The Clutter Remedy:
A Guide to Getting Organized for Those Who Love Their Stuff
What if it all sparks joy? All of it?
There are many valid approaches to getting rid of stuff and creating neat and tidy spaces. But like many diets, most of these approaches fail long-term. That’s because lots of us like our stuff.
And for those of us who like our stuff, there is hope in The Clutter Remedy: A Guide to Getting Organized for Those Who Love Their Stuff by Marla Stone.
Whether it’s books or photos or knick-knacks, the things we choose to surround ourselves with are often important to us. Marla Stone, a former therapist turned professional organizer who works with individuals and corporations at all levels, helps readers create spaces that look and feel like themselves at their best. Instead of focusing on throwing stuff out, she focuses on understanding what will stay put and why. Stone walks readers through a process of knowing themselves and their values; summoning up motivation; and visualizing their ideal lifestyle and optimal surroundings. Armed with this understanding, readers are empowered to approach every room in their house, every aspect of their workspace, and even every aspect of their health and wellbeing with energy and clarity. Whether it’s the refrigerator or New Year’s resolutions, piles of books or boxes of heirlooms, Stone helps readers eliminate physical and emotional road blocks and guides them toward surroundings that reflect not just who they are but also who they want to be.
Stone answers questions including:
• What are the criteria for knowing what to keep and what to get rid of or discard?
• Why do people get organized, only to get disorganized over and over again?
• What is the cure for the constant clutter that piles up?
• What are your top 4 tips for staying on top of papers coming into the house?’
• How do you get family members to put things back where they belong?
• How does our thinking get in the way of remaining organized long-term?
• How do I keep things organized daily, weekly, and monthly?
• What are the first steps to living a perpetually organized life?
• What do you mean by living an ideal lifestyle?
About the Author: Marla Stone, MSW, is the owner of I-Deal-Lifestyle, which provides de-cluttering, design, corporate training, and lifestyle coaching services. Stone has a background in social work and therapy, has worked extensively with military personnel and their families, and is active in professional conferences and on social media. www.i-deal-lifestyle.com
• 224 pages • $15.95 • ISBN 978-1-60868-629-2
Book Reviews for January
Camel Crazy:
A Quest for Miracles in the Mysterious World of Camels
A page turning narrative, this book combines science, mystery, and love-fueled determination in a way that will make every reader a little camel crazy.
How and why does someone become the first person to obtain federal government permission to import camel milk as a treatment for autism? And why should anyone care? This armchair adventure answers these questions and then some. When Christina Adams suspected that camel milk might help her son with autism, a faraway doc helped her smuggle some into the United States. Yes. Smuggle. Milk of all things.
Her son got dramatically better overnight (After a serving of milk at bedtime, he was so different the next morning. He had more expressive and emotional language, saying, “I really love you guys, you do so much for me.” He showed improved motor skills (cutting his food, putting on his shoes, walking down steps without dragging, picking up his own backpack). He also was much calmer. Within days he could cross the street without me holding on to him. His behavioral breakdowns stopped immediately. Within weeks his skin grew smoother. The milk also stopped the negative effects of eating cow milk, cheese and sugar, reversing his skin irritation, agitation, mental distraction, hyperactivity and stomach pain.)
So, off Adams went to find camels and discover why they are cherished as family members and hailed as healers. She visits the camel farms of Arab royals and meets passionate Amish farmers, elusive Indian camel caregivers, and white-swathed Tuareg nomads. But the most fascinating characters are the camels themselves, cute and mischievous but also adept fighters. Their imposing teeth and height scared Adams even as their soft lips and gentle, curious eyes won her over. Readers, too, will be won over by this moving and rollicking ode to “camel people” and the creatures they adore.
From the Foreword
“Christina and this story are an inspiration for action and education. The book is a courageous trumpet call to seek innovative solutions and then lead, rather than simply accept and follow. Christina had an idea that few people would have thought of. She dared to seek where others would have quit. She communicated with people some would find intimidating. She pursued when others would have stopped. This is a book about love, truth, and survival, a story of courage and passion. We can all use a big dose of those.” - from the foreword by Joel Salatin, international lecturer, pioneering farmer, and author of Folks, This Ain’t Normal.
About the Author: Christina Adams, award-winning author of the memoir A Real Boy, is ajoumalist and speaks on autism, writing, culture, and camels. Her work has been featured by National Public Radio, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, Gulf News, Dubai One, OZY, WebMD, Tata SKY TV, Global Advances in Health and Medicine, and more. She lives in Orange County, California.
www.christinaadamsauthor.com
Camel Crazy by Christina
• 304 pages • $17.95 • ISBN 978-1-60868-648-3
Book Release from New World Library
“From 2003 to 2006, I served on active duty in the US Army,” Voss writes. “In October 2004 I was deployed to Mosul, Iraq, to support Operation Iraqi Freedom .... During the twelve months I spent in Iraq, I participated in hundreds of combat missions, convoys, security patrols, raids, area-clearance operations, and humanitarian-relief operations ....”
And then I came home
After serving in a scout-sniper platoon, Tom Voss came home carrying invisible wounds of war - the memory of doing or witnessing things that went against his fundamental beliefs. This was not a physical injury that could heal with medication and time but a “moral injury” - a wound to the soul that eventually urged him toward suicide.
Desperate for relief from the pain and guilt that haunted him, Voss embarked on a 2,700-mile journey across America, walking from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to the Pacific Ocean with a fellow veteran. Readers walk with these men as they meet fellow veterans and Native American healers. At the end of their riveting journey, Voss realizes he is really just beginning his healing as he finds an unexpected antidote to moral injury.
Through a newfound interest in meditation, he gains understanding that eases the pain of the past and offers real hope for healing in the present. Simple breathing exercises give Tom what medication, therapy, alcohol, and drugs couldn’t: the chance to heal a soul he didn’t even think he had anymore. He pursues meditation training and discovers sacred breathing techniques that shatter his understanding of war and himself- and move him from despair to hope. Voss’s story will give inspiration to veterans, their friends and family, and survivors of all kinds.
• 224 pages • $16.95 • ISBN 978-1- 60868-599-8