Edge of Insanity

Blogging How-To: Keep your blog organized in 2015!

As bloggers, we strive to keep some sort of organization. There is tons of paperwork, shipping labels, and written drafts everywhere, and trying to reel the mess in is like hanging jello to a wall - it is almost impossible! I am certainly guilty of not keeping my blog stuff organized. But if you're like me, don't fret - there are TONS of ways to keep your blog organized in the new year!

One way to keep everything organized (from reviews to giveaways to earnings and post ideas) is to create a digital "notebook". I use Google Drive to create my spreadsheets, post idea documents, and anything else I need in order to feel a little more organized. In fact, I still have spreadsheets going back to 2012 (just in case).

If you aren't interested in creating all of the documents yourself, there is a wonderful 2015 digital blog planner at Mom's Small Victories!

What if you don't want to keep a digital "notebook"? You don't have to! You can keep an actual notebook. You'll need the follow items:

A large 3-ring binder
Plenty of notebook paper
Pens
A pen/cil pouch for binders
Notebook dividers
A printed (or even handwritten) version of a blog organizer & planner (I found a great printable version at Confessions of a Homeschooler!)

Now you have all of the paper stuff (and digital documents) all organized. Wonderful!

What are other simple ways you can keep your blog and all its stuff organized? Besides a notebook (digital or otherwise), you can always turn your mobile device into a blogging machine! Calendars are great for keeping up with deadlines. Last-minute alerts are my blogging life-saver! There are apps for photos, e-mails, social media, list making, writing notes, and even apps for your blogging platforms! It won't help you with that paper stack of product information, but it can make blogging on the go really easy. Later this year, we'll talk about the best apps that bloggers should have.

Keeping your blog organized doesn't have to be difficult. You just have to remember to do it every day!

We're participating in the Biannual Blogathon Bash!

Every year around the end of January (and then again in June), bloggers come together to tackle that long to-do list we keep putting off in what is called the Biannual Blogathon Bash! It is a time for bloggers to get organized and finally scratch-off those things off their list. Click here to find out more about the Biannual Blogathon Bash.

In fact, I try to participate every January. If I remember correctly, I even participated only a week after being released from the hospital back in 2013. If I can write a post from my hospital room, I knew I could at least get a couple of things done in the BBB!

Here's the rundown of the BBB:

THE BIANNUAL BLOGATHON BASH WILL BE JANUARY 23-26. Click here to sign up!
It starts about 8am in whatever time zone you are in. So if you're in Central, you can start at 8am. But the official "kick off" post usually isn't published until 8am EST.
It is suggest to aim for at least 24 non-consecutive hours related to blogging in any form (including brainstorming, e-mails, back up your blog, etc.). But the more you participate, the more chances you have of winner a blogging prize, which may vary each event.
There are mini-challenges through out the event. During each event in January and June, they will be different. You can do them all, one, or none.

I have a small list this year, so I don't get so stressed. Some of it includes working on the layout, creating posts for February, and a couple of other things. It isn't a lot, but it works for me!

Who knows, maybe I'll find that perfect Valentine's Day craft I've been searching for.

Magazine Wreath Tutorial

The other day, I saw a magazine lying around and thought, "Instead of throwing it away, I wonder if I can find some sort of craft to use it for.". Believe it or not, I didn't go to Pinterest immediately. I actually googled something like "magazine catalog wreath" and that lead me to this beautiful Upcycled Magazine Wreath tutorial on Addicted2Decorating. But I didn't have everything she had, especially the 18" wreath form. So instead, I decided to do a mini-version and tweak a few things.

What You'll Need
Scissors
Tape (I couldn't find the scotch tape so I used the paper medical tape we always keep on hand.)
Glue (All I had was Tacky glue.)
2 magazines (You might need more/less, depending on how many colorful pages there are.)
7.6" x 7.6" piece of cardboard
2 circular things of different sizes (2" wide top from a canister and a 6.5" or 7" paper bowl will work just as well. The sizes must be different!)
Ribbon or fabric
Ruler
Pen/Sharpie (Pencils will not work, unless it is a charcoal pencil.)

Optional:
Exacto knife (This will help when cutting the cardboard. We don't have one.)

TOTAL PRICE: FREE!

Ready to get down to work?

1. Gather everything you will need. It is tedious so you want to make sure you have everything within reach.

Step 2. Measure twice, cut once...

2. Take your 7.6" x 7.6" cardboard and place your smaller circle that's at least 2" in diameter in the middle. Trace and cut it out. An Exacto knife would work perfectly in this case. I didn't have one so I had to use scissors. Can I just say that cutting a circle in the middle of cardboard with scissors stinks? It does.

Step 3. This is what you should end up with, minus my sloppy scissor-work.

3. Now place your paper bowl that's at least 6.5" or 7" in diameter right over the smaller circle and trace. It's okay if you can't trace it around completely. You can cut to make your wreath form look more like a circle. Toss both cutouts away. You won't need them! Don't forget to poke a small hole at the top of the cardboard circle to thread thin ribbon or fabric as a hanger!

Step 4. Look at all the pretty colors!

4. Take your magazines and look through them. If you find a colorful page you like, cut or tear it out. (If you tear it out, you can always cut the side to make it more even.)

5. Gather as many as the pages you think you can cut with your scissors and stack them. You may need to use the ruler to measure and mark, but with the papers stacked together, cut 2.5" x 2.5" squares. I tried to cut individual squares and almost went mad! You will probably need 100 or more.

Step 6. Roll, roll, roll your squares!

6. Taking one square in your hand, roll it around your finger (or anything like a nail polish bottle top, AA battery, or something similar), going from point to point (not corner to corner). You want it to look like a pointy cylinder. Secure the end with tape (or glue). Next, fold in half shortways. You can either have the pointed open ends facing away or to each other. Your choice. Secure the middle with a little tape or glue. You might want to pace yourself with Step 6. It gets really tedious after rolling 15 of those squares.

Step 7. Glue until you think you'll dream of gluing in your sleep.

7. Run a strip of glue around the rim of the inner circle. Place the folded end of your rolled square on the glue and hold for a few seconds until it sticks. Keeping place the folded edges on the glue until either A: you run out of space or B: you run out of rolled papers - in which you would have to make more, unless you run out of patience and quit.

8. Once you have done the inside, it is time to start moving to the outside. Now, the squares we have already glued will be getting in the way to run a strip of glue around the cardboard so you will need to start gluing the papers individually. You don't have to finish this in one sitting. I sure didn't! Remember- start on the inside and work your way out. Just be sure you don't completely cover the hole for your ribbon/fabric!

Step 10. After 3 days, this is what the finished product looked like!

9. Once you have glued everything, including your sanity, to the cardboard, thread your ribbon or fabric through the hole and hang. Voila - you added instant home decor for free and helped the environment! (Sorta.)

Changes for Edge of Insanity in 2015!

It's a new year and I have some major changes for Edge of Insanity this year. Some of these changes may surprise people, may make some of my readers think I've forgotten about them (which is not true), and some people may feel like it is a step forward towards making Edge of Insanity better than ever.

Before you think that I have forgotten those who have been there since the beginning, please remember that these changes are to help more people and make Edge of Insanity more relatable to more people as well. I haven't forgotten where I began and who was with me at that time. It's because of my readers who have allowed me to broaden my horizons and turn Edge of Insanity into what it is today.

With that being said, here are my plans for 2015:

We plan to step away from posting deals as often. Edge of Insanity no longer stands out as a frugal living and lifestyle blog that it has become. There will still be some deals, but not as many.
More crafts and recipes should be expected. We weren't able to do it last year (because of our situation) but I am hoping to change that.
We will have more posts about anxiety, being a caregiver, and living with GERD. These are near and dear to my heart, and since many people can relate, I thought it would be wonderful to be like a "friend" that's there for them.
The amount of personal posts will stay the same. As I've said before, I'm a pretty private person, so the current amount of personal posts I do is what is comfortable for me.
Expect more reviews & giveaways that any family can relate to. We plan to be a little more selective in what we choose to review and offer our readers but we still want to keep it up.
We will most likely bring back our Blogger How-To posts. Those were really popular and helped a lot of people.
We plan on changing the layout so it is more user-friendly and more little colorful and up-to-date.

I know these may seem like such drastic changes, but as I said before, I want to help more people in many different ways. I know it's probably stupid to think that a blog could help people in life, but that's what I want Edge of Insanity to do.

By the way, I want to thank everyone who has been here for us since the beginning. Your support, not only for Edge of Insanity but my family as well, has been tremendous. It has allowed me to make Edge of Insanity into what it is today.

I cannot wait to see what 2015 has in store! Are you ready?

Soothe Your Throat With #PineBros!

It's wintertime, which means it's also cold & flu season. Sore throats are bound to follow the cold or flu. Even when you have horrible winter allergies, sore throats can be a problem.

For the longest time, my family has been loyal of Pine Bros Softish Throat Relief. We have tried other throat drops, but the flavor was horrible or it was hard to get relief because it didn't offer the comfort Pine Bros does.

Pine Bros Softish Throat Relief drops are made with natural ingredients including Gum Acacia, natural flavor, and Carnauba Wax. They come in 4 different flavors: Licorice, Wild Cherry, Natural Honey, and their brand new flavor, Lemon Citrus! Available in pucks (Wild Cherry and Natural Honey flavors only) or bags, they soothe the throat and help with coughs.

You can find Pine Bros (which dates all the way back to 1870 and is considered America's firs throat drop) in certain retailers (click here to see the list of retailers) or you can buy them online. (Note: Some people have trouble finding them in their regional stores. FYI: You can purchase them through the Walgreens website.)

They also have t-shirts and 3 children's books!

So if you find yourself with a sore throat, dry throat, or just need to soothe your coughing, be sure to try Pine Bros. Not only are they delicious, they really work!

It is safe for children 3 and over. Allergy Alert: Pine Bros Softish Throat Relief drops are also manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts and tree nuts.

Be sure to follow Pine Bros on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

WHAT I THOUGHT

Wild Honey puck

I have horrible winter allergies. They kick my butt - sneezing, coughing, and just feeling miserable. But the one thing that bothers me is the dry throat. As someone who likes to talk a lot, it's hard to stay in conversation when my throat is dry and scratchy. Not exactly attractive if you're talking to someone you really like.

Like I said, my family love Pine Bros. It's a nice and refreshing change after using other throat drops for years. When I was little, I refused to use the hard drops because it just tasted like medicine. But Pine Bros Softish Throat Relief drops do not taste like medicine! It has a nice natural flavor that makes using them more bearable. The drops are soft - kind of like the gummy candy, only not as soft. On a day I could hardly talk because of my throat, I popped in a Natural Honey drop (my favorite), and within 5 minutes, my throat wasn't as dry and scratchy.

The Wild Cherry tastes like cherry without the yucky medicine taste. I wish I had these when I was little - I wouldn't have minded using them! The Lemon Citrus flavor was okay. It was delicious at first, especially since I love sour flavors. But after a while, it kind of started leaving a bad taste in my mouth. It's not a favorite of mine.

I have pucks (which is a great name for it, by the way! Hockey, anyone?) and bags all over the house, so now one one has a reason to deal with a sore or dry/scratchy throat on their own!

Natural Health - Free 1-Year Subscription!

This freebie goes perfectly with those "want to get healthier" goals! For a limited time, you enjoy a 1 year digital Natural Health subscription sponsored by JudysHealthySnacks. No strings attached. You'll never receive a bill. Powered by Zinio. Read it on your computer, iPad or any Zinio enabled device.

How To Keep Those 2015 Goals!

(Photo Credit)

For a long time, I would make "resolutions", but I never reached them because I don't think I was motivated enough. Plus the word "resolutions" is really motivational enough for me. So I started calling them "goals" and started to be more specific in what I wanted to do. I actually found ways to make it a little more easier to keep those goals!

So if you made goals for this year, here are a few tips to keeping those goals all year long:

1. Be ambitious but make sure their are achievable.
It's okay to write down that you want to lose 20-50 pounds , but make sure that it is possible for you to do that. Not everyone has the ability to lose the amount of weight they want (personal problems, different abilities) so if you write down how much weight you want to lose, be sure that you can reach that goal. Ambitious goals are inspiring, but making them too difficult can lead to problems in getting there. It's okay to ask, "What do I get out of it? What would my end result possibly be?".

2. Set up a time frame.
Setting up time frames for each goals makes you want to work that much harder towards that goal. But don't make it ridiculously short (like 2 months to stop smoking) because you may set yourself up for failure.

3. Don't beat yourself up.
Didn't reach an aspect of your goal that you wanted to in the time frame you set? That's okay! Life gets in the way, and we're not always able to do that what we want. Once you feel you are ready, dust yourself off, and try again.

4. Allow for mistakes.
When it comes to going for a goal you haven't done before, there are bound to be mistakes. You don't stretch before exercising and end up in bed for a week or two. You get into a new relationship only to find out that there is something wrong, and it is because of you. We're human - we make mistakes. Don't let those mistakes defeat you.

5. Don't stop once you reach it your goal.
Some people, once they reach their goal, stop trying to become the best they can be at whatever their goal was. And once that happens, They end up forgetting what they learned, stop trying to lose even more weight, or stop organizing everything. After all of that hard work to just stop trying once they reach the goal, was it really even worth it in the beginning?

Okay, so to recap: Make sure the goals are achievable. Set up time frames for achieving those goals. Allow for life to happen. Mistakes are bound to be a part of it. Don't stop once you reach the top!

What are your goals for 2015?

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