too many toys?

After christmas Tornado still going through your house?.... 

Found a cute new to me site today - that had some great tips....

See here...

Creative Organizing

Nine Simple Strategies to Keep You Organized!
By Aby Garvey (found @ Creative Organizing)

If you've recently gone on an organizing binge, you're feeling pretty good right now. Where you once had clutter, chaos and stress, you now have organization, order and calm. How great is that? So ... what do you think your space will look like in a couple of months? Will it still be just as calm and orderly as it is today? If you're like most of us, probably not. As new belongings and activities come into your life, slowly but surely the disorder and clutter creeps back in. After all your hard work getting organized, that's the last thing you want. Isn't it?

Fear not! Below are nine simple strategies to help you maintain order and stay organized longer.

Label, Label, Label
If you haven't done so already, label where things go. This subtle reminder will help you remember what goes where and provides a source of extra guilt in the case of an unexpected urge to cram things into too small a space. It's also great for letting your family members know where things belong.

Does This Go Here?
Now that you have a place for everything, when you go to put something down ask yourself "does this go here?" If not, take the extra few seconds to put it where it belongs. Putting things back where they go right away is the single best defense against clutter.

Build-in Room for Expansion
Does your newly organized space have room for growth? Do you have empty space for all the new items you'll be bringing into your home in the upcoming weeks and months? If after organizing your closet, cupboard or kids room, the space is filled to capacity, it’s only a matter of time before you've got a clutter crisis again. If you can, build in room to grow now. Clear out just a few more items, those you were on the fence about keeping, and create a space for new things as they come in. Keep an empty bin or two in your newly organized closet, an open section in your pantry, or a clear shelf on your child's bookcase. Having room to grow will help you reap the benefits of your organizing for longer.

Create an Overflow
A similar strategy to building in room for expansion is to create an overflow area. The overflow area holds extras, things like the extra bottles of rubbing alcohol you bought on sale. Your overflow area can also hold items like hand-me downs you receive from friends or family. Make a note in your main storage area to remind you what lives in the overflow.

One In, One Out
Another maintenance option is adopting the "one in, one out" rule. This is where you make a commitment to purge one item every time you bring a new one into a space. If you buy a new shirt, purge an old one. If you buy a new pair of shoes, donate a worn out pair. And so on.

Routine Maintenance
Take steps to regularly maintain your order and organizing. Consider decluttering every day, say for ten minutes each evening before bed. Turn on some great music and rally your family together for some quick decluttering. Can't bear the thought of dealing with it every day? Consider scheduling an hour each week to de-clutter. (Remember, it's probably easier to find ten minutes every day instead of a full hour one day a week. Plus, if you declutter daily you'll always enjoy the benefits of an orderly home.)

Purge As You Go
Set up a bin or space on a shelf to store things you no longer need. Move items to this area as soon as you decide you don't need them. I recently cleaned out my closet and kept a pair of khaki pants. I went to wear them one day last week and they just didn't work. They were uncomfortable and I didn't like how I looked in them. So, off they went and I wore something else. These pants headed straight for my Goodwill bin in the basement. Since I rejected them once, I know I'll never wear them (at least I wont wear them and feel good about it) so it's time they quit taking up space in my closet. As you come across items, especially clothing, that you reject, purge them right away! Make it easy. Put a "donate" or "sell" bin in each closet of your home.

Scheduled Maintenance
How about setting up routine times for a deep purging at least twice a year. Tie this to an event to make it easy to remember and plan around. You could schedule your purge to coincide with time change weekends, the start or end of the school year, or birthdays (a great strategy if you or your kids get lots of new stuff on your birthdays.) Or tie it to your bi-annual dental exam check-ups which has the added benefit of an unsolicited reminder. The trick is to tie the deep maintenance to an event, so two times each year you'll remember to purge before your collection of stuff gets out of control.

Monthly Maintenance
Maintain a different room each month. January you could organize the kitchen. Do the home office in February. Organize your closet in March. And so on.

From the list above, pick a maintenance strategy or two that fits your lifestyle and makes sense to you. Be sure to record your decision on your calendar now, while you're still thinking of it ;). With a little planned maintenance you'll enjoy an organized and clutter free home for the months to come!

Replace game/puzzle boxes with plastic

Make your game and puzzles boxes all disappear to create a uniform clear plastic storage system. With the game boards just label on the outside and stack them all together. This is my project for the week.

Thought of the Day...

The Lord will accept that which is enough with a good deal more pleasure and satisfaction than that which is too much and unnecessary. It is good to be earnest, good to be diligent, to persevere,and to be faithful all the time, but we may go to extremes in these things when we do not need to.

Joseph F Smith

Thought of the Day...

Dost thou Love Life?
Then do not Squander time,
For that is the stuff life is made of.

- Benjamin Franklin

Organizing Children's Playthings...

So I haven't gotten very far into the book due to my job of chasing around two little crazies all day - but sometimes I think it is a good thing that I only got a paragraph or two in - because then I can contemplate that one topic for a longer period of time....

So this morning I got in my Paragraph and it happened to be on Organizing children's playthings... Oh - this is the struggle of my world! Cleaning up My kids toys - And I have realized it's partly my fault that our toy room is such a mess all the time...

For those of you who do not have the Book "the Ultimate Career" Here is a little bit from the book I enjoyed this morning....

"Children are precious, but it requires a lot of prioritizing and patience to raise them. They are bent on missions of destruction. They can spill, splash, scatter, mix up, mess up, and undo your day's work in a minute's time. They seem to specialize in causing clutter. Such Clutter, however, is not part of the problem. Scattered toys are not usually a sign of neglect; they can be evidence of growth, development and good times for children. However, they should gradually be taught to manage their clothing and toys and to clean up after themselves. It is a slow process. A young child can be expected to pick up about as many items as he or she is years old, so you do not get much help from a three year old. The training program and the ultimate results can be greatly enhanced,
however by these few tips:"

Keep the playroom de-junked

Throw away broken toys

Give away Surplus toys

Assign a "Home" for each toy

in addition to helping keep things neat,

this system reassures children, who find

security in order and routine

Create organizers for things

Be consistent in having the children 'help"

put their play things away at the end of

each play period or at the end of the day.

(Pg 19-20 of "The Ultimate Career")

I Thought it was interesting that they said you could expect a child to pick up as many items as they are old --- I usually refuse to pick up my kids toy room - The kids do pick up the whole disaster themselves with my coaching ---- But Recently we have been cleaning the toy room like this --- the kids take turns picking up 5 things - and we have this little rebounder excersize trampoline in their toy room - so while one kid is picking up their 5 things the other kid is jumping on the trampoline - It has been nice to not have to beg them to clean their toy room - It is more like a game - than anything - And they are always so proud of themselves by the end - and they have used up a lot of energy on their little trampoline!
I found a great article on

Sorting and Storing your Child's Artwork

The picture above is how we hang our kids pictures and things - IT is just 3 yard sticks 9 bulldog clips and 9 screws ( I just threw a screw through the hole in the bulldog clip and thru the yard stick to attach them to the wall) so for about $9 dollars or so I have a great place to hang the kids artwork and papers and I think it looks cute on the wall in their toy room or bedroom. I know some people who take a photo of all the artwork - and put it either on a blog or a photo album - I personally think I will do the blog - because then you can absorb it into a blog book and have all the artwork in one book to enjoy forever rather than having it all cluttering up your house.

Other great publishing sites:
LuLu
Shutterfly

Funny Cuz' it's True....

I Started reading the book "The Ultimate Career" Again --- 

Thought this was funny because it is 

true of my home at this very moment...

Are You living in C.H.A.O.S? ------

Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome!

I think right now it's more like give me at least a days notice before you can come over Syndrome... This is kind of a hard situation I am in, while trying to get my house in order - we are trying to get our basement finished - so part of our house is under construction - I am everyday waiting on construction - electric guys - plumbers - so that I can put my house back into together! I cannot wait to have this extra space - But in the mean time everything that was in the basement is tucked into nooks and cranneys of the house and the garage - Oh I cannot wait to tackle that garage when the weather gets a little better! Hopefully the Basement will be done by then so that the Job will be a little easier!

THought of the Day

" ' Time is a created thing. 

To say 'I don't have time' is like 

saying, 'I don't want to.' "

-Lao-Tzu

Hello... Anybody out there?!

Hey Ladies... 

What do ya say 

we get this blog rollin' again - 

I was loving it but where did everybody go?! - 

Maybe everyone else got themselves 

all organized or something - 

but I am still in the works?

This week I would like to give a shout out to 

"REAL SIMPLE MAGAZINE" - 

I am not a big fan of magazine subscriptions - 

I think they just clutter up my house or 

you read them and then throw them away - what a waste - 

I just assume look at most things on the net- but that is just me - 

but I do subscribe to this one - 

It always has amazing organizational tips - 

Great simple decorating ideas - 

and usually has a couple of great recipes - 

The article I am loving in this months issue - Is called...

TOO MUCH STUFF...

A look at your love hate relationship 

with the possessions that surround you, 

and how to liberate yourself from unnecessary clutter.

Top six causes of clutter

1. Obligation

"if I get rid of this wedding vase, I'll feel guilty."

2. Some Day

"But I might need seven sleeping bags one day"

3. Might be worth something 

(Someday again)

"I think this brooch/chair/ugly knicknack might be valuable again"

4. Procrastination (no home for things)

"If I put the bills away I'll never pay them on time"

5. Just the right place for you beloved Junk to go to

"I want this chartreuse MUUMUU to go to a good home"

6. No Motivation

" I want to declutter, but can't get motivated"

I think sometimes half the solution to any problem 

with any thing is realizing why you have the problem  

( in this case clutter)

I think it just gets you thinking about 

ways to make your problem better 

or make it dissappear!

Tips i enjoyed from the article...

Spot treat areas of clutter - 

Keys, pens, cell phones, and tubes of lip balm 

can swallow up a counter top - 

Dedicate a basket or shelf to them

Accept your lifestyle - I love the idea of a totally clutter free 

home, like the ones you see in "Architectural digest", but it 

is not us! My biggest fear is that I will spend so much time 

trying to clean and straighten up that I will be too cranky 

to enjoy life!

"splurge on high quality item - 

not things you'll need to toss in six months.

Recycle Junk Mail as soon as it comes in- the quickest way to 

feel cluttered is to have stacks of unneeded papers lying around

it's Ok to toss - or pass on- 

that shampoo or lotion you tried but hated - 

REALLY

Do you have any quick clutter reducing tips 

you use that you would like to share?

Let us Know...

Blog to ya soon

haha

Chris Stokes

Ps - Another great place to read about this topic is here...   or here...

Pick 3!

Hello! Where has everyone been?! I guess now that the holidays are over it's a good time to BLOG and CLEAN. I thought it would be interesting to see what products everyone likes to clean with best. Not that everyone likes to clean, but what do you use that makes the job easier and more efficient?
I want to hear from everyone...

Here are my 3:
Good old Comet
A spray bottle of Soapy Water
Don Aslett's 3pc. Toilet Cleaning Kit w/ Caddy - (www.qvc.com) This product is AMAZING! - watch the demo if you can. I was amazed at how well it cleans the toilet, which is never a fun job to do.

Your Turn!

Hey guys....

How about some potty traing tips --- I feel like this is the hardest thing to teach my kids for some reason!
Brayden is finally all the way done @ age 4 1/2 - it only took me 2 YEARS!!! and Kylie just does not care!
What should I do?! she is 3 1/2. I even have a whole bucket of princess presents and she still could care less?

Help - Chris Stokes

Sarah's Organizing

I have been working hard at getting my home squared away to move into. You should see the binder that I have created and recently I got my graph paper out! What a tool that is when you are preparing to organize. I drew out all the rooms with closets and drawers and penciled out where everything was going to go.

One day I was doing it and Hope (Trent's sister) was hanging out and she is preparing to move into a home herself and she couldn't believe how much time and work I was putting into this project. She then asked me to help her out with her house.

I love doing things like this its like my unforseen hobby or whatever that I didn't know I had. I love to put things into their proper order and place and make it feel usable. So here is some of my pictures of what I have been doing

Enjoy!

Please get a label maker it will work wonders on your home as well as your husbands so that they know where things go.

Immunization Debate

I've heard a lot lately about wether to immunize children or not. In the past, immunizing was always thought to be the best thing and necessary to protect children from many diseases. Lately, much has been argued that immunizing can cause disabilities such as autism and ADD. I wanted to get other mom's opinions on this matter. I know this may not necessarily be what this blog is intended for, but it does concern the running of our homes somewhat. Anyways, let me know what you think!

Help me please!

Okay, I am outnumbered and overrun by my kids' DVDs. It thought that I had a practical solution with baskets that fit in our entertainment center. Every day though, they end up strewn about the family room. Even when they are put away they overflow in their baskets. When they are out, the kids open them and pull out the DVDs and end up scratching them. Does anyone have a tried & true solution to my dilemma?
-Allison

Stink no more!

We found the solution for dirty towels in Martha Stewarts Handbook. You simply keep a container of it in your laundry room. I used a 5 gallon storage bin.

10 parts water to 1 part bleach

I tried it today and instantly got rid of the dirty towel smell! Love it!

Community Supported Agriculture

I was listening to Martha Stewart satelite radio and heard them talking about this program. Allie's sister has been doing this up in San Clemente and we have been trying to find a place down here. The program is found at this website:

http://www.localharvest.org/csa/

You can look up a farm in your area and you can go buy fresh produce, eggs, milk, etc. You pay a monthly fee and you can get it delievered to you or you can go pick it up. Its such a great thing to utilize here in California with our wonderful weather. I am still researching it out so I will keep you posted but I wanted you all to know.

Martha Stewart on bath towels

I was looking for the towel solution on Martha Stewarts website...No luck yet. But I did find this information that I found interesting.

For best results, launder bath towels every three to four days using the following guidelines:
- Non-chlorine bleach can be used safely on white towels when they start to look a bit dingy, but avoid chlorine bleach, which eats up towels.
- Do not use fabric softener, which actually stiffens towels.
- Wash white towels on the hottest setting.
- When drying towels, use one scent-free dryer sheet.

For the first time I wish I took a picture of my trash....

I am so proud of myself. Yesterday I emptied four moving boxes and condensed them into one storage bin. (I threw away a lot of stuff and gave away the rest.) Then today I emptied all of theses containers plus another big bin like the one on the bottom in the pic. I fit them all into the one bin. I think I need a dumpster. My trash was full on Monday and it doesn't come again until Friday. The sad thing... I have moved these boxes from house to house never even opening them. I found a skirt I had from when I was little and two bathing suits, really why would I want to keep these things? And papers like crazy. This is the first move in some time that I do not have a newborn so I get to dejunk as I pack. Thank you Daryle Hoole and "The Ultimate Career" I could not have found this book at a better time.

I have also been using my portable filing box for all of the cards and memorable stuff that has been shoved in boxes and never looked at. I separated each childs stash in piles on the floor. Then I put it in their folder. Now that each child has there own folder they are pumped to scrap there own pages.

By Susan

One step closer to organization!

After reading the book I got pumped about making a new chore chart. It seems to be working great and even Joseph (age 3) does it. He gets really excited to use his tickets. Very fun!

by Susan

Who's Who

I have invited quite a few people to join us in our quest to help eachother organize and so I wanted to introduce them to you all. Some of them I have posted their own personal blog sites on the right hand side for your viewing.

Sarah's Family:
Liz Peterson (sister-in-law), Erin Ropelato (sister), Aleece VanWagenen (sister), Leslie Peterson (sister), Tera Peterson (sister-in-law), Rachael Maloney (sister), Rebecca Cottongim (sister), and Shauna Peterson (mother)

Trent's Family:
Susan Chapman (sister-in-law), Hope Stoddard (sister-in-law), Amy Chapman (sister-in-law), Allie Chapman (sister-in-law), and Kelly Chapman (mother-in-law)

Sarah's Friends:
Leanna Hunt, Angie Matheson, Dianna Barton, Allison Browning, Carol Galloway, Kristie Arnold and Deanna Pennock

We are off to a great start!

I have feel in love with this new book by Daryle Hoole titled, "The Ultimate Career" and decided to make a blog so that we can all share information back and forth. I will be having a book club this evening but their is so much to talk about that a blog is another option for us instead of getting together. So I hope that you will use it and take advantage of all the great ideas and possiblities that this book offers and together we will make our homes like a little piece of heaven on earth!

Another great book is the "Martha Stewart Homekeeping Handbook" I bought mine at Barnes and Noble but I found it cheaper at Costco. I haven't been to Costco to see if they still have it but I would think it would still be there, it's Martha Stewart!

If you need help setting up your blog account let me know and I am working on getting it so you all can access the blog so just hold on until you here back from me.

Have fun blogging!

Sarah - Chapter 2

• It only takes 21 days to become a better me!
• In labeling your pantry if you wanted to get more visual I would suggest you get clear address labels and find food graphics and then label the shelf with the picture and name of food.
• Store Recipes in page protectors in a 3 ring binder so they are protected
• Dirty kitchen towels - put in an enclosed bucket with solution (Amy is going to find out?)
• Important Documents also need to be copied and put into your 72 hour kit
• Make 2 copies of all digital pictures and then place a copy at another home or else put them onto a zip drive
• Have a designated "family desk" for all to use and that could be the place to hold your children's files with their artwork, school papers, etc.
• Have a set of scriptures in your car along with another book to read as you wait
• Have a collapable cooler bag in the back of your car for those times that you need a place to cool items
• Have a nice basket placed in the back of your car for return items, movies or books
• Thank you cards - write them when impressed and then wait a couple of days to send it off to the person.
• Filing cabinets - Find wood filing cabinets so that you can repaint them to your decor
• "Pick it up don't pass it up!"
• 2 sheet sets per bed in the household