Even as a kid, I could spot an organizing product from a mile away…
I have a clear memory from my childhood of walking into a Chinese restaurant and noticing in the back corner–a sizable round table with a small, round piece of wood on top of it. While my family ate, a large group of people were seated at that table and what happened next made my ten-year-old eyes go wide.
The patrons ordered. The waiters brought out platters of food and placed them all on the round piece of wood. Then, that round piece of wood started moving. And people started serving themselves from it. Holy-moly–it spins!
I went home after dinner and wrote in my diary:
Dear Diary, Tonight at dinner I got a really disappointing fortune cookie BUT, I saw the coolest thing at the Chinese restaurant. I MUST someday sit at one of those tables with the spinny-thing on it. It was too cool for school. But I’m going to have to find nine other people to join me at the table because they won’t seat me there by myself…
As an adult, I eventually found nine other people who enjoyed Chinese food and were equally intrigued with the spinning table top. And, yes–it was a fun time. Childhood life goal fulfilled!
When it comes to writing about cool organizing products, I often focus on a singular item. This time, I’ve chosen to declare a category of organizing products as today’s ‘Cool Product.’ If you haven’t guessed already, I’m talking about the Lazy Susan.
I know–you have the same question I do. Why is it called a Lazy Susan?
I went looking for a definitive answer and came up with a bunch of educated guesses from educated people…
In my research and reading, I found that no one really knows for sure where the term ‘Lazy Susan’ comes from. There are more myths and conflicting reports than fact.
Here are a few facts and a few theories about the Lazy Susan:
• It dates back to 13th century China and 18th century England and was probably created to replace household help.
• Some historians say that Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Edison both had daughters named Susan and both had a hand in it’s invention (not at the same time in history, of course). There is no credible proof of that theory.
• In 1891, Elizabeth Howell was granted a patent for improvements to the ‘self-waiting table’ that included making the moveable portion less noisy and preventing crumbs from getting between the table and the revolving part.
• The Lazy Susan first appeared in an advertisement in Vanity Fair magazine in 1917.
• The phrase ‘Lazy Susan’ was added to the Webster’s Dictionary in 1933.
• It found it’s way into Chinese restaurants in the 1960’s–referred to as a ‘hygienic dining tray.’
• It found it’s way into Lechter’s (who remembers the former kitchen-supply store?), The Container Store, Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, HomeGoods, and other stores many years later!
The Lazy Susan has evolved over time and has recently become a staple organizing product in many homes–and not just for use on the dining room table.
Benefits to using a Lazy Susan and why it’s such a ‘cool product.’
• A Lazy Susan offers easy access to hard-to-reach spaces
• A Lazy Susan creates storage space in awkward spaces
• A Lazy Susan easily bring items from the back of a space to the front
They come in plastic with rubber grip material, clear plastic (oh, so popular now), metal, wood, marble–so many styles, colors, and sizes. They’re flat, they have raised edges, high-sides, they have compartments. Something for everyone!
And let’s be real. Objects that spin have novelty (who doesn’t love to spin around in a chair???). And in the case of the Lazy Susan, novelty = fun. We’re more likely to use an organizing product if it does something fun–like SPIN! Just another reason why I’m declaring it a ‘Cool Product.’
Where to use a Lazy Susan?
Refrigerator
A Lazy Susan works well in a refrigerator that is deep so items don’t disappear and die in the back of your fridge. Stick your hand in, spin it, and easily retrieve what you need. Less wasted food = less wasted money and less time spent running to the supermarket.
Upper and Lower Cabinets
If you’ve ever searched for a can of soup or a box of macaroni and cheese on the top shelf of an upper cabinet, you know the struggle is real. You can’t install a pull-out drawer in most upper cabinets so how do you easily reach what you need? Install–you guessed it–a Lazy Susan. This will provide an easy-to-access rotating storage system that will allow you to access anything that would otherwise cling to the back wall of the cabinet. Similarly, install one in a lower cabinet in a kitchen or bathroom in lieu of a pull-out drawer or basket.
Corners
Corners can be difficult to access but there’s no reason why we can’t use this awkward space more efficiently. Make the most of a corner where two shelves meet or a blind corner in a lower L-shaped corner cabinet by adding a Lazy Susan. And if you have the height, consider using one with multiple tiers. I always say, “If you have run out of room to organize outward, then organize upward!”
Homework/Art Station
The ladies of The Home Edit really know how to make a Lazy Susan look fab. But don’t despair if the contents of your Lazy Susan are not arranged in rainbow order (thank you Mr. ROYG. BIV). Make homework and art-time more fun with a Lazy Susan filled with pencils, crayons, scissors, glue sticks, etc. Yes, a ‘spinny thing’ can motivate your kids to do their homework and channel their inner Picasso. Whatever works–right, parents?
I use a few Lazy Susans in my own home. I currently have one in a corner of my pantry closet for small items such as extra spices, cans of ginger ale, and small bottles of infrequently used condiments (it’s the one in the photo above). I also use two in a narrow upper kitchen cabinet to group all of my family’s vitamins in one location.
In thinking about it, the memory in the Chinese restaurant was not my first encounter with a Lazy Susan. It was one in my mother’s kitchen. It was a lovely 1970’s gold (who remembers THAT?). It lived in a cabinet close to the cooktop and held a variety of spices. It’s probably the first Lazy Susan I ever saw but did not pay much attention to it until I was old enough to start cooking.
That Lazy Susan worked in our kitchen for close to FORTY YEARS! I recently asked my mother about it and she told me it unfortunately broke some time ago and had to be replaced by a newer 2-tiered version–NOT in gold.
So, if you’re having trouble reaching items in your closets, cabinets, or pantry OR the thought of using an organizing product that *spins* makes you giddy, give the Lazy Susan a try.
If you are the proud owner of at least one Lazy Susan in your home, share in the comments how you’re using it and how it makes your life easier. I’d love to know!
As a Professional Organizer, mom of two, and former first grade teacher, I have spent much time organizing kids.
Guess which age range has the most stuff that needs organizing?
The smallest of children! For little people, they sure have a lot of things to organize!
And because they’re ‘tiny tots,’ (a name I adopted from my son’s former preschool class) they’re not as independent as a teen, tween, or even eight year old would be.
If you’re responsible for one or more of those tiny tots, you’re probably very busy. And tired. Mmmmm…more like exhausted. You have very little time or energy to keep their lives organized. When you have tiny tots, it’s rare that you have more than ten minutes to spare–especially if you have more than one child!
In the interest of saving you time, money, space, and stress (and your sanity?!?), here are 10 ten-minute tasks to tackle for organizing your teeniest of tiny tots:
10 Ten-Minute Tasks
• Purge photos from your smartphone. I KNOW you have a ton of pics of your tiny tots on your phone. I did, too (and still do…)! Take ten minutes a week to delete any blurry, red-eye, duplicate photos. You don’t want to run out of digital space and not be able to capture future milestones and adorable moments.
• Gather and carve out a small space (a lower cabinet, drawer, or basket) for kid-friendly dishes, bowls, and cups. Taking ten minutes to set this up will save you hours in the future. Creating a space for a child to retrieve a bowl or cup by themselves (and put it back after being washed) encourages independence and teaches them beginner organizing skills.
• Organize food storage containers. Purge out containers with missing lids or those that have gone through the dishwasher one too many times. With a little direction, some children as young as two or three can help match lids to bottoms and group similar-shaped containers together. *This task is especially important if you pack your child a lunch every day for day care or preschool.
• Before heading to the market or placing an online order, take inventory of baby food, formula, and diapers. Depending upon how many kids you have, this should take you less than ten minutes but save you a lot of time, energy, and grief.
• Scan your kid’s play area for sticky, broken, or infrequently used toys and take a few moments to wash them, repair or toss them, or donate them.
• Using strips of low-tack blue tape, create ‘parking spots’ in your play space or garage for large toy trucks, doll carriages, or ride-on toys. This designates a ‘home’ for these bigger toys and just like you park your car in a lot, on the street, or in a driveway your child will park their toy in these designated spots. And if they don’t, you can play a game I like to call, ‘Mommy Meter Maid…’
(For some of my other toy organizing ideas for your tiny tots, read more here.)
• Create a ‘home’ for your kid’s favorite bedtime books. When bedtime isn’t going as smoothly as you’d like, at least you’ll know where their ‘sleepy-time stories’ are!
• Grab diapers, cream, wipes, and a mat and set up a ‘satellite’ diaper changing station in an area you spend the most time in with your tiny tots. Doing this will save you time from having to run to your changing table, from having to clean up a blowout (you know what I’m talking about…), and then having to do some messy laundry. *Spend less than ten minutes a week refilling both diaper changing stations with more ‘supplies.’
• Similarly, use a ten minute pocket of time to take note of and re-stock the contents of your tiny tot’s diaper bag. Jot down a checklist of must-have and nice-to-have items and keep it in the pocket of the bag for reference–a real time and brain-space saver! It’s important to have a diaper bag prepared for when you want to leave the house, when you have to leave the house, or in an emergency situation.
• Take ten minutes to brainstorm more ideas for organizing your tiny tots in under ten minutes. I would say, “Take ten minutes on Pinterest to to look up more kid organizing ideas but let’s be honest–who can be on Pinterest for only ten minutes?!? So, instead please–take ten minutes to yourself. Organizing your tiny tots is important but so is self-care. And if Pinterest is part of your self-care routine–take at least fifteen if you’re able to…
Little kids are unpredictable–be realistic with your ten minutes. If you have a task you think will only take ten minutes but it really takes more, split the task in two parts and tackle them at different times of the day. And if you don’t have ten minutes one day, you’ll have it tomorrow or over the weekend. Keep these tasks as simple as possible and enlist help from a friend, family member, or kid-loving teenager.
Put these 10 ten-minute tasks into practice to make parenting ever-so-slightly easier. You’re on your way to modeling and teaching your tiny tot the how-to’s and benefits of being organized.
What? It’s time to send the kids back to school? Already?
Are you sure? Because I’m still enjoying the warm weather and not having to pack lunch boxes–how about you?
OK. Time for a reality check. School starts this week for my kids. Others across the country began weeks ago and have already submitted their ‘What I Did Over Summer Vacation’ assignment.
As we all know, it’s important to start the school year off on the right foot. Freshly sharpened pencils, a positive mindset, and solid sleep habits are first-rate ways to get the year in motion. An apple for the teacher couldn’t hurt…
If you’re feeling stressed just thinking about everything you need to do to keep you and your kids organized throughout the school year, take a deep breath. There are basic organizing principles that can help you simplify and streamline what needs to get done and help you and your kids get an A+ in ‘Organization’ for the school year.
One of these basic organizing principles is known as ‘Give Everything A Home.’
Everything that comes into your home and already exists in your home needs a place to ‘live.’ The concept may sound overwhelming, but if you think about it–most of what you own already has logical homes. For example, your clothes live in a closet, your toothbrushes live in the bathroom, and your wallet lives in your handbag.
Establishing ‘homes’ for your belongings helps you to easily locate them when you need them. As the back to school season begins and as the school year progresses, you and your kids are going to need to find and access school-related items quickly, efficiently, and sometimes (for the kids) independently.
Here are some tips and solutions for giving everything ‘back to school’ a ‘home’ in your home:
What needs a home: Papers
Create a Home for School-Related Papers
Since my eldest started kindergarten a decade ago, the amount of paper that comes home from school has been drastically reduced. But, even with schools using email, texting, and the Remind app to communicate with parents and reduce paper usage, papers still come home and still have to be read, filled out, and dealt with. Beware! Papers like to multiply like rabbits when left on a kitchen counter or dining room table!
Solutions:
• Designate a ‘home’ for papers that parents need to review and designate a ‘home’ for papers dedicated to each child. This could be a shelf, a set of stacking inbox trays, plastic drawers, or shoeboxes–whatever works for your space and budget.
When they come home from school, have each child place papers to be reviewed in the ‘parent’ spot and when the parent is finished processing the papers (permission slips/book orders/money collection) they are then placed in the ‘child’ spot. The child then takes those completed papers and puts them in their folder/book bag to take back to school.
Bonus tip: For papers that need to be referenced often during the course of a school year (school holiday schedule, class lists, etc.), consider placing them in a binder or folder and designate an easy-to-access ‘home’ for the binder or folder to live in.
What needs a home: Kid’s Artwork
Create a Home for Artwork
First, it’s scribbles on paper. Then, finger paints and leaf rubbings. Soon, the artwork becomes 3-D and it’s living on your dining room table. And in the entrance way. And all over the floor in your kid’s room.
Solutions:
• Determine where your children’s artwork will ‘live’ before it even starts coming through your door. What space works best? Your child’s room? The refrigerator? A mudroom or hallway space? Knowing in advance where the artwork will ‘live,’ makes it less likely for it to take up residence across your dining room table. Decide where the artwork will live and reserve that space for that purpose.
• Create space limits for displaying and keeping artwork. Will it be displayed on the front of the fridge? An eye-level shelf in the family room? Will it be stored in a portfolio folder? A clear bin in your attic? Let the size of the space determine the amount of artwork you can display and store.
Too much artwork and not enough space to put it on display? Have the kids select what they want to keep–this improves decision making skills. Photograph much-loved 2-D and 3-D pieces and create a small printed or digital photo album of their work.
• Create time limits for displaying and keeping artwork. This can be determined by how much artwork is coming through your door multiplied by the number of children you have. Work with your child(ren) to figure out how long they would like their art displayed before giving up the space to another work of art or another person’s work of art. A week? A month? Until the next piece of art comes home?
• Create an ‘exit strategy’ for the art (you parents of preschoolers know what I mean….). Will it be photographed and kept? Mailed to Grandma? Will it be photographed and tossed? Yes–your trash receptacle may at some point become a permanent ‘home’ for your children’s artwork.
Bonus tip–Don’t throw artwork away in front of your budding artist!
What needs a home: Library Books
Create a Home for Library Books
Raise your hand if you or your kids have accidentally mixed library books in with the books in your home. I’m raising my hand, too! (Yes–it even happens to Professional Organizers).
Solutions:
• Create a specific home just for library books–a simple way to prevent school and town library books from accidentally co-habitating with other ‘like’ books in your home. That ‘home’ may be a shelf, a container, a basket or a designated spot in a closet. Wherever that spot is, put a label on it that says ‘Library Books’ so everyone can see it. When books are brought home from the library, place them here first. After reading them, return them to this spot. When they’re ready to be returned, you’ll know exactly where they are.
Speaking of returning books…
* Bonus tip–Make a note in your calendar of the day books are due back to the library. Make another note one week in advance of that date. Knowing the due date means not having to pay a ‘late book’ fee!
What needs a home: School Supplies
Create a Home for School Supplies
Have you gone shopping for school supplies yet? Not just for the supplies the teacher would like for the classroom–I’m talking about the ones you need in your home. Yes–those purple glue sticks, crayons, packages of loose leaf paper, and poly folders–they will need a ‘home,’ too.
Solutions:
• Designate a space in your home for the storing of basic school and office supplies your kids may need for the year. For quick access, this spot should be close to where they do their homework. The supplies can live in one central location or each child can create a ‘home’ for their personal school supplies in their room or close to where they prefer to do their work.
• For small items like erasers and paper clips or items in multiples such as markers and crayons, use containers that act as smaller ‘homes’ to keep these items grouped together in the space, bin, shelf, or drawer designated for school supplies.
Bonus tip – Take inventory of school supplies at the beginning of every month. You’ll still need glue sticks and sharp pencils in May and June!
Give the ‘Give Everything A Home’ principle a try. Soon you’ll begin to see just how manageable the school year can be when you give everything a home. And if it works well for school, just think how well the ‘Give Everything A Home’ principle would work in other areas of your home and life…Hmmmm…
Wishing you and your kids an organized school year!
As a Professional Organizer in business almost nineteen years (!) I have heard the above declarations more times than I can count. I’ve recently coined a phrase I offer to my clients when they feel like it’s all too much:
Starting ‘small’ is the solution to dealing with clutter. De-cluttering a whole room is overwhelming. Starting small by focusing on one teeny-tiny part of that room is more manageable.
Starting ‘easy’ helps us to build our de-cluttering ‘muscles.’ ‘Easy’ items are usually ones with little-to-no sentimental or monetary value. The decision making process takes barely any brain power when we start with the ‘easy’ stuff. Once we’ve trained our decision-making muscles on the easy items, we’re better equipped to make the tougher decisions later on.
Are you familiar with the phrase, ‘The shoemaker’s son has no shoes?’ Well, sometimes I’m so focused on organizing spaces for others that I don’t focus on organizing my own! Case in point–my kid’s linen closet. OK, really it was one shelf in the linen closet…
I have two kids and they share a linen closet where I store their sheets, towels, extra blankets, and any medicine/first aid items they may need or require. When I only had one child, the shelves in this linen closet weren’t as full. Now that there are two of them, there’s A LOT more stuff.
The sheets, towels, and blanket shelves were under control but what was not was the shelf I had dedicated to my kid’s medicine and first aid items. For the first few years, I had a couple of tubes, bottles, and boxes of things that I could find easily. Then after kid number two arrived, the shelf started filling up. I could still find what I was looking for but I would sometimes accidentally knock things over and cause an unwanted ‘domino effect’ resulting in a disorganized mess.
Full disclosure–this is what it looked like:
Forget about the fact that it looked cluttered when I opened the door to this closet. Visually, it was unappealing (and appalling!) to me. I needed to block off time in my calendar to organize this spot. I knew decluttering a linen closet shelf wouldn’t take me long–I just had to create a plan and stick to it.
It was time to take my own advice to start small, start easy–just start. And get the job done…
I followed the 5 steps to getting any space in the home organized–created by Professional Organizer Julie Morgenstern in her book, Organizing from the Inside Out. This is the 5 step method I use with my clients when organizing any space in their homes. It works every time!
Step 1: The Sort
I took all items off the shelf and placed them on a nearby staircase. I sorted them by type and for the most part found that they fell into four categories: First Aid, Medicine, Nose, and Teeth. I also created a category of ‘Expired’ and ‘No Longer Used.’ to be dealt with during the next step.
Step 2: The Purge
Once I sorted all the items, it was easy to see what could be purged. Expired medicine was dealt with in an ecologically-friendly manner and boxes were flattened and added to our recycle bin. Papers were filed, garbage was collected and added to our household trash. I was left with only the things my kids presently use or would need in the future.
Step 3: Assign a Home
This step asks the question, ‘Where are the post-purge items all going to live?’ I knew they were going to live on this shelf in the linen closet so this step was pretty easy to breeze through. After the purge, I placed each grouping of the remaining items back onto the shelf by category until I could complete Step 4.
Step 4: Containerize
I was certain I wanted to use some kind of drawer system to store the medical/first aid items. Quick and easy access to meds and first aid supplies is key when your child is wheezing, sneezing, or bleeding! I measured the height, width, and depth of the shelf and took to the internet to locate a product that would work.
A brief search led me to the Small Tint Stackable Storage Drawers from The Container Store. They were colorful and just the right size to fit two-stacked one on top of another on the linen closet shelf. Lucky for me, I live in driving distance of their location in Paramus, NJ so I hopped in my car and set out to get one step closer to completing my small and easy organizing project. I chose blue and orange because my boys like the NY Knicks and tolerate the Mets because their dad is a life-long fan.
I brought the drawers home, filled each drawer by category, and placed them on the shelf. Organizing success!
Step 5: Equalize
(also known as Maintain)
This is the step that comes after the organizing is done and systems are in place. Every so often, depending upon the how often you use the items, it is necessary to do what’s called ‘maintenance.’
In this case, every few weeks, I peek in the drawers and take inventory on meds, flossers, band-aids, and lip balm. I straighten up other items on the shelf such as shampoo bottles and hand sanitizer and make room for anything new that my kids have started using (deodorant–yikes!). Decluttering a linen closet shelf or any space in your home won’t take long if you keep up with maintaining it!
You may notice that I did not add any labels to the outside of the bins. I tossed the idea around but since the drawers are translucent, it’s fairly easy to see their contents without opening the drawer. As my kids become more independent and access the items on their own, I may choose to add labels. But, for now I like how seamless and colorful it looks when I open the linen closet door.
Not every organizing project has to be on a grand scale for it to make a positive impact on your life. Some are as small as a drawer, a shelf, or a corner of your desk. Even organizing your wallet, your car’s glove compartment, or a bucket full of batteries can save you time, money, and space. Regardless of the size of the project, block off time on your calendar, follow the five steps, and start. Start small. Start easy. Just start.
What small and easy organizing project will you start this week?
I’ve spent the last few months blogging about meal planning and organizing to reduce stress and to keep ourselves safe so I thought I’d shift direction a bit and keep things light. We’re still in the midst of a global crisis. Life is stressful. We could all use more than a few yuk-yuks on a daily basis.
Years ago, I wrote a blog post that included funny organizing cartoons I had seen circulating on social media. I still share that post regularly–knowing in my heart that by sharing it, I’ve made at least one person in the world smile.
In this post, I’ll be turning to my experience as a Professional Organizer for some laughs. I love helping people get organized. I do my best to keep our organizing sessions light and fun despite the sometimes sad and overwhelming reasons why clients have called me to their home.
The more often I work with a particular client, the easier it is to predict what will happen during our organizing session. But, there are times when I have no idea what we will unearth while sorting or what will happen to me while purging. In that vein, allow me to share with you three funny organizing stories that happened to me on the job…
Story #1: Closet Organizing is Not for Chickens!
After a personal loss, a client had called me in to help her organize her clothing, drawers, and closet. She had engaged in some ‘retail therapy’ and decided it was time to get her closet under control. It wasn’t a particularly large closet for the apartment she was living in but it was deep–and you never know what you’ll find ‘in the deep!’
We pulled out a ton of wire and tubular hangers and sent them to the trash along with dry cleaner wrappings and random items. The mood was a bit heavy at times but my client appeared happier as her closet became more empty.
Then, for the first time during our session, I heard her laugh. She came out of the closet and in her hand was a giant rubber chicken! She told me the story of how she came to own a rubber chicken (closets contain so many good stories!) and she gleefully gave it a bunch of squeezes to cause it’s eyeballs to pop out of it’s head. She was smiling! The chicken was not…
After some thought, she decided to purge the rubber chicken from her life and sent it hurling towards the garbage can. She must not have remembered that the rubber chicken had a voice box in it because when it hit the can, it squawked, “BOK BOK BOK BOK BOK BOK BOK!”
We looked at each other and burst out laughing! She ran to the can, grabbed the chicken and gave him another good throw and again upon contact it squealed, “BOK BOK BOK BOK BOK BOK BOK!”
Back into the closet we went with a lighter mood! Out came pants and blouses to try on and a pair of old sneakers to purge. At my client’s request, I tossed the sneakers in the can and an unexpected, “BOK BOK BOK BOK BOK BOK BOK” rang out from the depths of the trash. The chicken lives! After that, my client became ‘the tosser’ and thanks to that rubber chicken, our closet-purging session was more fun than a barrel of monkeys…er, chickens…
Story #2: ‘Watch’ What You Throw Away!
I have worked with many clients overwhelmed with kid toys. For jobs like these, I bring my super-duper thick black contractor bags–not only because they hold a lot, but because little children won’t be able to see that their parents are purging their toys!
My client had three daughters and was looking to pare down some of their toys while they were in school. We sorted and started purging Beanie Babies, dress-up clothes, and lots of little things like Polly Pockets, Barbie accessories, and Happy Meal toys (thank you, McDonald’s for keeping Professional Organizers in business…). My client left the room for a moment to get a drink. I took a look at my watch to see how much time was left of our appointment and noticed that my watch was no longer on my wrist! It was a dainty, gold-toned watch–a gift from my parents. A watch I really should not have been wearing ‘on the job’ but it matched my outfit so nicely so how could I not wear it that day? The clasp had not been ‘clasping’ perfectly for a few weeks but like I said, it matched my outfit really well…
I scanned the area around me–no watch. I shook some large stuffed animals and sifted through the shag carpet beneath me–no watch.
And then, I realized where it could be. It was in the three-quarters filled contractor bag–with all the Beanie Babies, dress-up clothes, and little toys inside.
I start sifting through the bag. No watch. I thought to myself, “It must have sunk to the bottom of the bag.” You can only imagine what I muttered next under my breath…
When the client came back in the room, our conversation went something like this…
Client: “I can’t believe we filled an entire trash bag with toys!”
Me: “It is quite full! I’m going to close it up and start a new trash bag.”
Client: “I’m ready to fill another one!”
Me: “Great–I’ll grab one. By the way, something happened that has never happened in all the years I’ve been working as an organizer. My watch fell off while we were working and I think it is somewhere at the bottom the bag!”
Client: “Oh, no!”
Me: “Oh, YES!” Would you mind if I took the bag home with me? I would be more than happy to put the bag out with my own trash after I find my watch.”
Client: “Sure, I hope you find your watch!”
Me: “Me, too! I am so embarrassed–thanks for understanding!”
I got home and immediately emptied the bag of toys onto my floor. It was a ‘needle in a haystack’ moment but sure enough, there was my watch–the persnickety clasp caught on the hem of a Barbie evening gown. Now I wear a FitBit on the job–whether it matches my outfit or not…
P.S.: I can’t organize and purge kid toys any more without thinking about what happened to the toys in the intro of Toy Story 3. THIS is why I use black trash bags for garbage and white garbage bags for donations!
Story #3: Bubblicious Booty Surprise!
A client called me to help her organize her unfinished basement. When I work in a basement, the idea of wearing a ‘cute outfit’ like I did the day I lost my watch is just not practical. Yoga pants, sneakers, and layered tops depending upon the weather help keep me comfortable and able to move around easily.
The basement was large with many ‘basement-friendly’ items that required sorting and purging. After working in one spot together for an hour, we decided to split up and ‘divide-and-conquer.’ She chose to sort her bins of wrapping paper and I was asked to sort out the laundry area on the opposite side of the room.
Despite the size of the basement, the laundry area was small and crowded. I stepped carefully, noting the items on the floor and most of what was around me. I took a few steps back to avoid some hangers near my feet, then heard a hissing noise. I quickly turned around hoping I wasn’t going to find a pet snake! I checked–no snake. (It’s not easy to surprise a Professional Organizer–we’ve seen A LOT…)
Almost immediately, I felt a cool sensation on my backside that quickly turned cold and wet. And uncomfortable. I figured I must have made contact with an open container of something on the shelf behind me. A quick scan of the shelf revealed that somehow I had backed myself into a can of Scrubbing Bubbles that was lying down minus it’s cap. A quick scan of my backside showed a large clump of white foamy bubbles against the black (and non-waterproof) yoga pants I was wearing that morning. Ugh!
I spent the rest of the organizing session trying to avoid turning my back towards my client and then had to drive the half hour home with a wet (but no longer foamy) backside! To this day, I STILL have no idea how I backed my backside into an open can of Scrubbing Bubbles. It’s one of those events that you could try and recreate through the magic of physics, geometry, and a computer program but it still might not yield any answers. I can look back and laugh now, but I wasn’t laughing then!
Are you smiling? Did you laugh at my stories? Good! Then my work here is done. When organizing your home, watch out for chickens and snakes and keep it light and fun. Emphasis on the word FUN.
Do you have a funny organizing story? I’d love to hear about it in the comments section below!
What we’re experiencing with the Coronavirus is unprecedented.
Many of us are on lockdown. With children. My kids are 13.5 and almost 10. They’re great kids who play well together (most of the time), take their new online/distance learning education seriously (it’s week 1…), and have a basketball hoop outside to help them shake off some energy. I spend my mornings shuttling between their two bedrooms answering questions, assisting with technology, and I even learned a new skill–how to highlight text in Google Docs.
‘Online school’ in our town will be from 9am-1pm Monday through Friday for at least the next two weeks. After lunch and some ‘chillaxin’ time,’ the plan is to use part of the afternoon for what I call ‘Electives.’ This afternoon my kids will be taking ‘Home Economics’ and helping me make meatballs. Yesterday, my youngest son and I explored watercolors during ‘Art’ and tomorrow he’ll practice his xylophone during ‘Music.’
Besides the basic school electives, I could not call myself a Professional Organizer if I didn’t at least try to engage my kids in a little organizing while we are house-bound. It’s an important life skill and we’ve got the time to practice it!
Life with kids regardless of their age can be hectic. Over the past few months, my husband and I have been juggling our workloads, our two kids on three different basketball teams, volunteer work for religious and professional organizations, family and friends, with little time to tackle some organizing projects that have needed our attention (Familiar with the whole ‘shoemaker has no shoes’ saying?).
You may have experienced a similar weekly/monthly time crunch. As long as no one is ill in your household, this would be a good time to have your kids sharpen their organizing skills after completing their schoolwork. It will teach them a life skill, help keep your home in order, and keep them busy with a productive activity when the day feels like it may never end.
Here are some ideas on where to begin and tips to make it as painless as possible…
Three areas of organizing to focus on with your kids are: organizing time, organizing space, and organizing stuff.
Organizing Time
For many kids, their online schooling will take place in the morning. But afternoons, evenings, and weekends are wide open. Let’s work with them on some time management skills…
Promote the benefits of sticking to a basic schedule – Kids thrive on routine. It gives them a sense of security and predictability. School-aged kids follow a schedule in school–create something similar in your home. During this period of time spent at home, it’s imperative for your child’s well-being for them to know what’s coming next in their world in the days and weeks ahead.
Create a visual schedule of their days
Work with your kids to create a paper-based or digital schedule for weekdays and weekends using the concept of Time Blocking. From the website Doist.com: “Time blocking is a time management method that asks you to divide your day into blocks of time. Each block is dedicated to accomplishing a specific task, or group of tasks, and only those specific tasks. … With days that are time blocked in advance, you won’t have to constantly make choices about what to focus on.”
Together with your kids, create a list of everyday and weekly tasks, to-do’s, projects, and fun to plug into their daily at-home schedule. Tweak as necessary.
Help them prioritize tasks
Prioritizing is all about figuring out what is most important. Assisting your child with the art of prioritizing gives them a life skill that prepares them for the future. Take that list you made with your kids for Time Blocking purposes and use it help them make decisions as to what’s most important to accomplish during a ‘school’ day and on the weekends while at home. Be flexible–this unusual time isn’t easy for them or us.
For more on the how time management can make your life and your child’s life easier, read…
An organized space is key to one’s physical and mental well being. Your kids are already being forced to stay indoors for most of their day and may be stressed about the global pandemic. This is the time to help them make sure their personal space is clean and orderly.
Bedroom/Playroom Stand with your child in the room and together determine the categories of items that need to be organized. Basics are books, toys, clothes, electronics, etc. I don’t recommend purging much more than any trash that might be around the room. This is a challenging time for everyone and keeping the space in order is more important at this point than getting rid of what you think your child doesn’t need anymore.
Online learning workspace Your child(ren) will be engaging in online/distance learning for at least a few weeks–it’s important that their space be organized. This may include laptops, Chromebooks, scrap paper, pens/pencils/crayons, a spot for a snack, etc. Talk to your child(ren) about their needs and help them set up and organize their temporary school space for success.
Organizing Stuff
Oh, the things that can be organized when you’re at home for weeks on end!
Books, Toys, Art Supplies, School Papers Like I mentioned above, no need for much purging unless something is broken and beyond repair. Just keeping each category of items all together in one spot will be sufficient. The phrase, ‘organized enough’ is one to keep in mind as the days turn into weeks.
Clothes
Spring is coming! After we ‘flatten the curve’ and we’re safe to go back to our usual lives it’s going to be too warm (in many parts of the country) to wear the clothes we wore in March. This is the perfect time to try on shorts and bathing suits and take inventory of what clothes your kids will need for the Spring and Summer. *Tip: I park my kids in front of the TV to try clothes on them. It keeps them occupied, I hear less complaining, and it gets the job done fairly quickly and painlessly!
Pantry
Do you have a space in your kitchen where your kids can get their own snacks? If not, this is the time to make one. You’re most likely trying to work–the fewer interruptions you have, the better. Talk to your kids about what snacks they’d like to have accessible in the fridge and pantry/cabinet. Set up a bin, bag, or shoebox (whatever you have handy) and place the snacks where they can reach them themselves. *Tip: Know your kid–if they can’t be trusted alone with a baggie of Cheerios when you’re not in the same room, stick to something less messy or one or two of something like a Fig Newton or a granola bar.
Helpful Tips
Group Like with Like
Most kids as young as preschoolers can follow this basic organizing principle. Dolls with dolls, all socks in one drawer, all copies of Captain Underpants live together on the shelf, etc.
Break it Down
Keep organizing projects short and sweet. No more than 15 – 30 minutes a day for everyone’s sanity! One shelf. One drawer. One bin of Hot Wheels cars. That’s it. Do more tomorrow. Or wait for the weekend.
Put things back where they belong
This is a basic organizing principle that is used in schools and is beneficial at home, too. Take 10-15 minutes a day to do a sweep of toys, books, school supplies, etc. and put them back where they live. This will make it easier for your kids to find what they need next time they need it–and less likely for them to need to interrupt you while you’re TRYING to work from home.
Plan for tomorrow
Planning is another important life skill. Have your kids think about what they want to eat for lunch tomorrow, what they might want to wear (most likely pajamas), and who they might want to FaceTime with after their schoolwork is done. Planning ahead helps kids to make decisions and focus on their future needs.
Not About Organizing, But Still Helpful Tips
• While you’re cleaning out your drawers/cabinets/shelves if you find something a local friend or neighbor could use, drop it off at their apartment or front stoop (and call/text/email them to let them know it’s there!). Kindness goes along way during a pandemic…
• Organize video playdates for your kids. It’s not really organizing but it does take planning and effort. My youngest son has had two already and it has kept him happy and in touch with his friends.
• Stay as calm as you can with EVERYONE home ALL THE TIME. Here’s a great Youtube channel with relaxing music that I listen to when I’m feeling stressed: OCB Relax Music.
• Engage in some adult and kid coloring for stress relief. It’s a relaxing group activity and goes very well with the relaxing music I just mentioned. If you don’t have any coloring books in the house, type ‘adult coloring book printable free’ into Google–pages of hits appear. Do the same for your kids, print a few pages, and relax a bit while coloring.
• Buy (if you can find any…) these Clorox wipes that smell like a piña colada. Who couldn’t use some of THAT right now? Am I walking around disinfecting my house or am I walking on the beach? (I’ve heard being sequestered can make one delusional…)
We’re living in stressful times but getting your home and kids organized can help reduce that stress. Be safe. Be healthy. Please do your part to ‘flatten the curve.’ Together we can save lives.
Last summer, I went on a field trip to The Container Store with my colleagues from NAPO-NNJ. As you can imagine, the bunch of us that attended had a blast! We saw a few demos, learned about some new products, and had a chance to roam freely through the store. While I was roaming, I happened upon these: OXO Good Grips POP Containers
They were so cool! You’re probably thinking that I bought out the store…but I controlled myself and didn’t. Even though they were ‘cool,’ they were a bit pricey. I left The Container Store without them in my hand but those POP containers lingered in my brain and heart…
Here are a few reasons why I thought these were a ‘Cool Product.’
• Their square/rectangular shapes fit well side-by-side on shelves
• They stack!
• Easy open/easy close
• Aesthetically pleasing
Fast forward a few weeks. I was shopping in TJ Maxx and found a shelf in the Housewares Department filled with OXO POP Containers! And, in TJ Maxx fashion, they cost less than the ones in The Container Store–jackpot! I brought these two babies home with me, gave them a good washing, and put them to work in my pantry closet.
Here’s how they open and close… This is the lid when closed. That big button gets pressed to open the container. Press down and…
It opens!
When that big push-button is in the ‘up’ position, the lid is loosened and can be lifted. The push-button also acts as a handle! I thought that was pretty cool, too.
Push the big button down again to create an airtight seal with the pressure of a few fingertips.
Right now, I’m using the two large POP Containers for storing pretzels and Tostitos Scoops. I also bought two tall, slim containers that are holding Twizzlers and small cookies. I purchased one smaller POP Container and it fits an entire package of Fig Newtons perfectly. It’s so easy for my kids to operate them. They are able to get their own snacks and nine times out of ten, the lid goes on and nothing goes stale. That’s pretty good odds for a 7 and 11 year old…
I like this product so much, I was quoted in this Today.com article about how much I love using them in my own home.
If you’d like to try one out for yourself, check your local TJ Maxx store. I have seen some on the shelves at Home Goods but I haven’t seen any in Marshall’s. Want to spring for a 10-piece set? They are sold at The Container Store, Amazon and other home stores. If you have a 20% off coupon, consider purchasing them at Bed Bath and Beyond.
The last week of November was a busy time in my household. It was Thanksgiving. It was Hanukkah. And it was also my birthday. Lots of food and festivities. Not a lot of downtime.
But, my hubby and I chose to carve out a small amount of time that weekend to make our home more organized. The colder weather was upon us and we had to come up with a solution to a recent organization problem.
We have a front door and an entry-way closet next to that door. Coats, shoes, umbrellas and accessories are kept in that closet.
Problem: My children and I enter and exit our home most days through the garage, not the front door. No mudroom or closet next to that garage entrance door. Instead, we have a tiny laundry room with an even tinier broom closet that we converted to a storage closet years ago. We installed a row of hooks across the top and at the bottom of the closet we store shopping and recycle bags of varying sizes.
On this closet door, we installed a 4-pocket organizer from Babies R’ Us which has proved to be an extraordinarily helpful organizing product. Each of us has a pocket to store accessories and one is for infrequently used items like snow gloves.
This worked well for a while. My children were young and had little coats and my jacket fit just fine next to theirs. Now, my kids are bigger and so are their coats. They have more hats and mittens, too. With all three of our winter coats in there, the closet door no longer stayed closed. And the hooks were so high, I was the person in charge of hanging everyone’s coats.
What to do?
I had suggested a hall tree for the room adjacent to the garage which just so happens to be my home office. It wouldn’t thrill me to have coats and backpacks hanging in my work space but it was better than having them spill out of the storage closet–especially when I was doing the laundry.
My husband did not like the hall tree idea for two reasons:
1) He thought a hall tree would have looked messy. (I agree)
2) The hall tree would have to stand in the space currently occupied by his grandmother’s table which he loves and it would not fit in our attic.
So, for a while we thought about it, spent the summer leaving camp bags in the garage but then Autumn came and the problem was back. Backpacks and diaper bags were dropped as we entered the house and coats were dumped on a couch that sits opposite my desk in this room. (No picture is available–too embarrassing for this Professional Organizer to admit!)
Besides the fact that it looked terrible, it didn’t exactly instill the importance of being organized to our two young children.
Once again we asked ourselves, “What to do?”
Solution: One day, my husband looked at me and said, “What if we move the ironing board and vacuum cleaner out of the laundry room and use that space as a mudroom? I measured the space. It was 24” wide. I was skeptical but I grew up in a 5’x12′ bedroom. I knew I could make this work.
Challenge accepted!
I’ll give my husband credit for thinking of utilizing this space. I probably never considered it because my husband likes to iron despite the fact he doesn’t do it much anymore (Yes–he does laundry, too. I’m a lucky lady…). We had not hung an iron in the iron holder since our first child started crawling six years ago. It was a great iron/ironing board organizer from Rubbermaid but it’s time was up. We relocated the real vacuum to the garage with the ironing board and the toy vacuum went to the basement playroom.
I thought to myself, “Where am I going to find what I need to fit into a two-foot wide space?”
I looked in Home Goods and online and didn’t see much that would fit my tight secifications. Then one day, I was in Target and went to check out their Closetmaid collection. I’ve used their products in the past for organizing my kid’s toys and got to check out their new products at the NAPO Conference last year.
I walked down the aisle and not only did I see what would work for me, it was on sale!
The Closetmaid 24″ Horizontal Stackable Organizer
Twenty four inches wide, too! What luck! My plan was to have the boys keep their backpacks on the top shelf, store their sneakers on the middle and bottom shelves and since their feet aren’t too big, maybe there would be room for a basket to hold accessories.
Now, I needed to figure out the second half of the mudroom–a place to hang coats. There are so many hook choices out there from the simple to the whimsical. We just needed simple. And, we needed more than one set of hooks. One was to be placed at the top of the space for my coat/handbag/hat and the other was to be placed so my kids could hang and retrieve their own outerwear.
Before Thanksgiving, I attended the holiday party for the local organizer group I belong to–NAPO-NNJ. Besides a lovely dinner, we had a Yankee Swap. The table was filled with gifts and I had pulled the last number for picking. By the time it was my turn to pick, there was one gift left on the table. You’ll never believe what it was?
A SET OF HOOKS!
What else do you think Professional Organizers would bring to a Yankee Swap??? It was meant to be!
And, the person who bought the hooks hadn’t removed the price tag entirely. They were from Bed Bath and Beyond. You can’t imagine how giddy I was over a set of hooks!
The next day with my trusty 20% coupon in hand, I bought another set. I was ready for construction to begin.
We charged our electric drill, connected with our inner Bob Villa, and made Mudroom Magic. Hubby and I put together the Closetmaid shelf in less than ten minutes. We measured and hung the hooks making sure they were straight with the iHandy level on my iPhone.
Measure twice, make hole once!
My kids tried putting their backpacks on the bench–plenty of room!
Hooks were hung and so were the coats. The laundry room is tight–here’a a few pics of what it looks like now.
My kids have been using our mini-mudroom everyday–I am so proud of them! Sometimes I find my husband staring at this space with a big grin on his face. I love it, too. No more coat clutter. It looks great. It keeps us organized. Twenty-four inches of space. Challenge accepted. Challenge met. Challenge complete!
Mini-mudroom dreams do come true!
What organizing challenges have you resolved in your home recently?
If you couldn’t tell by walking around your neighborhood or the local mall, Halloween is just around the corner. I’ve bought my candy and scoured the Target One Spot for cool Halloween pencils and other non-food trinkets. My eldest child says he’s too old for trick-or-treating while my youngest child is still thinking about what his costume should be. I advised him not to wait too long to decide or else he’ll have to get creative or be OK with the Harry Potter costume he wore last year.
What do you do to celebrate Halloween? Decorate your house? Cook Halloween-themed treats? Put on a costume to hand out candy?
Some people love Halloween, some celebrate it because of their kids, and some would rather shut off all the lights in their house and hide in their basement on Halloween. If you fall into the first two categories, read on.
Holidays require preparation and Halloween is no different. Ordering/making costumes, buying candy, shopping for and preparing themed food, setting out decorations all take time. Then there’s the purging of old costumes, candy-sorting, and the putting away of all decorations–lots to do for one ghoulish day! In order to make your Halloween a less stressful and cluttered holiday, I’ve rounded up a few articles for you to check out on the topic of organizing for Halloween.
I hope these articles provide you with some fun and helpful ideas on how to keep your Halloween organized so you can enjoy a stress and clutter-free holiday.
Watch out for ghosts and goblins and have a fun Halloween!
Some of your children may have started school already. Some may still be anticipating the first day. Despite their start date, my guest blogger, Linda Samuels of Oh, So Organized! wants to make sure your child’s school year is a happy and organized one. Read on for her top tips for creating simple systems for getting and staying organized throughout the school year.
It’s that time of year. Leaves are turning, classes are starting, and new school supplies are flying off store shelves. The other day I came across an old pre-printed pad, “A Note to School from Linda Samuels,” which I no longer use since our daughters are in college and beyond. Seeing the notepad made me think about all the years of excited anticipation we had preparing for school to begin. Are you and your kids ready for the transition? Take a deep breath. Getting that organizing piece working for you can make a big difference in having your days run more smoothly. Here are my top tips for an organized, joyful school year.
Cycle – Giving closure to the previous school year helps us get ready for this year. Sort through last year’s school papers (preferably with your kids.) It’s a great opportunity to review what was accomplished and what they were most proud of. It gives you a chance to create a mini time capsule representing last year. Be ruthless when you sort. Save what’s important and recycle the rest. Store the “keepers” in a large envelope. Write your kid’s name, grade and year on the outside. Store the envelope in a larger container. Add a new envelope at the end of each school year.
Capture – Establish a place to put the current school papers as they enter your home. You can use bins, binders, boxes, or any container that’s easily accessible. As artwork, graded papers, or programs come in, put them in their designated spot. You might want a separate container for each kid. When the container gets full, you can do some editing. Then the “keepers” can be stored in their year-end envelope, as described above.
Classic Stockholm Magazine Files from the Container Store are helpful for organizing papers
Land – Create a place for backpacks, coats and notes to reside. When kids come home, they will know where to put their belongings. Cubbies work well, as do hooks. Make them easily accessible both in terms of their physical placement in the home and the heights that you place things. The easier you make it, the better chance you have for creating the “place it here” habit. Consider adding a white board or other communication center in this area to leave notes, messages and important items for kids to remember. Before bed, have your kids make sure that all needed items for the next morning are reading in the “land” area.
Center – One of the essential ingredients for school success is establishing a place to do homework and have school supplies readily available. When it’s time to do that science project, it’s no fun to have to hunt for the markers. Review your current supplies to see if there are any items that need to be replaced. Create a zone for the supplies to reside. If your kids like to move around to various locations for doing their homework, then put together a portable tote or crate to hold the supplies. Whether they prefer working on a desk, their bed or the kitchen table, the supplies can “travel” with your kids.
Pottery Barn Schoolhouse Craft Desk
Assess – Fall is a natural time to review clothing needs. Organize with each kid separately. Go through their closets and drawers. Remove any items that no longer fit, they won’t wear, or need repair or cleaning. With the “do not wants or fits,” donate or save for younger kids if appropriate. Make a shopping list of items that are needed. Remember that less is easier to maintain than too much. Factor in how often laundry is done. Especially if it’s done frequently, you many not need as many clothes. Getting dressed is so much easier and less stressful when everything fits, is clean, and organized.
Resources – This is the time of year when back to school tips and suggestions are abundant. Many of my organizing colleagues have great wisdom to share. Some of my favorite tips and posts are Lorie Marrero’s video about using a binder for organizing school papers and more, Leslie Josel’s Student Organizing Pinterest board, Clare Kumar’s 5 Tips for a Better Back to School, Helena Alkhas’ school paper organizing system, and Ellen Delap’s Back to School Tips to Organize Your Home.
Perspective – With transitions come new patterns, more to dos, and extra stress. Reminding our selves to enjoy the moments can be helpful. They go so fast. A few years ago I wrote a guest post for Working Mother, Moms’ ‘To Do’ Lists, about getting things done, parenting and appreciating the various stages of our children’s lives.
What are some of your favorite ways to stay organized for the school year? Come stop by to share your best tips and resources.
Linda Samuels, CPO-CD® is a compassionate, enthusiastic professional organizer and coach, founder of Oh, So Organized! (1993), author of The Other Side of Organized, and blogger on organizing and life balance. In July 2013, Linda joined the Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD) Board of Directors as President-Elect. She has been featured in The New York Times, Woman’s Day, Bottom Line Personal, Westchester Magazine, Everyday with Rachael Ray, and Enterpreneur.com. Connect with Linda on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, blog, or website. Sign up for a free monthly e-newsletter with bonus tips at ohsoorganized.com.
A blog by Professional Organizer Stacey Agin Murray bursting with cool products, 'gotta-tell-a-friend' ideas, and a whole lotta organizing know-how. Learn more...
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About Stacey
When you grow up in a 5’x12′ bedroom, you learn to organize pretty quickly! I chose to take that knowledge and turn it into a business helping people find what they need when they need it. I’m also the author of The Organized Bride’s Thank You Note Handbook–a book that offers wedding thank you note-related organizing tips and how-to’s plus 101 unique sample thank you notes (what bride can’t use that?).
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