Organize the Whole Shebang

Get Those Kids Organized! [ as seen on AMNW ]

 

MY TIPS
 for Helping your
Kids Get Organized...

 

"How Do I Organize all of the Kid's Papers & Things that Come Home From School?"

LOVE that the kids are back in school... Loathe all the paperwork!

I'm super lucky that my kidlet's elementary school has a Friday Folder system. Every Friday they send home 'the pile' of papers for that week. No getting 3 Monday, 4 Tuesday etc. They bundle and send. Come Monday they return their 'Friday Folders' to the teacher with the 'signed' documents or checks for school pictures. It's a BRILLIANT SYSTEM!

I highly reccomend you march right into the principals office and demand they hop on the same train... tell them I said so... I'm happy to be the bad good guy.

In the meantime...
Here's a simple system that may work wonders for you with or without the above mentioned 'friday folder' system~

FOR ALL THE PAPER

1. Carve Out a Small Space to House the Incoming Paperwork. [I use a corner of my kitchen island]

2. Designate Categories that work for your Student. [To Do. Doing. Done] plus [MOM] for the stuff you need to hang on to.   

The [MOM] file... Is hidden behind the 'Done' file above... 
you don't have to keep it there, you can keep it with your other mom stuff.

TIP- if you place the paper in the files... they make look tidy but be difficult to access... I suggest using the files as section tabs only.

FOR ALL THE ART WORK

The ARTKIVE APP is BRILLIANT! Watch their video!
Personally I toss mine in the kitchen trash can but I learned the hardway that I must place items right side down and cover tossed items with coffee grinds and other trash decoys. Now I'm just going to use the app!

I also really love the Schoolfolio... but only one per kid!
[i think the only style currently available is the flower power]

Do you have a system that works for you?
...DO TELL!
I'd love to hear them...

More on Getting Organized...
Back to School Tips for Busy Families

 

It's been an All-Star Summer!

If you've wondered where I've been...

I've been at the ballpark cheering on 12 incredible young men, sitting in the bleachers with their mamas, shaking my DIY noise maker-shaker, and making memories with my family. What a spectacular way to spend summer #45!

Photo courtesy of Windows on Life

SO Proud of my son Wes and his fellow
Lacamas Little League All-Stars!
[handsome lil' devils aren't they! Can you pick out my boy?!]

 

I hope you are all having a wonderful summer...

I look forward to spending more time with all of you
once the kidlet's are tucked neatly back into their classrooms!

Cheers to the Boys of Summer!

 

 

 

Mom, I'm Bored... as seen on AMNW

Are you kidding me?!

I cringe when I hear the words "I'm bored."

Some person...
I'm fairly certain it wasn't my own parents, that told me

"Only boring people, get bored" #DamnRightStraightup

Hope these tips help keep you sane this summer,
whilst the kidlets take over your house, your life,
and every waking moment in between.

And just a friendly reminder...
This is really more for me than you, remember they will only be messing up your house and begging you to take them swimming for a brief chapter in your life.

If the video above doesn't work... click on the image below~

Organizing Aftermath... a sneak peek into the home of a professional organizer

I decided it was time to tackle some of the projects I put off while in treatment. My daughter's room re-do is one of them. She's 9 1/2 and ready to transition from her girly-girl room to something a bit hipper. [yes, it makes me sad]

The purging is complete... but the aftermath is taking over my dining room. I feel overwhelmed just looking at it. #igetoverwhelmedbypilestoo

There are distinct piles at work here... I know you can't see what I'm thinking so I labeled them for you :) But none-the-less the amount of work/stuff/chaos is overwhelming me.

So I'm going to do what I do for my clients. I'm going to assign an amount of time to it. Then set my timer and do it.

I do know the overwhelm is actually much larger thant the amount of time it will take...

I'm going to say.... 1 hour to tackle this project.

AND GO!

Taming Morning Chaos, Kid's Chores + then some... as seen on AMNW

*click here  if video isn't showing

Hey Mamas, You don't have to do EVERYTHING! 

The kidlets are fully capable of getting ready for school and out the door on time. They just need some guidance. So sit back have a cup of joe and watch the kidlets run out the door... 

Ok, who am I kidding. It takes practice+ you to guide them. My segment has some helpful tips but you'll need to bring the bull horn ;)

Here's my worksheet for creating Kid's Routines: Download KIDSROUTINES.SCHOOLAGE The small message board can be placed in their room or on their bathroom mirror as a reminder of what to do + when to do it.

 

The Kidlets are also FULLY CAPABLE of helping piece together their lunch...

 

LUNCH THOUGHTS: 

Have your child identify which days they want school lunch...
Our school sends home a monthly printout. I have my daughter circles the meals she likes.

Kids don't mind eating the SAME lunch everyday...
I think we put all sorts of unnecessary pressure on ourselves to create clever + cute meals. Get over it sister...

Have the kids prep their lunch...
Grapes can be washed + placed in the containers + stored in the lowest refrigerator drawer. I also place cheese sticks + their snacks in this 'kid drawer'.

Goldfish/Ritz/Raisins etc can be sorted into the reusable containers or snack bags for the entire week. These can be stored together in a 'for school lunch' container.

I make Peanut Butter + Honey/Jelly sandwiches for the week and freeze them in the plastic containers shown in the above pic.

Puttin' it all together...
Lunches can be pieced together by the kidlets- just tell them to do it, but spend a week guiding them through the process. "hey kidlet.. grab a sandwich, juice box, grape container + cracker container, place them in your lunch box... have a great day!"

 Our New Chore Boards! Products from Craft Warehouse

Chores:

I was caught off-guard by the fact that my kidlets actually wanted chores + haven't complained 'yet' about doing them. Together we brainstormed what they could do to help around the house. I like the word "Contribute" so I used that a lot during our chat- meaning no money will be attached to their chores.

We visited the craft store...
Because I know that 'people tend to support what they help to create' so the kidlet's picked out the paper used to cover their magnet board. They helped glue the DO and DONE onto the clear stones. Then they wanted to show their friends what they made :)
1. Frame, Magnetic 12x12 square, scrap book paper, magnets. Remove glass,place paper, magnetic board in the frame. Add magnets +  chores!

Management...
I decided to switch out their chores monthly because I don't want to try to remember who's day it is to do what. #paininthea$$

Chore items...
I wanted the children to learn how to fully complete a task- for example if they are responsible for taking out the trash cans they are also the person to gather all the trash within the house and place it in the big trash can. They load and unload the dishwasher. The American Picker boys would call this bundling ;)

 

Cheers to a wonderful + less chaotic school year!
Krista

 

 

Warm up the Bus! Back to School here we come!

 
All the Easties and Mid-Westies seem to have gotten their kidlets tucked back into their classrooms already. But my neck of the woods is milking Summer for all we can...

My kidlets along with other West-Coasties will get back in the groove the day after Labor Day. I can't wait :) I'm personally headed down to my favorite cafe for a much earned Mimosa. #mommyearnedthatMimosa 

My AMNW Back-to-School segment will air on Monday... but I know you need the info now... so I wanted to give you this doc to help keep you sane: 
Daily Routines for School Aged Children: Download Kids_routines_school_age

And I rounded up some of the best organizers in the industry to teach all you mamas a new trick or two... and between me and my Organizing Chicas we've got you covered!

Cheers to a fabulous New School Year!

via Grace Brooke  Homework Station, Creating a Portable Homework Caddie + Storing Artwork

via Good Life Organizing Setting your Child up for Success this School Year

via Smead Creating a Homework Station video

via Lisa Montanaro Organize a College Dorm Room

via I DID IT! Back to School 3 part series

via Living Locurto Free Printable School Snack Labels

via Organize the Whole Shebang  Back to School Solutions for Mom   

 Here's my kidlet's 2010 First Day of School Picture :)

 

The Organizer's House... Clare Kumar

Who doesn't want to see how Professional Organizer's live... We are just like you... surrounded by too much stuff that needs to be managed and with kidlets underfoot to mess things all up.

A sneak peek into the home of professional organizer Clare Kumar of Toronto, Canada and owner of Streamlife, an organizing company.

 I first met Clare at the NAPO 2011 Conference in San Diego...
She has a product she's bringing to market... and I think it's fabulous!
Here she is with Professional Organizer Deb Lee & I'm behind the camera ;)

HER ORGANIZED SPACE: Daughter's Room Makeover  

 
 
 

HER ORGANIZING TIPS:

Function: Determine the 3-5 activities you’ll perform in the room. This will dictate the furniture and storage you need in the space.  In this bedroom the activities are sleeping, dressing and play.

Fabulous: We began with bedding to set the tone for the room. We then chose the colour on the wall with help from Interior Designer Kelly Margani, who was also responsible for pulling window treatments and accessories together for a cohesive finished look.

1. Layout the main pieces of furniture to take advantage of the existing architecture.
Avoid blocking windows and heating/cooling vents. Keep easy access to light fixtures and electrical outlets.

2. Plan lighting.  
Use a mixture of natural, ambient and task lighting to ensure comfort in all activities, no matter the time of day.

3. Choose storage tools. 
Dressing and play place large demands on this space. The two small closets were divided into wardrobe and toy/dress up closets. A variety of fun, colourful organizing tools are used to brighten the space and make it truly functional.  Who knew there are magenta flocked hangers?!  Notice the dolls even have their own tools for organizing their wardrobes.

4. Finish the space. 
Choosing a colour palette and finding complementary accessories in a variety of textures and finishes really pulls the room together.  Artwork is homemade from photos taken over the past couple of years.   

Oh, and this is the before picture…in case you’re curious.

 
 

 *If you're a professional organizer + you'd like to be featured on "The Organizer's House"... drop me an email and let me know!

Last Day of School... making it memorable

 
Summer of 2008

My kidlets get out of school next week... we had plenty of extra days to make up for the 'snow' days, albeit there wasn't much snow on those days to even enjoy. But I'm not complaining about the kids being in school... in fact I LOVE when they are in school.

Once they exit the building for Summer Break, my home turns into a total wreck. Food, clothes, games, Xbox accessories, toys, etc will be strewn throughout my 'almost' perfectly maintained home. I'll spend countless hours picking up after them, wondering why I bother doing it at all. I'll make a chore chart and not want to manage it. I'll soon begin counting the days til they return to a normal schedule... and I can have my space back.

BUT, right now I'm pondering what to do to celebrate the last day of school, because even I haven't forgotten how exciting it is to sing at the top of my lungs "schooools out for Summerrrrr"...

Recently I posed this question on my Facebook page because my FB Chicas always have fabulous ideas! [ hey if you 'like' my fb page... click on 'like' while you're there ;) ]

  Krista Colvin  Hey Moms... Do you do anything special for the kids on the last day of school?

And here's what my FB Chicas had to say!   www.facebook.com/kristacolvin.lifestyle  I especially like Melissa's idea..... I can see my neighbor kids now thinking we are the best moms EVAH!

I'd love for you to add your own 'last day of school' ideas here on my blog comments!

Spring Organizing Projects [so easy the kids can do them]

Clever Spring Organizing Projects
LIVE on AMNW! 

• -Create Family Treasure Box
  -Spring Fashion Show
  -Cull the School work + art projects

If the video above doesn't work click here! 

Here are the organizing signs I showed on the segment:
Download Organizing signs- children's fashion show!

To order a Schoolfolio: www.schoolfolio.com

To watch previous shows click here  then scroll down!

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