A Little Organization... for the Holidays

I love the Holidays!  But you know as well as I do that they can be super hectic if you aren't properly prepared.  It's okay to take a little help from your friends...

In this free webinar professional organizing experts Jennifer Ford Berry, author of Organize Now! and Organize Now! Your Money, Business & Career, and Susan Fay West, author of Organize For a Fresh Start, answer your specific organizing questions and offer easy- to-follow tips guaranteed to help you keep your schedule and home organized before, during and after the holiday season.

• Date: Wednesday, November 9, 2011
• Staring time: 2 p.m. Eastern/11 a.m. Pacific
• Presenters: Jennifer Ford Berry, author of Organize Now! and Organize Now! Your Money, Business & Career, and Susan Fay West, author of Organize For a Fresh Start
• Duration: 60 minutes
• Price: FREE!

REGISTRATION FOR THE LIVE SESSION INCLUDES:

• Participation in the Live presentation and Q&A session
• Access to the webinar recording to view again as many times as you like
• A PDF of the presentation slides for future reference

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

• Anyone interested in organizing his or her home
• Anyone organizing and hosting holiday celebrations

Limited to 1,000 Seats!

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THIS FREE WEBINAR

A Little Organization...Grocery Shopping

Grocery List 

photo:  oswaldadventures

One of my least favorite things to do as a housewife is the grocery shopping!  I like to make my trips to the grocery store as few as possible in a months period and when I do go I like to be in and out as fast as possible (remember I have 3 kids and I almost always have at least 2 of them with me while grocery shopping).  I was talking to my friend the other day telling her how sometimes I see people looking at my computer typed grocery list and they giggle out loud.  She asked why I type up my list and I told her it was because I like to keep my list in groups: ie. all the fruits together, diary, frozen foods etc.  That way I can go up and down each aisle and not have to make a second trip down an aisle as I get further down my list.  That's when she pulled this out of her purse (she was headed to the store right after we were together).  

(click to enlarge)

Isn't this a great idea?!  Everything is done by categories.  This list consists of things she most often shops for.  You can change it to suit your grocery needs, print off and off you go to the store. 

Click here to download an excel file of the above grocery list.  Enjoy!

A Little Peace...HouseFairy.com

The cleanest rooms in my home...drum roll...are my children's! And I don't clean them. How is this?

"Mom, the House Fairy came!"

The House Fairy is Santa's sister. She has a wonderful, interactive website that teaches parents how to model and reward good cleaning behavior. Children watch videos on how to clean and organize. Then the kids race to clean their rooms.
And then the kids wait- cleaning nightly- for the House Fairy to come.
She brought nail polish and stickers. One week she brought a candy bar. Another week she delivered a cute pair of socks. Yet another week the children got a gift certificate for a new book. If the kids slack, she brings fairy dust of some sort to remind them. If a toy is being mistreated, the toys is obviously sad, and goes to stay with House Fairy for a week. It works!
And the children are still cleaning. They love looking at pictures of other clean rooms on-line. Even older children and teens need the positive reinforcement- maybe their favorite treat, a coupon for a day off, special tickets of some sort.
And for me? Yep, House Fairy brings me a little make-up or snack too.

A Little Cleaning and a Little Peace...Flylady.com

I have only made my husband cry twice. And one of those times was when I scrubbed my kitchen sink until it shined (despite the ugly yellow finish) and told him about Flylady.com.


This site was a total revelation for me. Some of her motivational ideas like "there is nothing wrong with cheater house cleaning- it's okay to vacuum just the middles of the floors" and a "Just jump in! You're not behind!" mentally set me free. I feel little guilt now as I care for my home and yet I get double the amount of work done.

Flylady means "Finally Loving Yourself." This was news to me- how going easier on myself and establishing EASY routines could help me have a cleaner home. I needed this big time and it has changed how I see cleaning- and the fact that I do it now!

The scope of FlyLady.com is pretty incredible. There are daily goals, challenges and updates all emailed to you. She walks you through how to clean each part of your home. She has archives of articles for single mothers, large families, empty nesters, etc. The Flyshop boasts some really cool cleaning toys and planning/organizational tools. I loved her book "Sidetracked Home Executives" and use timers now.

I wish you could not only see the inside of my home now but the inside of my heart and head. I feel at peace. I don't feel nagging guilt or embarrassment about my home. I enjoy some big inner freedom due to de-junking. I am having fun having time to do what I actually want to because I don't have to spend my greatest energies now on cleaning. I'm FLYing! (Finally loving myself!)

A Little Organization... A Kid's Workspace

My daughter loves the idea of her own "office".  I have my office upstairs and so she was elated when I told her that we were going to create a little office just for her.  (I love that she wants to be just like mom.)

Almost everything I used to create this little office I already had around the house.  I did purchase the little desk for $20 at IKEA.  The easel, chair, and both shelves also happen to be from IKEA.

I used the cork board to pin up her weekly homework packet and the books she is currently working on... gotta love kindergarten.

I love these magnetic containers for storage for little items, also from IKEA.  I am seeing a pattern here.

I use these little metal drawers to store little items like glue sticks and index cards, which I use to make flash cards for my little one.

What will you come up with?

A Little Organization... A Taste of your own Medicine

by Candace

A few years ago I came across a great way to organize your medicine in your linen closet.  I always tossed the medicine in a storage bin or lined them up on the shelf but then I couldn't ever find what I was looking for without digging! Using a double-decker Lazy Susan, often used to store spices, makes for easy access.  No more digging.  Just spin and locate what you need.  This particular Lazy Susan was found at Bed Bath and Beyond. 

You probably noticed my totes.  I love totes.  There is no easier way to clean something up then by sorting and labeling.  I have 2 shelves in my linen closet lined with labeled totes!

A Little Organization... Necklace Rack

by Candace
It is Love Week and you may be lucky enough to add to your jewelry collection (thanks Honey) or maybe you will win one of our fabulous giveaways.  Either way, here's a great idea from Real Simple that I love.

 

 I have the perfect spot in my closet behind my door to hang a coat rack and use it for my necklaces!  I might have to try this out this week.

A Little Organization... Baby Clothes

by Candace Call

Photo: Potato Patch

When you get the news that you are expecting you start to collect clothes here and there but by the end of your 9 month pregnancy you have quite a collection of clothing. The problem is the clothes aren't all one size. They might range from 0-3 months all the way to 2T. The closet always looks so nice and organized and then the baby arrives and you start pulling clothes off the rack (sometimes 2-3 outfits a day) and you start doing laundry. Have you noticed your once organized clothes are are a mess and all the sizes are mixed together? These closet dividers are a great way to help keep the closet organized!

A Little Organization... How to Keep Your House Clean

By Candace

I have three kids. A 6-year-old, 3-year-old and 20-month-old. I often get asked, “How do you keep your house so clean?”
The answer: I do all of my deep cleaning on Monday and Tuesdays.

MONDAY: Bathroom day! I clean all of them in one day from top to bottom.
TUESDAY: Dust, mop and vacuum. When do I clean the kitchen? All week, everyday, after every meal. I do have to vacuum the family room a couple other days of the week but that takes 10 minutes. Not a big deal.

Here are a couple tips...

A Little Organization... Laundry

By Candace

Photo: Live, Laugh, Love

Laundry is something you can quickly drown in if you aren’t careful and stay on top of it. I’ve tried doing my laundry once a week but I get too overwhelmed and just give up. Two days a week works best for me. Not just any two days it’s every TUESDAY and FRIDAY. On those mornings I empty all the hampers and start the wash. I generally throw a load in, leave and run some errands, come home through another load in, eat lunch etc. I don’t just sit at home these days in front of my washer and dryer. After all of loads are done I generally stick the hampers of clean clothes in the family room in front of the TV (since this is where I usually am at 9 p.m.). If the laundry is staring me in the face I’m going to fold it just so I don’t have to look at it anymore! I fold and watch my TV programs! I’m never overwhelmed with laundry if I stick to my days. Now coming home from a vacation is a whole new post!

A Little Organization... Your Child's Artwork

By Candace
If one of your New Year's Resolutions is to get more organized, well, here's an idea.
If there is one thing I’m not it’s a pack rat. I see no point on holding onto everything and the few things I hold onto always have a place! That’s how I felt until my oldest started school. It started in preschool last year. Project after project would come home in his backpack. I couldn’t just turn around and toss it in the garbage. Believe me I tried once and it broke his little heart when he opened the door and saw his hard work sitting on top of the garbage can.

I hold onto all of his arts and crafts and handwriting practice sheets for ONE month. He has a file in the filing cabinet to keep papers and one cabinet (above his locker) to keep art projects. At then end of the month I lay it all out on the counter and let him pick his favorites or the ones he has done the best work on. Then….I TAKE A PICTURE! Pictures are so much easier to store than all that paper!

Here is one picture I took of his animals from preschool.
They did zoo phonics in so every week he came home with a new animal. Ally the Alligator, Bubba the bear, Catina the Cat (don’t know what happened to her!), Dee Dee the dear, Ellie the Elephant. Another other projects that I just can’t part with I put in a Sterilite storage bin in our storage room.

A Little Organization...disposable baby bibs

By Candace

One of the best and easiest ways to keep your kids looking clean is a BIB! I always have a bib in my purse. It’s a necessity just like a diaper and wipes. If you carry one of those cute diaper/wipe cases you can just stash a clean bib in there.

I have been known to put a box of the disposable bibs in my glove box of my car so that if we decide to eat out on the run I have a bib.

These baby bjorn bibs are perfect to have at home. You would only need a few of them because when your baby is done eating you just wipe them off!