'm off to San Francisco,  New York City and Miami Beach.  As you might imagine I'm devoting some time to clothing options and those ever necessary cosmetics and vitamins.  The latter take far more time to choose and pack than my clothing ever does.

My maternal grandmother never learned to read or write and yet she spoke five languages like a native and traveled the world.  She used to say 'If you have a tongue in your head and feet that move, you can go anywhere.'  My grandmother had wanderlust and while it skipped all 8 of her children, it flows in the veins of her grandchildren.  I'm always ready to hop on a plane and have an adventure. I have traveled the world since I was 17 and rarely had to check a bag.  My small suitcase is a true workhorse.  It fits in the overhead bin.  It's light and easy to pull. I may not have a vast wardrobe with me but I always feel free.

Happy Turkey Day!  As a vegetarian I can assure you that the bird doesn't make the holiday.  Good food, great friends & family and a huge dose of gratitude will. If you are hosting Thanksgiving and feeling a bit at sea the 11th chapter in One Year to an Organized Life will help you with step by step tips for the day from yours truly and the wonderful Chef Tanya.  You can also find tips for packing light in the month devoted to travel.  I've got you covered!

Summer is here ... what are your plans?

Have you ever noticed that winter drags on forever but the time between Memorial Day and Labor Day is about 3 seconds? At least it feels that way to me ... I love all the seasons but summer has a special place in my heart. There is something about the lack of clothing for one thing that makes me feel free. Years ago I helped a client move from Los Angeles to New York City which is my hometown. We were leaving a lunch counter when she looked at me and said: "I feel like a beast of burden!" I had to laugh. I grew up in Brooklyn where my mom taught me to count to seven before I left a location. If I had my: hat, gloves, scarf, coat, purse, boots and shoes, I was good to go. If not, I had to start looking around for 'my parts.'

My home base now is Los Angeles. June is traditionally when we experience 'June gloom.' In the morning the sky is overcast. No reason to complain, however, as it will be in the triple digits soon enough. The hottest weather of the year is after Labor Day Weekend. It took my East coast Soul some time to adjust to that reality. It's really hard to work on getting organized when it's that hot. Thankfully most of us have AC. My sweet golden retrievers are gone now but when they were alive I had to have fans as well. Goldens run a little hotter than other breeds and my babies had to be comfortable! Writing a book without a dog at my feet is a sad experience. My female Katie seemed to know when I was working on a book. She would sit by my side for the entire process. Once the book was ready for press, she went about her business. How do they know these things? My old male golden whose name was Spirito Divino or Spirit for short was the Dalai Lama of dogs. He was close to 15 when I rescued him. Spirit just wanted to sleep, eat, love and float through the day without cares. I miss that guy. He taught me how to relax and 'hang out.'

How are you spending the summer? Are you going to take a trip or hang around the house working on projects? In the interest of balance, I hope you plan a combination of the two! I've just completed a new book and I'm waiting for editorial notes. This is my 8th book total and the 4th in the One Year to ... series. It's called One Year to an Organized Life with Baby. I wrote it with Meagan Francis who is the mother of five and a published author in her own right. We hit it off like gang busters! Even though our lives look different, we're wired very much the same. And we certainly share the same work ethic and many of the same beliefs. When this one is ready for press, I'm going to miss my daily chats via e-mail or phone with Meagan.

The book takes a pregnant woman from the start of month three through delivery and covers the first 5 months of baby's life. It was a joy to write and I hope it is embraced by readers. There is so much to get organized before a child enters the world. There are the things we remember (plan the nursery, get a diaper bag, stock up on supplies et al) but there are also important items that can easily slip through the cracks like updating your will, discussing with your partner how emergencies will be handled and setting up a college account ... just to name a few! You know me ... I like to plan and have all my ducks in a row.

Let me know what you have planned this summer. I promise to post here more often.

Vacations, packing and time...

June 22, 2009

Earlier this month I returned to China for a second visit. I love history and Beijing has centuries of tales to tell. Shanghai is 'only' about 100 years old but its mix of traditional Chinese culture and the China of tomorrow is heady. My internal time clock is still getting adjusted. I tend to get sleepy around 5 pm and be flooded with energy around 1 am. An amazing turn of events for a woman who dubs herself the 'Queen of Sleep.'

For the past 11 years I have been traveling the world with a small suitcase that blissfully fits in any overhead compartment. This trip I took just what I needed and restrained myself from buying things I didn't need. The day before we were due to return to the U.S., however, the shopping gods struck a blow: I stumbled upon something I didn't purchase last time: a silk comforter. They are as light as a feather and yet warm in winter and cool in summer. I had to have one.

Here's a little packing tip that isn't in any of my books: very often the manufacturer will pack an item with unnecessary padding. If you remove it from its factory material, you can tuck it into a corner of your suitcase. Somehow we squeezed my new queen size comforter into a postage stamp size suitcase. I remember the challenge each night as I crawl under the cover of my sweet silk comforter.

Happy travels everyone!

Regina Leeds