I have been asked to speak, on a panel with two other moms, at a moms meeting next Tuesday on organizational tips. There are 4 major areas that I was asked to touch on:
* Arriving On Time
* Laundry Tips
*Paperwork/ Office
* Bed/Bath/ & Beyond
I already have 1 1/2 pages of notes ready for this "sermon", but I would love to know if you have any great tips in any of these areas!!
Do you make lunches the night before, have separate baskets for laundry, keep all of your childs schoolwork (I have a friend that does---EEEEEKKK!!!), etc. Please share!! :-) I think this will be a very interesting meeting and am especially looking forward to the great discussion that always follows. I'll try to share some of my ideas later!!
Have a great weekend!!
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All lunches are ready the night before. I get up earlier than the rest of the family, which really helps in getting us to our destination on time. (And gives me a few minutes peace before the zoo is awake...)I also love closet/drawer organizers and I use a Flylady trick about once a month. It's called the 27 Fling Boogie. You're supposed to grab a trash bag, run through your house and find 27 things to throw away. It's great for keeping clutter at bay!
Hey Angie-- Thanks for sharing!! I love the "27 Fling Boogie" idea. That's a new one for me.
Here are a few things that I have implemented to help our family -
~Arriving on time (ALWAYS allow yourself more time - if possible. Have purses, bags packed way in advance.)
~Laundry (If you do at least one load a day, you never get too far behind. My kids start helping with this task at a very young age. They stack undies, fold rags, place socks in pairs that I fold, etc. They also put a lot away to save me time. I also do only two types of loads [lights & darks] and an occasional white load. Things do not "bleed" as much as people think.)
~Bath (Commit to deep clean once a week. Swipe toilets with a baby wipe once each day or every other day. Clean the mirror/sink on the same schedule. It keeps this room very fresh. :-)
Boy, I hope I wasn't too long.
Oops, forgot about the "paperwork/office." Clutter is a per peeve of mine! Stacks are not allowed to accumulate. There is a basket on the computer desk to hold misc papers. We also have a stack on the desk of papers that need tending. Once a week I go through this pile and file or throw. I also have my "junk" drawer which helps me to manage things when I am in a hurry. This system has kept paper clutter to a dull roar.
This sounds very interesting. I recently told my students in Office Procedures: "Handle paper only once. Read it, route it, file it, or answer it - but get it off your desk as quickly as possible without handling it repeatedly." Sure would help if I implemented this at home!
Hi jana,
there are some cool tips that I have used from flylady as well! Kind of bombarded with the emails when I signed up though.
Laundry- do one load a day...sometimes more so I wont get behind. fold as soon as out of the dryer.
Have a great day Jana. Good luck!
I'm enjoying reading the posts, as well as feeling guilty for "blogging" when I should be de-cluttering something! I don't have any "tricks", that's for sure. I am fortunate to have a hubby that helps lay out the kids clothes the night before and does most of the laundry. My biggest problem is paper clutter, and "outgrown clothing" clutter. The best thing to do with the paper is to have an organized filing system, works best for me, and to throw away junk mail immediately. Also, my kids are becoming a big help with setting and clearing the table at dinner, emptying garbage, etc. Their early household training is very important. They don't tend to get things as messy when they know it's their job to clean them!
I like the paperwork ideas! I used to try and keep lots of things from school for my kids, but having 4, I realized this is impossible. I try to keep one or two special art projects, all report cards and state standard test results. Obviously with Aaron I have to keep all IEP papers and lots of doctor and therapist notes, so I have a special binder for those things. Laundry is a never ending job with 6 of us in the house. Most Mondays I do lots of loads of laundry (I prefer it that way to get a couple days off).
Arriving on Time....that's something I only do when my hubby is along :) j/k He keeps us all motivated :) But in order for it to happen, I lay out the kids outfits ahead of time...down to the socks and hairbows. I also pack the diaper bag in advance as much as possible.
B,B n B Bedrooms...I try to always get the beds made first thing in the morning. It makes getting ready so much easier and immediately the rooms look tidier. Bathroom...I try to thoroughly clean it once a week and then when the kids are playing in the tub, I try to wipe down surfaces as much as I have time for. I find if I keep the faucets shiny and the sink wiped up, it "looks" good throughout the week.
As far as the rest....I've enjoyed everyone else's ideas. I'd like to hear what you found as well. I'm always looking for ways I can cut down on housekeeping time..since I hate it :)I need a lot of help with organizing as well...I'm always open to new ideas that help keep the clutter at bay!
Sorry to post twice, but I just thought of something. I was at a h.s. grad party one time, and the grad's mother had kept lots of stuff from the grad's school years. An easy way was to take a thick photo album or ring binder and place clear page protectors in it. This held, in chronological order, all grade cards, honor roll achievements, VBS certificates, drawings, etc. I have file folders of things that I'm hoping to get into this system within the next month or so. Obviously you still can't keep everything, but even if each child ends up with three or four albums on a closet shelf, it still beats shoe boxes full of unorganized nostalgia!
I haven't done this myself, but I've heard of parents scanning pictures of drawings or projects to their computers so that they can look at them again but be able to throw the actual paper away. Our kitchen has only 2 big drawers in it and so I bought a bunch of those small plastic containers (you can buy some that connect together). Some are small, some long, some wide (you get the picture :-) Anyway, I keep all spatulas together, all knives together, etc. It sure saves my patience when I'm trying to find something. It's such a small thing but it makes me feel good about myself when I open that drawer.
Jana, make a post, please about more tips. I am having a hard time being motivated to put Max down and work. I want to hold him most of the day, because I know that so soon he won't want to be held, and I won't have time to hold the next one. :( I need help.
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