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Permalink Reply by Andrea Chamberlain on September 7, 2008 at 11:11pm

Waaaaaay too many to count. And yet, I'm considered the "organized" one out of most of my friends.

I'm the mom of two school aged children and it's really their school stuff that becomes a nightmare. Our kitchen island becomes a "catch all" for all of their papers ... the ones that need a signature or need a review or need something before they can be returned to school or filed away.

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Permalink Reply by Stacey Crew on September 8, 2008 at 2:11pm

For your particular challenge, try a vertical hanging files to hold Pendaflex with manila 1/3 cut files that are labeled: Read, Sign, Return. That way, you'll have a place to put the papers that need attention until you have time to sit down and look at them. Consider taking 10-15 minutes each night to go through the files to ensure you return paperwork on time. Put the signed items in your children's book bags and after you've read the "Read" items, place them in a Reference file in your filing cabinet.

Read about establishing a what I call a "Family Communications Center" to hold calendars, announcement, invitations, etc. Go here: http://momsgettingorganized.blogspot.com/2008/09/ok-kids-no-more-lo...

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Permalink Reply by Alyssa on September 9, 2008 at 4:15pm

Yes this is definitely a popular subject for me. I need a way to organize my time and stick to it as I try to juggle children a home a ministry and a business all working from home.

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Permalink Reply by Mama Ofromance on September 10, 2008 at 8:54am

LOL! Ha....I am ashamed to admit it. It's constant. I have so many projects that need to be organized, and well - I don't like to deal with mess. I wait to do these jobs until I'm so mad at the mess, that it just can't wait another second. Then I'm so pumped...the job gets done in no time. I try not to stress about it too much - as far as I'm concerned, if it doesn't impede my family's life, then it's okay.

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Permalink Reply by Stacey Crew on September 12, 2008 at 8:49am

I don't think there's a perfect way to organize...it just needs to be perfect for you! If you're okay with the "mess" while it's happening, then be okay with it. So don't be ashamed! There's no time for that. :-)
Next time you're in a state of stress and "pumped" to get your projects done, just take a few moments to see if it's possible to approach those projects before you get stressed. Just a minor shift in perspective may help.

Mama Ofromance said:

LOL! Ha....I am ashamed to admit it. It's constant. I have so many projects that need to be organized, and well - I don't like to deal with mess. I wait to do these jobs until I'm so mad at the mess, that it just can't wait another second. Then I'm so pumped...the job gets done in no time. I try not to stress about it too much - as far as I'm concerned, if it doesn't impede my family's life, then it's okay.

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Permalink Reply by A Cowboy's Wife (Lori) on September 12, 2008 at 8:58am

I'm so unorganized that I will be downsizing my blogs, where I write, and more here soon. I'm stretched too thin, my office space is WAAAAY to clutter and it's all papers, and it's all dragging me down.

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Permalink Reply by Stacey Crew on September 16, 2008 at 11:26am

Hi Cowboy Wife,
Paper, paper, paper. There always seems to be so much of it. Here's a blog entry I did about organizing a desk area...
http://snurl.com/3qsey [staceycrew_blogspot_com]
Hope that helps some. Let me know!

A Cowboy's Wife (Lori) said:

I'm so unorganized that I will be downsizing my blogs, where I write, and more here soon. I'm stretched too thin, my office space is WAAAAY to clutter and it's all papers, and it's all dragging me down.

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer on September 16, 2008 at 11:57am

Wow it comes up alot for me especially right now as I am trying to pack my home to move and not wanting to let go of things I have had for years.

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Permalink Reply by Stacey Crew on September 16, 2008 at 12:26pm

I hear you, Jennifer. Hate to say it, but this is the best time to purge. No need to spend time packing and pay for transporting items you'll just be putting in the attic again.

Here are some tips for purging.
High Cost of Clutter
Seven Steps to Purging

Let me know how you do! Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Chrysanthemama on September 16, 2008 at 12:41pm

I am an Air Force wife and mom of three sprouts under 6. Since getting married 8 years ago, we have lived in 8 houses (we get the keys to our new house on Monday, so that will bring the tally to 9) in 5 states and 1 country! Everytime we move, we purge. We can never quite seem to get our electronics (cd, games, dvd's) organized. Laundry is a never-ending issue, as are office items (paper, notebooks, pens, pencils, etc.).

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Permalink Reply by Stacey Crew on September 22, 2008 at 8:57pm

You certainly have a busy life! Moving is a great way to purge, not recommended at the rate you're headed, but definitely a time to purge. :-) As far as electronics, we're fortunate enough to now be in the digital age, so technically our stuff should be taking up less space. I always recommend an IPOD as a way to store music because you no longer have to hold onto the CD cases. Although, if you choose to do so, consider removing the CDs and liner notes from the individual cases and put them in binders. You can squeeze 240 CDs into a binder...it's wonderful! The same works for DVDs. Great for travel too!

Games can be an issue, especially board games. The Container Store sells great Game Boxes for board games that would otherwise get crushed eventually leaving the parts and pieces to fall out. Try rotating toys too. Take half of what you have out and store them in a container in the attic/basement/garage. Bring them out a couple months later (removing additional toys to store) and the kids will be excited to see something different. Then you can determine what they've truly missed--or not--too!

I'll get back to you on the laundry in my next response. :-)

Chrysanthemama said:

I am an Air Force wife and mom of three sprouts under 6. Since getting married 8 years ago, we have lived in 8 houses (we get the keys to our new house on Monday, so that will bring the tally to 9) in 5 states and 1 country! Everytime we move, we purge. We can never quite seem to get our electronics (cd, games, dvd's) organized. Laundry is a never-ending issue, as are office items (paper, notebooks, pens, pencils, etc.).

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