I remember the yard sale in which we got rid of the stroller. It was sitting in a corner of the garage and I told the hubby we could go ahead and get rid of it. I hadn’t used it in months and we knew we were on the last kid. It was kind of liberating getting rid of the big baby toys.

It’s funny to see such a small person have such big toys and as they grow older the stuff gets smaller, like Lego’s and Barbie shoes for instance. We are constantly changing our organizing systems to go with the life changes. The boys don’t really play with anything but Lego’s anymore and my daughter, well she is becoming her own individual creature of habit instead of following the boys.

One day the Barbie shoes and clothes will be traded in with big girl clothes and shoes, makeup, and real jewelry rather than plastic beads. The boys might trade in the Lego’s for other boy stuff… not really sure what that is yet. I wasn’t a boy so I have no idea. I have a feeling whatever it is could possibly be gross, crawl and/or stink in which I will start closing their bedroom doors but I see change coming in the near future whatever it may be.

As parents we have to be adaptable to our children’s organizing needs so the stuff doesn’t run the house. These little people cause a constant ebb and flow of stuff as soon as they enter the world., some good and annoying (anyone ever stepped on a Lego in the middle of the night?)

What has been your favorite organizing stage? Was there a particular time you just seemed to “get it” and others not so much? What has been the hardest age, toy, etc. to organize?

I do love looking back at old photos with the kids even if it is in the format of a slideshow on the TV. I would love to add our old photos to the mix as well. The one thing holding me back is the time and/or cost. I’m not thrilled about the idea of scanning each individual photo. It sounds much better to box them up, ship them off and pay someone else to take care of the daunting task. However it could cost a few hundred dollars never placing it high on the priority list.

My husband and I have gotten in the habit of getting each other “organizing’ type items for the house for birthdays or Christmas so maybe this will have to go on the list.

How many old photos do you think you have stored away? Do you find them getting overlooked when going down memory lane? Have you used a photo scanning service and how did you like it?

The photo above happens to be my all time favorite…my grandparents.

Soccer sign ups are around the corner for us and I have been slightly dreading the crazy nighttime rituals when sports/activities are involved.

I am thinking about something new for my daughter to do. She tried soccer and dance but she wasn’t really excited about either.  Last week we decided to go to the indoor rock-climbing wall.  And everyone loved it!

So now I am thinking one family activity may be the way to go. It builds strength, keeps them active and they can compete a little against each other which definitely motivates them.  With three kids it cuts back on costs and can be an all year activity.

Have any of you thought about giving up multiple activities and traded them in for one family activity? It would surely cut back on the stressful evenings as well! What kind of family friendly activities can you think of?

I had a friend share her TV watching line up with me recently and she had quite a routine with can’t miss shows.  In the same conversation we talked about how overwhelmed she is with her job responsibilities. She can’t seem to get it all done.

The problem: She is doing work while watching TV. She is a stay at home/work at home mom. When the kids go to bed she needs to work but at the same time she doesn’t want to miss her shows.

The solution: Prioritize and track your time. We want our “me” time but more and more moms have work responsibilities at home now.  We have to find that even mix. I told my friend to first track her time for the week in 15 minute increments. EVERYTHING she does for one week, honestly! We often don’t see how much time we are focusing on TV/internet/whatever and letting other things slip through the cracks.

My friend realized that if she chose two nights to dedicate to uninterrupted work she was more focused and got more done than if she had scattered it out every night while watching TV.

So I dare everyone to track your time for a week and see what is slowly eating away at your days and causing frustration.  Prioritize what MUST be done while keeping some adequate me time!

Have you ever taken a step back and gotten a bird’s eye view of your home? This will certainly give you the motivation needed to get the ball rolling on an organizing project. Stop what you are doing and go take a picture of a random room in your home. What do you see??

Often we get so busy in our day-to-day lives that we don’t allow ourselves to see the big picture. We can easily let the clutter fade to the background as we go about our day. Once we get to the point of overwhelm we finally take notice.

If you are getting organized this year start by taking a picture of each space and taking note of those problem spots that stick out. The picture allows you to disassociate yourself from the space and for a moment you can pretend it is someone else’s clutter!

Are you taking on a big organizing project in 2012? Where will you start?

Take a piece of paper out and write down one business and personal goal you want to reach in the next year. Over the next few weeks start making a list of all the little tasks that need to be done to fulfill that goal. When the new year rolls around start implementing a few of those tasks each week until you reach your goal.

Plan out your week ahead of time to see how these new tasks can fit in. Be aware of this procrastination pitfall: As your list starts getting marked off you may see there are a few tasks you keep skipping over because you just flat out don’t like to do that activity or it is not a strength of yours. Instead of avoiding it all together, ask yourself if the task is necessary to get the job done, if so can it be delegated? As mom’s we tend to see ourselves as a “one woman show” when in reality we have a multitude of friends that would be willing to share a specific skill set. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Break your goals into manageable bite sized tasks while keeping the big picture in mind! If you are connecting the dots, which dot is next in order to get the picture to look right?

The stockings are hung by the chimney with care… oh, wait we don’t have a fire place anymore! This year we have had to get a little creative with our Christmas decorations. Less space means less décor! We knew that going into this smaller house we would not have as much room for seasonal decorations.

Before the move we took the time to go through our Christmas decorations and weed out the excess.  In fact this is a good practice to do every year! When you are getting the decorations out there always seems to be a few you don’t put out but keep anyways.  If you don’t love it, why store it?

Every season weed out the decorations to keep your collection under control. Fix what needs broken and take note of things you need more of so you can shop the post-season sales! And, don’t forget Mabel’s Labels Bin Labels are just the thing you need to get your Christmas décor labeled and organized!

I think it’s funny that a holiday about giving thanks is surrounded by all these ads about Black Friday. You see more media about sales and stuff than being thankful for what we already have. Tis’ the season for giving and receiving.

As I join in on the hustle and bustle of the season I tend to want to go above and beyond with the gifts. “Just this one more thing” or “Oh, he will loooove this!” This year we decided to get the kids something big that they can share but then felt a tinge of guilt that they wouldn’t have more presents to open on the big day. But the gifts aren’t really what it is all about. And rest assured there will be plenty of gifts from the Grandparents!

As I shop now I think about all the things we have to be thankful for. By giving thanks I remember that our kids are very well off and they could care less about the number of gifts they received. What they remember the most is how the family spent that time together. Laughing, playing, giving thanks and just being together. It is much easier to keep the holiday shopping simple by remembering how much we have to be thankful for!

One of my favorite motto’s is “have guests, will clean.” I am so excited that Thanksgiving is next week because I have been so much more motivated to organize and clean. And apparently so are the new clients that have been calling me this week!

Tis’ the holidays to get the house in order. Not only is it the perfect time to weed out the old but to clean the house from top to bottom! Before the guests come next week I am completely doing a cleaning overhaul. I love giving the house a deep clean before a big day where the house will be full! You may be asking why bother if it is going to get messy again with so many people! The fact is, after everyone is gone there is minimal work to be done besides surface areas and vacuuming then it is time to rest!

We start getting out Christmas decorations shortly after Thanksgiving so the house is all ready to go. Clean, decluttered and ready for a new season!

For the past few months I have been collecting shoe’s from friends, family and clients for Soles4Souls, the organization I traveled to Haiti with. It is certainly a great time to start weeding out those shoes and summer clothes! I just had to pull out the winter clothes for the kids and I know some of you in the north have done that long ago.

Before the holidays are upon us let’s think about other things we can start weeding out. The maintenance part of staying organized is all about keeping on top of things that no longer have a purpose in the house. What about that ice-cream maker you bought five years ago and never touched? Unless you have made that a summer family tradition by now, it’s not likely to happen. Take a good look through cabinets and closets to see what needs to be weeded out.

What about spots equipment and pool toys? It’s easy to throw them in a big box when they are not in use. Remember the float that has a hole beyond repair. Or the helmet that the youngest has grown out of? If it’s broken let it go. Unless it can be handed down to another sibling let things like helmets and outgrown bikes go as well.

All of this stuff takes up space in our homes and lives. It’s time to weed! Don’t let these things lead to overwhelm.