Images ©Christine
Bonnivier Photography
Showing posts with label Organized Parenting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Organized Parenting. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Wordless Wednesday: An Easy Routine to Refresh your Living Room
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Summer Reading Challenge
In the mind of many kids...summer time is for fun and relaxing... not for reading! The problem with taking the summer off from picking up a book is that statistically kids that do not read in the summer lose reading skills that have to be brushed up on when returning to school again in the fall.
When it comes to organizing your schedule for this summer- be sure to plan some daily time to sit down and read with your children or at least have them spend some quiet time reading on their own. When you plan this time into your daily routine it makes it much more likely that your children will not be part of the statistics that have teachers all over America having nightmares.
So to encourage you just a little more to make time for reading this summer, we have teamed up with the MommyPerks Website to offer our:
Here is how it works:
- Go to our website and download the Summer Challenge Reading Log.
- Then between today (June 14th and July14th keep track of how many sheets your child fills up!
- Between July 15-16th you can email summerreadingchallenge@gmail.com and enter your child with the following information: Name, Age, Number of Sheets Read, Mailing Address,
- We will be awarding some VERY fun prizes from Ted E Bears Toy Factory for our top three readers this summer!
Are you ready to sign up and participate? Comment below and let us know that you are participating and then head to our website to download your log and start encouraging your kids to read today!
Monday, June 7, 2010
Video: How to Organize Kid's School Papers
I know it is that time of year again and many of you are wanting to know the best way to organize and save all of your kid's school papers. I hope this video will help you get a start on that project at your house!
Monday, March 1, 2010
A Wonderful Reminder of the Lessons Kids Learn in Cleaning Thier Rooms
About a week ago, I was having my children pick up each of their bedrooms- a pretty normal task at our house at the end of the day. However, this time was different... insightful really. However, before I can tell you why this particular clean up day was so insightful for me both as a mom and a professional organizer I need to give you a little background on my family.
I know that I have shared with readers in the past that I have three wonderful kids and a great (unorganized) husband... (If you have not heard the story of my husband and me, you can catch up by reading this old post). What I have not told you are some of the details of my family.
My oldest son is incredibly bright and his viewpoint on the world is very different from most. He looks not only through the eyes of a seven year old- his view is tinted through the lenses of being; gifted, ADD, Dyslexic, and Autistic. Andrew is one of my heroes in this world because of the courage it takes him to rise above the numerous challenges that have been thrown his way.
My middle son is a character. Bryson is very intelligent--almost too much for his own good. When speaking to him about his day, the world, or really any topic, I often forget he is a Kindergartener and not a twenty five year old philosophy student... some of the things that he sees and shares just amaze me.
My youngest daughter... is for lack of a better word -my diva. She is ALL girl and makes sure that everyone knows it. Her personality and zest for life remind me of her favorite book character Fancy Nancy. There is nothing that my daughter does that is not fancy and girly. She is also my biggest cuddlebug and I enjoy these days where she never passes up a moment to share a hug or a kiss.
This is my crew... and now that you know a little more about each of them- it is my hope that you will understand and appreciate the great insight that I experienced during our typical clean up time the other day:
As my children were cleaning up their rooms, I was busy cleaning the kitchen and putting away the laundry while my husband was in the garage organizing his screws and nails (gasp!).
As I walked into my middle son's room to put laundry away he looked at me and in typical budding philosopher fashion said, "I am trying out a new organizing style today mom. I think it fits me better than the one I tried last week." I just looked at his sweet little face and asked him to show me his new system. He gave me the guided tour of his newly reorganized bedroom that mostly consisted of draping things over chair backs, bedposts, hooks and hangers. I had to try not to laugh when I noticed he had also hung up his favorite teddy bear by its St. Louis Cardinal Jersey.
While it may not have fit my professional description of organized... it worked for him. He knew where everything was and it more than met my rule of having the floor and desktops clean. He also reminded me of a very valuable lesson in his simple act of "reorganization."
I decided a long time ago when the kids were small to divide the house up into zones. I was responsible for keeping the kitchen, office, living room, bathrooms, my closet, and laundry areas organized and presentable. My kid's were responsible for their own rooms, and my husband's "job" is the garage and his closet... by doing this I not only have released myself from the need to clean up after EVERYONE in my house... but I have given them each the freedom to develop his or her own style of cleaning up and organizing.
My oldest son is very meticulous and everything has a container and a location, a true perfectionist. My middle son is a big fan of hooks and clear plastic drawers and bins to organize and display each of his things and is more carefree in his approach to his space than his brother. While I am sure it is no surprise that my daughter is all about baskets, bags, purses, and pretty containers. My husband... well... we are still working on him.
While I have helped each of the kids (and my husband) establish various systems that I think will help fit their personalities, style, and tendencies... I have also given them a great deal of say and input as well. I was reminded last week that the lessons they are learning now about keeping that one small room clean on the floors and countertops will be a springboard that they will take into a college dorm room, an office, or classroom, and wherever the go in life. By not dictating to them exactly where things go and how to do it... I am giving them "try out" different styles and find the one that fits them best.
I know that I have shared with readers in the past that I have three wonderful kids and a great (unorganized) husband... (If you have not heard the story of my husband and me, you can catch up by reading this old post). What I have not told you are some of the details of my family.
My oldest son is incredibly bright and his viewpoint on the world is very different from most. He looks not only through the eyes of a seven year old- his view is tinted through the lenses of being; gifted, ADD, Dyslexic, and Autistic. Andrew is one of my heroes in this world because of the courage it takes him to rise above the numerous challenges that have been thrown his way.
My middle son is a character. Bryson is very intelligent--almost too much for his own good. When speaking to him about his day, the world, or really any topic, I often forget he is a Kindergartener and not a twenty five year old philosophy student... some of the things that he sees and shares just amaze me.
My youngest daughter... is for lack of a better word -my diva. She is ALL girl and makes sure that everyone knows it. Her personality and zest for life remind me of her favorite book character Fancy Nancy. There is nothing that my daughter does that is not fancy and girly. She is also my biggest cuddlebug and I enjoy these days where she never passes up a moment to share a hug or a kiss.
This is my crew... and now that you know a little more about each of them- it is my hope that you will understand and appreciate the great insight that I experienced during our typical clean up time the other day:
As my children were cleaning up their rooms, I was busy cleaning the kitchen and putting away the laundry while my husband was in the garage organizing his screws and nails (gasp!).
As I walked into my middle son's room to put laundry away he looked at me and in typical budding philosopher fashion said, "I am trying out a new organizing style today mom. I think it fits me better than the one I tried last week." I just looked at his sweet little face and asked him to show me his new system. He gave me the guided tour of his newly reorganized bedroom that mostly consisted of draping things over chair backs, bedposts, hooks and hangers. I had to try not to laugh when I noticed he had also hung up his favorite teddy bear by its St. Louis Cardinal Jersey.
While it may not have fit my professional description of organized... it worked for him. He knew where everything was and it more than met my rule of having the floor and desktops clean. He also reminded me of a very valuable lesson in his simple act of "reorganization."
I decided a long time ago when the kids were small to divide the house up into zones. I was responsible for keeping the kitchen, office, living room, bathrooms, my closet, and laundry areas organized and presentable. My kid's were responsible for their own rooms, and my husband's "job" is the garage and his closet... by doing this I not only have released myself from the need to clean up after EVERYONE in my house... but I have given them each the freedom to develop his or her own style of cleaning up and organizing.
My oldest son is very meticulous and everything has a container and a location, a true perfectionist. My middle son is a big fan of hooks and clear plastic drawers and bins to organize and display each of his things and is more carefree in his approach to his space than his brother. While I am sure it is no surprise that my daughter is all about baskets, bags, purses, and pretty containers. My husband... well... we are still working on him.
While I have helped each of the kids (and my husband) establish various systems that I think will help fit their personalities, style, and tendencies... I have also given them a great deal of say and input as well. I was reminded last week that the lessons they are learning now about keeping that one small room clean on the floors and countertops will be a springboard that they will take into a college dorm room, an office, or classroom, and wherever the go in life. By not dictating to them exactly where things go and how to do it... I am giving them "try out" different styles and find the one that fits them best. Monday, February 15, 2010
Moms Don't get a sick day
There are no schedules, time cards, uniforms, or paychecks... but it is not understatement when I say that when moms wake up every morning, they are immediately "on duty".
Rare are the days when I am awaken by an aptly set alarm clock versus a child's bad dream, a husband's request to know where his belt is, or a son's early morning request to watch his favorite video.
On the mornings when you open your eyes to a spinning bedroom, pounding head, or aching stomach... do you pick up the phone and call in sick that day? Nope, not moms. We stand up, take the medication that we always dispense as the official nursemaid of the household- and we do our "best" to have a "normal" day.
Today is one such morning at my house. My family was invaded by an unwanted cold germ several weeks ago and to my chagrin- I had been the only one to avoid it's dreaded stuffiness, sneezes, and restlessness. That is until I tried to get going this morning.
Even as I sit here and type this, my head pounds.... and what all of this fever induced rambling is trying to get to is this very important point: Sick Mom Days Demand Organization!
I have been able to tell my children to get clothing, backpacks, folders, lunchboxes, etc... to help my fuzzy head and slow moving body and not surprisingly to me they have been able to retrieve each item without a single cry for help. Why is this possible? Because at our house we have a 
place for everything... instead of just allowing the kids to strew belongings all over the house haphazardly- WE put them where the go.
place for everything... instead of just allowing the kids to strew belongings all over the house haphazardly- WE put them where the go. On this "sick day" it meant that I was still able to get my kids out the door and to school on time... even though I was moving at a much slower speed... now I just want to know... "Why can't they do this without prompting on a regular day?"
Monday, August 24, 2009
Monday Motiviation: Mom's need a routine
Motherhood is a demanding job that demands you be organized and on top of your home, your children, yourself, and so many other small tasks that can easily fall through the cracks if not well organized. Did you know that the average mom works at least 90 hours a week and only averages 6.4 hours of sleep a night... talk about over worked and under rested.
In those 90 hours moms are juggling numerous jobs like; running errands, preparing meals, taking care of children, driving carpool, doing laundry, keeping a clean house... not to mention other jobs and responsibilities that they have as well!
A daily routine is one way to help moms stay on tops of all of these jobs each day. Here is an example of a daily routine that we have put together for a client:
Each Morning:
· Start the laundry load of the day
· Make breakfast and clean up
· Help the kids to chore time while I clean the room of the day
Each afternoon:
· Put Laundry into the dryer
· Make Lunch and Clean up
· Do a quick 10 min. clean up with kids to pick up morning toys.
· Have quite time so I can have a few min. to regroup.
Each evening:
· Fold Laundry
· Make Dinner and Clean up
· Have kids do a 15 min. clean up to pick up toys
· Bedtime routine
· Layout clothes for the next day
· Pack bags for the next day
· Make tomorrow’s to do list.
Keep in mind this is an example that works for one mom... but each mom and family are different from one another. Take into consideration your daily tasks and available times when putting your schedule together.
I specialize in helping mom's create a schedule that works for them and their family, so if you need help creating yours please feel free to visit our website at http://www.simpleorganizedsanity.com/ for more information.
In those 90 hours moms are juggling numerous jobs like; running errands, preparing meals, taking care of children, driving carpool, doing laundry, keeping a clean house... not to mention other jobs and responsibilities that they have as well!
A daily routine is one way to help moms stay on tops of all of these jobs each day. Here is an example of a daily routine that we have put together for a client:
Each Morning:
· Start the laundry load of the day
· Make breakfast and clean up
· Help the kids to chore time while I clean the room of the day
Each afternoon:
· Put Laundry into the dryer
· Make Lunch and Clean up
· Do a quick 10 min. clean up with kids to pick up morning toys.
· Have quite time so I can have a few min. to regroup.
Each evening:
· Fold Laundry
· Make Dinner and Clean up
· Have kids do a 15 min. clean up to pick up toys
· Bedtime routine
· Layout clothes for the next day
· Pack bags for the next day
· Make tomorrow’s to do list.
Keep in mind this is an example that works for one mom... but each mom and family are different from one another. Take into consideration your daily tasks and available times when putting your schedule together.
I specialize in helping mom's create a schedule that works for them and their family, so if you need help creating yours please feel free to visit our website at http://www.simpleorganizedsanity.com/ for more information.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Monday Motivation: Are your Kids Organized for Back to School?
I recently read the book The Organized Student by Donna Goldberg. I loved this quote from her book: " Many educators and parents have learned to recognize deficiencies in reading, writing, and math, but not in organization."
I could not agree with this more! Teachers are trained to look for signs of MAJOR problems... often overlooking an unorganized student as simply... messy. The fault is not that of the teachers... they are trying to manage twenty plus children and make sure that they are able to learn at the level with their peers. I would love to see organization skills integrated into the curriculum of upper level elementary and Middle school as they often do with study skills. The National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) has seen the same need, recently launching the NAPO in the School program. Professional organizers, myself included, can become certified to present a standardized program to elementary school classrooms in their area.
It is never to early to start children and students on the path to organization... because being organized is a lifelong need to be as successful as possible. Which means that the other half of the responsibility for teaching our children to be organized falls on the parents. Often times, parents are quick to just do it ourselves. I know I too have been guilty of this... instead of fighting with kids to pick up their messes, do their chores, or make their beds... we just do it for them.
Unfortunately we have to remember as parents we are supposed to be teaching them about responsibility and making them do these simple things is a great way to introduce many organizational and life skill concepts to them.
In light of back to school time... I think it is important for teachers and parents to bear in mind that if a child is struggling in school simply because they are not organized... it is time to do an organization intervention! Messy lockers, backpacks, and bedrooms can lead to late assignments, lost library books, missing projects, lost time searching for or redoing assignments, and a great deal of frustration for student, teacher, and parents!
Often these problems can be solved with time, planning, and organization to help your student be better prepared for classes and assignments. Do your kids a huge favor this school year... help them be as successful as they can be by helping them get more organized. If you need help with this... I highly recommend the book I just finished, The Organized Student by Donna Goldberg!
If you desire one on one help contact a professional organizer in your area, the NAPO website can refer you to one if you need just visit http://www.napo.net/. In SW Missouri contact us, Simple*Organized*Sanity professional organizing at http://www.simpleorganizedsanity.com/ and we would be happy to help your student get on the path to an organized school year!
I could not agree with this more! Teachers are trained to look for signs of MAJOR problems... often overlooking an unorganized student as simply... messy. The fault is not that of the teachers... they are trying to manage twenty plus children and make sure that they are able to learn at the level with their peers. I would love to see organization skills integrated into the curriculum of upper level elementary and Middle school as they often do with study skills. The National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) has seen the same need, recently launching the NAPO in the School program. Professional organizers, myself included, can become certified to present a standardized program to elementary school classrooms in their area.
It is never to early to start children and students on the path to organization... because being organized is a lifelong need to be as successful as possible. Which means that the other half of the responsibility for teaching our children to be organized falls on the parents. Often times, parents are quick to just do it ourselves. I know I too have been guilty of this... instead of fighting with kids to pick up their messes, do their chores, or make their beds... we just do it for them.
Unfortunately we have to remember as parents we are supposed to be teaching them about responsibility and making them do these simple things is a great way to introduce many organizational and life skill concepts to them.
In light of back to school time... I think it is important for teachers and parents to bear in mind that if a child is struggling in school simply because they are not organized... it is time to do an organization intervention! Messy lockers, backpacks, and bedrooms can lead to late assignments, lost library books, missing projects, lost time searching for or redoing assignments, and a great deal of frustration for student, teacher, and parents!
Often these problems can be solved with time, planning, and organization to help your student be better prepared for classes and assignments. Do your kids a huge favor this school year... help them be as successful as they can be by helping them get more organized. If you need help with this... I highly recommend the book I just finished, The Organized Student by Donna Goldberg!
If you desire one on one help contact a professional organizer in your area, the NAPO website can refer you to one if you need just visit http://www.napo.net/. In SW Missouri contact us, Simple*Organized*Sanity professional organizing at http://www.simpleorganizedsanity.com/ and we would be happy to help your student get on the path to an organized school year!
Monday, June 8, 2009
Age appropriate Chores for kids
I have had a lot of clients ask me lately if I had lists of chores that are age appropriate for children to do around the house. I have been working on such a list and wanted to post it here to share with all of you.
I love the idea of having kids help with housework! I think that it is a great way to help teach them responsibility and it also helps them learn to begin to manage time by sharing the housework. It is a great first step in being organized!
One great way that we use this list in our home is to make chore cards. I take index cards and write several of these chores on them and then when it is chore time my kids can draw a card and perform the task. They are also great to use when kids are in trouble or fighting to have them draw an extra chore card... it is working great at our house!
Our company also offers custom chore charts for kids based upon thier age and interest! For more information about our custom chore charts or our organizing services for parents and kids visit www.simpleorganizedsanity.com
I love the idea of having kids help with housework! I think that it is a great way to help teach them responsibility and it also helps them learn to begin to manage time by sharing the housework. It is a great first step in being organized!
2-4 year olds
- help dust
- put napkins on table
- help put away toys
- put laundry in hamper
- help feed pet
- Start picking up toys and clothes
4-7 year olds
- set the table or help set the table
- put away toys/things
- help feed pets
- water plants
- help set table
- help make bed
- dust
- put laundry in hamper
- help put dishes in dishwasher
- water the garden
- help wipe up messes
- help with yard work (rake with child's rake or plant flowers, etc.)
- help clear table
- Picking up room and toys with direction
- Wipe of the table
- Wash windows
8-10 year olds
- make bed
- water plants
- clean room with minimal direction
- set table
- dust
- vacuum
- feed pets (depends on type of pet and how your comfortable your child is interacting with the pet)
- help make dinner
- put laundry in hamper
- help wash the car
- help wash dishes
- help load/empty dishwasher
- rake leaves
11 year olds and older
- take garbage out
- set table
- clean room without direction
- vacuum
- mow lawn
- feed pets
- water plants
- put laundry in hamper
- help with laundry and eventually start doing own laundry
- help make dinner/make small meals on own
- help wash dishes
- clean room
- make bed
- help with yard work
One great way that we use this list in our home is to make chore cards. I take index cards and write several of these chores on them and then when it is chore time my kids can draw a card and perform the task. They are also great to use when kids are in trouble or fighting to have them draw an extra chore card... it is working great at our house!
Our company also offers custom chore charts for kids based upon thier age and interest! For more information about our custom chore charts or our organizing services for parents and kids visit www.simpleorganizedsanity.com
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