Today is my daughter Alissa’s 9th birthday, so on this day, I thought I’d share a gift I give my kids on their birthdays so they will remember the past year. I make an annual digital photo album for each of them. The album goes from birthday to birthday and highlights all the adventures of the year. I use Shutterfly.com to make the books. I love the new Custom Path option because it allows you to create a unique custom scrapbook and it’s easy. The only thing that’s required is taking the time to sit with it and follow along. I think the biggest stumbling block for people is picking which photos to use in the book, that is, if you are taking photos, if not, maybe this will inspire you to start! You can always get the pictures in order or create a book, but there’s only one chance to take a picture of a particular event. Once the photos are uploaded into your computer, just drag the favorites from the year into a new album. Edit and crop your pictures, then go to the website and upload them. If you want some help making your own album, our organizers are happy to assist you. Here’s what Alissa’s 8th year looks like:
It’s that crazy time of year when kids sporting activities are in full swing. Here’s what our organizer Lara does to keep all the different sporting activities organized in her busy household:
My family is involved in multiple sports per person including soccer, baseball, basketball, softball, football and tennis. Recently, our mudroom, which is really a hallway, was completely over taken by sports bags and shoes. I’m a firm believer in having a bag for every sport or activity including music lessons, Sunday School and library books. Our household seems to have a lot of grab and go days. Inside each sports bag, there is a check list including items such as equipment, uniform, water bottle and shoes. Get Buttoned Up makes a great checklist notepad.
It is my child’s responsibility to check that the bag is stocked for each practice or game.
When we could no longer store all of the bags in the mudroom, I found a sturdy, easy to assemble chrome shelving unit from Home Depot. It is at the foot of the basement steps. For about $100, I’ve saved my sanity and the sporting equipment has a new home. Our mudroom can now be a place for school backpacks, lunch boxes, coats and shoes.
If you have children–you have artwork, and one piece at a time it can snowball and become overwhelming. Kids come home from school every day with papers, drawings, paintings, etc… You need to be selective about what is kept and what is tossed. If you keep too much, you will be lost in a sea of paper and artwork where nothing will seem appealing any more.
You must also have a good system in place for keeping kid’s artwork. Dynamic Frames is a good solution for displaying children’s art. It has a well designed frame that can hold up to 50 sheets. You simply open the front part of the frame and add your artwork. With DynamicFrames.com you can organize and display the masterpieces your children bring home.
Today’s Friday Favorite is the Command Hook from 3M. They are functional and attractive hooks that our organizers use and recommend frequently. These easy to use and removable hooks help make use of vertical wall space absolutely anywhere. The Command Hooks by 3M are not only good looking hooks, they are also completely removable with no damage to the walls. I use them in my mudroom. When the kids were little, I placed the hooks at an appropriate height so they could hang up their own coats as soon as they were able—it’s great to get them in that habit as soon as possible! Another great use for command hooks is in a closet or a bathroom—especially with kids—hanging towels, robes etc… at the appropriate height allows them to start taking the responsibility of putting their own things away. Apartment buildings, office space, teacher’s classrooms, there’s many places that having a removable, non damaging hook can come in handy. You can purchase Command Hooks at The Container Store or online at Amazon.com.
The unofficial end of summer is upon us as we approach Labor Day weekend. Kids are back to school and all schedules are amping up. Now is a good time to take a look at your household schedule and make sure smooth systems are in place. In the Friel household we use electronic calendars and sync them with our phones, but not everyone is old enough to have a phone or use the electronic calendar. So I keep a daily events calendar on a dry erase board in our mudroom/back entryway. This is a great way for everyone in the house (wired or not) to know what’s going on. You may choose to show a week at a time, that can work well too. I’ve just been in the habit of writing out the activities daily. When schedules get really busy you may opt for a daily view and during slower times you can switch it to weekly. That’s the beauty of having a plain white dry erase board, make it whatever you want–if it’s a special day, you may just want to save it for a big, “Happy Birthday” or “Congratulations”. However you use it, a dry erase board prominently placed near the most used entry of your home is a great way to help keep your family and their schedules organized.
Below is an article written by our client BJ Marshall about her experience with Chaos To Order and how she not only got more organized, but she found the ultimate bargain in doing so! Bargain hunting is a borderline-addiction for me. There’s nothing like scoring a deal on something I love (or even just [...]
During the hectic months of summer we are busy coming and going from one place to the next. Your mudroom or back entryway is heavily used and should have systems in place to make an easy transition from the outside to the inside or vice versa. Go to that space and think about what you [...]
In order to have an organized space, you need to have a place to put all of the items you have. I have an 8 year old daughter who loves art, reading and playing with a multitude of “little” things. We moved into our house when she was two and the space was perfect for [...]
Being organized is all about having the habits in place to maintain order. Being disorganized is all about having habits in place that inhibit maintaining order. As you go about your day, stop yourself and ask, “Am I finishing tasks that I begin?” I happen to be easily distracted and have to work hard to [...]
