Organization Tips

Today at MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) the speaker was a professional organizer. I was soaking it all in. I think I used to be organized, but now I am usually in survival mode. I did get some great ideas, though, so I thought I'd pass them on.

* Get a "tickler file." She uses an accordion-style folder that has each section labeled 1-31. If you have a bill due on a certain day, put it in that day's number. If you have a birthday party on a certain day, put the invitation and directions in that day. You get the idea. Then have a master planner that just gives the basics (ie. Joe's birthday party). I hang EVERYTHING on my refrigerator, so this would really help the clutter!

*Hang a "mommy inbox" by the front door. This is where mail, report cards, permission slips you need to sign, and anything you need to take care of goes. Take 15 minutes at the end of each day to go through it, then file what needs filed, sign what needs signed, put things back in the kids' backpacks, throw away things. Go through it every day.

*Try a cleaning schedule. Either you can tackle one task per day to make sure it all gets done weekly, or you can schedule 40 minutes per day and just decide what needs done that day. That way it doesn't pile up. Kids can help--maybe even do a 10-minute "blitz" with a timer so it's kind of fun and competitive.

*Always keep a box for give-away items. If you don't use something, put it in the box. If you get something new, put 2 things in the box. Every time you pass a Goodwill or your favorite charity, take the box with you. This keeps clutter from staying in your closets.

*Tackle one room per month for deep cleaning/organizing. Just don't try to organize while you're cleaning or you'll never get done. Keep them separate.

*Keep a basket on each floor of your house for things that don't belong on that floor. Instead of putting things away one at a time, throw them in the basket and then take it with you when you're done. Then you can put everything else where it goes.

*Always keep a running grocery list and "everything else" list. That way you don't have to take the time to look around or try to remember when it's time to do shopping. (My sister made a great grocery list on Excel that you can just print and circle your regular items).

*Make the most of your minutes. Plan to be early to things in case you get stuck in traffic. If you are early, use that time to jot your thank you note, make a phone call, make a list, etc. Clean the bathroom while your toddler is playing in the bathtub. You have to be in there anyway.

*Have an under-the-bed storage box for each kids' artwork. Only keep the masterpieces that they would appreciate later. Rotate the rest from the display area to the trash.

There was more, but these are the things that stuck with me. I LOVE organizing tips. If you have any others, I would love to hear them.

Christmas Photos

We planned for today to be the kids' Christmas photo day, where we were going to get some really cute pictures of them at Portrait Innovations and get Christmas cards made. Little Sissy fell asleep on the way there, unfortunately. Luckily, we had planned to get some made of Big Sissy by herself since she just turned 3. Those turned out great. She was a little ham. Once Little Sissy woke up, though, she never really stopped being clingy and her nose kept running and her nose was turning more and more red. We didn't get a single "Christmas card worthy" photo of the 2 girls together. I'm not sure if we'll try again or what. I hate to keep spending the money on more pictures! Anyway, here are the ones that turned out well. They are cute. Too bad they couldn't do a card with 2 pictures on it. Then we would just put the 2 individual pictures on there. Bummer! Enjoy the cute pics, though!

Thanksgiving Memories

Four blogs in one day...must be finals week. :) That's usually when I catch up on everything else I need to do. Aunt Saundra and Nana usually organize a craft for the kids after the meal on Thanksgiving, so here are some shots of craft time. In case you're wondering about the little "hippie" girl, she put her headband on all by herself.

Meanwhile, Little Sissy was playing with toys and Aunt Darla in another room. Poor baby had a bloody, runny nose all day. Silly mommy should have wiped it BEFORE I took all the pictures. Oops. I just thought she was so cute.

OK, one more. This is Big Sissy preparing a feast for all her babies. How cute is this?!

Sleeping Friend

While at the circus I noticed that the "night" setting on my camera didn't work. I thought it might be because of the other little lights around (exit signs, ring of fire, etc.), so I tried it out at home. It's weird to use this setting because it has to be totally dark, so you can't see anything through the viewfinder. I got lucky and captured my sweet baby snuggling with her lamby as she slept. I love these moments.

Circus Pony

I haven't blogged much lately because I'm supposed to be focused on school, but I need a break and I want to write something fun. Last Saturday we went to the circus, and Big Sissy got to ride a pony. Hubby's parents went too, and they bought her a blow-up Dora the Explorer on a stick. Why they make toys on long sticks for children I cannot figure out (especially when the seats are close together the sticks are longer than the allotted space between people). Anyway...she had a great time. We couldn't convince her to ride an elephant--maybe next time. Here are some pics of her on a pony.

Black Friday

My sisters and I always shop on "black Friday," which is a great time for us to hang out and get that last-minute shopping done. I must admit that sometimes my mood is a bit black at the end of the day because I don't love crowds or waiting in line, but today was really nice. Instead of shopping in Illinois, where there is basically one mall for the entire Metro-East area, we shopped in St. Louis. Maybe people were afraid of the highway construction or afraid of the crowds and lines, but we got to the Galleria at 7 and had tons of options for parking. We ate breakfast inside the mall and got our food right away. Then we shopped and had normal weekend-type lines but no worse than that. We were actually ready to switch malls by 10 a.m. The Mills was definitely more crowded, but then it's often crowded on the weekend. Still we hit Bed, Bath & Beyond, Old Navy, Burlington, Archiver's and were eating a nice lunch at Chevy's by about noon (with a very short wait). The only thing black about today were my shoes, which were black in color but also rubbing blisters on my feet all day. That was my fault for trying out new shoes on a shopping day. It's kind of like trying a new recipe on a day when you're having company...not a good idea. Anyway...I love this day to catch up with my sisters. And my shopping is very nearly done.

Hubby didn't fare so well, unfortunately. He was kind enough to take care of the girls until I got home. Big Sissy was especially whiny and clingy, which was hard, but by lunch it became clear that she had a fever. Her volunteering to "rest" at several points during the day was proof that she wasn't feeling well! She fell asleep on the couch at around 8 and didn't even whimper when we carried her to her bed. Little Sissy was also grabbing her blanket and lamby and reaching for her bed around 8:30. Weird...both kids begging to go to bed. It's kind of nice but I wish they would do that and feel well at the same time.

I feel like I soaked in Thanksgiving, which might be my favorite holiday, and now I'm ready for Christmas. Too bad I still have 12 chapters of a commentary to read, a 5-page paper to write, and a final exam to study for in the next week. After that, though, I will be exuding Christmas Spirit! :) So Black Friday was really quite bright for me. For America's sake, hopefully the stores are also in the black after today. What would happen to our economy if everyone stopped buying Christmas presents and made homemade gifts? Hmmm...I guess that's a subject for another blog on another day.

Happy Thanksgiving

I've been so busy (and hormonal) lately that I have forgotten to be thankful. I am forcing myself to take time to think this through because I really do have so much to be thankful for!

* Thanks that I only have 2 weeks left of school!
* Thanks that we get to have a 3rd child soon.
* Thanks for a wonderful family to celebrate with.
* Thanks for Hubby's job and the provision for our needs.
* Thanks for a church to call home and friends to walk through life with.
* Thanks for health in our family. Little Sissy has a cold right now, which I hate, but it's nothing compared to the life-threatening and debilitating diseases many moms have to watch their children suffer through.
* Thanks for salvation. So many live in utter darkness and helplessness.

We've been having Big Sissy tell God thank you for something every night. She almost always says, "Thank you, God, for all my books." It seems so simple, but it's a good lesson in thanking God for the little things. My own prayer is simple. Thank you, God, for my books, and light and heat and a coat to wear and a car to drive and people to love. Amen.