MOMania

By FCM

November 10, 2008 6:31 AM | Link to this

run do not walk to:

flylady.com

but you have to be committed to it!

However, in my defense, I do have at least three other people working against me as I try to keep track of everything for this family.<—-that is an excuse, I know I have used it.

Yes, I have 2 other people regularly destroying any clean spot leaving National Disaster in their wake. However, it is my job to 1. Set an example by keeping my act together, 2. Show them how to organize their stuff, 3. Make us all do it.

Rose and Walsh are old enough to do some things to help (sorting silverware)….even the Lili can, give her a rag and let her ‘dust’ the furniture and sit her next to you with the towels and let her ‘fold’ one….Yes she will fold an unfold the same one all day but that is her learning, and the foundation for future.

Give each a small plastic bag (ok not the baby) and give a prize for whomever picks up the most ‘paper/trash’ from a room.

Get organizational boxes for their toys….if it doesn’t have a home find it one (even if it’s not your home—ie good will). Now is a great time to remind the kids of children who don’t have much, that Santa is on his way and to sort their toys to make room for new ones.

School art: My method is to put it all in a drawer for the whole year unless I use it to decorate (ie turkey, santa) for a holiday. I use one large dresser drawer. Then in the summer I take one morning a big pot of coffee and go through all of the art work….setting some of the less note worthy projects aside. Usually on a Saturday while the kids watch cartoons, this works for me. Then when I have the ‘possible save’ pile, I get the kids involved we decide we are going to keep ‘x’ number of item (usually 10) in their ‘portfolios’ and we pick 10 together…..there are some exceptions (their preschool silouttes) that get framed and not counted. For photos, I just put this year’s on top of last and then get a trip through memory lane each time I change the photo!

No, this is not easy. Like you I am not born organized (yes some are). I am allergic to housework, but love a nice house. However, since I found FlyLady in 2001, I have steadily improved to where I do not rely on her site as much (she would be proud I graduated)….It takes 15 min to recover the dining/living area. One bathroom is always clean enough for company, all of the holiday stuff is boxed and labeled (Thanksgiving came out this weekend).

Like weight loss it was hard to take that first step. The baby steps were hard to master, but now, I am 100% better than I was in 2001—no, it’s not because the twin tornadoes are older, their messes get worse….and it takes 30-hour to recover their rooms.

Hang in there, be determined, and you can master this. You will feel better when you do.

Oh, and just why can’t these clothes hang themselves up? I hate doing that too!

By momtoAlex&Max

November 10, 2008 7:23 AM | Link to this

Ugh, I hate hanging clothes too!!! I am ashamed to say how often clothes go directly from the laundry basket (clean and folded) straight to the wearer and then to the laundry hamper.

In re: clutter. I live with a pack rat. The only solution has been to dedicate one room in the house (his office) for his “stuff” that he refuses to throw away. Our new house also came with a walk-in storage closet in the garage (who thought of that? Genius!) that is also his.

I am about to tackle the kids rooms and basement soon for they are getting cluttered as well. Trash bags and storage bins are my best friends!

By ebaby

November 10, 2008 7:43 AM | Link to this

I come from a family of pack rats. My mother still mourns the loss of some old stuff that belonged to her grandmother (another pack rat) whose son emptied the house after her passing. Its ben over 25 years and she still hasnt gotten over the loss of some things!

Anyway, then I met my husband and his family. They aren’t perfect, but they definitely know how to get rid of things when the time becomes appropriate.

Our secrets to keeping the house clutter free: If the filling cabinet is getting full, its time to do some spring cleaning. I have only so many hangers in my closet. If I dont have one to hand my new clothes, than there are some old ones that can probably be donated. Coats go in an easy, convenient place near the door of entry. Mail has a dedicated pilling spot. Once that spot is full, its time to go through and toss. I only have ONE laundry basket, so once its full, it needs to get empited. As far as misplacing things- I still do that, but its quicker to find them without so much junk in the way.

My sister is a pack rat supreme. She still has school notes that she took in HS and College classes. She went on to get a masters- so there are notes EVERYWHERE:

By Sugar

November 10, 2008 8:17 AM | Link to this

Well, I get 30 minutes of “Sugar” time when I walk in from work. In those 30 minutes, I will sit and go through the mail, and make my piles. All our bills go into a three ring binder immediately after being opened. All junk mail goes into a recycling pile.

After my 30 minute down time, we do what’s called “15 minute clean up” whereby everyone picks up for 15 minutes. Glasses from bedrooms, dirty dishes, run the vaccuum quickly and sweep the kitchen. With 4 of us doing this, the place is kept fairly tidy.

When my husband gets home, we let him relax for 30 minutes. During his time, I start dinner, and the kids do homework at the table. I cook, hubby comes and helps, and we all sit down for dinner. Then it’s off for the remainder of homework.

Car and house keys all go on the stairs as soon as we walk in the door. We live in a split foyer, but we we come in from the garage, and the keys are dropped right there.

Each kid takes their bookbags to the dining room for homework, then after homework, the bags are taken to each child’s room and prepared for the next morning. No scrambling around as we are trying to walk out the door.

More to come later. I want to see what everyone else does to tackle this……

By Soon to Be Mom

November 10, 2008 8:19 AM | Link to this

Growing up, my parents were both pack rats. And I swore to myself that I would never be a pack rat and let the junk consume my house. It pretty much only consumes the computer desk and the counter in the kitchen.

Mail does not come into the house unless it is useful like a bill. The rest gets thrown out in the outside trashcan. Car keys when I’m loading the trunk get left in the keyhole. I’ve locked myself out of the car one too many times not to do this trick or I put in my pants pocket. I go through my clothes once during the fall and get rid of clothes I didn’t wear during the summer. And once in the spring to get rid of clothes I didn’t wear in the winter. It seems to help.

My mother in her later life found flylady.com and loved it to help her clean and organize the house.

By Theresa

November 10, 2008 8:22 AM | Link to this

I want to clarify that to the average observer our house does not look that bad. It’s not like you walk in and there are piles of stuff all over the place. My biggest offender is my desk where there are stacks of paper for each project —kids report cards, children’s church, bills to pay, and one area that really does need to be overhauled. We have all the toy organizers in the basement and for the most part the toys are there other than random thigns. I think I need a kid bookshelf for our family room — there are lots of books on coffee tables. FCM I will go to flylady and check it out. I am afraid that Rose and Walsh have inherited my lack of order as opposed to Michael’s orderliness. It is an uphill struggle for at least three in the family. And that dog!! I spent my Saturday morning scrubbing the carpet where he keeps marking!!! But that is a whole other issue!

Do you guys keep school papers as well as art projects??

By awm

November 10, 2008 8:23 AM | Link to this

I desperately need help, I am thinking of turning one bedroom into a closet where I can keep all clothing, shoes, travel bags etc. I have work clothes, gym clothes etc just dont have a clue how to keep them organized, does anyone have any ideas? please help.

By Theresa

November 10, 2008 8:28 AM | Link to this

Sugar — I love the 15 minute clean up — I think we could do that right before bath time when Michael got home. I think he’d love it!!! I think we’ll try that! Make it like a contest to see who can get it the neatest and maybe they get extra time up or an extra story — good thoughts Sugar!

By Kathy

November 10, 2008 8:36 AM | Link to this

Okay Theresa, I’m going to do the opposite….Hello, my name is Kathy and I am obsessively, compulsively organized….and it makes me happy! I feel contented when everything is in order. Clutter and mess makes me feel very ADD and out of control. I am constantly cleaning out, organizing, straightening, etc. I am not a keeper…..I do not get sentimentally attached to stuff so I am very good at getting rid of clothes, toys, etc. that we do not need anymore. My husband takes care of the bill paying, but I file it all away when he is done. All the toys have bins and shelves where they all go (this came from being an organized Kindergarten teacher). Purse and other bags are hung in the laundry room. Little E has never been one to just go through stuff and she has been told from day 1 that the desk in the office is Mommy and Daddy’s and she may not touch.

My newest challenge is the artwork my daugher is bringing home from preschool. Here is what I have decided to do: I hang up all of the artwork for the month on the back of a cabinet (our sink overlooks the family room so the back of this is perfect). Then I take a picture of it for Little E’s scrapbook. Then she and I pick 3 favorite pieces to keep (it gets stored in a Rubbermaid container) and I throw the rest away/recycled. The thought of keeping every single thing she brings home makes me cringe.

Being a stay-at-home mom has fed this organization monster. I don’t think things would be like this if I were working! I could probably start my own business cleaning up and organizing for people.

By DB

November 10, 2008 9:07 AM | Link to this

Another vote for the Flylady! Marla and I were both on the same chat board (along with a few dozen other people) about 10-12 years ago that discussed SHEs (Sidetracked Home Executives) by Pam Young and Peggy Jones — they had an organization system that they developed and we’d all discuss how we used it. Marla was great and always had ideas to implement some of the Slob Sister’s organizational concepts, and was always generous with her spot-on advice. She’s the one that came up with “challenges”, to get people motivated to get things done. She’s actually a judge (not sure if she’s still practicing) in North Carolina who loves to fly-fish (thus the FlyLady), and has a great sense of humor! FlyLady just took off about seven or eight years ago when people told her, “Gee, you ought to start your own website!” when websites were just getting off the ground — she ran with it, and has really developed a comprehensive system. She’s a very cool lady!

Looking at her site can be a little intimidating, but if you take some time to read through it, you’ll probably find that there’s a lot of stuff that you’re already doing. The other stuff are often “ah-hah!” moments that you can incorporate.

We’ve gone the personal organizer consultant route about 12 years ago — my husband’s job is very paper-intensive, and truly, I USED to be uber-organized until I had kids, then my life sorta fell apart, organization-wise. I think it was the hormones :-) The P.O. is expensive — it DID get my office clutter cleaned away, but unfortunately, it didn’t last, because I never learned HOW to organize all the different interests and things I had gotten into.

I think kids are either born organized or not. My son is a pack rat, like me. My daughter, on the other hand, is the most unsentimental person in the world — she can toss with abandon, and the whole family remembers when I saw a book in her trash after one clean-up day, pounced on it and said, “You aren’t throwing THIS away, are you?!? You LOVED this book!” She looked at me like I was an alien — “Yeah, Mom — when I was FIVE!”

Anyway, Theresa, good luck — been there, doing that! I LOVE my Blackberry (I loved my Treo, too) that has every single phone number and address that I want, and also my calendar — it keeps me going in the right direction!

By Babs

November 10, 2008 9:19 AM | Link to this

Theresa, try reading Real Simple magazine, too. It’s full of ideas to help you sort yourself out and save time. I love my subscription and could not keep going without it.

By Sugar

November 10, 2008 9:19 AM | Link to this

Thank you Theresa. The 15 minute pick up was an idea my Sister in Law came up with. So I can’t take the credit.

By knows better

November 10, 2008 9:36 AM | Link to this

This has been mentioned before, I remember in the discussion about Theresa’s children messing with the personal belongings of homeowners during a search for a new house. Possibly other times as well. Theresa, part of your problem is that you have never bothered to teach your children respect for other people’s property. The phrase, “This does not belong to you, do not touch it,” needs to be repeated often in your home, and enforced. the idea of letting them go through your purse, play with the phone… all that gives me the willies. It may not bother you, but believe me it bothers others, and you have already confessed that your children see no difference in meddling with your things and meddling with the property of others. You do them a huge disservice by failing to teach them to repsect other peoples’ property and space.

By Sugar

November 10, 2008 9:48 AM | Link to this

My kids were NEVER allowed to play with my keys or the phones, Cell or land. God only knows where they would end up at. Buy the baby a play phone, there are tons of them out there.

A friend of mine let his son play with his keys, and they came up missing for a month. They finally found them at the bottom of the kid’s toy box.

NEVER let your kids play with your keys.

By amy

November 10, 2008 10:00 AM | Link to this

Theresa: you said “My husband sternly lectured me that these things do not happen to normal people, and I needed to make changes in my life. (I told him he needed to stick it up his …)” Your husband should not be criticising you, but HELPING you. If that means he has to hire you a professional organizer to get you a system in place, then so be it! It doesn’t sound like he understands your challenges, and thinks you are silly. A few suggestions from me: Keep a Rack with pegs on it in your entry or kitchen-place all keys on it. Also, have a basket placed strategically up high, to put your purse, cells, and husband’s wallet in it as you come home. For the phone-get a TOY cell Phone for your kids from the toy store. For art and school work, get a large plastic tote, fill it, and at Christmas break, AND at end of the school year, (or more frequently if need be) PURGE and only keep the most important things. Repeat at the next school year. For your MAIL-have three baskets-SHRED, TO BE PAID(bills), TO BE FILED. AT month end, do some shredding, and file everything in the “to be filed” basket. And of course pay whatever bills are due & file them too. And most importantly-Make your husband help you! He can shred while watching TV at night, or that football game.

By FCM

November 10, 2008 10:32 AM | Link to this

Whatever method/system you end up with…make it yours. It will be tough (possibly very tough at first) but once you get everyone into it, well the house doesn’t clean itself, but it gets LOTS easier.

I find myself saying “Billy (or Susie) come here please…where do your shoes live?” One child just says — “HOLD UP! I have to do a shoe count”…she opens the shoe closet (front hall) and if there are ‘empty spaces’ she will tell you whose shoes are missing and then ask that they show up…the shoes live on that rack.

Another child will point out that bookbags do not live on my livingroom floor. During the week they live next to the front door—if they have been organized for night (including a snack) and on a coat tree (behind a Fica) during the weekend.

Toys seem to migrate, but I usually just have to say “hey look I have a new truck/doll/whatever” for the owner to claim it. Then I ask “where does it live?” I have to ask that about once a week now, it used to be once every 15 minutes!

By Sunny

November 10, 2008 10:59 AM | Link to this

I shouldn’t honeslty be adding to this blog I don’t have children and I know it is much harder to stay organized with a lot of other people’s stuff to keep up with. I am A VERY neat and organized person. Not obessive, but just very neat. Always have been - even as a child. I come from a family of total slobs - so that may be why I choose to be so neat. It can go the oppostie way sometimes, too. I do keep a lot of memeorbilla, but I have it neatly stored in boxes and labled. TO KATHY - I looked into being a persinal organizer once - but you would not believe how many people do this for a livng. It is very competitive and even when I do try to help my friends out (I have a friend who is a huge horder) - the biggest problem is I can not convince them get rid of stuff. I mean, 10 year old clothes, old, old dishes, etc. I fear this would be the problem with clients. They want you to organize - but not to toss anything. Kudos to all yoru Moms with children who are willing to try different things!!! Have a great day!

By DM

November 10, 2008 11:03 AM | Link to this

I completely agree with knows better about teaching your children to leave your stuff alone. If your keys, drivers license, etc., end up missing because you leave them within the kids’ reach, you have no one to blame but yourself - (1) for leaving the stuff within reach and (2) for not teaching your kids to show respect for your stuff.

I have had the same problem with my 9-yr-old grandson because his mother has not taught to respect other peoples’ stuff. He broke a very expensive lamp in my house and is now banned from touching ANYTHING of mine. (Of course his mother didn’t bother disciplining him about that because she has no respect for anyone.)

Children need boundaries, and learning to respect other peoples’ possessions is just one of many limits that needs to be set.

By Joyce

November 10, 2008 11:12 AM | Link to this

I will also enthusiastically recommend Flylady! I’m also organizationally challenged, my husband is better, adn my son is BO all the way. I finally decided I didn’t want to kill that impluse in him. I found out about Flylady a couple of years ago and it really helps! Two things I do with my paperwork are: 1) Sort all the mail in the driveway, standing next to the trash can—the mail has to earn its way in! 2) My son and I unpack his bookbag as soon as we get home. This one really works, because we sort right then into “keep” or “throw” piles. The “keep” stuff goes on the fridge for display or into the trundle drawer under his bed. We’ll go through that drawer once or twice during the school year and winnow that down too. I can tell this works, because when we don’t do it right away (this past Friday) we’re really scrambling in the morning before school and the coffee table looks like a disaster area!

Another thing I started with my son was an idea I got from someone on Flylady: The Tomorrow Drawer! Every night, as part of the before bed/bath routine, my son lays out the clothes he’ll need the next day in a dresser drawer that wasn’t being used. Everything except shoes. For dressy “hang up” clothes, we hang the articles on doorknobs of his closet.

I also made him a poster list of his routine things for morning and evening. I bought some scrapbooking stickers and used different colored sharpies to make it attractive. Now as he’s getting ready in the morning, I can call out asking which number he’s on instead of standing over him. Eventually, this should create some independence, as that has been a bit of an issue lately…

By Penguinmom

November 10, 2008 11:37 AM | Link to this

I am definitely a messy person also. Having 3 kids does not help the situation. Add any sort of outside work/activities and the day just doesn’t seem to have enough hours.

First, if your kids are moving your important things, they need to be punished. Personally I would make this such a big no-no that none of them ever think of doing it again. Two reasons: 1) Their life will be much happier if they do not have a crazy mom trying to find her stuff. So teaching them a hard lesson of leaving it alone is actually beneficial. 2) They need to learn to leave other people’s stuff alone.

Second, flylady is based on the book SideTracked Home Executives. Really good book. I’ve used their methods before and they really do work. I found the FlyLady to be a little annoying because of the constant emails. Also, shining the sink never inspired me probably because the kitchen is not my domain. I will say she has some good methods also. The 5-minute clean (set timer, clean, then stop) or the 27 fling (each person pick up and throw away 27 things.) are great.

Another strategy to keep from losing certain items is to make them hard to miss. I’ve attached a long yellow lanyard to my cellphone. I don’t wear it, but it is much easier to find because that yellow tends to peek out. Same could be done with keys (at least attach something to them so they are too big to fall down holes in your car.)

By new mom

November 10, 2008 12:52 PM | Link to this

I don’t have a lot to add that hasn’t already been said, just a few things/ideas.

First, if you are not an organized person by nature, I would imagine that having a professional organizer come in and help would not really do much in the long run, unless you have some serious motivation and commitment. I sometimes watch those organizational shows on hgtv and tlc, and wonder, “how soon will their house be all junked up again?” It takes more than a one-time intervention to keep a house in order.

Which leads me to my second point: It’s a daily commitment. Every day, make sure you put everything in its place. I don’t go to bed until all the toys are picked up (14 mth old still a bit too young to do it all, but she IS already picking her toys up. One of her favorite games is putting toys in a bucket, basket, etc. And we cheer her on like she won a gold medal when she picks up!)

Need some inspiration? Make a trip to the container store. Sometimes just seeing ways to store and organize items will inspire you to clean, sort, purge, and in the process, make your ‘stuff’ beautiful.

Anyway, I don’t go to bed with a dirty kitchen, things out of place, mail not sorted, etc. I follow someone else’s advice of not bringing in junk mail. The true junk goes into the recycle bin outside, the things that need to be shredded go to the shredder, the bills go into the ‘bills to be paid’ folder in our office, and the rest I deal with right then. Please don’t think I’m bragging, but we have NEVER been late on a bill, ever. And it’s staying organized every day that keeps that kind of thing from happening!

If you don’t have time to file paperwork when you receive it, start a ‘file pile’ and make a weekly appointment with yourself and your office. Commit to file things every week!

I also don’t let the doctor’s offices give me those cards, instead I write in appointments in my book I carry with me everywhere. We also have 2 monthly dry erase boards on the side of our fridge (out of plain view) that we consult everyday. 2, for the current month, and the upcoming one. My husband spends a few minutes every few days checking that calendar, then adding appointments to his iphone. We HATE being late, I consider late not being at least 10 mintues early. And I also consider having less than 1/4 tank of gas as empty! Come to think of it, am I a bit OCD? Hmmmmm….

And I said I didn’t have a lot to add. Did anyone actually believe that? ;)

By new mom

November 10, 2008 1:02 PM | Link to this

I said one of my things backwards…I consider that not being at least 10 minutes early as late. As willy wonka said….stop, reverse that…

By Kathy

November 10, 2008 1:14 PM | Link to this

I agree with newmom…..make sure everything is in its place at the end of the day. Oh and the Container Store is one of my favorite places!!! I love storage. Okay I’ll just say it….I am just plain old weird!

By phr

November 10, 2008 1:26 PM | Link to this

One of my friends told me that she only keeps her child’s artwork if it has handprints or something personal about it or on it. I have used that as my rule of thumb now. My son’t school work and projects could take over because he brings home at least 8-10 pieces of paper a day from school and after care at the church.

I have to agree with the others on here that said they don’t let their kids play with their keys and cell phones. I told my son that my purse is mine and he shouldn’t ever go in it unless he has permission. He has to learn to respect other people’s property.

The rule in our house is if you leave your toys downstairs (our den & kitchen) then Mommy gets to keep them. He has one cratelike thing he can keep downstairs, but the rest need to be in the toybox or the shelves in his closet. You just have to be consistent.

By JJ

November 10, 2008 1:27 PM | Link to this

Hi Everyone!!! Thought I would pop in on this one. A topic very close to my heart. I am a VERY organized person.

I have three “piles” that are the norm. My three piles are 3 ring binders. One for my meager income (paychecks, 401(k)s, IRA’s); one for my bills; and a third for medical bills/statements.

My daughter is working so much, I am home alone practically every night. The first thing I do is sit down with the mail, while I watch Ellen. I sort it into two piles. One is junk mail and all the crap that comes with the bills (Fliers, envelopes, etc), the other is the bill pile. Like Sugar the bills immediately go into the “Bill” binder. On a separate piece of paper at the front of the notebook, I write down every bill that comes in, the amount due, and the due date. Basically everything in before the 15th of the month gets paid on the 15th, same for the 30th. One I have paid a bill, it gets filed under that “vendor”, and I write the date I paid it, and which account it came out of (I have two checking accounts at two different banks).

Now my daughter on the other hand, a complete SLOB. Walk & Drop is her motto. Her bedroom is so messy, I don’t even go in there anymore. She will open something up, and just drop it where ever it lands. God forbid she could actually throw something away. But we are working on it. By working on it, I mean I follow her around with a garbage can. Just kidding……but I have to constantly be on her to throw stuff away.

Now, on the other hand, I am a little of a pack rat. There are certain things that I just cannot part with (I still have all my stuffed animals from when I was a kid). One is a silk dress my dad bought me about 25 years ago. I know I will NEVER wear it again, but he bought it for me all by himself. He passed away about 16 years ago, and I just can’t bear the thought of giving that dress away, so it hangs in my closet in a plastic bag.

Hello to all the regulars. I hope everyone is healthy and doing well.

*New Mom I cannot believe your baby is already a year old. How time flies. I swear you will blink and she will be in high school. The time really goes by fast so enjoy each and every moment. You are VERY lucky to be able to stay home with her.

I’ll pop in later. Ya’ll play nice.

By JJ

November 10, 2008 1:42 PM | Link to this

By the way, we are going to check out some colleges the next couple of months. We are checking one out this coming weekend. Seems like just yesterday I was putting her into her car seat and taking her to day care.

By new mom

November 10, 2008 1:45 PM | Link to this

JJ!!!!!!!! Sweet fancy moses, it’s so good to hear from you! You have been missed…And yes, I can’t believe she will be 14 mths this week. I didn’t truly believe how quickly it goes by until I had her, now I just want to freeze time and make every day last a week. :) And I am sooo lucky and blessed to have this time with her. If she had come earlier in our lives, we probably woudn’t be able to do this. Sometimes being old has its rewards! ;)

Back to the organization topic: I am reminded of something that organizational guru said about sentimental things. (the guy that was on clean sweep and has been on oprah some) He said that if you keep everything that’s “sentimental”, then none of it is really special. I am sentimental with things from my grandparents, but chose to keep just a few things from them. That way, as he said, those few things take a place of honor and become even more special. (like JJ and the dress from your father, how sweet!) I have some family members who, God bless ‘em, keep everything my grandparents ever touched. Then they are swamped with ‘stuff’ that they can’t store or preserve, and you would have no clue what really means something to them. Everything can’t be equally important…

Boy I’m trying hard to keep our baby girl out of my purses…what can i say, she loves them. and shoes and clothes. Do we ever have a future girly-girl on our hands! If I leave one out for a second, she’s on it, like she has purse-radar. And she immediately goes to my wallet, and has pulled out every credit card and cash. Oy vey…I am trying to teach her not to though!!

By Penguinmom

November 10, 2008 1:48 PM | Link to this

I LOVE the Container Store! How awesome is that place? Wish there was one in Gwinnett. My problem is that (left to my own devices) I would collect all the little cute organizer things but they would not really help me get organized.

i think the real key to not losing things (like keys) is to have one place to put them and committing to ALWAYS put them there. When I do this, my keys/library books/shoes are easy to find. It’s when I get lazy (way too often) and drop the keys on the stairs as I’m carrying in the mail, or take my shoes off at my computer that I get into trouble.

Library books are a big bugaboo at our house because I have 2 avid readers and one pre-reader. I have to absolutely recommend the Library ELF website if you are in Gwinnett (maybe other counties use it also). Has saved me money on many, many occasions by sending me (and my husband) an email reminder of which books are due.

My real hope is that as my last child (a boy) gets older we will begin to be able to weed out things that are longer used. Got rid of crib, high chair, potty chairs, baby toys, baby clothes already. Now working our way through weeding out preschool toys and the girl toys my daughter outgrows that my youngest will never use (hopefully). :-)

By JJ

November 10, 2008 2:34 PM | Link to this

newMom Why don’t you buy a cute little purse and wallet for your little one? I did that. I also gave my daughter keys I never used so she had her own “set”. And I also gave her those fake credit cards that used to come in the mail.

You can also get her some little fake lipsticks, and makeup. Oh, and don’t forget the little fake cell phone….she will feel SO grown up…

By cofthenight

November 10, 2008 2:37 PM | Link to this

A lot of you keep mentioning to not even bring the junk mail inside the house… toss it straight in the garbage outside. But.. is anyone as paranoid about ID theft as I am??? I bring ALL my junk mail in and put it in a “shred” pile. But we get SOOOO much of it! I have a HUGE shred pile waiting to be dealt with!

By jct

November 10, 2008 2:37 PM | Link to this

I try to stay organized. My family fights me all the way. I can’t stand clutter; it hurts my spirit. Everything has its place. I have a rack to hang keys. Two different bulletin boards – one for where you are in the kitchen and another to hang stuff you want to use in the laundry room. I have a basket where everyone is supposed to place their phones, wallets, etc.

I hate receiving snail mail so I receive the majority of bills electronically. When the mail comes in I immediately review. Throw out junk mail and file the other documents immediately. I get paid once per month so I have all my due dates prior to the 15th of each month. I use Quicken and an Excel spreadsheet that has all the bills that I can think I might have to pay in the year.

I hang my clothes in the closet by type of clothing (skirts with skirts, pants with pants) and by season (long sleeve followed by short sleeve) and color (darker to lighter) so that I can pick my clothes easily. I shared a room with a messy sister as a child. I was this organized as a child. It would drive my mother crazy about the way I put my clothes away.

I am a step parent who moved into a household of clutter and piles. I used to drive myself sick every cleaning the house so that I could rest. Now I just ask the den, kitchen and bedroom be clutter free. The rest of the house I clean in shifts. They have gotten better knowing that I really can’t think if the house is in disarray.

By Theresa

November 10, 2008 2:40 PM | Link to this

I’ve got to finish reading everyone’s stuff fully but I wanted to say hello to JJ!! I’m happy to see you! I almost added this morning that I hoped you would come and visit this topic!!

Also want to say that i got a note from a professional organizer — Only thing is journalists are not allowed to take freebies (unlike Jon and Kate Plus 8) and I think we have the money to pay for that right now. Plus I want to try everyone’s suggestions.

By JJ

November 10, 2008 2:48 PM | Link to this

Hi Theresa!!!!!

What a nice post. Thank you so much for thinking of me. I’ll try to pop in more often.

You should do a blog about Thanksgiving. I’ve seen quite a few on the AJC about food, where you go, what do you cook, etc. You should do one like that too as we get closer to the holidays (can you say STRESS??)

Oh, and I LOVED last Friday’s blog about testoterone…I lurked all day long, and got quite a chuckle…..

By new mom

November 10, 2008 2:50 PM | Link to this

JJ, thanks! but sadly I’ve tried that. She has a couple of ‘play purses’, but everything is all soft and fuzzy and ‘safe’. I think she knows they aren’t for real, so she isn’t very interested. It even has a drivers license, which I put a picture of her on it. It’s as if she thinks “those are baby toys, I want what Mommy has!” But she does have a toy remote control she enjoys (still prefers to chew on the real one though) and she has fake keys that even have a beep beep like a car alarm. But they aren’t mommy’s….There’s a play phone on her kitchen. It rings and everything, and she will put it up to her ear and say HI HI HI!!! It’s adorable. Wonder where she learned to talk on the phone ;)

And about the ID theft issue, I am pretty paranoid about it too, so I only use the recycyling container for true junk mail, like flyers, ads, catalogs, etc. If there is a bit of personal info on it, it comes inside and I shred it. And I also hate having a stack of shredding, so I try to do it every day or so.

By journalist?

November 10, 2008 2:59 PM | Link to this

journalist?

By JJ

November 10, 2008 3:12 PM | Link to this

newMom That happened to me with the purse. I ended up giving her one of my old ones. She loved it!!! And that’s right they think it’s a “baby” thing, and they are all grown up at 14months. ha ha

By motherjanegoose

November 10, 2008 4:11 PM | Link to this

Back in my house briefly before my LAST trip before the holidays….whhooohooo!

I am on the fence with this topic. I grew up with an obsessive compulsive mother who yanked our butts out of bed if we left anything out or did not clean up the kitchen to her standards. She was a perfectionist overboard and frankly we never even liked her ( this includes myself and my 2 sisters)…we have no happy memories of being with her…she was WAY to picky,

When she died, we found Christmas cards filed for the past 35 years of their marriage…that is too nutty for me.

She also organized my pantry and called me while I was in labor to tell me how much tuna I had and what flavors of jello where in there. I was in the middle of contractions and frankly did NOT want to know.

Is it any wonder I married someone whose mother NEVER heard of the phrase…a place for everything and everything in it’s place? BATTLEGROUND TERRITORY FOR SPOUSES WHO ARE SO OPPOSITE.

I was an organized person until I started making 30 trips per year for business. My business stuff is all in line but I cannot monitor if everyone is putting their shoes away etc. Once, my neighbor came over with our phone, that was left in the back yard by my husband. There would be days when I would have ranted and raved but I cannot change him and he does not see the point of having an organizational agenda.

This is a frequent hot spot in our life…so I do not want to be a witch and WILL NOT put everything else’s things away…thus our house is NOT as neat as it once was…especially when I am not home. I used to walk right in the door and fuss at the mess ( since I left things neat) and they hated me for it.

I do like things to be organized…when I am in a hotel for several days, you will know it is just me as I keep everything in a neat little pile. I really cannot stand being in one hotel room with my family as the clutter makes me insane. We usually take a condo and that way we have more room to divide into who wants to be messy and who wants to be neat.

Here are my tips:

Moms…get a plastic shoe box and keep your own pair of scissors, paper punch, markers tape etc in it. This is your secret supply box…if the rest of your crew cannot remember to put away the community supplies…just shrug your shoulders and do not worry ( they will learn a hard lesson that it is not fun when you need a scissors and cannot find one).

I have been known to pile all random items on the stairs and when it gets so deep that the messy folks cannot get up the stairs…they might get the message….I said might.

YOU ABSOLUTELY DO NOT let your children in your purse. This is respectful. I also keep ,my purse right next to my bed and check for my wallet and phone before I go to sleep. This is due to waking up in a hotel with the fire alarm going off and stressing to get my keys, wallet, room key and phone before I left to wait outside in my PJ’s.

Get some plastic dishpans from BIG LOTS one color for each kid. Slide these under your sofa in the family room. All school papers get tossed into it in a quick clean up mode and then you sort through it once a month or so. Ours slid right under the sofa and no one knew they were there.

I am just getting into the mail shredder thing….the junk mail makes me insane!

Here is a funny story:

We stayed in a condo in Hawaii and previous folks wrote comments in the guest book. One lady wrote that she alphabetized the spices in the pantry…another wrote: I messed up the spices…get a life…we are supposed to be on vacation… I laughed so hard as I thought the first lady might have been my mother’s ghost.

To each his own and I have to get ready for my last trip!!!!

Theresa, you are in a better position if your husband wants things to be organized but I agree that he must help you and do his part.

By motherjanegoose

November 10, 2008 4:41 PM | Link to this

Since I am always involved in a suitcase, here are a few travel organizational tips to share:

I have on toiletry bag for the road ( except my makeup) and identical items in my bathroom. I am always packed and no worries if I have everything….advil, q tips, hand lotion etc. are all ready to go!

When you purchase a suitcase…keep the tag with the picture on it ( in my carry on) this way, when your luggage is lost you can show them exactly what it looked like.

Kids and camp…save the plastic grocery bags from Publix or Kroger. Put 6 or 7 bags on the floor in your child’s room. Each bag gets a pair of shorts, underwear, sox and shirt…one complete outfit. This way the clean clothes does not get mixed up with the dirty stuff. One big trash bag for the dirty stuff….when they have already worn it, Each day, tell your child to grab one bag of clothes to take with them to the showers, with their toiletries and towel…they will not be standing there without underwear, as it will all be ready in the bag.

Theresa…just wait…camp will really make you nuts if you are not organized. Also…copy your exact medical card front and back and send this with them, in case anything happens and it will….trust me! sometimes the hospital cannot read what is on the forms.

Your children need to learn how to pack themselves…I started this when mine were 7 or 8 ….it is a learned skill!

By Kathy

November 10, 2008 5:17 PM | Link to this

WOOHOO!!! JJ is back! I was worried about you! Hope all is well.

By FCM

November 10, 2008 5:30 PM | Link to this

on ID THEFT: Serious threat. Anything that has your DL, SSN, or Financial info should be shredded. Subscribe to one of those monitoring services if you can (Equifax has a good one). Check your Credit Score—-in GA you get 2 free a year.

still prefers to chew on the real one though BIG SMILE…..My eldest was chomping on my parents’ remote and my Dad was like “give me that!” they never replaced it, her tiny teeth marks are still there. A remote is the best teether ever—other than the germ factor.

OK, everybody organized? Santa is done with his shopping at my house. I still have to get to cards, stocking stuff, and a few close friend gifts….Won’t do the baking until closer in.

Yes, when you finally get organized you can make it work on all levels.

Now, I am off to go my Chili that’s been in the Crock Pot all day!

JJ!!!!!! I never did go back to see what set you off…and I don’t want to hash it now. LET’s JUST AGREE I HAVE MISSED YOU ON ALL THE BOARDS!

By new mom

November 10, 2008 5:55 PM | Link to this

JJ, that’s a good idea about giving her an old purse. I have saved some old ones for future dress-up fun, but I may need to get out a few now. Thanks!

After reading MJG’s post, I do think it’s important to keep things in perspective and not be overboard in being organized. For me, having a baby has helped me chill a bit and not sweat every little detail. I don’t want her thinking her mommy is a nutcase…well, at least give her even more ammo! And for me, it helps to think that keeping the mess under control daily will help me be a better, more focused, and less stressed-out wife and mommy. ;)

and FCM, our sweetness actually destroyed one of our remotes. I don’t know how, but it’s dead. perhaps all the saliva shorted it out, who knows…and let’s not even get into what her crib rails look like. It’s like we have a little doberman around here!

By FCM

November 10, 2008 7:13 PM | Link to this

@new mom— both of mine were out of the crib by age 1…they could jump the rails!!! I figured that having them wonder their room—although they usually just wondered to mine—AND STILL DO!!!!!!! —-was safer than them climbing out.

So, count your blessings on her being in the bed.

One of my co-works just announced they (the wife and he) are expecting QUADS!!!!

Yes, I am hyper excited today…

By MomOf4

November 11, 2008 8:13 AM | Link to this

Thank you for blowing the lid off the endless supply of paper and kid art! This is my organizational Achilles heel! I have 4 children, and I can’t bear to throw anything away! I like FCM’s idea—I think I can tweak that one for our family. One drawer would fill up in a month at our house.

I resemble everyone’s remarks about pack rat behavior. This may be an excuse, too, but I could really use some help from the children’s schools. I get the same flyer x3 every week (Middle sch. doesn’t send home much paper). The school tries to send only one copy home with the youngest child, but this rarely works. The school has a limit of 6 flyers/week—that’s 18 flyers! Plus graded papers, art, field trip permission slips, etc. I guess I need to do a better job of sorting through it immediately, rather than adding it to my mail drawer. That’s how I lose the power bill when it sticks to the 3 Sally Foster reminders. I have Fly Lady’s book (and timer, and duster …), but I haven’t been very good about staying consistent with it. I love her attitude, though! Today’s a new day!

By gtmood

November 11, 2008 9:56 AM | Link to this

Another place to check out is:

organizedhome.com and its book Houseworks

I have the book to be great- lots of pictures and well divided out in terms of stuff. It is written by someone who was not naturally organized either. Probably one of the best organizational books that I’ve ever read/seen.

By FCM

November 11, 2008 12:33 PM | Link to this

@ Mom of R$…I have the same issue with the Thrusday Junk Mail Folder—-sorry school communication folder…In ours the ‘business partners’ of the school send home advertisements. I used to send the stuff back but then when would get a call from the school telling me I had to remove it so they would know I had read it. (Whatever!)

So now I am learning that the school has a recyle bin. I make a point of going in every Friday and putting the papers in the recycle bin at the school. I know they don’t like it, but just like the mail in my mailbox has to earn its way in, so does the school stuff.

I cannot clean out the drawer in less than a year, because my sentimental packrat children claim that they NEED every scrap of paper they drew on…..One other rule I have is if it gets torn it has to go….If you really LOVED it, it would not have gotten torn.

I do keep the handprints and Mothers Day Cards/drawings in a special portfolio that is all Mommy’s.

By Lisa

November 12, 2008 7:52 PM | Link to this

Do the best you can every day. Ya know what? I bet your kids know they’re loved, they are clean, relatively!, well fed, smooched on, hugged on…isn’t this all that really matters? We all have our thing, your messy, I need to drop 30 lbs., okay, 40! :)