Shoe Storage & Organizing

I just ordered the Shoes Under – yes, as seen on TV (I’m a little addicted to infomercials…). I love this for organizing shoes. I took advantage of the double offer and I’m getting 2 – one for me and one for hubby.

Right now, my shoes are stored in my closet in their original boxes. I have them stacked up on the floor. Hubby has a big mess – just kicks his shoes off onto the floor of his closet.

I’m excited to free-up floor space so I can add some shelves for my sweaters. And I’m so happy to be able to clean up hubby’s mess!

The website had a cool idea for using Shoes Under – store shoes and socks. This is an idea I might use someday for Little Dude. I also plan to use a second one for him to store his action figures in – it looks big enough to hold some of his larger ones that are 10-inches tall.

The thought of storing things under the bed, yet having them easily accessible is pretty cool! You can check out the Shoes Under website by clicking here.

Home Depot Kid’s Workshop This Weekend

On the first Saturday of each month, Pops (my father) takes Little Dude to the Kids Workshop at Home Depot. Even though it’s for kids ages 5 – 12, my almost-4-year-old loves it! He has made a few cute things, including a Mother’s Day and a Father’s Day present.

At his first workshop, he got a free Home Depot apron/smock. Now each time he goes, he gets a pin to add to it.

He loves going to the workshops. He especially likes it that Pops brings him. It’s a whole event – first breakfast at the local sandwich shop with the “locals” and then off to his “favorite store”. Each month, he can’t sleep the night before because of his excitement.

I’m excited for this weekend’s workshop too. They’re making a message center. Whoo hoo!

I know exactly what I’m where I’m going to put it – right at my command center!

If possible, get your kid to this weekend’s Kids Workshop so you can get one too!

Oh, and did you know that you can order the ready-to-assemble kits that they use at the workshops? I just order a few for Little Dude’s birthday. He will have lots of fun putting these together with either Daddy or Pops!

Get Kids To Hang-Up Their Stuff (Giveaway)

Getting a toddler to pick-up after themselves is a chore in itself! There are so many times a day a mom can sing the clean-up song or nag to “pick up your toys” before she loses her sanity.

What I’ve done is made it easy for my Little Dude to pick-up after himself. We have bright colored bins on a shelf that holds his toys in the living room. We have a toy box and more shelves in his bedroom. By giving him the tools, he keeps his “stuff” relatively organized and tidy.

But there is one thing that drives me nuts: Each day Little Dude comes home from school, he immediately takes off his backpack and jacket and drops them on the floor. Grrr! He just wont take the time to walk to the coat closet to put them away.

Until now! The lovely people at 3M sent me a basket of their Command Hooks.

The newest products from 3M Command provide a fun way for kids to get organized without adding more storage bins around the house. They offer Disney-themed hooks such as Disney Princess, Hannah Montana and Cars. Like all Command Adhesive products, they do not damage the walls and can easily be repositioned as needed.

Little Dude was so excited to use his Cars hooks (after all, everything revolves around Lightening McQueen). Ever since I hung the 3M Command Hooks near our kitchen door, he actually likes to hang his jacket and backpack.

I am so excited to NOT trip over his stuff lying on the kitchen floor. And the added bonus is that we always know where his jacket is!

The new kid-friendly hooks retail for $8.97 – $10.49 at your local store. Believe me – they are well worth it! Actually, I’m wondering if they have big-boy designs to get Hubby to pick-up after himself…

Oh, did I mention that 3M sent me a basket of these? Well, included in that basket are two Disney Princess Command Hooks. Being that this house is run on testosterone, I have no use for them. So I’m giving them away!

3m  Disney Princess Contoured 3-D Command Hooks Giveaway

This giveaway is simple! To enter:

• Leave a comment telling me what you’d do with the hooks
• Twitter about the giveaway and come on back and leave a comment with your Tweet
• Share on your blog and again come back and leave your link
• Join my email list (top left on sidebar) and once again come back and leave a comment

Giveaway ends Tuesday, May 20th at Midnight. A random winner will be chosen using http://www.random.org/ and announced Wednesday, May 21st.

Good Luck!

This is a Works-For-Me-Wednesday post. For more super cool tips for Moms visit WeAreThatFamily.com and browse the participants of the Works-For-Me-Wednesday Blog Carnival.

Home Office Organizing Tips: Paperwork

The 2nd Tuesday of March has been declared as National Organize Your Home Office Day. I find the biggest challenge in keeping a home office clean and tidy is paperwork. We all have it – the mail, bills, receipts, manuals, etc.

Paper clutter can be a major problem.  Get rid of it and get organized. Throw junk mail away immediately.  Don’t even take it to your office or desk.  Keep a trash can or a recycling box, near the door, especially for junk mail. Whatever does make it to your home office should be handled as soon as possible.

At the very least, set-up a system to hold the paperwork such as stackable bins. Label them to pay (the bills), to act (permission slips to sign, correspondence to respond to), and to file. Then once a week, act on these bins and clear them out.

Don’t let paper clutter your desk.  If you don’t have room on the floor for a filing cabinet purchase a hanging file system.  These types of filing systems are designed to hang from a hook on the back of a door.  It can easily be hidden in a closet this way.  Labeling each pocket based on your needs, such as bills, copies of receipts, and tax deductions will keep your desk clutter free and keep you better organized.

Decide on a filing system and stick to it. Maybe you use a filing cabinet with tabbed-dividers to store paperwork. Or perhaps floor space is not available for a filing cabinet so you can use binders. Even the accordion type of filing folders work for some families or businesses that do not have a lot of paperwork. Whatever you decide on, use it. Don’t do a little of this and a little of that – this will only cause confusion when you need to get your hands on something.

Make it usable. One big tip of having an organized home office is maintenance. Be sure to make your systems workable. A filing system is only as good as the person using it, so be sure to implement a system that works for you.

Even with limited workspace, with a little creativity and the right equipment, it is possible to have your home office paperwork organized.

For more tips, pop on over to BlogMammas and enjoy Tuesday’s Tip Jar.

Bye Bye Christmas Decorations

It’s the first Saturday of the New Year which to me means doing a seasonal or monthly chore. So I’m packing up Christmas. Bye bye tree and ornaments. So long decorations. Hasta la vista  Santa chotchkies.

I have a couple tips for packing and storing your Christmas paraphanelia:

1. Don’t re-pack what you didn’t put out for display. What is the sense of using valuable storage space on something you didn’t use? It doesn’t give you any pleasure staying packed away, so why keep it?
2. Don’t pack what you don’t love. Unless the thought of getting rid of something will literally make you cry, don’t keep it.
3. Dust and clean before packing. You don’t want anything permanently stained.
4. Use the same-sized boxes. Although it’s easy and convenient to use whatever storage boxes you have, using boxes that are the same shape and size will help you utilize your storage space to the max.
5. Label, label, label. Clearly indicated the contents of the box on the outside. I also like to put the year on the box too so I know that the items were used. Every so often, I purge my storage areas. And if a box was labeled a few years ago, obviously I didn’t need or want the contents – so it goes.
6. Cheap packing material: shredded paper. Yep, I grab the paper shredder bin whenever I’m packing items and use the shreds as packing material. Much better for the environment than the styrofoam peanuts – and cheaper!

I use hinged-lid boxes for storage. I get them at Wal-Mart for cheap. They stack quite nicely. And the added bonus – I NEVER LOSE THE LIDS. I also use specialized storage containers for my ornaments and my wrapping paper. I also have a special bag for storing the artificial tree.

Well, time to get de-Christmasing.

Tuesday’s Tip Jar: Resolutions

Sure it’s only 9 days until Christmas, but I’m thinking about New Years already. Are you? I’ve been thinking about my resolution for 2009 (to quit smoking – yep, BAD CARA!).

In a study done last year in the US, these are the top 10 New Year’s Resolutions:

1. Earn more money
2. Lose Weight
3. Get organized
4. Manage time better
5. Spend more quality time with family
6. Reduce debt
7. Help others
8. Find soul mate or work on marriage
9. Find a better job
10. Quit Smoking

Most resolutions are abandoned by the second or third week of January. Why? Because the key to keeping your resolution is to HAVE A PLAN!I have two resources to help you create a plan keep your resolutions this coming year!

First, here is a new free report about reducing debt that I got my chubby little hands on. I read it last night and it’s so helpful! You can create an action plan to reduce your debt. And if you need more help, there is a link to a program that can help you. Download your free report Powerful Debt Reduction Strategies. <!– /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:”Cambria Math”; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:1; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:0 0 0 0 0 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:”"; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:”Calibri”,”sans-serif”; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} –>

I’m hosting a live teleseminar on December 30th. On this call I’ll be answering your questions and helping you Get Organized in 2009! Spots are limited, so if you are at all interested in attending, reserve your seat now! For more information go to Get Organized in 2009 Teleseminar.

For more Tuesday Tips, head on over to Blog Mommas and join the fun!

Works For Me Wednesday – Organizing Recipes

Sally asked “Recipes…I need a good way to organize all the recipes I clip out of magazines and newspapers. What do you do?”

Funny you should ask me that Sally! I have a confession to make – I’m addicted to recipes! I clip, print and copy more recipes than I’ll every need. I always have the intention of making the recipe, in the end I stick with tried and true family favorites – because my boys don’t like change. Oh well, someday that yummy veggie recipe I ripped out of Good Housekeeping back in 1999 will get made.

So how do I keep them organized? Simple – a binder. Are you surprised? I am quite fond of binders! (Image: CR Gibson Kitsch ‘n Mixer Recipe Memory Book)

Recipes are always printed or written on 8 1/2 x 11 sheets of paper. If it’s clipped from a magazine or newspaper, I tape it to a sheet. I switched from a card file to a binder because I needed room! Having recipes on a full sheet of paper gives me room to make notes about the recipe: ingredient substitutions, adjustments in cooking time, etc.

Using tabs, my recipes are sorted by their category: Appetizer, Soup, Meat, Poultry, Fish, Veggies, Cakes, Pies, etc. (I have a binder just for cookies – they are my thang.) I then have each category separated by a sheet of colored paper: tried and true recipes are in front of it, never-been-made are behind it.

When I first put my recipe binder together, it was a fun trip down memory lane. I would love it to resemble a scrap book. But alas, I’m not that crafty. Maybe when little dude goes to school full time in a couple years.

Anyway, having my handy-dandy makes meal planning a snap. When I sit down to put my grocery list together, I just grab my binder. Using the sale circular, I find what’s on sale, then find a recipe.

Have fun putting your binder together!

Check out more Works For Me Wednesday tips over at Rocks In My Dryer!

Psst! Looking for recipes? Then check out the cookbooks I have available in my e-book shop!

Monday Motivation

I’m going to share a secret. It’s one of the best ways I know of to keep my home clean and clutter free. Are you ready for it? It’s….

PICK UP THROUGHOUT THE DAY

My husband calls it the neat freak habit. Every time I get up, I tidy-up something. Whether it’s the toys or the pile of magazines, I take a minute to straighten up. I enter the kitchen and see some crumbs on the counter so I wipe them up.

Also, I never leave a room empty handed. Each time I get up to go to another room, I scan the room to see if there is anything that doesn’t belong. Maybe I grab the sippie cup to put in the kitchen or hubby’s shoes to put in the closet. But, never pick something up without putting it where it belongs.

Consistent motion is the key. It keeps me from getting lazy. So clutter doesn’t pile up and dirt doesn’t accumulate.

I know this may seem obvious to some people. But several years ago I needed this reminder. So today I’m reminding you. Remain n constant action and pick-up/tidy-up throughout the day. Create this new habit and you’ll be surprised how great your home will begin to look!

Packing Halloween Decorations

I love decorating for the holidays. I love putting out the seasonal decorations and getting my home festive. BC (before child) I had TONS of holiday decorations (after all I was a Home Interiors Decorating Consultant, so I had access to lots of great accessories).

Now that I have a child, the storage space in my home is used more for kid things than for decorations. I had to pare-down my seasonal decorations. For the fall I have 5 boxes: 1 for generic Fall items,  2 for Halloween and 2 for Thanksgiving.

In September I put out the generic decor: fall leaves, pumpkins, apples, even scarecrows. Then the first weekend of October I put out the Halloween stuff: cats, bats, skeleton, witches, and candy corn. This weekend I changed-over to Thanksgiving: pilgrims and turkeys.

But before packing the Halloween items, I purged. And I do this every year! Mostly to make room in the limited space for anything new I purchased this year. For each item, I ask myself the following questions:

• Is it broken or damaged?
• Did it have a place for display this year?
• Do I love it? Does my family love it? (Believe it or not, my husband is just as excited about holiday decorating as I am. There are a few things that he would notice if they were missing)

After the item has passed the test, I carefully wrap it and pack it. I also date the box each year so I know that I went through it. Every so often, I check my basement storage area for boxes with old dates. If the date on the box is over a year, I make time to go through it and purge.

The remaining items are either tossed into the garbage or put in my car to donate to the church. You could, if you have the time and storage space, stash the item to sell at a garage sale or on-line.

TIP: I keep a box in my trunk for items that are being donated to the church – each week before going to sermon, I check the box.

IMPORTANT: If it’s garbage, throw it out right away. If it’s to donate, get it out of the house right away. Keeping the item around only contributes to clutter.

Monday Motivation

it’s now 9:00 pm and I’m finally getting to my blog posting – because I woke up this morning totally motivated!

Hubby is away for a few days so he’s not under-foot. He is a serious pack-rat always keeping things “just in case”. Hubby keeps me from purging lots of “stuff” from our home. And I say “stuff” to be polite – I have another more descriptive word for it but I’d like my blog to remain PG.

Anyway, I started purging “stuff” from our bedroom this morning. I filled the 2 garbage cans and I have a full box of things going to the church already in my car. A lot of the “just in case” stuff is gone, gone, gone.

Here are the rules of purging that I follow:

1. If an item hasn’t seen the light of day in over 6 months – it’s gone.
2. If it’s half empty and will not be finished – it’s gone.
3. If it’s broken, and will not or cannot be fixed – it’s gone.
4. If it hasn’t been worn since the last time the summer clothes came out – it’s gone.
5. If it doesn’t have a home and wont have one anytime soon – it’s gone.
6. If the thought of getting rid of it brings me to tears – it stays. This means I will use it, wear it, fix it or find a home for it.

I have to tell you, I can’t wait to go to bed tonight. My room is clutter free! And it should remain that way. Because of the purging I did, hubby has an empty drawer now to keep his “just in case” things.

I think tomorrow I’ll purge office. This is another room hubby puts things down “just for now” “just in case” (ooh I hate those two phrases). And after that, I’m going to purge the toys – again.

Need some motivation: FlyLady is working on Zone 2: The Kitchen. The weekly challenge over at Today’s Homemaker is clean the car.

So, what’s motivating you this week? Leave a comment!

New Free Service To Help Stay Organized and Save Money

Alerts.com is a free online service that helps users create and manage customized alerts all in one place.

Whether it’s news, the weather, traffic, birthday or event reminders, price notifications or the latest scores of from a favorite team, users can select from a wide-range of relevant information and receive it on their terms.

“Consumers are inundated with vast amounts of information and often have a difficult time sorting through what is relevant, important or urgent to their everyday needs,” said Alerts.com co-founder and chief executive officer, Pascal Stolz. “Alerts.com is a user-friendly service that helps users aggregate what they want from one secure source.”

For example, an Alerts.com subscriber can elect to receive a “gas price” alert at the time and day they want it delivered, and how they want to receive it (e-mail, voice or SMS/text message). Then they can be directed to a location nearest them with the lowest gas prices.

INRIX and Jobster join PR Newswire as the first partners to provide relevant and personalized alerts through Alerts.com.  INRIX supplies Alerts.com users with daily gas price and up-to-the-minute traffic updates and Jobster notifies Alerts.com users when new jobs matching customizable criteria are posted on the Web.

”Today’s consumers are increasingly interested in getting relevant and personalized information at their fingertips.  INRIX’s real-time traffic information and fuel prices save them time and money by finding the nearest and most cost-effective service station, while avoiding frustrating and stressful traffic,” said INRIX CEO, Bryan Mistele.  “We’re excited to partner with Alerts.com in bringing these services to consumers all over the country.”

Please visit Alerts.com for additional information on Alerts.com.

The Importance of a Household Planner & Command Center

When I first began my mission to ‘get my act together’ I had a buddy, my sister-in-law. Together we worked on getting our homes under control, encouraging each other, and helping each other out.

Last night, around 10:30 pm I received a call from my brother-in-law. He was taking my SIL to the hospital because of excruciating pain in her lower back. I immediately got in the car and headed over to their house to watch the kids. They were of course already in bed, blissfully sound asleep, unaware of the situation.

At 7:00 am the kids woke up as if an alarm clock went off. At first, they were confused and scared because mommy and daddy were not there. But once I explained the situation (Mommy had to go to the doctor), they were ready to begin their day. Did I panic? Did I have to call my BIL or SIL to find out what to do?

NO.

My dear SIL had put together a household standard operation procedures planner (aka: household planner or control journal). It was clearly available at her command center. I immediately had all the information that I needed to help my niece and nephew get on with their day.

You see, we both learned to put together this planner at first for our reference – we needed to refer to this daily to remind us of our mission. But then it became quick reference for others that may need the information in the event of an emergency. The family routines were clearly written out for me so I knew when they needed to get to school. There is also a list of contact numbers: the school, utility companies, etc.

We also created a family command center where everything that is needed daily is kept. Here is where the planner is kept as well as the kids book bags, a calendar, notes and paperwork needed, etc.

I previously posted about the importance of home management and being organized. The emergency last night proves my point again. In order to help you get your home under control and prepare your household management planner, command center, and much more, I’m finalizing a new program.

Domestically Challenged Boot Camp – a 12 week intensive to help you get organized and so much more! This program will be available within the next month. To be notified when it launches, please enter your information below. Not only will you receive an email, but a special discount on the package! Just enter your info below! And pass the info on to a friend whom you think might benefit from Domestically Challenged Boot Camp!

First Name:
Email Address:

PS: My SIL has kidney stones. Nothing serious just very painful and scary considering she’s 22 weeks pregnant!

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