What do you do with old magazines??

I keep my magazines in my bathroom, because…WELL YOU KNOW, I don’t have to explain myself!!! I go through them once a year and only keep the ones I can’t get online, (which you can usually get most articles online now and days.) I also only keep 12 months worth…so just 12 at a time.

Magazines are easier to fit into a bathroom, however large numbers of magazines can give an even more cluttered look to the often cramped environment of a bathroom. I like to keep all of mine in a basket. There are several types of baskets that you can purchase that have been specifically designed for the use of magazines and newspapers, but you can use any type of basket that is going to fit neatly into your bathroom and its decor.

HOMEWORK: Go through all your magazines and recycle the ones you don’t read or are over 12 months old!!

Have a great and ORGANIZED weekend!!

Expiration Dates

So have you ever opened your fridge and went to pour yourself a glass of milk and looked at the expiration date and it was a day over…WHAT DO YOU DO???????

Well I am CRAZY so I toss it. BUT DO YOU REALLY HAVE TO?

Expiration dates don't mean as much as many people think they do. Most food is still edible after the expiration date but may not taste very good.

Most people are surprised to find out that Stores are not legally required to remove food once the expiration date has passed. Dating is not federally required, except for infant formula and baby food. States have varying laws. Most states require that milk and other perishables be sold before the expiration date.

The major codes are:

• Sell by Don't buy the product after this date. This is the "expiration date."
• Best if used by Flavor or quality is best by this date but the product is still edible thereafter.
• Use by This is the last day that the manufacturer vouches for the product's quality.

So what does this have to do with organizing you ask???

It is important once every 3 months to go through your can foods, cake mixes, Mac and cheese boxes, and other items that have expiration dates on them. When you go through them make a note to yourself to use them within the amount of time, throw them away, or give to a local food shelter.

***NOTE: Check the expiration dates on packages like pancakes and cake mixes that have yeast which over time develop spores. Apparently, the mold that forms in old mixes can be toxic! Throw away ALL OUTDATED pancake mix, brownie mixes, Bisquick, cake & cookie mixes, etc.; you have in your home.

Calenders!!

Do you ever feel like you have so many things to do in a week, you just don’t know where to start? Well many times I do.

Calendering is a great way to organize your week and will help to get everything done!!

WRITE IT ALL DOWN

So you have already made a written schedule of your week! (RIGHT!) Now you just have to put in your calendar the things your family needs to know. (Not you’re cleaning schedule.)

At the beginning of the month put in extra curricular activities like dance, sports, church activities etc.

Then on Sundays it is a good day to sit down with your household and plan your week. For example, this week my sister from Utah is coming in, so I will let the family know the days she will be here and how the normal weekly schedule will change because of it. Or if my Highschooler has a meeting for school then at that time she will let the family know so we can write it on the

calendar.

Find a Calendar that works for you. For years I had one of those paper calendars that I would write in, and then last year I wrote everything in my calendar phone. This year I decided to use my white board that has a calendar on it. I LOVE IT! It’s big enough for the whole family to see.

Oh!! There are some households that the parents work schedule is different everyday, so you will want to write that I too!!!

The goal is to find a calendar that works for you!

Backpack organizing!!

A couple of weeks ago I had a parent teacher conference with my son Hayden’s 5th grade teacher. She told me he was a great boy but VERY UNORGANIZED!!
I said, “Did you know that is the worst thing you could tell me?” (I know she thought I was a little nuts…BUT OH WELL!!

So I marched right home and looked at my sweet green eyed boy and said…WE ARE GETTING YOU ORGANIZED!!! I must say for his punishment for not being organized and missing homework assignments because of it…I made him clean out all his drawers. It took him 2 hours but he did it, and I must say he did a GREAT job…after all he is my boy!!!

Kid’s backpacks can easily become a dumping ground. One of the most common issues with kids and backpacks is that they use their backpacks as storage! The best use of a backpack is to TRANSPORT items, not to use them as storage!!!

Here are 7 great steps on getting your kids organized for school, or if you don’t have kids yet, you will have information so you will never have to have the parent teacher conference I had.

1. Don’t use the backpack as storage...
2. Plan ahead for each day.
3. Provide a home filing system or Garbage can to unload old papers.
4. Give everything a HOME in the backpack
5. Label everything!
6. Re-organize as needs change.
7. Use organizing ides and encourage him to use them.

Homework***Make a “sheet washing schedule.” Have a great an organized weekend!!

How often do you wash your sheets???

Okay…fess up how often do you wash your sheets?? Well my Mom and Sisters think I am disgusting because I only wash my families sheets once a month…I know you all are shocked, you thought I would say once a week!!! SORRY TO DISAPOINT YOU ALL!!!!

I actually have such a great system/schedule going. I don’t want to mess it up.

What I do is…

Every Monday I rotate each bedroom’s sheets

1st Monday I do my sheets
2nd Monday I do Bailey’s sheets
3rd Monday I do the little girls sheets
4th Monday I do Hayden’s sheets

Microbiologist Zehava Eichenbaum, associate professor at Georgia State University, said a normal family should change sheets once a week.

So in other words, it is best to do it once a week…BUT I AM NOT READY FOR SUCH A CHANGE IN MY LIFE!! So what if I have BED BUGS!!!

What is under YOUR bed???

Is that a scary thought?? Have you ever gone into your Childs room and looked under the bed, and was totally in SHOCK? Well I have and it was not a pretty sight. Here are some steps to help you clean under your bed.

****Remember under your bed could make a good HOME for things, if done RIGHT!!!
First, no matter how horrible this may sound, you must take everything out from under your bed, and make 4 piles.

1. Things that already have homes.
2. Donate
3. Trash
4. Things that fit nicely in an under the bed storage box. “NEW HOME.”

Things that you are not sure about, you can put into the "Keep Someplace Else" box, and at the end you can put it under your bed if there is enough room under your bed.

***If possible vacuum and clean under your bed.***

Then, put the things that already have homes in there proper place. Put the under the bed box, under your bed, the trash bag in your dumpster, the donate box in your car, and the remaining box is up to you and your room as to where you put it. Just avoid clutter.

SIDE NOTE…I keep my gift wrap under my bed, and some free weights, that I couldn’t find a good home for.

I know people who keep food storage under there beds. GREAT IDEA, just keep in mind you need to be able to rotate your food storage.

GOOD LUCK WITH LOOKING UNDER YOUR BEDS!!!

3 Steps to organizing Halloween decorations

It is that time of year, when we get out our scary ghosts and goblins, and those extra scary costumes for the kids…but where do you store them, you ask????

Here are 3 great steps to help you not feel so overwhelmed with all of those crazy decorations!!

Step One: Use a large orange and black container to store the decorations. This makes it easier to find the decorations, when that time comes around to get them out. Divide decorations according to inside decor or outside decor.

Step Two: write down what is in each container on an index card. Tape the index cards to the front of each container. Stack them with the label facing out so you don't have to open each container. This will save you time when it comes to decorating for Halloween.

Step Three: When you decorate, only use one container at a time. Put the empty containers back in there HOMES, until you are ready to put the decorations away for the season.

I hope you have a fun and save Halloween night!

***HOMEWORK FOR MONDAY MORNING***

Put away and organize all Halloween decorations!!

HAPPY ORGANIZING!!!