Organizing Sports Schedules

The Sports season is upon us…how do you organize your schedule with sports?  Or do you?

So it is not hard enough to deal with the crazy mornings before school?  But we can have equally if not more hectic schedules after school.

Homework
Dinner
Sports Practices
Piano Lessons
Family time

Our time after school has turned into homework, sports practices and trying to squeeze dinner in there somewhere.

My two older boys aren’t a problem…they are on self sufficient mode. T who is a senior has band after school, then does his homework (of which there “is no homework mom”….yeah sure.) and then takes off on his bike (small town) to hang out with his friends.

D who is a junior has band, then runs in after band…grabs something to eat and takes off to teach karate at the karate school. He is also working towards his 3rd degree black belt.  I’m not sure when he is doing his homework, but I assume in the evening. He is a straight A student taking honors classes.

The triplets… the week we have them, I pick them up after school. We come in and they work on their homework if they have any. They are in 4th grade. One of them takes a little longer working on things and needs a little more repetition getting concepts down…so usually I work with him some. Then I have to get them something to eat..basically a dinner at about 4:30.  The boys have football at 5:30 – 8:00 2-3 nights a week and E has karate every night other than Friday and Sunday. (They are free to go as many nights as they want..but she wants to go and as long as you pay monthly and not per class…we figure lets get the most out of our money)  But she and her brothers are on what is called the XPT team …they are more advanced and use weapons and do demos places.  Right now they are purple belts.

On the night that they boys don’t have football they do karate.  Crazy huh?   Oh …and since my hubby is assistant coach on the football team, the week we don’t have the kids, he still picks up the boys and takes them to football and is gone those evening…and then the games are on the weekends.

One of the advantages of having triplets is that you can request them (the boys) to be on the same teams!  So at least we don’t have the problem many families do with different teams.  When E did cheer leading (all 3 years since Kindergarten..but she wanted to concentrate on karate this year) we did have that problem. She would be cheering at other games the same times the boys played. I would take her.

So…now that you have read the craziness of our household you might be wondering why the heck I am mentioning all this stuff.  I just want to let you know that I UNDERSTAND!!  LOL  The sports schedules we have no control of.  They can be crazy…. pictures were supposed to be the last 2 Saturdays but because the kids jerseys weren’t done…they got cancelled at the last minute.

So what do you do to keep the Schedules Organized?

All we can do is plan the best we can. Make a schedule for homework and dinner.  But realize that those might change and be flexible.

Make meals that can be eaten anytime (crock pot is great) or something that can heat up easily..that is the least amount of stress.  It is important to try and eat together as a family…but we different schedules sometimes that can’t happen every night.  So my suggestion would be to make that family time in the evening before bed…instead of watching TV.

School work is first priority. One of the triplets did not go to karate last night because we had work that he was not understanding and needed some extra time with.  I started working with him, but when DH got home from work then he took over and I took the other 2 kids to karate.  Yes…there were some tears, but we explained he wasn’t being punished…but school comes FIRST.

DH said he will be there early enough today today to pick them up from their moms before FB to make sure he has his school work done before he lets him go to FB practice.

Tell me your crazy schedules!  What are some things you do to keep life calmer during sports practices at your house?

Charming CHARLIE Fashion store is one Organized Store!

What kind of store will attract an Organizer? A store that is organized by Color!

This store uses two of my favorite organizing things

1) Organizes with color
2) Organizes with Cubbies

I love how they organize their whole store by colors.  There are items in several places. There might be a necklace or purse that you like in pink, but you need it in green…. go over to the green zone and you may find it!

Be sure to check out my whole post on Charming Charlies that also have a video on my Explore Ohio with Sandy blog!

Avery Celebrates Teachers Sweepstakes

If you are a teacher then this Sweepstakes is for you!

Avery wants to give back to all those teachers who have given us and our kids so much with the Avery Celebrates Teachers Sweepstakes.

Teachers give of themselves each day – all with the focus of helping our kids reach their full potential… How cool is that?  I have several friends who are teachers and I am amazed at what they do.  Personally…I don’t have the patience to do that everyday all day! So I really respect what they do!

Avery also realizes that teachers spend a lot of their own money on school supplies because school budgets are cut everywhere and very often have to use their own money for supplies.

This contest is for any teacher in the US to enter and it does include Homeschool teachers!

Just another tid bit of information that I learned and did not know – Avery is a partner in the Box Tops for Education program. You can find out more information about it at Avery.com /Boxtops

Teachers have a chance to win a $1,000 Grand Prize Package!  (Look at this…wishing I could try for this!)

* Goodie Bag of Avery products valued at $500!
* SpaFinder gift card valued at $350
* Starbucks gift card valued at $150

Second Place Prize  - There will be 3 of these!

* Valued at $200 each

Third Place Prize  - There will be 5 of these!

* Valued at $80 each

See all the rules and details at the Avery Celebrates Teachers Sweepstakes. This contest will end on September 15, 2010

Disclosure:  I  will be receiving a gift basket of Avery supplies valued up to $50 for myself and will also in turn be able to have a giveaway on my blog for my readers..in return for helping to get the word out about this cool contest for teachers.  The thoughts are my own although I did use the information off of the Avery Celebrate Teachers Sweepstakes site for this post.

Organizing School Mornings

Is there screaming and nashing of teeth on School Mornings at Your house?

I know for many people that is the case – I know it because I read it on twitter..dah? LOL

But your mornings do not have to be chaotic, filled with screaming and crying (you maybe! ).  It all comes down to organizing your school mornings with a little planning.

Sleep

First off decide how much sleep your child needs.  Kids really should have 8-10 hours of sleep at night. If your child is only getting 6-7….right there might be part of the problem – they are tired.   But decide on what that bedtime needs to be and stick to it.  Start getting that shower or bath in plenty of time before bedtime. If it takes an hour to get your child to bed….then start the routine an hour before bedtime. Sounds simple doesn’t it?  Then why if bedtime is 8:30pm and you hear moms saying it takes an hour to get Billy in bed…are they just walking up the stairs to bed at 8:20?  Start up those stairs at 7:30 so they are ready to sleep by 8:30pm.

Prepare the night before

Clothes - Have them lay out their clothes they plan to wear the night before.  This solves several problems. You know if it is clean & ready, you can say…”No you can’t wear that to school” the night before and the fight can ensue then (instead of in the am) and there is no last minute..”I can’t find my….” in the morning.

Lunches – Make them the night before and have them ready.  Actually my kids make their own lunches (with guidelines). The triplets have been making their own lunches for a year now. They are 9. They started working with their dad to make the lunches about 2 years ago and he gradually started having them do it on their own.  Z actually asked yesterday at about 4:30 if he could make his lunch for today. He knew he had football practice later, so he was planning ahead! I was thrilled!! I said…”Of course Z..that is a great idea.”

Homework and Book bags - Their homework should be completed and in their folder and in their book bag ready to go the night before. Make sure any papers you have to sign and any other projects or items are in the book bags. Then in the morning all they need is their lunches.

In the Morning

Waking up – You need to figure out how long your morning routine takes.  How long to get up, get dressed, make their bed and clean their rooms, get breakfast, do any other routines they do and get out the door.  Does it take 45 minutes? 60 minutes? 75 minutes?  When you are figuring the time, figure it out in a relaxed state…not a crazy running around time mode.

Then you take that time and make them set their alarm clocks for that time. If they want to use the snooze button then they need to set their alarm that much earlier.

Getting Dressed & Rooms – If the kids have laid out their clothes the night before, then this is easy. They just get up and get dressed. Figuring out times in the bathroom if you have several kids can take a little planning. We have 5 kids and 1 bathroom. But our 2 teenagers leave an hour and half earlier than the triplets…so that makes it much easier.

Making their beds is a requirement here. They just know to do it automatically. Yes…there is always 1 that I always have to ask if he made his bed and picked up his clothes – and most times he runs back up the stairs to do it. They have to have their rooms reasonable picked up. Dirty clothes off the floor and into their laundry hampers, etc..

Breakfast – Plan your breakfast the night before.  We have big breakfast on the weekends. But during the week, the kids get cereal or toast and fruit in the morning. They make their own. (we breed independence…can you tell?  Another post on that coming up soon).  But make sure they have time to have breakfast. They need the energy

Reading or other activities - My kids (9 year olds) have to read 20 minutes each day. We have been doing that the last couple years as required in school. We kept it up through the summers…and they just know its required. If you have any activities like that …spelling test practice etc… make sure you allot time in the schedule for it.

Backpacks - They just grab their lunch and they are ready to go.

Big key here: KEEP THE TV, COMPUTERS AND GAME STATIONS OFF!!!

Here is our time schedule for AM (approximate times) :

7am – Kids up. They make their beds, get dressed and pick up their rooms

7:15 – They come down. Breakfast and Reading Usually one does their reading first thing, the others are getting their breakfast and then they switch. They can decide what order they do it in…they know what they have to do.

8:00 – Book Bags are ready. Double check on lunches in book bags, homework in book bags, everything done, shoes are ready to go.

If everyone has everything done and they are ready to go – then I will let them get on the computers until we are ready to go.

8:20 – Tell everyone to get ready

8:25 – Walk out the door so I can drive them to school. It is a 5 minute drive (but far enough they can’t walk or ride bikes yet…hopefully next year) and they have to be there in their seats by 8:45. Doors open at 8:30.

As I am writing this I have one of the triplets eating her breakfast, the other is finishing his reading and the 3rd is getting his shoes on after finishing breakfast and getting ready to read.

We have very few crazy crying chaotic mornings. It makes much mornings much nicer!

(Yes..our top picture was posed. I asked them to give me a picture of them screaming and yelling….this is what I got. LOL )

Organizing tips for Back to School

When do your kids go back to school?

Are you ready?  Jumping up and down..or crying your eyes out?

But for all of us it means a Change in Routine!  There are lunches to pack, book bags to attend to, papers to see, sign and dates to put into our calendars.  Getting to bed earlier, getting up earlier.  Catching a bus or learning the route to walk/ride bikes, or moms doing the driving (like me).

This is part of a post I did last year – to give you an idea on how to make a “Routine Board” for the Morning crazies we all have.

I gave some tips for morning and afternoon routine in my Back To School Post you can see here.  Today I want to tell you about the School Routine Board you can make for your kids.  I use this same concept for a Chore Board..but this is why it is such an adaptable idea.  Here are the steps to Make your own.  Instead of the child’s name at the top of the board, you can use “Before School” and “After School”.  Then use your magnets and drawer pictures with brief description of the task that needs to be done.  Children are visual and instead of rattling off the list of “To Do’s” every morning, they will know to look at the Routine Board.

It’s just another way for your morning and after school routines to go a little smoother.

“Those Days” are ok

We all go through them…

I’m sure that if you are anything like me, you have “those days”.  You know…..those days when you just don’t feel like it.  Those days when you are sad, those days when everything seems like it is falling apart, those days when all your plans go to pot.

We all have them, some of “those days” are worse than others.  But don’t beat yourself up over them.

I had one of “those days” yesterday.  I had plans of things to do…but it was a day that just  threw me.  My focus changed, I lost that motivation to get done what I had planned.

I am just saying..it is ok to have “those days”.  We need to have them once in awhile and step back from our crazy lives and regroup.   Don’t beat yourself up over them.  (Now if you have those days most days…then there might be something else going on and you might want to reach out for some help.)

So today….the energy is back.  I missed yoga yesterday…but planning on hitting kicking boxing with vigor (well it kicks my butt …but I just pretend to kick its! LOL) Today is a new day….it is sunny out.

You pick yourself up…dust yourself off and move forward.

Organizing Kitchen cupboards

Don’t you wish you had more cupboards in your kitchen?

I know I sure do! Insert SlideDeck So how do you organize those kitchen cupboards when you  have a small house with 7 people living in it? Believe me….I know it isn’t easy!   This cupboard looks ok now….but you should see it if one of the kids or my hubby puts dishes away.  The bowls aren’t stacked anymore….you might have that big yellow one on top of the smaller ones.

On the left…forget putting the lids in the slots they are supposed to be in and the plastic containers were they go. Aren’t you supposed to just throw them in that side?

Organizing can be really hard to maintain, especially if others aren’t as on board as you. It is all about the maintenance, but we aren’t going there today…today we are just talking about some ways to try and organize those cupboards.

Baskets

I love using baskets in cupboards.  You can see the red ones up on the upper shelf.  That is a hard place to get to things and it is a narrower shelf, so it doesn’t hold as much.  Those baskets hold the other plastic containers and lids that you accumulate.  They make it very easy to pull the basket out and get to what you want. They help keep things confined so that it isn’t falling all over your cupboard…and they are inexpensive!

Do you use it?

If you find there are things in your cupboards that you haven’t used in ages ….or you don’t have a lid for it and because of that you don’t use it (and you will!!) then get rid of it.  Why should you use that precious space on items you don’t use anymore?  The general rule is if you have not used it for a year or more then get rid of it.

Organizing kitchen cupboards isn’t necessarily hard to do.  But keeping it that way can be what is hard for many.

Organizing Under the Sink by Martha Clouse

Easy and Efficient Under Sink Storage

What have you tried to store under your kitchen sink? The space is different in each house depending on where the water lines and disposal end up.  You are lucky to get one skinny container on one side of the cabinet.

Then there is the mix of cleaning products; dishwashing liquids, powders and tablets; trash can liners; rubber gloves; and assorted scrubbing doo-dads. The shapes and sizes are a nightmare to organize and contain.

When you are in a hurry, something is bound to topple over.  Gooey spills, dishwasher detergent powder, and spider webs conspire against you to make a sticky, dirty mess under there!

Let me offer a few suggestions. You are free to mix and match to come up with a solution that fits your unique circumstance.

1. Store only what you use in the kitchen here. If you have an adequate pantry or space in your laundry room, keep the majority of your cleaning products there. This also helps cut down on the danger of poisons a child can reach (locks are necessary, but should not be the only safeguard!)
2. Move trash bag liners to your plastic wrap area. These boxes should fit in the drawer on their side.
3. Cover the floor of your cabinet with a rubber mat or shelf liner. The spills and grit will be easy to clean with a wet sponge. Once that cheap particle board gets wet, it is never the same. A pristine cupboard looks good when you get ready to sell.
4. Use a slide out container with a stable bottom. Choose solid plastic, mesh, or metal stripping that is less than ½” apart to avoid tipping.

• A 6 qt plastic shoebox with no lid will do for the side of your cabinet that has the most head room.  This is the frugal organizer’s option.
• The Rolls Royce of pull-outs for the tall side is the 11” X 21” chrome Lynk Professional Kitchen Under-Sink Rollout Double Drawer.  There is an 11’ X 18” version as well.

• Finally, I love the 1’ X 1’ ITSO wide tray  toat Target ($5.19) This can hold sponges, rubber gloves, scrubbers on the short side.

Once you make these changes, you will be surprised at how easily and efficiently you can access everything you need from your now beautiful under sink storage!

Martha Clouse is founder of Organized For Life, a professional organizing company.     After moving 11 times in 20 years as a military wife while raising four children, Martha shares with you what she learned “under fire” about coping with change, using time to your advantage, and how to create a calm oasis out of chaos.

To learn more about setting up rooms for maximum utility while retaining a spacious feel, the basic systems you need in your home office to guarantee productivity, how to save an hour a day consistently, and to receive access to the free e-booklet “60 Tips to Get Organized NOW!”, visit Organized For Life.

Hanes and Organized Undies Drawers

Is your underwear drawer Messy or Organized?

I was in New York City for the big BlogHer conference for bloggers.  I was invited to this Hanes party and what do you think I thought when I saw this display? LOL  Yep…right up my alley!

This place was decorated so cute with underwear on pillows and umbrellas made from T Shirts. But they had a display showing a messy underwear drawer and an organized underwear drawer.

And then an organized drawer.  Aren’t these cool?

Now…here is the kicker. They were having contest to see who could organize a drawer the fastest. They were giving out gift certificates. They had one more contest and of course my friends nominated me.  Ok…this was too much pressure. I am the organizer…of course everyone would expect me to win… and I should right?  LOL

There was a laundry basket of underclothes, sweatpants, underwear, socks, tshirts and bras. We had to take them and fold them and organize them in our drawers the quickest. The fastest time before our last group was 1 min. 50 some seconds (I think).

My hands were shaking!! Literally.  But….. I didn’t win. The girl you see in the picture beat me by a split second. I think our time was in the 1 min. 30 second range….so I also beat the record. Does that count? LOL

But it was fun….

Michael Moloney from Extreme Home Makeover was there as the MC. He was so nice!  And of course very nice looking! {drool}

But it got me thinking. My underwear drawer is not really very organized. I have everything in it’s “area” of my drawer, but I don’t have any official boxes or “sectioned off” areas.  Hmmm….I might have to do that especially with the new fun undies and bras that Hanes gave me as swag.

Closet Organizing by Melanie Dennis CPO

Today’s Guest post is by a fellow local Professional Organizer, Melanie Dennis CPO (certified Professional Organizer). I consider her the guru of closets. Not only does she plan them out and organize them, but she installs it all herself! Ok…that is way beyond me. I wanted her to tell you and me some of her closet secrets!

You use your closet twice a day.  Some of us do the happy dance, and some of us feel contempt for the piles on the floor, the poorly used space, the spouse who hogs the rod, or shelves and rods bowing from the weight of it all.  The good news is that it can be better.  Lots of today’s melamine and wire kits can be installed with a few basic skills.  It can be overwhelming staring at the closet hardware at the store and know what you need to get the results you want.

Where to Begin?

Start with graph paper and a tape measure. Draw your closet shape and size.  After purging and donating the old clothes, measure the amount of clothes on the rods in the following categories. Hanging space is either long hang, short hang, or double hang (two short hangs one above the other.) Count sweaters and shoes. When planning your space don’t forget the non-clothes things stored in the closet like cameras, memorabilia, binoculars, or luggage.  Here are some of the magic numbers closet designers use to customize your space.

24” – how wide to leave between clothes hanging on each side of a closet for a person to walk through.  This is also the average depth of a reach-in closet.

21” – how much room you need from a wall to hang clothes on a hanger

34-36” -where you should hang the lower rod to hang slacks on the bottom of a double hanging wall.

75-80”- where the top rod of double hang goes.

67” -where contractors hang a long hanging single rod leaving an awkward amount of space not used wisely.

7-8” -amount of shelf space needed per each pair of shoes.

12” from the back wall is where a rod generally hangs.

2’ -how much long hanging rod space the average woman needs unless she long hangs her pants by the cuff or waist.

0’ -how much long hanging most men need.  A hook for a robe will suffice. I am a fan of hooks for everyone.

45 -average number of shoes a woman has. I am above average and that is all I am saying about that.

2-3 -sizes of clothes in most women’s closets. Yup…you are normal.

No drawers should higher than the eye level of the closet owner.

Piles of clothes should not be more than 12-14” high because they will topple easy- use more shelves with shorter piles will ensure better long term organizing. Some systems have supports for piles of clothes and purses to hold them upright.

Don’t fuss with systems that offer corner solutions.  Hanging in a corner is not efficient.  It is better to take one side all the way to the corner and hang the adjoining wall rod two feet out from the corner.  You can tuck rarely worn clothes in the corner.

Finally, splurge on matching hangers.  It makes a huge difference.

Melanie Dennis, CPO® is the owner of

Neat Streak Professional Organizing in Columbus, Ohio.  She has designed over one thousand spaces both as a as a closet designer for The Container Store and later as a professional organizer.

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