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Bathrooms are clean, floors are vacuumed, the dishes are finally done and laundry is completed! Gosh doesn't it feel great? On the surface things look SO GOOD. Yet when you take a closer look you start to realize that there's clutter in every room and closets have hit their limit and it has probably been a hot minute since you did a good purge. But you just cleaned your house so the decluttering has to wait. So right now it's good enough. Did you know that clutter causes stress and anxiety mixed with a bad case of overwhelm?And what do we do when we are overwhelmed? We give up right? It's too much. I don't know where to start. I am just going to give up because I can't deal with it right now. I will deal with it later. Maybe when things slow down. Maybe when I have a free weekend. Maybe when the kids are at a sleepover. Is this you? I know you're probably nodding your head right now. Did you ever find that extra time or weekend? Hmm... What would it feel like to wake up and the only thing that greets you is your slippers waiting for you to put them on. What if when you started walking towards the coffee maker, and you didn't have a million things staring at you reminding you of when you said you would get to them later. What if your counters were wide open and ready for you to cook or bake. What if your home greeted you with open space. How would that feel? Look, i'm not here to call you out on your own B.S. But I will tell you to cut to the chase and stop sugar coating the clutter. Clutter does horrible things to our mental health. It robs us of feeling abundance. It steals our joy and energy and replaces it with lack thereof. Clutter wants you to feel defeated, stuck and lonely. I want you to know that the kitchen is not the heart of your home. The heart of your home is YOU and all the people that live there. Your home is what you make of it. Yet if we don't get to the root cause of clutter, we will always be followed by a shadow of guilt, overwhelm and anxiety. I don't want you to feel anything but peace, happiness, joy and abundance in your home. It's time to reclaim your home and get to the root of the problem. Clear the clutter, purge and let go of what no longer serves you. PRO TIP: Don't think of purging as being wasteful, think of it as you no longer need it and would like to gift it to someone else who can now use it. If you are at that point of overwhelm and you don't know where to begin. I encourage you to connect with me TODAY. Hiring a professional is an investment to not only your home but also your mental health. I guarantee the results are transformative and so worth it. You are the heart of your home! Let's get you to walking into open spaces all throughout your home.

I think it's time for us to get real with ourselves. The holidays came and went in a blink of an eye. Please tell me I'm not the only one who felt overwhelmed before the holidays came but then when they were here, it was like I was running against the clock every single day trying to accomplish all the things and shop for all the gifts and get the groceries for party dishes I said I would bring and get groceries when the kids are home for Christmas break and, oh yeah, I should probably clean my house, and... Are you exhausted too? Let me tell you though, I definitely did my fair share of soaking in the minutes with my family. Watching Christmas Vacation and still laughing at that movie even after watching it a bazillion times. I even relaxed a ton! I am so thankful for the break and time with my loved ones. Yet I still feel like there is something tugging at me, waiting for me to take the first step in accomplishing it. I had a thought. What if instead of your typical New Year's Resolutions, you did something you've been wanting to do for years but never really pulled the trigger on. What if you got to the root of your stress, anxiety, overwhelm and overspending? Those things have a constant wear and tear on us in so many ways. So what if you made it a goal this year to hire an organizer? How would that make you feel? Constant clutter in your home is like stress that never gets resolved. Clutter, pulls you down, drains your energy and is always making you feel like you need to escape and fix it with something quick and easy. You then resort to shopping and buying more things but never feeling satisfied because you just added to your problem once again. The amount of times I hear people say to me, "My house feels so good when I walk through it." Or "I know what I have now, so I don't feel the constant urge to go shop for it, instead it's like I go shopping in my own closet first." Also, "I didn't realize how much room I would have by it being organized." You deserve to feel good in your home! That alone is why I do what I do. I want you to feel peace when you walk in your home. To feel confident knowing where things are when you need them. To stop overspending on things you think you don't have but then ending up with gobs of extra things. Get to the root that is causing you to not feel good and lack energy. Make 2024 your year to do a transformation on not only your home but yourself and your family. It truly is the gift that keeps on giving, the whole year round (and beyond). I guarantee when you get to the root and start taking care of the clutter in your home, you will feel motivated to start taking care of you, physically as well. So your New Year's Resolution to get organized is a beautiful box tied with a flowy ribbon and placed inside are two words that will help you gain control of YOU again. Helping families feel peace within their homes by organizing is my passion. I can't wait for your name to be next on that list. This is your year!

Your Ultimate Meal Planning Workbook for saving money, reducing food waste and creating less stress around that daunting question "What's for Dinner?" Hey there, fellow mealtime warriors! Let's talk about a real-life scenario that I'm sure many of us have experienced at some point in our busy lives. I call it the "Fridge Staring Fiasco." Picture this: It was just another day in my chaotic world, and I found myself standing in front of my open fridge, contemplating the sad sight of food that had gone bad. I mean, hundreds of dollars' worth of groceries, down the drain—literally! It was a harsh reminder that my lack of meal planning was costing me more than just my sanity; it was costing me money. So, there I was, on a mission to save the day, or so I thought. Off to the grocery store I went, without a list, but with the determination to grab all the family's favorites. After all, I could always whip something up, right? Well, let's just say my grocery store adventure didn't go as planned. The moment I saw the total amount due at the checkout, my eyes nearly popped out of my head. I was shocked! And by the time I got home, I was completely clueless about what to make for meals. Winging it had become my unhealthy habit, and it just wasn't working. That's when I had the wild idea to create a meal planning system of my own and start taking control of what I fed myself and my family. I created this system ten years ago and it still works for our family today! This workbook isn't just about saving money; it's about taking control and taking the chaos out of meal planning. Yes, I know you're busy and supper often times takes a backseat because you feel like you don't have time for it. Or, you are an empty nester and think that my system will only work for young families. I'm here to tell you, it can work for you too. I dare you to give it a try. Inside you'll find: 10 Delicious Recipes: Because meal planning should be a delicious adventure, not a chore. Family Favorites Page: Say goodbye to the dinner-time guessing game. Create a list of your family's all-time favorite meals and become the household hero. Inventory Pages: Keep tabs on what's in your freezer, pantry, and fridge to avoid overbuying and wasting food. Menu Planning Page: Bid farewell to those last-minute meal decisions and hello to well-thought-out, stress-free planning. Shopping List: Streamline your grocery shopping with a handy list that ensures you only purchase what you need, saving you money and reducing waste. AND MORE... But here's the best part: This workbook doesn't just give you tips and tricks; it provides practical workbook pages that guide you step by step. No more winging it! With "Calm the Fork Down," you'll be meal planning like a pro in no time. Don't let the "Fridge Staring Fiasco" happen to you. Take action now and get your hands on this game-changing workbook. Start your journey towards stress-free, budget-friendly meal planning, and say goodbye to overspending and food waste. "Calm the Fork Down" is here to save your day and put more money back in your pocket! Claim Your Meal Time Freedom TODAY!!!

Whether school is starting soon or a few months from now, it is important for us to be on our game and always be planning ahead. Planning ahead preps us for what's to come and allows us to flow into that season with ease rather than coming in hot feeling stressed. In one moment I am sad to see summer leave. The freedom my kids have in their days, the laughing I hear while I am working and oh yeah....sleeping in! I really don't want that to go away for any of us. However, I don't think I'm alone on this one. I am ok with routines and school schedules to be back on our radar. There is something to be said about a schedule, it gives me so much peace when the calendar has things written on it. Now, don't get me wrong, I cringe when I see a full week of things scheduled. I like a little here and a little there. A little bit of events and a little bit of open spaces so we can have the freedom to do things that make us happy. So when I say I love structure. I am basically meaning, medium structure. I love having the freedom to fill in the white spaces with whatever we want to fill it with. "Structure is Freedom." When my daughter first started school, I felt clueless. I'm sure like many mom's right? I had no idea what to expect, and felt like I had to get my kiddo all brand new things and basically make sure she had everything on that school supply list and then some. I mean, it's not completely out of the norm to be like this right? Well let me tell you, I would panic if we couldn't find the dry eraser for the marker board because they would all be gone already, and I already waited until last minute to go school supply shopping. I would think to myself, what will my daughter do if she is the only one who didn't have an eraser? Will she get teased? Will I get a note home from the teacher? The next year, I felt like if she was missing 1 crayon from the box of 24 I would have to buy a brand new box so she had all the colors. Please tell me i'm not alone. In all honesty, she was fine. No note was ever sent home and she made it through the year just fine. The next few years, the panic was less and less as the years went on and I learned to just go with it. If your kiddo needed more supplies throughout the year, they would tell you but It's not the end of the world. As Americans I feel like we over consume. So, anytime I have a chance to reuse something until it's no longer in use then that is what I will do. However, the whole point of this blog is to teach you how to start taking control of your own school supplies by teaching you my back to school system. Are you ready for it? Eek....me too! Side note: If you haven't started any kind of system for back to school yet, do not stress! There is still plenty of time for you to get started. We will start backwards and then move to the beginning so you can get the clear picture. End of the School Year I go through my kids backpacks, and trapper keepers. We go through everything, even notebooks and save anything we can for the next school year. So anything that is reusable, we will hang onto. Notebooks, tear out all the pages that have writing on them. Pencils, pens, markers and highlighters, if it's broken or doesn't work any longer, throw it. If it is still usable, keep it. Sort out all the pens, pencils, markers and highlighters into separate piles, then store them into separate ziplock bags or containers. This will make searching for 2 red pens and 4 highlighters a whole lot easier next year. If their backpacks can be used again another year, throw them in the washer and call it good. Here are the totes I like to use when storing school supplies. Beginning of the School Year When it's time to start back to school shopping, I print off my school list and grab my totes. The kids will start picking things out they want to use and I check off the boxes. You wouldn't believe some of the memories that pop up in their head while going through their own school supplies. I absolutely love sitting on the sidelines watching and listening to their stories. If there is anything on the list that we need, I highlight it. This year going through the lists, my son who is going into 3rd grade only needed 3 things. My daughter who is going into 8th grade, only needed 3 things as well. I did the math and I saved over 175 dollars!! Mind you, that is for school supplies only, but hey, I consider that a HUGE win! I have one more piece of advice for you mama. Stop stressing over all the supplies and things your kids have or don't have. Get what they need and let the rest go. I too, remember school and being picked on for things I didn't have or who had the coolest pens and scrunchies. But I also remember a lot of the good parts of school and I try to keep my focus on that instead of all the things I wish I had. We as parents can only do so much with our kids, but let's be honest, we can't fight their battles for them at school. So just like anything else we prep our kids for, prep them to be kind to everyone but stand up for themselves. Prep them to be happy with what they already have and work for things they want. We will not only stay on budget, but we will also teach our kids how things can hold value with more than one use. Teaching our kids to reuse things rather than throwing them away is teaching them about recycling in a hands on kind of way. So there you go, you now have a back to school system that you can use and move forward with to calm your own back to school chaos. I would love to know how this blog touched your heart. I'd love for you to leave me a comment.

Years ago when I was cleaning houses, it dawned on me that a clean house can only last so long. I know you're nodding your head in agreement with me right now. I came across plenty of houses that I knew were fully lived in. Meaning, that family was super busy and used every inch of their home, every single week. I also came across plenty of homes where everything was always picked up and put away and all I needed to do was clean it. No matter the style of the home or the shape it was in, I loved leaving that family with a clean living space to come home to. Some called me the cleaning fairy, like I just waved a magic wand and poof it was clean. I giggled every time I heard this and took it as a huge compliment. All in all the families I cleaned for were so thankful and I felt accomplished. However, there was always a feeling of more. I felt like I could offer more. Anyone who knows what my business offers nowadays can pretty much figure out why I chose to do in home organizing for a living and get to the root of a clean home. I had a friend tell me that I am the last finishing touches on a home. I have been puzzled with this comment for awhile now trying to figure out if there is some truth to what she said. Here's the thing, I don't feel like i'm the last and it's not a bad thing to be the last either. I am the cream filling to your oreo. Here me out. One side of the cookie is cleaning. When you have a clean home, you feel like you have a fresh start, a clean slate, right? The other side of the cookie is home decorating, because well your home is a reflection of you and let's be honest, blank walls are mundane and not very cozy. Organizing (this is where I come in), is the cream filling. The stuff that holds those two cookies together and creates a beautiful tasteful cookie. Your home can only be so clean and so well decorated but if you open those doors, drawers and closets, you will soon find out if you have an oreo house or if you're missing your cream filling. All pieces to the cookie serve an important role, without one, the other wouldn't make sense. But with all three components you have your oreo. My goal is for everyone to have an oreo home. When you have that, you will absolutely love coming home, cooking, putting things away, and be able to relax and create memories with your loved ones without the feeling of all the "to do's" hitting you once you sit down. So tell me, send me a reply, seriously. I want to know which piece of the cookie are you at right now. I would love to help you when you are ready for the cream filling. The most important piece to your oreo cookie.

I am so glad you're here. I can't wait for you to read all about setting your family up for success during summer break. This is the first year we haven't had child care or had a nanny for the summer. I figured I better step up my game this year and really make a plan. Then I wondered if maybe any of this or all of it could be useful to you. From 1 mom to the next, it takes a village to raise kiddos. Always learning from seasoned parents and teaching the ones with littles. You take whatever you need from this blog and make it your own. In this blog I will chat about: school supplies monthly calendars summer menu-including food prep summer activities-grab and go how structure is freedom Not only will these systems set your family up for success but they also allow your kids to have freedom and confidence to get what they need on their own, with a little bit of guidance from you. Let's talk school supplies. With all the school supplies that made their way back home,do you have a spot for them? I highly recommend a good tote or a few bins to put them in and not touch them until the new school year begins. Instead of a scramble and pure panic when school supplies start coming out , let's have you ease into the new school year knowing you have most of those supplies already at home. Here is a picture of what I do. I separate things into baggies, so the kids can "shop" in this bin and check things off their list. Pens, pencils, markers and crayons, etc... all get their own bag. Notebooks and binders, we take out any pages that have already been used and only use the remaining paper/binder. Anything broken or no longer usable we throw away. We may need a few more supplies by the time we check things off the list but at least I won't feel like I have to buy everything all over again because I didn't prep myself in advance. So instead of dumping them into the junk drawer or the craft closet, let's keep em all separated and stored away for next time. A monthly calendar is a must have in every home. Whether you are a digital mama or love to display it all for everyone to see or hey if you're like me, (behind closed doors for family only and a calendar for my hubs and I), knowing what you have going on, what meals to plan for and what events are coming up is an absolute must! My #1 goal in my home is to get what's in my brain onto paper. I love having a spot where my husband can find everything from supper, to what's going on that day/evening. To me it's less work on my end on the daily. The less things my family needs to come to me for, the better. Gosh that sounded bad. What I mean is for events, meals, activities, things like that. I love being a wife and mama! Think about it this way, if your spouse was the only one who knew the meals and schedule for the week and nothing could ever get done without them, wouldn't you feel a little blind and out of the loop until they asked for your help? Yeah, me too! So let's work together and enjoy summer at it's finest. I kept food simple this summer. When I say simple, I truly mean, SIMPLE. I decided I would create a summer menu making a plan for the month and replicate it the entire summer. I am sure we will have days we don't want that meal and we will switch it up but for the most part I am prepared. Now, all I have to do is get groceries about once every 2-3 weeks. Not only did I plan for the month, I kept the meals simple too. The perfect meals for summer. Download your free menu here: (breakfast, lunch, snacks & supper). Also along with menu planning, I made sure groceries were bought and put away. I like to think of food in our home as semi prepped. Snacks are out of the box if they are in a package, fridge snacks are also out of the box. Washing produce before putting it in the fridge allows for anyone to grab what they need and eat it right away. When I am cooking or grabbing some fruit or veggies to snack on, the last thing I want to do is have to wash it before I eat it. I think of this the same for my kids. If they have to do one more thing in order for them to eat a healthy snack, they either won't eat it and go right for the treat snacks or have to rely on me to wash it for them. Trust me, I know because this has happened. Basically snacks and quick things to make, I wanted to be very little effort as possible or it wouldn't feel easy and quick. With summer activities and sports in full force I wanted to be able to give my kids some freedom along with it but also not have them be on their screens all day with the house turning into a complete disaster. Snack wrappers everywhere, cupboard doors and drawers left open, blankets and pillows on the floor, all the lights on in the house and they haven't even stepped foot outside all day. So, with a little bit of structure comes a little bit of freedom. I call it a win win! I created a checklist for them with some daily and weekly tasks. These minor tasks will be so helpful to mom and dad but also giving them freedom to do whatever and stay active. I left a blank one for you to add in your own things. I also added a grab & go station in our mudroom so they can be prepared and we aren't all flying by the seat of our pants grabbing all the things 5 minutes before we are needing to head out the door. Please don't mind my missing paint spots. Obviously the 3M strips and I were not getting along, and the wall got the brunt of it. So how is structure freedom you ask? When you have a schedule of things you said yes to and responsibilities all planned out, then you can clearly see the spaces open for freedom. So you can fill those spaces with whatever you'd like. Read a book, relax, watch TV, take a nap, yoga, go for a walk, you name it. Your kid's can also do the same. While taking care of the responsibilities first seems boring, it dismisses procrastination right away with no opening of when it can come in. Kicking procrastination to the curb right away is such a beautiful and powerful thing. I challenge you to try it. I know there is already something top of mind right now that you have been procrastinating on. Go ahead and do that thing today, or at least start it. I guarantee you will already feel better and you won't have it weighing on your mind all week. I hope this blog gave you the motivation you need to get started with a fun system your entire family will thank you for. If you are past the point of doing it yourself and are wanting to hire it done, I am one click away. Fill out the form and I will be in contact with you. Your Personal Organizer, Alesha Berning

Staying positive during this long winter was like watching paint dry. Long, boring and not for me. Don't get me wrong, we needed snow and honestly when it's cold out, we might as well have some pretty white stuff to look at. Can I get an amen? I am pretty sure you felt that winter outstayed its welcome and it was time for sunshine. Now that we have sunshine, I think it's pretty safe to start talking about some spring cleaning. Open up your windows, put out your patio furniture and hey, maybe take down the Christmas decorations?? Please tell me I'm not the only one with Christmas decor still up. Spring is here to stay and the sunshine is music to our soul. But before we get too carried away and put all things winter away in storage, let's put a realistic stamper on it and tread lightly. Whether you live in the midwest like I do or live in a part of the country that season's come and go but never trickle into the next, this blog will give you the permission and knowledge to winterize your things with grace. Living in the midwest and having kids in sports, I have learned a hard lesson to never put all the winter stuff away. I now wait until about April to put things away because mother nature has a tendency to tease us a little with a last minute spring snow storm. Now, when I decide to put things away I save a little winter items for those cold chilly game nights or random nights we are out and about and the weather feels like fall. Fun fact for you, I have Raynaud's Disease, which means I get frost bite really easy. My skin gets cold, then bumpy and then itchy and uncomfortable. So I hate being cold. Here is a list of winter items I like to keep out all year long: Gloves-1 pair per person Hats/Ear Muffs/Headband-1 per person Fall Jacket-1 per person Scarves-1 per person The rest of the items like boots, snow pants, winter jackets, gloves, hats, scarves, etc., can be washed and put away in totes. Here are some things to keep in mind before you put them away: Put things away how you want to find them. I love to store our winter gear in a clear tote, with a lid and a label marked "Winter Gear." Wash EVERYTHING! Anything that is ripped, has holes or zippers are broken, should be thrown away. If you are one to hang onto things thinking someday you will fix them. I am giving you permission right now to let it go. If you haven't fixed them now, you probably won't next winter either. Anything that is too small or too big and is in good condition, go ahead and donate or sell them. Make a list of items needed for next year. I have found that the best time of year to look for winter stuff is during the off season. Garage sales, rummage sites on social media or stores clearancing out their winter items. Always keep in mind that kids grow fast, so buying bigger might be the best option to consider. Side note, I bought a really expensive coat for my son 2 years ago, he LOVES playing outside in all weather conditions so the investment was worth it. The coat was about $150 or maybe even $200 and I bought it a bit big, hoping to get 2 years out of it. I was lucky and we totally got 2 years out of it. This coat has zero holes, zero rips and still looks brand new. It was worth the money spent. So take the investment side of things into consideration as well. You know your kids, YOU DO YOU! So get your washing machine started along with some good totes and start winterizing your home. This will energize you right into spring and prepare you for the next winter to arrive. But until then, let's enjoy these gorgeous sunny days! If this blog brought you goodness that you can't wait to leave me a comment or share it with all your friends, then.....umm...well...go ahead and share it. You don't need my permission. Haha but for real, I would love for you to share it. Before I leave, I want to share another good blog with you. My friend Chrystal, owner and creator of Wildy You. She creates events for women in business, moms and daughters, personal events, coaching and has a million and 1 more dreams up her sleeve. In her latest blog she talks about the 6 R's in refreshing your goals. Such a good read, I highly recommend. I thought it would be the perfect next read since we are talking about Spring. If you don't know her yet, start following her now. The way she inspires women to show up as their wild selves, promotes self care, empowers women of all ages and takes walks with you all while coaching you on how to make those dreams of yours come true is truly inspirational. She is genuine, full of excitement and truly wants to see you succeed in anything you wish to pursue. So please, give this blog a read and start following her too. Wildly You is also on social! Facebook and Instagram. Bonus points if you found my dog Bruno, he loves the attention. Say hi and I will pass along the message. Your Friend Alesha aka: The Organizing Ninja

Bins are something I completely nerd out over and I really needed to check in with myself to tone it down a notch in order to write this blog because otherwise I would end up writing a book all about bins. I love them, they are necessary and I could talk your ear off if you really wanna open up that can of worms and yes labels are so important too! What you may not realize is that you are probably buying the wrong ones. Which ones are the wrong ones you ask? Let me break this down for you so I can help you understand. You know the really cute bins that you immediately fall in love with because they're cute but maybe they come in a set of 3, (with a small, medium and large size) and you only see 1 set available, but maybe you need more bins than that. Those are the wrong ones. Or you finally find a decent size bin that can fit a lot in and they have plenty in stock, yet you bring them home and realize, they are too big for your shelf. Those are the wrong ones. We don't want bins hanging off the shelves and sitting all wonky like a game of tetris that didn't go well. Give me all things clear right? Or wrong? Look, I am all for clear bins, but sometimes I don't want everything showing. If you watch the famous organizing show on Netflix you too will fall in love with their rainbow system. Keep in mind that they are organizing humungous houses and mansions and their clients have spaces fit for everything and plenty of rooms for whatever they want it to be. Give yourself a realistic hug. If you don't have the type of space like the people on tv do, then maybe that vision is not meant for your home. Not to say you can't have something similar, it just means that your Barbie dream house is smaller or may only have 6 total rooms instead of 15. Also, ask yourself, do I really want a rainbow everywhere in my home because the system works? Am I really going to look for a purple snack or am I going to look for chips? So maybe clear bins is the way to go, but give it some thought before you have this Pinterest worthy picture in your head of what it will look like. As for me and rainbows, a little bit of them goes a long way. A few places I love to have clear bins are: the fridge, junk drawer and clear turntables in the bathroom. This doesn't mean you have to be like me. It just means you gotta know what you want in your home. I walk my clients through the same process. Why do you want a rainbow system? Do you want it all over? Or why do you want clear bins? I walk you through this because maybe you have this image in your head of what it will look like but then we get done, you don't like the visual aspect of it because you didn't have the rest of the aesthetic things to go with it. I don't want that for you. You deserve a gorgeous space with all the cuteness and your things in it. My job is to make that happen for you, with your things and your visions in mind. So what type of things do you look for when buying bins? Longevity....!!!! The bins that will last you the longest are worth it but they come with a price tag. Bamboo bins are my absolute favorite! Getting more bang for your buck should not always mean more in quantity, think of it as more years out of your buck. Neutral colors are a must. Buying neutral colored bins allows you to change your room color, and decor without feeling like you have to change everything. This also helps you love your bins longer without getting sick of them. Size matters! Yes, I said it and I will say it again, SIZE MATTERS! Measure, measure, measure! If you don't know how much space you have on your shelf, how do you know how many bins to get? If you don't measure the depth and height, how will you know what size bin to get? Before you get all the cute bins measure the width of your shelf, the depth and the height. This will tell you exactly how many bins to buy and what size do I need. Example: If you have a shelf that measures 4' wide, 12" for depth and 12" for height, you don't want to get bins that are 12" tall, because there will barely be any room to grab the bin. Instead we would look for bins that are 11-12" wide, 11-12" for depth and about 6" in height. This will allow your bins to have enough space to sit on the shelf without losing too many inches. Never scrunch your bins on the shelf. There is room for everyone, so don't overcrowd. So when do you need a bin, you ask? Bins are the visual eye-candy of your space. They give items permission to be there but in a confined space to keep things from falling over or looking cluttered. When you open those doors, you should hear angels sing to you with a beautifully organized system that is easy to use. You should never hear the noise of the doors creaking and all your things rapidly falling on the floor. Should we try that again? When you open the doors to your space, whether it's a closet, room or cupboard, you should hear this... (insert angel's singing here.....ahhhhhhhhhhhh). I'm not a singer, so trust me, I am doing you a favor by not inserting a sound clip of me singing to you. You're welcome. Also, I will probably recommend some type of bin in every space so if you are honestly asking me, "Alesha, do you think I need a bin in....I will fill it in for you and say, yes you probably need some bins there. Remember though, longevity, color and size matter! Lastly, do I need labels? The answer is always yes. Labels are the most important piece to your system. Think about it this way, if I were to organize your pantry and give you all the cute stuff to put in it but with no labels, would you know and remember where to find it or would you constantly be searching for that one thing? When you did a grocery run would you have a system for where things go or would you end up shoving them wherever they can fit because in the moment of putting groceries away you just want that to be done. When your husband asks you, "hunny where is the spaghetti sauce," would you be able to direct him on where to find it? Probably not! So yes, labels are a must in every space. My job is to make the system work for you. The labels are simple, the system is simple and in return this gives you confidence to find it on your own. So how do you keep labels simple? Think about it this way, how do you want to find things in your pantry? Do you want the crackers to be in a bin of snacks or do you want them to be with soups? When you think about your items so much you are probably steering more towards the micro organizing. Micro is a very detailed organizing system and often times can be overcomplicated. So instead of putting the crackers with soup cans, let's keep them separated. Let's keep canned goods together and put the crackers with the snacks. I guarantee you will still be able to find them. Make sense? Let me give you one more example. Rather than having all your supper sides and meals together, let's separate them and give each bin a purpose. Create a bin for meal sides, like rice, biscuit mix, etc. and then in the bin for meals, you can put hamburger helper, mac & cheese or any other boxed meal kit. Simple enough? All in all, I would love to be your partner in organizing. I would love to be the one to declutter and beautify your space. But if you are a DIY'er, I hope this blog gives you exactly what you need to put your own stamp on your space. Did you find this blog helpful? I would love for you to share a comment, send me a message or maybe that's hiring me to do it for you. Whether you have a hodgepodge of bins on your shelf now or none, I can help you. You family and home will thank you. You know where to find me.

You SHOULD feel love towards your mother. Why aren't you a BETTER daughter? Don't you love me? Don't you want us all to be a happy family? You are not being a true Christian by acting this way towards me. Shame on you! This and so much more filled my head for years. I felt shame, guilt, anxiety, stress, fear and the constant feeling of never being enough. The first paragraph are just a few examples of how a person with Narcissistic Personality Disorder can make you feel. Constant shame and blame placed on you from their own insecurities. We see this a lot on social media, blogs, podcasts, you name it, that we need to fill our cups in order to pour into others. You might think that filling your cup is by pure goodness. Maybe some self care, reading, journaling, laughter, coffee, chocolate, whatever kind of feel good things, right? Well, someone who has Narcissistic Personality Disorder sees it a bit different. They see it as, I am superior and I must make my children feel small so I can fill my cup. I must take from them because I need to be fulfilled. A healthy person fills their cup with positive things, while a person with NPD fills up theirs with negative things. The more you hurt, the more you feel sad, the more they can be in the light (no matter what type of light that is), the more their cup is being filled. You may think that after all the life sucking person is doing, they must feel so confident in themselves, right? Wrong! Inside they secretly feel low self-esteem and empty. Kinda bizarre isn't it? Feeling this way almost my entire life has made me work even harder to prove that I can make it, I can do hard things, I can change my family tree, I am a good mom, I am a good wife and I am a good Christian. Even though I have felt that I need to prove this every single day, I still have a hard time looking at all I have accomplished and really soaking it in. Like it wasn't that big of a deal, but yes it was. When given a compliment, I feel like people are just saying that because they feel like they have to. Yet on the flip side, I will cheer for you. I will notice you didn't take my compliment, look at you, giving you that compliment again, waiting for it to soak in. Yet, I couldn't do this for myself. I was fighting for myself all this time but never cheering myself on. I would strive for a better day tomorrow but then continuously tell myself, "you're right, you will never make it." I think I was actually fighting with myself every single day instead of being my own cheerleader. I have turned a corner. I read a book that finally gave me answers to questions I was asking for years. Was it really my fault? Was I really being ungrateful, selfish and very un-deserving? Constant talks with my husband about it and yet we could never really understand truly what was happening or why. The book I was told to read was "Narcissistic Mothers" by: Caroline Foster. 125 pages filled with answers I had been longing for. Words telling me, I am the normal one, there is nothing wrong with me and it is not my fault. 125 pages of words I will hold close to my heart. Not only has this book helped me, but I also came to realize I needed more help than what I could do on my own. I had been following Jada Dobesh with Selah Space for some time now and knew it was time to go see her. So I did. My family gifted me sessions with Jada for the entire year! Can you feel the love? I sure can. I want you to know that if you are dealing with a Narcissist, please get help. They are very complex individuals and if you do not get help, they will constantly bring you down with them. Remember they thrive on seeing you so much weaker than them. However, YOU are so much stronger than you give yourself credit for. I have faith in God that he will be right by your side helping you through this. I am writing a book about my journey and I hope that you will be along for the ride. Thank you for reading this blog. I hesitated writing it because it's my words out there on the internet and it may hurt some people. But guess what, I didn't write it for them did I? No, I wrote it for YOU. I want better for you and so does God. I highly recommend Jada for any help you may need. She is a beautiful person inside & out. Sending you lots of love with a BIG warm hug, Alesha

Hello! My name is Alesha Berning, I am a wife, mom, business owner & author. Some people call me the "Organizing Ninja." A nickname I have hung onto like another title below my signature line. True story, check out my emails. Chaos to Calm wasn't always what it is now. I started off as a cleaning company in 2017 by a huge blessing in disguise. I was at a job that I soon started to hate. A random conversation in the kitchen one day changed the direction of my life in such a good way. When I say random, I truly mean it. I was cooking supper one night and all of a sudden the words, "I think I wanna start my own cleaning company," came rolling out of my mouth. I was in shock and so was my husband. I had never spoke of this before that night but am so grateful I did. So I started getting my ducks in a row figuring out what I needed to do to start this new thing. Was I really going to start a business?? What does that even mean or look like? So many unknowns that left me so curious and wanting to learn all about it. I was feeling good, like I finally had a plan and would soon leave my job on good graces. I went into work the following Monday, was called into my boss' office with HR on the line and suddenly they were giving me my "I'm letting you go" chat. WHAAAAATT?! Me, Alesha Berning, a girl who had never been fired in her life was getting let go? I had so many questions as to why and did I do something wrong, but I couldn't even mudder a word. I held back my tears and anger, gathered my things and did the walk of shame with an escort walking me down the hall and out of the office. No explanation as to why she was letting me go but definitely made it clear I needed an escort. I left feeling embarrassed and ashamed and a big feeling of belittlement. The blessing in disguise is, I signed up my first cleaning client that same day. About a week later, I had a full calendar of clients waiting for me to help them. About a year into the cleaning business and multiple employees later, I soon realized that my clients needed my help beyond a clean home. They needed my help with organizing. So I experimented with a few clients to see how I liked it. I LOVED IT!!! I loved it then and I love it even more now. I love being able to give families clean and tidy homes so they can have a little peace with their loved ones at night. The everyday hustle & bustle is real and when you come home, I want you to feel at peace. Your home is sacred. It's a place to feel safe, create memories, share stories, connect with each other and surround yourself with the things you love. Your home is an extension of you but when you are surrounded with clutter, it tends to fog the lense. I want to give you a kitchen that is so well thought out and organized that supper time seemed so easy and now you have extra time for snuggles or hey maybe even a board game. I want those messes in the closet and the playroom to be easy for pickup, so easy your kids will start to understand where to find things and where to put them away. I want you to walk through your space with pure ease and a feeling of abundance. I want your bathroom to have an organizing flow to it so your morning starts off with ease and ends in calm. Your space should give you exactly what you need from it. I want that for you because you deserve it! Organizing is my God given gift and I will forever be grateful for it. The calm to the chaos I give to families fills my cup and then some. I absolutely love what I do. Did you know I am also an Author? Another dream I never visioned for myself until one random day, I said it outloud, "I should write a book." And that's exactly how it started. I wrote a workbook called, "Calm The Fork Down," taking the chaos out of meal planning. I designed this book so families again could have ease with cooking & planning meals. Life is so short to stress about supper. Let's instead plan ahead and make it with ease. I published this book right in the middle of a pandemic having no clue what the future would bring. But I did it anyway and now I have the urge to write an advanced meal planning book as well as a book about what I went through growing up and how I am dealing with it now. This personal book is the hardest thing to put in print and I am having to relive things all over again. But I know it will all be worth it. Another reason why I do what I do, because I will be honest it is not as easy as it may look. Being a business owner can be lonely and scary and things can change in the blink of an eye. My family is my BIGGEST WHY. I want to change my family tree. I am showing my family that you can do whatever you want in life, you just have to put in the work. I am showing my family that mom's can do things, women can do things, that anyone can do hard things and yes I want to change the "status quo." I am also showing up for ME, every single day and proving to myself I can do it. I am telling myself that I am better than my past and my journey is definitely worth the hard work. At the end of the day I want God to look at me and tell me he is proud of me for creating something beautiful with the gift He gave me. I want you to know that you are special and you have so many gifts. But the gift you hold onto and never share with the world is only just a dream. Make it come to life, I dare you! Make that lifelong dream of yours come true and I bet you won't regret it. I pray that God nudges you to make it happen. Your Friend Alesha Berning aka: "Organizing Ninja"

I used to be the person to never do what everyone else was doing. Honestly I am still that person to a point but that's not my point. I love doing my own thing on my own time. Sometimes though, I am late to the party and by the time I want to do that "thing", the fad is over and it's not cool anymore. Or maybe when I finally am ready it's so overwhelming I don't even know where to begin. So instead of dealing with it, I shove it under the rug like I do with all the other BS I don't wanna deal with anymore. When the ball drops on January of the new year, why can't we just sit for a moment and reflect on that beautiful year we just had? No, it seems like it's always on to the next goal, and hashtags smacking us in the face. Every commercial and post out there is all about what is your New Year's Resolutions? What are your goals? What is in store for the new year? Honestly, for years I hated hearing about resolutions. It was all the same thing. I wanna lose weight. I wanna make more money. I wanna be a nicer human. Now, don't get me wrong, these are great resolutions but maybe we need to narrow the focus and only put ourselves in the spotlight. Stop looking at everyone else' paper. What is it that you want out of the new year? If you say you wanna lose weight, are you willing to do the work past February? Maybe you are reading this and are thinking well, Alesha, because last year was a shit show and I don't care to reflect on all that again. New Year, new me! Ok, I get it. Last year for me, was such a rocky roller coaster and it sucked, royally! It sucked up my energy, it sucked up my passion, it turned me into a person I was not liking at all. But as I reflected on the good that came from the hardship and saw the amount of good friends and family I have, and are surrounded by, I was able to feel good and happy about moving on into the new year. I soon became happy in my own skin again. I am stronger, happier, and more free, because the good outweighed the bad. I have more faith in God than I ever have, because I learned to trust him and start letting go of control. He is always there! Last year I had a huge awakening on my word for 2022. It was smacking me in the face so many times haha. No joke! It was hilarious how God was telling me what it was going to be. I was talking to my friend on the phone about what I wanted to accomplish at her retreat Wildly You and I just couldn't put my finger on it. Then, I broke another thing and it hit me. Chrystal, I think my word is supposed to be Breakthrough. I have broken like so many thing's. So that was it, finally after 20 some years I had a word that actually meant something. Little did I know it would be the hardest year I have ever been through as an adult. But the blessing in all of this is that I am still standing and I wake up every single day. God has reminded me so much that I have a fantastic life and amazing people who surround and support me and I have a gift he wants me to share with the world. That alone gives me determination to keep going and push past my fears and insecurities. He also put a little bug in my ear to write all about my Breakthrough. So, guess what? Yep, I am in the process of writing a book! I cannot wait for you to get your hands on it!! So, push aside the stereotypes and forget what everyone else is doing. Calm the New Years chaos and put the focus back on you. What do you want out of 2023 and what do you plan to give, in 2023? If you are not sure yet, don't worry, it will come to you. Sit in it, journal about it, pray about it. Do whatever you need to do. If you don't want to have a word of the year or a resolution, then don't. It's that simple. Eyes on your own paper! By the way, my word for 2023 is Let Go. I was pondering on my word for so long and thinking about it so hard, that God spoke to me and said, Alesha, Let Go! So that was that. The feeling of letting go is so freeing. I am putting full faith in God and am letting go of control. My life and journey on this planet is in His hands. I have faith that 2023 will be so so good! So ask yourself, do I want to have a word for 2023 or a resolution or hey maybe even both? If it seems too overwhelming for you, you can always pray about it. Whatever you decide to do know that a resolution or word of the year is a small goal to narrow your focus in the new year. I have faith in you! Your Friend, Alesha

Is it really fine? I'm calling BULLSHIT! Yep, I said it. The fact that this statement made it on signs, t-shirts, memes & gif's across the world kinda surprises me but not really. It's like saying, I have so much stress but it's ok, I got it, no big deal. I get it though, because the majority of us don't want to show weakness on social media. By the way if you are one who owns a t-shirt with this saying, or have a sign with that saying on it, or have even posted about it, I am not yelling at you. What I will do though, is challenge you. Stick with me here. Now, maybe everything is fine in your world and that is great, but the posts I see, I can tell that things are not fine. I see it in your words, that times are challenging or stressful. Yet, you are posting that all that stress is now covered up with the next catch phrase. It's Fine, I'm Fine, Everything is Fine." Stop lying to yourself! Does it sound like I'm yelling at you? Because I can get so passionate about something, that it sometimes comes across as me yelling or scolding. In all honesty, I am just being direct and want better things for you. If the thought of you looking in the mirror and saying "I'm Fine, It's Fine, Everything is Fine", feels difficult to you and you can barely sputter out the words, try something like this, "Things feel hard & stressful right now, but I am strong but I don't have to do it all myself." When the chaos is hitting you at full speed and it doesn't look like it's slowing down, STOP, take a deep breath, fully inhale and exhale out. Now ask yourself, "What is one thing I can handle right now?" Do that 1 thing and give yourself a hug. By taking that first step forward you are telling your brain not to be in survival mode. Your brain will now be able to tackle things one by one, instead of trying to DO IT ALL, alone, because you are strong. Did you know even if you ask for help, that is being strong?! Asking for help is no easy task. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, it's a sign of strength. So, stop lying to yourself. Accept that things are not fine and things are chaotic right now and then calm yourself. Take 1 step forward. Talk nice to yourself and take a BIG DEEP BREATH! I have faith in you. You can handle so much, but why do you want to? By the way, last month I came up with my word for 2023 and I can honestly say, I feel so good about it. My word for 2023 is "Let Go." I am letting go of a lot of things but that is all for another blog. But why I'm telling you this is because the last 2 weeks, I have let go of "my house should be picked up all the time or I can't sleep." In all reality, my house was a disaster pretty much 90% of the time the last 2 weeks and still kinda is. Wrapping paper and dirty laundry is taking over our bedroom, dirty dishes in the sink along with a dishwasher of clean ones. But, we have been so busy and stressing about those things right now just seems silly. So, I forgave myself for not having a "PERFECT HOUSE" all the time but I am not adding anymore stress to this holiday season, so instead we clean our house in strides and tackle what we can. The rest of it, we Let Go of control and relax at the end of the night. Lastly, if you need some help letting go or slowing down, I want you to email me hello@calmourchaos.com. I would love to help you CALM YOUR CHAOS with some things that have helped me. I am not a coach. I am a woman who wants to help other people slow down and see the beauty of life even during the holiday season. I hesitated sending out this blog, but God told me you needed to hear it. Let me know if this hit your heart. Your friend, Alesha