A Quote from Winston Churchill

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.”
― Winston Churchill

Vacation Time!

“A vacation is what you take when you can no longer take what you’ve been taking. ”
― Earl Wilson

Here is a re-post of a blog I posted a few years back. It's time to start making your vacation plans for Summer 2010!

Summertime is vacation time. Here are a few tips for making your summer travel plans carefree.



Plan far enough ahead to make sure your passports are current. With the new passport laws, it’s taking longer to get passports than ever before. Check with your local post office for passport delivery times.

Go online to search for things to do when you reach your destination. Plan an informal schedule of places you want to see or restaurants you want to try. The internet is also a great source for weather information.

Call the hotel ahead of time to see if the room is equipped with shampoo, hair dryer, iron, refrigerator, etc. Airline carry-on sizes of shampoos, conditioners, hairspray, etc. are limited to 3-ounce bottles.

If you’re traveling out of the country, make sure you’re aware of what inoculations are necessary for your destination. Plan accordingly.

Try the 50% packing rule – after packing your suitcase, remove 50% of the clothing items you packed. Most of us over pack. Mix and match or layer your items so they can be worn more than once.

Include a plastic bag in your suitcase for dirty items and wet bathing suits.

Try rolling your clothing when packing your suitcase. Pack socks and underwear inside shoes. Leave some room in your suitcase for items you may purchase on your trip.



Pare down items in your wallet – bring necessary items only: identification card, credit card(s), insurance card(s) and AAA card.

Before leaving the house, clear your refrigerator of any perishable items. Clean the house and put fresh sheets on the bed. Put lights on auto timers. Have your mail held at the post office and cancel the newspaper. Most newspapers will let you donate these copies to local schools.

If you’re traveling with young children, create a boredom survival kit – books on tape, educational DVD’s, and creative car games such as state license plate search and travel bingo.

Make sure you travel with a small first-aid kit and motion sickness pills.

Lastly, don’t forget to have a GREAT time!

Smead Product Reviews

I was lucky to be able to recently sample three new products from Smead - a leader in office supplies. The three products are:

Smead Super Tab Folders
Smead Viewables Color-Coded Labeling System
Smead New Stadium File Organizer

Super Tab Folders - the best feature of this product is the larger label area - great for larger titles on file labels - easier to read and easier to find the correct file. I also loved the new subtle pastel colors - light blue, lavendar, mint green, coral and light pink. The file size is standard letter size and the folders come in 1/3 cut tabs.

The Super Tab Folders are available at Office Depot and Staples.




Viewables Starter Kit - this kit includes 160 adhesive labels and the 4.0 Viewables Software which prints on two sides of the label which measures 3 7/16" x 1 1/4". The labels are inkjet and laser printer compatible. The kit does not include file folders. I was unable to run the software as I have a Mac and the software requires a PC/Microsoft format. The labels are compatible with the above-mentioned Super Tab Folders as well as standard file folders.

The Viewables Starter Kit is available for purchase at Office Depot and Staples.




New Stadium File Organizer - this is my favorite of the three products I sampled. I love 12-pocket organizers for organizing my yearly receipts, bank statements, credit card bills and anything else needed for compiling my yearly tax information. I have tried other gusseted organizers but what I liked about the Stadium File Organizer is that you don't have to remove a cover to place your receipts inside. This makes it easier to file receipts on a daily or weekly basis rather than waiting to file at a later time. It's also so much more attractive than the old rust colored cardboard stand up guesseted file organizers. I will definitely be using this product.

The Stadium File Organizer is available at Office Depot, Amazon.com and Franklin Covey.


You can follow Smead on Twitter at SmeadOrganomics or on Facebook at Smead Organomics.

Finally, I should mention that I am being compensated for this review but would gladly have purchased any of these products on my own without any compensation.

My dear daughter is graduating from high school today. I am so very proud of everything she has accomplished.

"If you can give your son or daughter only one gift, let it be enthusiasm.”

―Bruce Barton

Donate your old Career Wardrobe to a Good Cause

Have you changed careers in the last few years? Do you have suits, dress slacks, blouses and shoes in your closet that you no longer wear?

Contact The Women's Alliance. They provide opportunities to donate your career clothing to disadvantaged job-seeking women.