So it’s almost time for back to school. You’ve organized the school supplies. You’ve gotten the back to school clothes, or you’ve dug in the closet to find them. You have it all planned out, or else you’re giggling madly in denial at this post right now. La, la, la – I can’t hear you, you say. Organizing? Back to school? What’s that? On Pinterest lately there have been a number of wonderful little ideas for back to school organizing. One area of our home that gets very messy at the end of the day is the entryway. The entryway … Continue reading →

Have you heard about the new wonder product? It’s cheap, it’s effective for organizing, and amazingly, it’s found in your very own home! Why yes, I am talking about paper towel and toilet paper rolls. I’ll be using paper towel rolls in the garden, where the squirrels are avidly chewing up my corn from the roots. By giving them a bit of a shield to chew through, I’m hoping to deter them from the corn. Move on to the weeds, please! Cords: we all have them in abundance, usually in a tangled mess behind our appliances. Line the rolls with … Continue reading →

How many of us actually use our garages for our cars? Usually the garage is more of a home storage space for toys, tools and yard equipment. Here are some steps you can take to reclaim your garage. When organizing a space and removing clutter, you really have to start from scratch. Pick a nice sunny weekend, lay some tarps out on the driveway or lawn, and remove everything from your garage. You can go ahead and sort it into piles if you like, as you remove it. Sweep and clean the floor and any shelves if you have them. … Continue reading →

I wonder how much time that we spend on a monthly basis dealing with junk mail clutter? Kitchen counters or desks piled high with the stuff, late fees on bills that got lost in the piles, time spent sorting through it all.Think about how the minutes can add up to hours or even days in the course of the year. Junk mail can be a big source of clutter. No one really wants to deal with it, especially if we are collecting it right before we walk in the door after a long day of work or dealing with the … Continue reading →

People who make lists are often the butt of a few jokes. They can be seen as uptight and over organized. When it comes to taking care of a home, though, list making can be an important tool in keeping track of everything and even giving you the motivation to get more done in a day. Different Types of Lists There are a number of different types of lists that can help you keep your home and your life organized. There are inventory lists, grocery lists, to do lists, accomplishment lists, dream lists, activity lists, information lists and more. Different … Continue reading →

Children’s books are the one thing that I have a hard time saying no to when the kids ask. While we make liberal use of our library, children’s books still seem to find their way into our home, through yard sales, library sales, school book sales and hand me downs. With three kids at different reading levels, there isn’t a lot of overlap, so each child needs his or her own set of books that they can read and re-read. Let us just say that I have a lot of experience organizing children’s books and keeping the books under control. … Continue reading →

Having a well-organized library isn’t that hard to do once you have some easy strategies that won’t take a lot of expert skills to implement. Get your home library under control and enjoy your books. First, you need someplace for the books, such as bookcases. I’ll assume that this is already the case in your home, but if not, go get some! You can search for your dream books cases, or just pick up a couple at the Goodwill and paint or cover the shelves with pretty contact paper. The choice is yours. Next, let us get those bookcases under … Continue reading →

You can always tell that it is Monday at my house because of the visible chaos that is spread throughout the house, especially on the first floor. Toys, books, jackets, dishes, you name it, collects in odd places, as the family runs in and out of the house on various errands. Home projects, such as organizing a closet or de-cluttering books or toys don’t always get completed, since there is a yard sale or the farmer’s market or a softball game to go see instead. Sometimes when life gets in the way, it isn’t just the weekend that has caused … Continue reading →