Category: Organization
Easier Meal Planning . . . Fast recipes kids love . . . Saving money . . . Organized grocery list . . . and a Happy, stress-free mom! Who doesn’t love all that?! I, for one, would LOVE something that not only makes it all easier, but cheaper as well. We have a… Continue reading . . .
Have you heard of this or tried Manilla.com? As busy as we are as moms, anything that makes my life a little easier, allows me to get things done quicker, and helps me remember all the big and little things that course through my brain each day and week – I am all for and… Continue reading . . .
Day 4: Not much purging – but a productive day. As I mentioned in yesterday’s post – plans had to change, and the only thing in the house that I purged and cleaned was the medicine cabinet. But boy it felt good to throw away drugs, vitamins, coffee and tea that were anywhere from a… Continue reading . . .
Well . . . Yesterday I actually purged . . . NOTHING! Yep – that’s right . . . I didn’t throw away a thing or go through anything. BUT – my hubby did go through all his clothes and had a huge pile of some old shirts, shorts, etc that I hadn’t seen in… Continue reading . . .
Big plans . . . not enough time! Well . . . have you ever been to a buffet and piled your plate sky high with food, and then half-way through eating that mountain you realize “your eyes were bigger than your stomach”? Well . . . my plans were bigger than the time we… Continue reading . . .
Ok Moms . . .I might need your help today! I KNOW that many of you have awesome ideas, creative ways and various experiences with fixing up your house on a budget – and I would love to hear them! What I am working on this week is fixing up my house – for FREE! … Continue reading . . .
26 Really Clever Ideas My sister sent these to me this week – and I LOVE them! I thought some of them were really “Fun” so they deserve to be here on Fun Fridays! Some of them I already do, and others – you KNOW I’m gonna try! Hull Strawberries using a straw Rubbing a… Continue reading . . .
Better Planning Written by my friend Teodoro Martin Last time we moved, my husband and I did the worst job of organizing things. I think our disorganization made everything take much longer to get done, and more expensive. So, when the time came to move again, we wanted to make sure we didn’t have another… Continue reading . . .
The Money Saving Mom’s Budget Slash Your Spending, Pay Down Your Debt, Streamline Your Life, and Save Thousands a Year “Crystal Paine does it all as an entrepreneur, wife, and mom—and that means she knows all about finding room in a home budget! From reducing clutter to finding amazing coupon deals outside the grocery aisle,… Continue reading . . .
If you missed the previous posts in this series – Read them here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 I was going to have inner peace if I had to break a few heads to do it. -Erma Bombeck More Peace I have been on a mission lately to bring more peace into… Continue reading . . .
If you missed Part 1, Part 2 or Part 3 of this series – click on the number you want to read. “My theory on housework is, if the item doesn’t multiply, smell, catch fire, or block the refrigerator door, let it be. No one else cares. Why should you?” – Erma Bombeck Ok –… Continue reading . . .
Housework, if you do it right, will kill you. – Erma Bombeck Start here if you missed Part 1 or Part 2 of this series. Last week we talked about training and helping your kids to actually want to clean up their things. *How did that go for you? Did you try it? What worked? … Continue reading . . .
If you missed Part 1 – you can read it HERE. Your kids will WANT to pick up their things! “Blasphemy! You are speaking a lie Lori, I just know you are! No kid ever wants to pick up their things!” Well . . . you can train them to do just that . .… Continue reading . . .
Frustrated and feeling like everyone’s maid? “It’s a never-ending battle!” “It’s like shoveling snow while it’s still snowing . . . useless and exhausting.” “Why don’t they learn?” “Why don’t they help?” “Why do I always have to be the one to clean up their messes and put things away every day?” Do any of… Continue reading . . .
“Mom . . . where’s my gluestick [pencil, pen, scissors, crayons, colored pencils, extra paper, etc]?” “Mom . . . I forgot [can't find] my school supplies [lunch, notes, homework, permission slip, etc] today.” “Mom . . . you have homework! Here! I need them done by tomorrow!” (as they hand me 20+ papers to… Continue reading . . .
Before your child goes to bed, have him/her pack their backpack, books, forms, etc.
Pre-pack their lunch (or as much as you can. We usually make sandwiches in the morning so they are fresh) – or better yet – have them pre-pack their lunch! I quit packing lunches 2 years ago when my youngest was in kindergarten (that’s another story I’ll have to tell later)! I do keep 2 containers filled with lunch supplies (napkins, drinks, chips, fruit, etc) for them to grab out of, and they know what kinds of things to pack.
Laying out clothes, shoes and accessories will also save morning time.
5. Keep things close – preferably in arms reach
When working on homework in the kitchen, it was a pain to go to the playroom to get crayons or to sharpen pencils, the dining room to get scissors or a ruler from my secretary drawer, and the living room to get used magazines for cutting out pictures or articles, etc. So – I bought an inexpensive bookshelf for the kitchen and stocked a container with all the basic essentials – and it’s within arm’s reach from the table. No more distractions or time wasted by getting up to hunt for things!
6. Set a designated study time and place (and “atmosphere”)
This goes along with the household schedule info above. Experiment with what works for your family. For us, we found it best to get it done right away (as their minds are still in school mode, and because our evenings were varied with activities. This way it was consistent every day.). The kids get a short break for a quick snack, and talk about how their day went, then dive into homework.
I still have to pick up one child from private school, and last year the girls got home before we left to pick him up, but the boys got home after we came back. I found that if the girls did not get their homework done (or at least started and mostly done) before we came back, there were a lot of distractions (and frustrations on my part) to try and get all 5 of them to do their work at the same time (and give enough attention and help to those that needed it). So – we had to stick with our schedule of the girls getting it done before we left.
We then also had to institute a study “atmosphere” last year. Think – LIBRARY! 
I realized that the reason they were getting so distracted and taking forever to do their work – was because of all the chit-chat (and sometimes fighting, complaining, etc) going on. So – it had to become like a library until dinner, or whenever all of them were done with homework. When a couple of them were done – they could go talk quietly upstairs or outside – but they were not to disturb the others. It worked like a charm!
7. Have a system to deal with all the paperwork!
This includes homework, permission slips, school forms, physical (doctor) forms, newsletters, etc. 
The rule of thumb I try to adhere to (but don’t always succeed) is OHIO – Only Handle It Once (this goes for mail as well!). As much as you can – try to deal with it immediately (read it, sign it, put back in backpack, etc) or throw it out. If it’s contains info you need for later (ie – a party, field trip, etc) – either write it down on your master calendar/schedule, or post/file/keep it where you will have access to it and will remember it (mine is on the magnetic strip).
Items that need to be kept longer (like teacher and school info, class syllabi, etc) can be stored in another way (mine is in my Household Manager/binder . . . YES – I’ll tell you about that sometime! I LOVE it! It gives the allusion that I’m uber-organized! It has also been helpful to my parents if they are watching the kids while I’m out of town . . .but again . . . I’ll explain more in another post). Just keep them handy and remember where you put them!
As for artwork and potential “special” papers you want to keep . . . that’s another topic that should have it’s own post! Definitely have a plan – otherwise you’ll get buried! (because every picture they paint/draw is a masterpiece to them . . . and us at times!) I have 4 more magnetic strips in our playroom to be able to hang and rotate artwork, certificates, awards, etc. And, of course, there’s the fridge . . . There are a ton of great ideas about what to do with all the papers/artwork! I’d love to hear yours!
8. Conduct a weekly checkup/clean-out
Encourage your child to sort through his/her backpack on a weekly basis and remove materials that don’t need to be there. . . .. Ahem! . . . I said . . . encourage your child to do this . . . If they are young – start teaching and training them to do this now! As they get older, do not take over the responsibility that is theirs to pull things out, to give you papers to sign, etc. My older kids will occasionally try to pull the “but mom . . . you didn’t sign my permission slip and it was due today!” My reply – “Hmmm . . . did you give it to me?” (or you can have a specific box or place they can put it for you to go through each night). Teach them how to do this. It’s good for them! Which leads me into my favorite tip . . .
9. Give your child the opportunity to learn to be organized!
I cannot emphasize and encourage moms enough in letting their kids learn how to do things and to make wise choices (and to come up with their own ideas and ways to do things). But in order for them to do that – they have to be given some control (and responsibility)! . . . (uh-oh . . . what did you just say Lori?!) . . . Yes I said it! Can you do that?
It can be scary and hard, as we not only want them to succeed, but we also don’t want to be seen as a “slacker parent” who isn’t involved. But I have to tell you – I had to bite my tongue and not laugh out loud when I saw some of the 3rd grade poster-board projects at my son’s (gifted) school last year. Yes – I know these kids are gifted . . . but not that gifted! I don’t think I could even make some of the fancy, laminated, graph-filled, computer-generated posters that they made! There’s helping . . . and then there’s doing.
Give your child space to learn – in school, with projects, and with organization. Ask questions more often than telling the answers, and let them make some choices (guided by you still). i.e. – instead of “Did you pack your lunch? Set out your clothes? . . .” etc. You can ask – “Are you ready for school? What do you still need to do to get ready? . . . . Then what? . . . Ok. Great!” You can even then say – “Do you need help, or can you do it yourself? . . . Well, let me know if you need help. I’m right here.” And then let them do it! If they get distracted – instead of saying “Hey – please finish packing your lunch [backpack, putting out clothes, etc]” try “How’s it going? Almost done? Will you be done in 5 minutes, or do you need a couple minutes longer?” . . . . Get the idea?!
Ask questions, give simple choices, and let them learn to make wise choices! (I will blog more about this topic in the future – as I’ve seen huge improvements in my kids in taking responsibility in different areas. We’ve still got a ways to go . . . .but we’re getting there!) They may not like having to take responsibility, but they will enjoy having the ability to make their own choices (again – guided by you!). They will be “pros” at making wise choices by the time they leave for college (let’s hope and pray they do!).
10. Last, but not least . . . Get a good night’s sleep!
This goes for ALL of you . . . parents and kids! Have a consistent schedule and routine for bedtime – yes – for ALL of you. (Don’t do what I am doing right now . . . trying to get caught up at midnight when the alarm will go off way too soon! You know the saying – “If mama ain’t happy . .. ain’t nobody happy.” Well . . . if I wake up cranky . . . guess what? It really doesn’t start the day off right for all of us!)
So – get the kids to bed early, address all their issues before they go to bed (ie – snack, drink, potty, story, etc), remember to give them choices (“Do you want to brush your teeth first, or read your book?”), and once they are down . . . have a plan/schedule for you to unwind, slow down and get to bed at a decent hour. Everyone is different – so I can’t tell you what your evening should look like . . . but find what works for you.
Your best prep for any day starts the day before! Instead of looking at your day as starting in the morning – look at it as starting the evening before. A little pre-planning and reviewing the next day’s agenda, to-do’s, writing down all the thoughts that would spin wildly in circles in your mind all night, sending a few quick emails to tie up loose ends, etc – and then getting enough zzzz’s, will increase your chances of starting your day off right!
And being rested will help you to think more clearly – thus be able to stay more organized and find creative solutions for the disorganized areas of your life still!
I encourage you to use this weekend to brainstorm and plan ways to get a little more organized in your areas of need!
You can do it!
What are your best school-related organization tips to share?
I’d love to know!
