Home Organization

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OK – Panic time. The fill-in-the-blank called and they will be knocking on your front door in 15 minutes. You fix your hair, get the kids to wipe the chocolate off their faces and send them to straighten their rooms.

Then, you turn around to survey the damage in the rest of the house. Yikes! Like your momma always says, it looks like a tornado tore a path through your home.

You’ve got approximately 14 minutes left. What do you attack first to get the most bang for your cleaning buck?

1. Pick stuff off the floor. It always makes such a difference to actually “see” the carpet. If you are lucky enough to have a dedicated playroom for the kids’ toys, close the door. Easy. If not, keep an extra laundry basket handy and just fill it up. Don’t bother sorting, just scoop up all the toys and “stuff” and move on. If your vacuum is easy to use, run it quickly. If it is a pain to find it and deal with the cord, forget about it.
2. Head into the kitchen. If you have piles of dirty dishes everywhere, you have two choices. You could try to load the dishwasher. It might, however, be easier to rinse everything quickly, fill the sink with soapy water and pile it all in. Don’t worry about actually washing them. Let your company think they interrupted you. Give the counters a once over with the sponge or a wipe so nothing sticky is left for your guests to discover. Done.
3. Times ticking down. Run over to the bathroom. Nothing is more embarrassing than having someone ask to use your bathroom when you just know it is gross. Toss all the toys in the tub and close the curtain. Get everything off the counter and into a drawer. Grab a bleach wipe and wipe down the counter, the faucet, the sink and the toilet. Grab a wipe made just for mirrors and get that toothpaste spray that you have been purposely ignoring off the mirror. If you can, clean the toilet bowl as well. Be sure there is toilet paper.
4. Just a minute or two left. Straighten the cushions on the sofa. Toss the throws the way the magazine stylists do instead of having piling them up like a pillow. Corral all the stuff in the shoe pile and hang up the coats.

That’s it.

That’s all you’ve got time for but this little list should make everything more presentable. Whether you are a neat freak or on the messy side, we all have days where we get caught off-guard. It happens. The point to remember is that you only need to give the “illusion” of clean. No one is going to open your closets or drawers. No one is going to peak behind closed doors. At least, I hope not.

Get more tips like these in 30 Days to an Organized Home

Learn more about 30 Days to an Organized Home Other Ebooks by Moms In A Blog 30 Days to Stress Free Holidays Creating Cherished Christmas Memories Fun, Free Family Activities

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Death of minivan. That’s what my husband would say about my vehicle. It’s bad. Really, really bad. Maybe yours is a station wagon or a sedan. Maybe you are lucky enough to drive a sporty car. It doesn’t really matter; if you have kids in that vehicle, it looks like a bomb went off in it.

The floor is littered with wrappers, empty juice boxes, miscellaneous socks and a stray dried cranberry or two. The cup holders are filled with melted crayons. The sides of the doors have dirty, sticky, I-don’t-even-want-to-know-what-that-is fingerprints.

And, then, there’s the stuff. Stuff for sports. Stuff for school. Stuff for the park. The stroller. The wrinkled Girl Scout’s uniform. The nasty juice cup that has moved into dangerous, science experiment category. It is just everywhere. It can be so overwhelming that you just don’t know where to start.

Think of it this way. If you drive up to the quarter wash and use their vacuum, you can probably con hubby into watching the kids. The sound of silence. It almost makes sticking your hand under the seat to hunt for “surprises” just to be alone for half an hour. Almost. Take the cleaning supplies with you and you could even stretch your “alone” time to an hour or more.

So, the question remains. How do you keep it clean and organized? Well, you can tell your kids to run alongside the van everywhere you go but I doubt that solution would work for long. The mud and snow would just get tracked into the house. Why not try labeled containers for everything? Be “that” mom. The uber organized, always prepared, slightly obnoxious mom. Try it. It feels good.

Start in the back. Get all the junk out and retro fit your minivan (or trunk) with plastic tubs, canvas bags, whatever fits. Label them so the kids don’t mess it up. One for sports stuff. Soccer cleats, baseball gloves and balls of every shape, size and color. Another for park stuff. The oversized picnic blanket, hats, sunscreen, buckets and shovels. Whatever your crew likes to play with. Roll up some extra towels and blankets and stick them in there, too. Those always come handy when someone is cold or wet.

Move to the front. Instead of having your kids constantly bringing more toys and books for each and every errand, fill that pocket on the back of the driver’s and passenger’s seats with new, “van/car only” books and toys. Keep it neat and organized; books in one, toys in the other. Keep a plastic basket with dividers in a tucked away spot between the seats or under one of them. Make sure it has wipes for spills, tissues for noses and a trash bag.

Train your kids to pick up, wipe up and throw out all that stuff before they get out. Or, if they are little, spend 2 minutes doing it before unclicking them and heading in the house. You just might make your husband eat his words, which is always fun.

You can find more tips, hints, checklists and more in 30 Days to an Organized Home

Learn more about 30 Days to an Organized Home Other Ebooks by Moms In A Blog 30 Days to Stress Free Holidays Creating Cherished Christmas Memories Fun, Free Family Activities

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Do you ever visit other moms’ homes and wonder how they keep it so neat? Do you ever sit around in your own home with toys strewn over the floor, laundry piles (both clean and dirty) beckoning for attention, and three meals worth of dishes stacked next to the sink and wonder why you are the only mom on the planet who cannot keep up with her home? If you answered yes to either of these questions, then you may be suffering from “TOMHANTY” Syndrome (Thinking Other Moms’ Homes Are Neater Than Yours). The symptoms of this terrible disease are guilt, envy, stress, and even withdrawal (did I mention guilt?). You look around as you walk from room to room wondering how it could have gotten so messy since yesterday. You believe that the new friend you just made from your weekly visit to the library could never let her house look like a tornado just went through it. You are sure that your friend whose house you visit occasionally for a scheduled playgroup would never have dust bunnies the size of . . .well, a bunny.

Welcome to the Real Moms Club, where it is not just about being a mom, but being real and knowing that you don’t have to be a perfect housekeeper. Maybe in the days of our grandmothers when society said that kids could roam unsupervised and free around town, but a mom’s house was a reflection of who she was as a woman. Today, there is a different set of priorities for many moms, and a perfect house is not usually the highest on the list, although we still imagine we are being judged on everything from how we raise our children to how much education we pursue to how great a job we land and finally to how tidy we keep house. Moms of today are stretched and pulled in many directions. Life is rarely as simple as a clean house. Stop telling yourself that you are not a good mom because your house is not always as neat as you think other moms’ homes are. Most moms are struggling to keep up as well. What is the cure to TOMHANTY Syndrome, you ask? Well, you could drop by a friend’s house unannounced with the pretext of delivering some home-baked cookies; you could watch her face turn beet red with shame as she turns to survey the wreck of toys, laundry, and dishes behind her; you could listen to her offer up every reason why her house is in such disarray; or maybe you could just take me at my word when I say that you are not alone. Release your guilt by making a list of what you DID accomplish today: got kids dressed, dropped kids off at school and picked kids up after, washed and folded a load of laundry, paid bills, took dog to vet, fed family for the day. It all counts toward making your house a home in which your family can grow and feel loved.

Jennifer Tankersley is the creator of ListPlanIt where you can find 400 lists and planning pages including cleaning schedules, daily to do lists, grocery lists, and holiday/ party planning to put your world in order.

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Sometimes it is easier to start on a little project and then work your way around the room to get to the monster project. Or, maybe slowly work on bits and pieces of that monster project over time, breaking everything down into more manageable chunks. Manageable chunks are good. Overwhelmed homeowners are not.
The easiest way to do this is to take a small job and plan it to perfection. And, then actual implement it. Here are a few examples.

1. Spice cabinet or drawer. First of all, spices do not last that long, less than a year. If you can’t remember when you actually bought it or the last time you used it, toss it. Another test is the smell. If you can’t smell it, toss it. Clean out the drawer, especially the spilled vanilla. Try and group like spices together. Sweet ones, ones you use more frequently than others. Alphabetize it, if you want. Aaah! Doesn’t that feel better. Baby steps. You spent all of 10 minutes getting that drawer or cupboard to shine. Good job.
2. Another easy project should be your craft area. Obviously, this will be fun for you but separate out each “type” of craft paraphernalia and group together. All the pens in one spot, the markers in another and the scissors last. You could even get everything out that you need for your next project. In fact, if your project is scrapbooking, you need to get to work. The less time you wait to crop the better, Those stacks of pictures are only adding to your clutter and disorganization.
3. Those dog gone computer cords are always tangled and exposed to little hands. Head over to your favorite organizational store and get the right gear to tie up all those loose ends. You can separate cords behind the desk as well as label them for easy identification later on. You can also run a protective cover up or down the wall. You can even paint it to match your wall color, now that’s impressive.
4. Another great place to start small on your organizational journey is to pack up your child’s out of season clothes. Going through the drawers can bring back a lot of memories but take this opportunity to learn something about yourself. How fast can you sort, purge and pack? How fast can you get the next tub of saved clothes and sort for the wash and the new drawer space? Actually, pulling out all the items that our older children wore is always fun. You can pack away what is too small or out of season, or you can donate it to a friend or a shelter. They always appreciate the extra effort.

Learn more about 30 Days to an Organized Home Other Ebooks by Moms In A Blog 30 Days to Stress Free Holidays Creating Cherished Christmas Memories Fun, Free Family Activities

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We’ve been talking about ways to get organized and following the 30 day challenge a lot lately and you guys are all doing great. I thought we could take a minute for a little fun, a little teasing among friends. No one is perfect, least of all me. Here are a few things you can do to NOT get organized. Have you tried any in the past?

1. Make excuses for the clutter by blaming the dog, kids, hubby. This usually works because most people believe that husbands are messy and need to be re-trained.
2. Avoid having any company over at all. People will start to resent you but you will never have to face the reality of your clutter mess.
3. Hide everything under bed. Better yet, keep hiding stuff under there until the bed raises up off the floor, then move on to the guest bedroom. Your work here is done.
4. Shove all your paperwork, the kids toys and the laundry that needs folding into the hall closet, just make sure everyone knows to open at their own risk.
5. You could become a minimalist but, really, there is nowhere to hide anything.
6. You could become a nudist but that is never a pretty site. And, just because you don’t wear clothes doesn’t mean that you are organized. Naked, yes. Organized, no.
7. Throw all your bath supplies and extra towels on one shelf in the linen closet.
8. Shop at Sam’s Club like you have an extra room to store the stuff. You don’t and you are just delusional by even having a membership there.
9. In regards to your pantry, make sure to leave all the empty boxes, bags and containers on the shelf, like you have space to spare.
10. Let all the empty milk cartons and casserole dishes accumulate in the back of the fridge. It’s as good a place as any to store them, right?!
11. Be sure to have so many hiding spaces for clutter that you have no idea where you haven’t hidden anything.
12. Make sure you always buy duplicates because you can’t find the 1st one. Ever. No matter how hard you look. And, who doesn’t need 6 pairs of kitchen shears.
13. Use the stove for storage solution and then forget to take out the loaf of bread and the cinnamon rolls before pre-heating it.
14. Likewise for the microwave, be sure to forget that bag of chips was in there and accidentally turn on the microwave. Hello, flaming chips!

No one is perfect but this list should remind you that even the smallest amount of effort will insure that you, too, can do it.

Learn more about 30 Days to an Organized Home Other Ebooks by Moms In A Blog 30 Days to Stress Free Holidays Creating Cherished Christmas Memories Fun, Free Family Activities

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Clutter and organization. They are the two forces battling for our attention, our space and our time. Each wanted to be in control. Each fights the other. By stopping clutter before it even gets in the door, we can help organization win the epic struggle. The biggest player on the clutter team? Paper: junk mail, newspapers, fliers. Save a tree and check out these tips to ensure that organization wins. Every time.

1. Junk mail fills our mailboxes daily. Some estimates say over 15 pounds worth a month. That’s just crazy. If you are in a rush and just dump the mail in a pile on the table in the front hall or your kitchen counter, it can overtake you in a matter of days. Fight back. Take your mailbox back. Most fliers have contact phone numbers for people interested in advertising. Call them and request to be taken off the list. Leave a note for your mail carrier and ask then not to deliver the grocery fliers on your day.
2. Pay online. Set aside an evening to switch your accounts to online bill pay. You not only eliminate the paper bills coming in but also the need to send some of your own out. Plus, you save on that stamp each and every month.
3. Call your bank and any investment companies you use and request that they switch to paperless billing. It’s simple, really. They will just send you an email each month instead and you can access it online, at your leisure.
4. Cancel your newspaper service. This includes taking the time to call those freebie newspapers that end up under your bushes. If you don’t read them, cancel them.
5. While you’re outside, digging newspapers out of your begonias, tape a sign to your front door. Nothing too obnoxious, just a small, typed note that requests no fliers be left. Maybe “No Soliciting”. It really is nice not to have to grab all those pizza fliers off the front door and to no longer be interrupted by a nervous teen selling who-knows-what during the big game on Saturday.
6. Catalogs. Personally, I love them. Unfortunately, they add to the clutter in my mailbox, then they pile up on the kitchen counter until I move them to my office, where they sit, collecting dust. Forever. You can do one of two things. Contact catalogchoice.org and ask them to make it stop. One quick sign up and *poof*. No more junk. Or, if you cannot live without your Pottery Barn catalog (who me?), try to take a nice 20 minute break and rip out all the pages that interest you. Set them in a folder, nice, neat and out of the way. Wait a week. Pull the folder out and look again. If you still love it, put it in a plastic sleeve and into a 3 ring binder to save for inspiration. If not, toss it. A few pages torn out is better than a bunch of glossy catalogs sliding around on your desk.
7. Magazines, while not technically junk mail, can definitely add to the clutter. You can invest in those storage sleeves from retailers like The Container Store, try the 3 ring binder technique above or you can cancel altogether. Did you know magazines can be delivered digitally? It’s a great excuse to buy that Kindle you’ve been eyeing, right?!

Learn more about 30 Days to an Organized Home Other Ebooks by Moms In A Blog 30 Days to Stress Free Holidays Creating Cherished Christmas Memories Fun, Free Family Activities

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