The other day my family was in the car on a trip that lasted about an hour. I noticed that my oldest son was being exceptionally quiet... something that normally makes a mother nervous. When I looked back to see what he was doing in the back of our minivan, I was not prepared for what I saw.
He was having a wonderful time, entertaining himself with two full pads of yellow post it notes. He had made paper airplanes, origami trees, houses, and even a paper video camera! He was having a wonderful time, even though there were post it notes stuck all over his car seat and the window next to him. I realized as I watched him and his creativity at work, that the just like with art's beauty being in the eye of the beholder... purpose for an object is also in the eye of the beholder.
To me the two pads of post it notes were to make notes on, mark my calendar with, and other various office tasks; however, to my son they were nothing more than a fun craft supply.
Often as a professional organizer, my job is to be a new pair of eyes for an individual, family, or business and give them a new perspective. Many of my clients are trying to get organized on a budget and the more creative we can be by reusing objects around their home the more we can stretch that budget for them.
We have used tin cans to store pencils, shoe boxes to divide drawers, egg cartons to organize jewelry... the point is that many people would look at those items and see trash... in my eyes I behold invaluable organization purpose.
Don't be afraid that your budget will prevent you from finally achieving your goals of getting organized... I pride myself on stretching budgets as far as we can be being as creative as possible. I may not be able to make an origami village out of post it notes, like my son... but I can organize a house on a super tight budget and help you get organized at last.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
Friday Five: Five Places in your home that you can use an Over the Door Shoe Organizer.
I am a huge fan of over the door shoe organizers! They range in cost from $10-$20 and they are a cheap way to organize a LARGE variety of small objects around your home and office.
When implementing any of these ideas, I suggest that you use a clear plastic shoe organizer as opposed to a canvas or solid colored one. The reason for this with the clear pockets you can see exactly what is inside of each pocket and you can avoid having to label each pocket.
Room one is the Home Office. There are some great ways to use an over the door shoe organizer in your office:
Store and separate USB cords, chargers, remote controls and other misc. cables that are often lying around or clogging up a desk drawer.
Store small office supplies in each pocket like; hole punch, stapler, pens, pencils, stamps, scissors, extra post it’s, etc…
If you work from home in a business that requires you to have small samples on hand you could store them easily in here.
Room Two is the Bathroom. I love using an over the door shoe organizer in the bathroom when you are tight on cabinet space, especially when you are required to share a bathroom.
Hang the organizer on the back of the door and then you can store hair brushes, combs, hair spray bottles, misc. cosmetic products, and other items you often use in the bathroom to keep them within easy reach.
Room Three is the Craft Room. Think of all the small items that are laying around in your craft area that can be stored in a shoe organizer.
Markers, Scissors, stamps, stamp pads, beads, knitting needles, glue sticks, hot glue gun, ribbon, punches, rulers, eyelets, and so much more.
Room Four is the Pantry. A shoe organizer can be the perfect solution to helping you organize your pantry. Hanging the organizer on the back of your pantry door is a great place for you to store seasoning packets, seasoning bottles, cool aide packets, food coloring, cake sprinkles, and much more.
Room Five is a kid’s room. I have found this to be an excellent way to help kids get more organized.
I hang it on the back of their door or the front of a closet door and teach them to keep small items in the shoe organizer. Small toys like cars and trucks are great in a boy’s room.
In a girls room jewelry is great to be stored in these as well as hair bows, barrettes and other small accessories.
When implementing any of these ideas, I suggest that you use a clear plastic shoe organizer as opposed to a canvas or solid colored one. The reason for this with the clear pockets you can see exactly what is inside of each pocket and you can avoid having to label each pocket.
Room one is the Home Office. There are some great ways to use an over the door shoe organizer in your office:
Store and separate USB cords, chargers, remote controls and other misc. cables that are often lying around or clogging up a desk drawer.
Store small office supplies in each pocket like; hole punch, stapler, pens, pencils, stamps, scissors, extra post it’s, etc…
If you work from home in a business that requires you to have small samples on hand you could store them easily in here.
Room Two is the Bathroom. I love using an over the door shoe organizer in the bathroom when you are tight on cabinet space, especially when you are required to share a bathroom.
Hang the organizer on the back of the door and then you can store hair brushes, combs, hair spray bottles, misc. cosmetic products, and other items you often use in the bathroom to keep them within easy reach.
Room Three is the Craft Room. Think of all the small items that are laying around in your craft area that can be stored in a shoe organizer.
Markers, Scissors, stamps, stamp pads, beads, knitting needles, glue sticks, hot glue gun, ribbon, punches, rulers, eyelets, and so much more.
Room Four is the Pantry. A shoe organizer can be the perfect solution to helping you organize your pantry. Hanging the organizer on the back of your pantry door is a great place for you to store seasoning packets, seasoning bottles, cool aide packets, food coloring, cake sprinkles, and much more.
Room Five is a kid’s room. I have found this to be an excellent way to help kids get more organized.
I hang it on the back of their door or the front of a closet door and teach them to keep small items in the shoe organizer. Small toys like cars and trucks are great in a boy’s room.
In a girls room jewelry is great to be stored in these as well as hair bows, barrettes and other small accessories.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Setting up an Organized Homeschool Classroom
Families that make the choice to home school their children learn quickly that for it to be a successful experience for them and their children... they must be organized!
As homeschooling parents know, there are a wide variety of curriculum's, activities, theories, and schedules that you can follow. However, the staples of what you need to organize the varies books, manipulative, activities, and lesson plans are pretty standard.
Not every family has the luxury of having a room in their home that can be dedicated solely as a classroom space. If you do not have a dedicated room... being organized for you is all the more important to keep your school supplies from overtaking your home.
Here is a simple checklist that we use as a STARTING point with our home school clients when space planning and organizing a homeschooling space to ensure that families are organized and set up for a positive home school experience.
An Organized Home school Room Needs:
· A quality set of table and chairs in the right size for your children.
· A pencil Sharpener
· A school box for each child with their own supplies.
· A dry erase board
· Dry Erase Markers
· Calendar
· Clock
· Number line
· Abc Line or Chart
· Kitchen Timer
· Construction paper storage trays
· Bulletin Board or Cork Tiles
· One plastic box or tray per student to lay out daily assignments
· US Map
· World Map
· File Folder Games
· Storage system for file folder games
· Centers and manipulatives
· Storage for Centers and manipulatives
· Lesson plan book
· Teacher file organizers
· Puzzle rack
· Wooden puzzles for younger children
· Books
· Bookshelf
· Method to store books for curriculum by topic
· Art and Craft Supplies and Storage
· Magazine Racks
· Various sizes of Ziploc bags
Budget can always be a concern when setting up a organized homeschooling area but keep in mind that creative purchasing and sales shopping can really help you save on the cost without having to skimp on the essentials of an organized space!
As homeschooling parents know, there are a wide variety of curriculum's, activities, theories, and schedules that you can follow. However, the staples of what you need to organize the varies books, manipulative, activities, and lesson plans are pretty standard.
Not every family has the luxury of having a room in their home that can be dedicated solely as a classroom space. If you do not have a dedicated room... being organized for you is all the more important to keep your school supplies from overtaking your home.
Here is a simple checklist that we use as a STARTING point with our home school clients when space planning and organizing a homeschooling space to ensure that families are organized and set up for a positive home school experience.
An Organized Home school Room Needs:
· A quality set of table and chairs in the right size for your children.
· A pencil Sharpener
· A school box for each child with their own supplies.
· A dry erase board
· Dry Erase Markers
· Calendar
· Clock
· Number line
· Abc Line or Chart
· Kitchen Timer
· Construction paper storage trays
· Bulletin Board or Cork Tiles
· One plastic box or tray per student to lay out daily assignments
· US Map
· World Map
· File Folder Games
· Storage system for file folder games
· Centers and manipulatives
· Storage for Centers and manipulatives
· Lesson plan book
· Teacher file organizers
· Puzzle rack
· Wooden puzzles for younger children
· Books
· Bookshelf
· Method to store books for curriculum by topic
· Art and Craft Supplies and Storage
· Magazine Racks
· Various sizes of Ziploc bags
Budget can always be a concern when setting up a organized homeschooling area but keep in mind that creative purchasing and sales shopping can really help you save on the cost without having to skimp on the essentials of an organized space!
Monday, July 20, 2009
Monday Motivation: Who do you want to be?
Have you seen the recent kid's movie The Tale of Desperoux? I recently rented it and watched it with my children. I know that the theme of dreaming of a better life was over their tiny heads, but they did enjoy the beautiful animation.
The message of dreaming was not lost on me, however and I LOVED the quote when the narrator talks about a little girl who was not happy in her life. He said, "She could close her eyes and see the way her life would be someday. She could imagine the very moment that her life would change."
Have you ever had times in your life like that? Times when you tried to close your eyes to the mess, the stress, the noise and imagine how things could be different? I think so many times we imagine the way we want our lives to be... but we rarely think it is possible to actually achieve that dream. Not true!
I believe it is important to visualize and verbalize where you want your life to be and then put together a plan to make it happen. What is it that you want from your life?
More time? Less Mess? The ability to find what you want when you want it? Less Stress? Less Conflict?
Did you know that many of things that you want in life start by getting more organized. Define what the most important things are to you and what you want to achieve and then learn to organize your life to move in that direction.
I encourage you on this dreary, rainy Monday to spend a few moments curled up with a warm cup of coffee and imagine your life and circumstances changing. What is the first step to get there? The Chinese proverb The longest of journeys still begins with a single step... is so true. No matter how far out your goals or vision seem to be, they must start somewhere. What is one step that you can take towards a new you this week???
If that step is getting more organized, I encourage you to contact Simple*Organized*Sanity and let us help you achieve the life you are dreaming of with less clutter and less stress. http://www.simpleorganizedsanity.com/
The message of dreaming was not lost on me, however and I LOVED the quote when the narrator talks about a little girl who was not happy in her life. He said, "She could close her eyes and see the way her life would be someday. She could imagine the very moment that her life would change."
Have you ever had times in your life like that? Times when you tried to close your eyes to the mess, the stress, the noise and imagine how things could be different? I think so many times we imagine the way we want our lives to be... but we rarely think it is possible to actually achieve that dream. Not true!
I believe it is important to visualize and verbalize where you want your life to be and then put together a plan to make it happen. What is it that you want from your life?
More time? Less Mess? The ability to find what you want when you want it? Less Stress? Less Conflict?
Did you know that many of things that you want in life start by getting more organized. Define what the most important things are to you and what you want to achieve and then learn to organize your life to move in that direction.
I encourage you on this dreary, rainy Monday to spend a few moments curled up with a warm cup of coffee and imagine your life and circumstances changing. What is the first step to get there? The Chinese proverb The longest of journeys still begins with a single step... is so true. No matter how far out your goals or vision seem to be, they must start somewhere. What is one step that you can take towards a new you this week???
If that step is getting more organized, I encourage you to contact Simple*Organized*Sanity and let us help you achieve the life you are dreaming of with less clutter and less stress. http://www.simpleorganizedsanity.com/
Friday, July 17, 2009
Five great uses for Old Shower Curtains
In this frugal time for many of us, part of being organized is also being resourceful! I teach clients that being organized can save them time AND MONEY! Being able to creatively reuse items in your home for another purpose will save you time and is part of being organized.
Our Friday five today is great uses for old plastic shower curtain liners, they do not have to be thrown out. They can have many great uses still in helping you around the house. First, wash your old shower curtains in the washing machine with detergent or bleach to get rid of any germs or mildew that are hanging around on it. Then once it is clean, try one of these five suggestions to give your shower curtain a new purpose:
1. Use it as a paint drop cloth when you are painting a small area.
2. Use it under the craft table when kids are working on a project to catch drops of glue, paint, glitter, and play dough from getting on your floor. When kids are finished with the project you can carefully pull the curtain out and carry it outside to shake it off.
3. Use it as a liner for your car's trunk when you are carrying things that could spill or make a mess.
4. Use it to cover outdoor items that you do not want getting wet, like the grill or an outdoor chair.
5. Use it as a drop cloth when you are working under your car. Simply lay it down and then lay on top of it, the plastic will catch oil spills and other drips before they have a chance to stain your driveway or garage floor.
Our Friday five today is great uses for old plastic shower curtain liners, they do not have to be thrown out. They can have many great uses still in helping you around the house. First, wash your old shower curtains in the washing machine with detergent or bleach to get rid of any germs or mildew that are hanging around on it. Then once it is clean, try one of these five suggestions to give your shower curtain a new purpose:
1. Use it as a paint drop cloth when you are painting a small area.
2. Use it under the craft table when kids are working on a project to catch drops of glue, paint, glitter, and play dough from getting on your floor. When kids are finished with the project you can carefully pull the curtain out and carry it outside to shake it off.
3. Use it as a liner for your car's trunk when you are carrying things that could spill or make a mess.
4. Use it to cover outdoor items that you do not want getting wet, like the grill or an outdoor chair.
5. Use it as a drop cloth when you are working under your car. Simply lay it down and then lay on top of it, the plastic will catch oil spills and other drips before they have a chance to stain your driveway or garage floor.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Clutter is like a melting ice cream cone
I was at a local summer hot spot with my children the other day, watching with great amusement while they tried to lap up their tasty ice cream cones before the sun melted it away. I noticed that they each had their own system for getting as much ice cream into their mouths before it dripped onto the picnic table.
My oldest son, had a very methodical approach to the cone, rotating it constantly to keep the melting at a consistent rate. My middle son, would lick and lick at one side while the other side ran in a steady stream down his arm. My daughter was by the far the most amusing... I tried to keep a straight face watching her go straight to the cone before the ice cream was ever gone, the end result...a lap full of ice cream.
It occurred to me as I watched this summer snack time, that a melting ice cream cone is much like a houseful of clutter. If we try to implement an organizational system without first clearing out the clutter in our homes, we are much like my daughter trying to get to the good part of her cone without doing the work of eating the ice cream. Our laps may not be full of ice cream but our homes remain stuffed with clutter and no matter how many "products" we buy it will not contain the mess.
Others of us are like my middle son, we focus intently on one area of home trying to organize it to perfection... not realizing that we are neglecting other equally important areas in the home. Just as his ice cream cone was melting and running, our homes will be unbalanced and we will feel frustrated.
The constant rotation method that my oldest son employed to enjoy his chocolate ice cream cone proved to be the most effective method of getting the most ice cream into his mouth. Similarly, a routine that allows us to constantly clean, organize, and purge all areas of our home will leave us with the best return on investment. Routinely purging areas, cabinets, rooms, and closets of unwanted or unneeded items will help us control the amount of belongings that are left for us to organize.
So what method are you using to manage the clutter in your life? Does it often feel like a melting ice cream cone and you just can't keep up with the mess? If so, it's probably time to try a new method of organizing to ensure that you get the most enjoyment out of your home and your life.
Need help getting started? Contact Simple*Organized*Sanity Today to schedule a free initial consultation in your home. www.simpleorganizedsanity.com
My oldest son, had a very methodical approach to the cone, rotating it constantly to keep the melting at a consistent rate. My middle son, would lick and lick at one side while the other side ran in a steady stream down his arm. My daughter was by the far the most amusing... I tried to keep a straight face watching her go straight to the cone before the ice cream was ever gone, the end result...a lap full of ice cream.
It occurred to me as I watched this summer snack time, that a melting ice cream cone is much like a houseful of clutter. If we try to implement an organizational system without first clearing out the clutter in our homes, we are much like my daughter trying to get to the good part of her cone without doing the work of eating the ice cream. Our laps may not be full of ice cream but our homes remain stuffed with clutter and no matter how many "products" we buy it will not contain the mess.
Others of us are like my middle son, we focus intently on one area of home trying to organize it to perfection... not realizing that we are neglecting other equally important areas in the home. Just as his ice cream cone was melting and running, our homes will be unbalanced and we will feel frustrated.
The constant rotation method that my oldest son employed to enjoy his chocolate ice cream cone proved to be the most effective method of getting the most ice cream into his mouth. Similarly, a routine that allows us to constantly clean, organize, and purge all areas of our home will leave us with the best return on investment. Routinely purging areas, cabinets, rooms, and closets of unwanted or unneeded items will help us control the amount of belongings that are left for us to organize.
So what method are you using to manage the clutter in your life? Does it often feel like a melting ice cream cone and you just can't keep up with the mess? If so, it's probably time to try a new method of organizing to ensure that you get the most enjoyment out of your home and your life.
Need help getting started? Contact Simple*Organized*Sanity Today to schedule a free initial consultation in your home. www.simpleorganizedsanity.com
Monday, July 13, 2009
What should the average wardrobe consist of?
Americans, especially women, have an obsession with clothing! I am no different... I too love to shop for a great deal and a killer pair of shoes. I have implemented a rule in my closet, however, that for each new thing I bring in... a similar item must leave. This rule helps me control the volume of clothes that I hoard. Because let's be honest, we wear only 20% of our clothes 80% of the time... most of them just set on our shelves or hang on our hangers... never to see the outside of our closet again.
I recently had a client ask me as we were cleaning out her closet, "what are the guidelines for what an average wardrobe should consist of?" I told her that I would be happy to do some research on the topic, so for the last week I have been investigating the issue and this is the list that we have come up with. I encourage you to use this list much like I do in my closet... when you purchase a new little black dress, the old one needs to find a new home.
Here are our basic Wardrobe suggestions:
· One black dress
· One pair of classic black dress pants
· One denim skirt
· Depending on how often you dress up, several pairs of dress pants in various colors
· One white button down shirt
· 3-4 pairs of jeans that are in style and flatter your body shape
· 1-2 A line skirts that you can wear with several different tops
· 2-3 comfortable outfits
· A few pairs of comfortable capri pants for summer in neutral colors
· 3-4 cute dresses
· One cute vest
· A few pairs of shorts for the summer in neutral or denim
· A wide brown belt
· A wide black belt
· A couple of comfortable and stylish sweaters
· A great in style coat (trench style)
· A few nice t shirts (girl cut)
· A button up blouse or two
· A few long sleeved tops for when it's cold
· Some pretty tops for general everyday wear
· Some kind of sparkly/lacy top for the evenings out
· A couple of cardigans or shrugs to throw on when needed
· A couple of jackets, long and short. (blazer style)
· A pair of nice boots that can take you through Autumn and Winter
· A cute pair of flip flops
· A pair of nice sandals for summer
· A pair of pumps
· Cute killer heels for an evening out
· shoes for everyday wear and workout.
· Gym clothes (3 workout outfits)
· Pajamas (5 or so pairs of cute pairs)
· 7 pairs of Socks and underwear
· A couple of great fitting bras in the right size.
· At least one great scarf
· Winter gear: Mittens, hats, etc…
If you have thoughts or comments on this list I would love to hear them!
I recently had a client ask me as we were cleaning out her closet, "what are the guidelines for what an average wardrobe should consist of?" I told her that I would be happy to do some research on the topic, so for the last week I have been investigating the issue and this is the list that we have come up with. I encourage you to use this list much like I do in my closet... when you purchase a new little black dress, the old one needs to find a new home.
Here are our basic Wardrobe suggestions:
· One black dress
· One pair of classic black dress pants
· One denim skirt
· Depending on how often you dress up, several pairs of dress pants in various colors
· One white button down shirt
· 3-4 pairs of jeans that are in style and flatter your body shape
· 1-2 A line skirts that you can wear with several different tops
· 2-3 comfortable outfits
· A few pairs of comfortable capri pants for summer in neutral colors
· 3-4 cute dresses
· One cute vest
· A few pairs of shorts for the summer in neutral or denim
· A wide brown belt
· A wide black belt
· A couple of comfortable and stylish sweaters
· A great in style coat (trench style)
· A few nice t shirts (girl cut)
· A button up blouse or two
· A few long sleeved tops for when it's cold
· Some pretty tops for general everyday wear
· Some kind of sparkly/lacy top for the evenings out
· A couple of cardigans or shrugs to throw on when needed
· A couple of jackets, long and short. (blazer style)
· A pair of nice boots that can take you through Autumn and Winter
· A cute pair of flip flops
· A pair of nice sandals for summer
· A pair of pumps
· Cute killer heels for an evening out
· shoes for everyday wear and workout.
· Gym clothes (3 workout outfits)
· Pajamas (5 or so pairs of cute pairs)
· 7 pairs of Socks and underwear
· A couple of great fitting bras in the right size.
· At least one great scarf
· Winter gear: Mittens, hats, etc…
If you have thoughts or comments on this list I would love to hear them!
Friday, July 10, 2009
Five great uses for the Large Sized Ziplock Bags
I LOVE, LOVE the bigger sized Ziploc bags that are out on the market now!!! They have so many versatile uses and are great to keep on hand! Here are five of my favorite way to use the Large sized bags:
1. I keep an extra change of seasonally appropriate clothes for each of my children in one large bag in the back of our van. This is great when we have been at the park and the kids got a little dirty... if we don't have time to run home and change before our next errand or stop, I can have them change quickly in the van or in a bathroom. The bag then works great to keep all the dirty clothes in!
2. I love to use them to keep mittens, scarves, hats, together. I keep these bags in our coat closets hanging on a hanger (the Large size has a handle hole that makes it perfect to hang.) Then when winter comes, you do not have to search high and low for every one's cold weather essentials!
3. I use the Large Size Bags in my Linen closet to store clean pillow cases in. My son has a dust mite allergy so keeping his pillow cases extra clean is very important... storing clean pillow cases in the easy to grab bags in the closet ensures they are really clean when I put them on pillows and it prevents me from having to dig to the bottom of the piles to find a pillow case.
4. I use the Large Size Bags in my laundry room to store clothes pins in. Since the bag seals shut I can lay a full bag of clothes pins on the shelf and not worry about it spilling. When I need to hang laundry up I can quickly grab the bag and be good to go!
5. I create a to go bag that has emergency supplies in it to keep in the car. This sized Ziploc bag is perfect to keep a first aid kit, extra bottle of sunscreen, bug spray, ace bandage, ready to use ice bags, and other items that you may need on the go. Keeping them in a bag like this keeps all your supplies together so they do not roll around the car trunk and you can find them when you need them.
1. I keep an extra change of seasonally appropriate clothes for each of my children in one large bag in the back of our van. This is great when we have been at the park and the kids got a little dirty... if we don't have time to run home and change before our next errand or stop, I can have them change quickly in the van or in a bathroom. The bag then works great to keep all the dirty clothes in!
2. I love to use them to keep mittens, scarves, hats, together. I keep these bags in our coat closets hanging on a hanger (the Large size has a handle hole that makes it perfect to hang.) Then when winter comes, you do not have to search high and low for every one's cold weather essentials!
3. I use the Large Size Bags in my Linen closet to store clean pillow cases in. My son has a dust mite allergy so keeping his pillow cases extra clean is very important... storing clean pillow cases in the easy to grab bags in the closet ensures they are really clean when I put them on pillows and it prevents me from having to dig to the bottom of the piles to find a pillow case.
4. I use the Large Size Bags in my laundry room to store clothes pins in. Since the bag seals shut I can lay a full bag of clothes pins on the shelf and not worry about it spilling. When I need to hang laundry up I can quickly grab the bag and be good to go!
5. I create a to go bag that has emergency supplies in it to keep in the car. This sized Ziploc bag is perfect to keep a first aid kit, extra bottle of sunscreen, bug spray, ace bandage, ready to use ice bags, and other items that you may need on the go. Keeping them in a bag like this keeps all your supplies together so they do not roll around the car trunk and you can find them when you need them.
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