Getting Organized for School (and Life!) 2011 - Prioritizing Your Activities and Schedule

      
If you have school-age children there are three times a year when it might be beneficial to re-prioritize your activities and schedule: January, summer and fall. 

Even if you don't have kids, fall is like a second January. Summertime is usually chaotic, and now it's time to regroup.

Prioritizing activities and schedules involves looking at your schedule in light of your passions and gifts. Does your schedule reflect those things you love and are gifted to do? If not, burn out or discouragement is ahead. 

When you know where you're going and why, life is fulfilling. You're confident you are running after those things you love. You're basking in the satisfaction of using your gifts and doing a good job. Even if difficult times should arise, it gives you a compass through the storm. What could be better?

If you are overwhelmed at the thought of re-prioritizing, I'd love to help! -I'm available to coach you through this. 
- I have several time management books which walk you step-by-step through this process. 
- Rethinking Your Life in 3 Weeks provides bite-sized tasks to do each day. 


How I can help:
Rethinking Life Coaching
1-2-3 ... Get Organized Time Management Books 
Rethinking Your Life in 3 Weeks

Getting Organized for School 2011 - Kids' Artwork and Paper

  
I repeat this blog post every year because paper gets out of control so easily! If you have a system from the beginning, you're less likely to get overwhelmed.

Along with school, comes all those papers! And art masterpieces. What to do with them? You want to preserve memories of your child’s school years, but you don’t want to train her to be a pack rat.

I’ll have to admit – I wasn’t very proactive in this area when my children were growing up. We’d sort through papers every once in a while, frame some, and store others, but we didn’t do it very consistently.

I researched this topic when asked to contribute to an article written by Mary Beth Breckenridge at the Akron Beacon Journal (Preserve your Children's Masterpieces without Creating a Mountain from Paper Memoirs, September 5, 2005). I found some great ideas I wish I had used.

So today’s blog comes primarily from the article Mary Beth wrote from the hints that two other organizers (Deniece Schofield and Chris Perrow) and I contributed. And I’ve added a couple I’ve come up with since then.

First, choose a receptacle for such papers. It could be a file folder, a hanging file, an art portfolio (or one made by taping two pieces of poster board together), a box, a binder with protector sheets - whatever works for you and your child.

Before storing your child’s artwork, you may want to display them. You could create a gallery in your child’s room or elsewhere by hanging a colorful piece of string or yarn across a wall and clip the artwork to the string. Voila – instant gallery.

Or use a picture frame to house artwork, swapping out the front picture when a new keeper comes along, storing the other pictures behind the most recent one. And there’s always the refrigerator or a bulletin board.

Another option is to turn the artwork into placemats (by laminating them), wrapping paper or greeting cards. A glass-covered coffee table can show off artwork under the glass. Or turn your child’s artwork into a calendar. Create a collage with several pieces of artwork. There are even companies that turn your child’s artwork into a book.

Artwork that doesn’t make it into the keeper file can be sent to grandma or to our troops, if it seems too cruel to toss them.

With your child, clean out her backpack at the end of the week. Some papers will not be sentimental and will go easily into the recycling bin. Try to encourage your child to choose only one item a week to keep. Label the back of the paper with the date and a description, especially if the picture may not be readily identifiable!

Some weeks may be more prolific than others, and it may be too traumatic to narrow it down to one item. If you don’t mind, and you have enough room, make exceptions here and there. There may be items you treasure, but your child doesn’t see the value in them at her age – keep those, too.

At the end of the month, as you are evaluating that week’s papers, look back over the previously stored papers to see if some of the sentimentality has decreased for the earlier keepers. Time has a way of diminishing the attachment. Repeat every month.

For large three-dimensional projects take a picture rather than storing the entire project. Large art pieces can be taken to a copy center and reduced to a manageable size.

At the end of the school year, determine if your storage is adequate to house that year’s keepers. If not, purge until it is. Label the container with your child’s name and the year.

For family night one night, take out the keepers for the last few years and reminisce – what a fun memory!


More on organizing for school:

Getting Organized for School 2010 - Learning Styles

Getting Organized for School 2010: Starting the Night Before

Getting Organized for School 2010: Homework

Three Steps to Time Managenent

Some of My Favorite Organizing Products - Giant Paper Clips

    

We're off to a water park today, even though it will be a little chilly (76 high). It's our last chance before one of the girls leaves on Friday. A fun day to make memories! Now on to our topic of the day ...

Here's another one of my favorite organizing products - a giant paper clip! I try to be green and recycle paper that has been used on only one side. The girls' computer sits on a small table, and this paper clip allows us to store such paper vertically, taking up very little room. This is ours:

Here's one from At West End (left) and one from Fellowes (right)  

   

How do you store your reusable paper?

More on paper:

Managing Paper

Creating an Incoming Paper Hub

National Association of Professional Organizers' Best Product in Technology 

Organizing Your Books

      
Our girls haven't been reading our books lately, and I'm wondering if it's because the books are so disorganized. I had organized them when we first moved in, but somehow they have become quite random! :) I'm sure that never happens at your house, does it? LOL!


 
I started by getting rid of some books. Books that might interest our girls were placed in the "prime real estate" area - the two shelves at eye level. These consist of books on dating and teen fiction. Other fiction or books that motivate are located above and below these.  And other less interesting books (to them) are on the outskirts. 

 
 
I also moved the books to the edge of the shelves, to make them more inviting. These are "after" pictures - I forget to take "before" pictures! Now I just need to explain the categories to the girls. :)


More on books:

5 Tips for Storing Books

80 Awesome Ideas for All Your Old or Unwanted Books from Online Colleges

Losing those library books?

 

OMEx Helps Ohio Businesses Recycle Unwanted Items

Today our we and our foster daughters are preparing a meal to take to the Akron Ronald McDonald House tomorrow. We've done it once before and the girls really enjoyed it. We did some cleaning while there, too. It does the heart good to do something for those who are in hard circumstances, doesn't it? Now on to our post for today ...

Does your Ohio business have surplus items that you want to get rid of responsibly? Ohio Materials Exchange (OMEx) may be able to help you out. According to the Summit/Akron Solid Waste Management Authority:

"OMEx is a materials exchange service that helps businesses save money while reducing the amount of trash that goes into landfills.  

OMEx connects companies that generate waste or have surplus equipment, chemicals and materials, with those that can reuse or recycle those unwanted materials.  

OMEx lists both materials available and materials wanted by your business.

OMEx was developed for the Association of Ohio Recyclers and Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio."

More on recycling:

Recycling Compact Fluorescent Lamps (Light bulbs)

Recycling Electronics and Appliances

More Eco-Friendly Recycling

 

Getting Organized for School 2011 - Destressing School Shopping

     
I'm taking our three foster daughters shopping today. School starts on the 24th, and the all-important "first-day-of-school outfits" must be bought!

School shopping can be extremely stressful - financially, emotionally and physically. Here are some tips I've learned along the way to reduce that stress:

1. Help your child (if age appropriate) go through his/her clothes and remove any that don't fit or that are otherwise not working.

2. Make a list of each retained clothing item, in categories: short-sleeve tops, shorts, jeans, etc.

3. Make a list of possible outfit matches, especially if you have girls. If you have boys, you should be very thankful clothing is much less complicated for them! Matches may present themselves that you or your child hadn't thought about before. (Keep this list to ease the stress of planning what to wear each day.)

4. Make a list of what is missing: a cute skirt with no top to match, for example. Don't forget socks and underwear. 

5. Determine what store(s) might have most of what is on your list. 

6. Determine a budget of what you will spend for back-to-school shopping for each child. Explain to your child that that amount is what they have to spend, so they will have to choose carefully. 

This removes emotional stress. It is now up to your child to make the hard decisions, not you. This can work starting from late elementary school and upwards. We started in middle school with our own girls, but could have started earlier.

7. Finally, with list in hand, go shopping! If your child is impulsive, gently remind him/her about the priorities on the list. 

All this preparation will hopefully reduce your physical stress - you know what you need and where you can get it. Endless and aimless wandering from store to store will not be a part of your life! 

8. Determine a monthly clothes budget for each child. Our foster daughters get $60 per month to spend on clothes, $10 of which can be spent on non-clothes items. We gave our own daughters $75 per month back in the day - this included shoes, coats, underwear, everything. Determine what works for you. 

Even though it seems like a big chunk of money going out each month, it's much less stressful than huge chunks going out randomly. And it reduces the stress in your child - he/she knows there is a certain amount of money each month for clothes. Hopefully, this will remove the "gimme, gimme, gimme" attitude that comes with not knowing when there will be money again for new clothes.

I feel that giving our girls a clothes budget is one of the best decisions we made as parents. It taught our daughters how to use money wisely, to comparison shop rather than buy the first thing they saw, and look for bargains. If they wanted to buy an expensive item, it was fine, but there was a cost to it. When there is an endless supply of mom and dad's money (or so they think), these lessons are not learned.

A clothes budget took the stress out of shopping for me. I wasn't the one having to make the choices, they were. If my girls bought impulsively or expensively, that was their choice. Over time they learned how to manage their money, to wait, to plan. When they went off to college, we felt they were prepared to manage their money well. 

More on shopping/clothes:

10 Ways to Streamline Your Shopping Time

Christmas in July

Get Oranized Month 2009 - Organizing Your Clothes Closet

Getting Organized for School 2011 - A Family Hub

    
I polished up a blog from the past on getting ready for school:

It's hard to believe that in some parts of the country school will be starting in 1-2 weeks! School here starts August 24. Only about a month left! Prepare now to avoid chaos later. 

If you don't have one already, create a hub - a location where you keep papers to be signed for school, library books, invitations, and other important information. The point is to have one location into which you deposit vital information so you know where to look when you need it.

It can be a drawer, a decorative box, a shelf - whatever works for you. And it needs to be in a central location. When my kids were home, I used a basket in my kitchen.

Your family calendar would be a good addition to the hub as well.

If you want to include backpacks, briefcases, and keys in your hub, you could put up pegs or hooks near the door you normally enter. Or use a coat rack or a coat closet to store these vital necessities. 

You may also want to create a section in your hub for each person in your family to house their important stuff.


Related Posts:
Getting Organized for School (and life!) - Getting Enough Sleep
Get Organized for School (or life!) - A Family Calendar
Getting Organized for School - Backpack Checklist

Packing for College 2011

  
We have yet another foster daughter going to college this fall. She has begun the process of packing and is doing very well.

- She has gone through her possessions several times to get rid of excess.
- She has already packed things she won't need for a while - winter clothes, etc.
- She has packed like things together - school supplies, etc.
- She has shopped for items she needs - linens, a coffee maker, a fan, etc.
- She has only those things she needs between now and then out.

If you have a child going to college, check to see his/her progress. If you or your student are overwhelmed, make a list of remaining tasks to be done. Prioritize and start tackling them! 

Your child may need some help - going to college is both scary and exciting. He/she will need your support!


More on college:

Cutting Costs on College Textbooks

Beyond CliffsNotes - More Help for College Students

Great info for college students, their parents, and college professors

  

Some of My Favorite Organizing Products - Spice Turntables

    

I thoroughly enjoyed some time off, during which time I got the chance to visit my family in Oklahoma. My three siblings took time off, too, and we headquartered at my parents' home. All of us had a great time laughing, playing, talking, and catching up. Sooooo nice!


Today I'll continue my series on my favorite products. Turntables are ideal for small items like spices.They are at your fingertips without having to move a bunch of other spices to find them.

I like to organize my spices into categories: 
- salts/peppers (celery salt, garlic salt, seasoned salt, onion salt, etc.)
- herbs (basil, thyme, dill - those green things)
- baking spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, etc.).

Plastic turntables are available at Target, Walmart, and kitchen/bath stores for around $5.  

If you have the drawer space, you can also organize your spices in a drawer. You can categorize according to use or alphabetical order - whatever works for you.

Take a little irritation out of your life and organize your spices!

More on spices:

Decluttering in 5 - Check out the Shelf Life of Your Spices

Herb Recipes

Organizing the Pantry

1-2-3 ... Get Organized Is Taking a Break for a Couple of Weeks

    
I'm taking some time off, so I won't be posting any articles for a couple of weeks. Feel free to peruse our 1200 blog posts. :)

Animal Shelters Accept What Other Charities Can't Use

           
Do you want to get rid of some blankets and towels that are not nice enough to donate to other charities? Animal shelters go through scads of these each year, using them for drying off animals, cleaning up messes, and for bedding.

Both cloth and vinyl placemats are useful as well. The animals don't care if they're faded or worn or have spots on them. Vinyl placemats can go under bowls and cloth ones can line small cages.

Newspapers are something we recycle every day, but could be used to line cages.

Plastic bags multiply like rabbits at my house! Shelters need poop bags when the dogs are taken out for walks. That's a lot of bags!!

Of course, shelters will take new and used pet supplies - beds, carriers, leashes, collars, grooming items, toys, litter. And new food and treats. Check to see if your shelter accepts coupons, too.

Don't forget that humane societies use office, laundry and cleaning supplies. And of course, they'll always take cash. 

Our humane society has a rummage sale every once in a while, so typical donated items would be appropriate for that. 

And donate your time if you're so inclined. If you can't have pets, you can always walk a dog or pet a kitty and get your fix that way. We have several foster daughters who have or are donating time at the animal shelter. Being able to hug an animal is wonderfully therapeutic!

I always feel nice when something I no longer need can help someone else.


More on animals and shelters:

Recycle Stuffed Animals for a Cause Wait - Don't Throw That Away! Organizing Your Pet's Medications

Safe Medication Disposal in Summit County, OH

       
Summit Akron Solid Waste Management Authority offers the following advice for disposing of medication without harming the environment. Check with your police department in your area to see if they have a similar program.

"Improper disposal of medication is a growing concern which can lead to environmental problems and contribute to prescription drug abuse, especially among teens and young adults.

The D.U.M.P. program is designed to provide Summit County residents with a safe and easy option for disposing of unwanted medications. Simply take the medicine to one of the several D.U.M.P. box locations in the county, and it will be safely destroyed, no questions asked. 

Just be sure to keep the medicines in their containers and mark out any identifying information.  Please note that the D.U.M.P. boxes are for pills, capsules, or liquids only; syringes cannot be accepted at the D.U.M.P. boxes.  For syringe disposal, call 330-926-5600.

D.U.M.P. BOX LOCATIONS


Akron City Police Department
217 South High Street, Akron, OH 44308
Directions To This Location


Barberton City Police Department
576 W Park Ave, Barberton, OH 44203
Directions To This Location


Bath Township
3864 W. Bath Road, Akron, OH 44333
Directions To This Location


Copley Police Department
1280 Sunset Drive, Copley, Ohio 44321
Directions To This Location


Hudson Police Department
36 South Oviatt Street, Hudson, OH 44236
Directions To This Location


Macedonia
1494 East Aurora Road, Macedonia, Ohio 44056
Directions To This Location


New Franklin Police Department
5611 Manchester Rd., Akron, Oh 44319
Directions To This Location


Richfield Police Department
4450 W. Streetsboro Rd., Richfield, Oh 44286
Directions To This Location


Sagamore Hills Police Department
11551 Valley View Rd., Sagamore Hills, OH 44067
Directions To This Location


Stow Police Department
3800 Darrow Road, Stow, OH 44224
Directions To This Location


Tallmadge Police Department
53 Northeast Ave., Tallmadge, Oh 44278
Directions To This Location


Twinsburg Police Department
10075 Ravenna Road, Twinsburg, OH 44087
Directions To This Location

For more information about the D.U.M.P. program, please contact
Terry Tuttle at (330) 926-5630."

More on medication disposal:

Disposing of Unused Medication Responsibly

Decluttering Your Medicine Cabinet - Proper Storage and Disposal of Medications

Some of My Favorite Organizing Products - Mud Room

      
I thought I'd do a series on my favorite organizing products. Since the entry we use to our house is the mud room/laundry room, I'll start there.

When we enter our mud room, two sets of hooks hold items we shed. In the summer - wet towels, bathing suits and such. In the winter, book bags, coats and more. Without these hooks, our house would explode as people walk in the door. We also keep our collection of plastic bags here until they get recycled. In the past when our entry was tiny, we used a coat rack for the same purpose.

Boot trays hold messy shoes and boots in the winter. Our winters here in Northeast Ohio are long and snowy, so these are big floor-savers. In the summer they move out to the garage for mowing shoes:

Since our mud room is also a laundry/utility room, we keep our broom and mop here on the wall rather than taking up closet or floor space:

It's amazing how just a few things help keep the house under control!


More on mud rooms:

Organizing Your Mud Room

Expert Organizing and Design Tips for Your Foyer

Decluttering in 10 - Entry Way

 

Take Some Organizing Lessons from 11-Year-Old Actress Kiernan Shupka

     
The following shelterpop article by Amy Preise is a fun read. Maybe you can use it to inspire your child!

Feeling too lazy to tackle your closet? Shame -- and inspire -- yourself by browsing actress Kiernan Shipka's stellar organizing skills.

Jake Rosenberg for The Coveteur

Recently The Coveteur turned its lens on the adorable and precocious "Mad Men" star Kiernan Shipka -- she of the impossibly sweet dresses and enviable Mary Janes collection. We discovered that in addition to having a fantastic wardrobe, Kiernan's also wise beyond her years when it comes to closet organizing. Want her advice? Read on...

Jake Rosenberg for The Coveteur

Organize-Your-Closet Lesson #1: Seek out more space.
"I love organization, so I split my clothes into two closets according to seasons," says Kiernan. "Though I have to go to the guestroom to pull my fall and winter items, it's still much easier than cramming all my clothes together in my one closet. I love 'space' in between hanging clothes."

Jake Rosenberg for The Coveteur

Organize-Your-Closet Lesson #2: Let your most-loved pieces double as decor.
"I love ballet. Ballet is its own being. It has its own vocabulary. I feel as if I am in a different world when I am in the ballet studio." So why shouldn't she give her ballet shoes a prominent place?

Organize-Your-Closet Lesson #3: Sort your things by type.
"I organize things by clothing type and by season," says Kiernan. "My dresses are together, as well as my skirts, hats, jackets, tops, scarfs, sweaters, and shoes! I hate a messy closet. I totally freak out when my closet is messy and I can't find anything. I like it to be as organized as can be!"

Jake Rosenberg for The Coveteur

Organize-Your-Closet Lesson #4: Seek out unexpected -- and mood-lifting -- storage.
You may not have SAG awards like Kiernan but surely you have old trophies that can double as jewelry stands. Or maybe a diploma to display with your perfume bottles? Work the pieces you're proud of into your space and you'll have a constant reminder of your successes. "I am so lucky to be part of such an awesome cast on Mad Men," says Kiernan. "Being awarded the trophies is just the cherry on top!"

Jake Rosenberg for The Coveteur

Organize-Your-Closet Lesson #5: Keep the floor a no-clothes zone.
We know it's hard to keep 100% of your clothes in your closet 100% of the time. Instead, designate pretty spots to stash items that you haven't had time to put away yet. We love how sweet Kiernan's frock looks on display by the window. Much, much better than strewn on the floor or over a chair."

Disposing of Paint Responsibily

   

As you declutter your garage or storage area, you may find some old paint you want to get rid of. Our local recycling center recommends the following for disposing of latex paint responsibly.

"Dried out Latex Paint (water-based) is an acceptable item for curbside trash.  To solidify follow these simple instructions:
DO...

• Mix absorbent material (i.e. cat litter, sawdust, shredded newspaper) into paint and allow mixture to dry thoroughly.  Use a 50/50 mixture to ensure the quickest dry time; or 
• Let the paint dry out.  Simply remove the lid and sit the paint can in a well-ventilated area (this works best for small quantities of paint); or
• Pour thin layers (about 1" of paint) into a disposable pie plate or cardboard box lined with plastic and allow the paint to dry one layer at a time.  Repeat the process until all the paint is dry.
• Once paint is dry, leave the lid off the can and place in your regular trash.
• Recycle the steel cans!  
• Place dried paint in box or plastic grocery bag to throw it out."

More on paint:

Magnetic Paint - An Innovative Space Saver!

Storage for Your Garage

Reorganize and Decorate with Little Cash or Carbon Footprint