Office/Desk Organization

Avoid a jumbled mess of mail and school papers by setting up a message center and inbox for each family member. Use the area to corral artwork, homework assignments, forms, and magazines as soon as they enter the house. At each week's end, go through the contents of each box; discard old material and file away things you want to keep.

I like this desk set up!

Take your office anywhere -- to the couch, dining room table, or deck -- with this tote-able solution. Outfit a dish drainer with pretty file folders, and use the utensil holders to organize pens, pencils, and small notebooks. Slip the dish drainer into a cabinet when not in use.

Turn an old cart into a mobile office. Lower shelves can store notebooks and boxes for supplies and paperwork (try using a vintage suitcase to corral everything). Plus, the cart can be pulled up to an armchair or couch, and the top surface can be used as a laptop workstation.

Use unexpected containers, such as these simple mailboxes, for desk-side storage. They're perfect for organizing mail, takeout menus, and bills. Plus, they'll keep your desktop paper-free. Dress them with pretty motifs from wallpaper remnants or decorative paper adhered with decoupage medium.

Mount a low-cost shower caddy to the wall to stash home office supplies, bills, and mail or create gift central (shown here) by storing stationery and wrapping paper. Add ribbon to a wire canister to hang writing utensils from one of the hooks.

andrew's funny

Me to Andrew:
 "Daddy is my husband!
Grandma is my mommy!
Judah is my son!
Lala is my sister!"

Andrew:
"Lala is MY sister!"

Me:
"No, Lala is your AUNT."

Andrew:
"Yeah, Lala is my bug."

*************************************
(Andrew hates having dirty hands, so one night this was our interaction.)

It's 8:30 and Andrew had been in bed for 30 minutes.

Andrew:
"I have a booger!!!! Mommy.... I have a BOOGER! MOMMY, I have a BOOOOOOGER! BOOOOOOOGERRRRRR!"

Me *in thought only*:
"Wipe it on your sheets like a normal boy!!!"

Andrew (now in tears):
"Booger on mine fingers!"

So I go up, wipe it off with a tissue, and he rolls over and falls right asleep. (!?!?!)

***********************************

After a particular incident where I lost my temper, Andrew turned to Rusty and said, "Mommy needs to go back to bed. Her is tired."

Kitchen Organization

Plan and shop for several meals at once, then sort the non-perishable ingredients for each, including side dishes, into bins or baskets. Attach a label and the recipe. Now that meal preparation time is cut in half!

Organize Grocery list by type of food, so that there's less doubling back to get something you overlooked.

Clear sink space with over the door wire storage for the daily used items.

Shift dry goods into airtight, stackable containers. Packaged food products can be stored more compactly when transferred from their packaging into stacking containers. Cut out the necessary information from the package (instructions, nutritional information, etc.) and tape to the outside of the container.

Rethink how you use tension curtain rods. Place rows of the affordable window treatment hardware inside a cabinet to keep baking sheets and serving trays upright and well-organized.

Stock your freezer with storage-smart ideas to make use of every inch of shelf space. Use plastic baskets (an affordable organization tool) to store foods by type and put a labeled tag on each. (We used scrapbook paper and luggage tags.) Keep small adhesive labels and a permanent marker on hand to label individual containers.

Give order to a collection of small appliances with a system of cubbies. Tuck in the necessary attachments and manuals that accompany each appliance so everything is on hand.

Laundry Room Ideas

Adjustable garment rack to hang up clothes straight out of the dryer.(thecontainerstore.com)

Jar for collected change out of washer/dryer.

Basket for outgrown boys clothes in laundry room.

Basket for orphaned socks in laundry room.

Separated laundry bins in every room that collects laundry. Along with mesh bags for delicates and socks. Also, having a stain removing bucket with stain spray and tide pen, with every laundry station.

Have a Kitchen Cart for folding station and extra storage in laundry room.

Use clothes pins to label baskets. Very cute.

Use pillowcases and embroidering rings to make laundry bags!! Use white pillowcase for whites, colored for colors, denim for jeans, terry for towels!