It’s never to early to start teaching children the basic principles of organizing. As soon as they can grasp the concepts of what it means to throw something away and give something away you can get them started on their journey to an organized life.

Start by teaching your children where things go when you are giving them away. Explain that there are certain organizations that distribute items to people in need or simply explain why you are giving something to someone. For example… “Aunt Suzy just had a baby and since you are a big girl now maybe we can give some of your baby toys to your new cousin.” Let your children know the reasoning behind the process.

When you are decluttering your child’s room with them always use the 3 box system (Donate, Trash, Keep) for all those toys without a home. Have them make some of the decisions on what they would like to get rid of.

Lastly, never threaten to throw toys away if they don’t get cleaned up. If you threaten to trash everything your children will have ill feelings toward the organizing process and feel as it is more of a punishment rather than a process.

Do you get your children involved in the organizing process?

In this technical day and age full of emails and digital photo sharing there is still something very special about receiving a hand written note. I still like getting the mail to see what goodies are in there but all to often it’s just a bunch of bills!

Make it easy to stay in touch with a loved one by creating a greeting card organizer stocked full of the supplies you need to send out a quick note. You will want to include some of the following:

• Greeting cards (Next time you are at the store stock up on a few cards that you love so you have plenty on hand to choose from)
• Thank you notes
• Personalized stationary
• Return address labels
• Colored Pens
• Stamps

Grandparents enjoy seeing your child’s artwork! Make sure you mail of a few pieces from time to time to share the love.

Since my youngest child is now completely potty trained and we are getting more freedom to roam around, I have been thinking about places I would like to travel with my kids. Besides the regular organizing odds and ends of taking trips I have really been thinking about safety. I think about this especially if I am on an outing alone… 3 kids + my two arms = I’m outnumbered! What can we do to insure our child’s safety or at least a speedy return if something were to happen?

1. Wear bright colored clothing to spot a child in a crowd. Better yet make them all match, the older kids will surely NOT love this, but better safe than sorry!

2. Have children wear Mabel’s Labels My 411 Wristbands and have your cell phone number printed on them so you can be called right away.

3. Snap a picture before you enter a busy place so you have the absolute most updated picture and an accurate description of what child is wearing.

What safety precautions have you taken while traveling with your children?

This week Mabel’s Labels launched their Ultimate Back-to-School Combo so I thought I would share how the company has transformed our school experience.

First of all, I have to mention those lovely backpacks sold online and in catalogs that promote getting your child’s name embroidered across the back. They are adorably cute, but I don’t recommend letting every stranger out there know your child’s name. Instead use a Bag Tag to help identify your child’s back pack in case it gets lost!

Labeling school supplies can be a real pain especially if you have to label each individual crayon and marker like we have to do. No worries, this year we are using the Tag Mates (Skinny-Minis also work) to cut down on time getting supplies ready.

Last but not least, I will never have to worry about losing the extra clothes we keep at school in case of accidents. Having Tag Mates on them has been very helpful in keeping up with the clothing!

What about you, how have your Mabel’s Labels helped out at school?

I quickly learned after my first child was born that much of the cutesy stuff hanging in the closet would hardly get touched. It seemed like between changes and messes and drooling my son lived in onesies until it was time to go outside. Most of the clothes were never worn because he grew out of them so fast. Now 9 years later I am happy that his school has a simple dress code. It helps take the guess work out of what we need. I simply buy what we need for a little over a week, because we rarely go over one week for doing laundry. After having three children clothes can get a little pricey so this guideline has helped us keep clothing under control. Of course we throw in a couple of extra fun outfits and the grandparents and aunts tend to send extras as well but by keeping the clothing we buy to a minimum we really cut out the clutter.

What about you? Do you keep tabs on how much clothing the kids have or do you go all out?

Whether you are a working mom, a stay at home mom or a mixture of the two, we all have one thing in common! We spend most of our waking hours trying to take care of other people and we leave very little time for ourselves!

From the time the alarm goes off in the morning until your head hits the pillow at night can you count how many minutes you have had to yourself? To be the best wife, mother, boss or employee you can, make sure you take time for you!

Giving yourself at least 30 minutes each day can be such a stress reliever and help you stay focused on what is important! Try soaking in a bath, going for a walk, reading your favorite book or just going for a drive on a scenic route!

How much “me time” do you give yourself and what is your favorite way to spend that time?

Whether you are decluttering your kitchen or your closet, here are a few simple questions to think about while you are sifting through your stuff. Sometimes decluttering can be an emotional process and asking yourself these questions will help you determine what’s worth keeping and what’s letting go.

1. Do I Love It? … I forgot about this award I got when I was in college…should I take a picture of it and let it go, or do I want to display it?
2. Do I Need It? … Are You kidding me, part with my hair dryer? Never!
3. Will I Ever Use It? … These black boots are cute, but I haven’t worn them in 6 years!?
4. Is It A Duplicate? … Wow, I really have three melon ballers?
5. What Is The Worse Thing That Will Happen If I Let It Go? … Ok, I’m letting go of two of my melon ballers. If I have a big melon decorating party I will just have to borrow a few more.

What questions do you ask yourself when decluttering?

Summer is approaching and if you are like us school may already be out! Here are a few ways you can get your summer organized now so you are ready for the fun!

Create a summer fun bin with outdoor toys like water guns, bubbles and sidewalk chalk! These are definitely favorites in our house.
Stock up on bug spray and sunscreen, keep them in an accessible location so you don’t forget to use them when the kids go out. Sunscreen can lose effectiveness over time. Some have expiration dates while others don’t. Sunscreen can last one to three years but I say, when in doubt throw it out!

Now is the time to go crazy with the labels! Label all of your pool gear so that you can easily find your belongings when it is time to leave. Don’t forget Mabel’s Labels Tag Mates for your towels!

Thanks everyone who submitted questions for Ask the Organizer! I will be answering them throughout my regular posting schedule. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask! Here is this month’s Q and A.

I have all my children’s artwork and schoolwork and am having a hard time parting with it…any ideas on what to save? I have tried the “save 2 a year” thing and can’t quite pare it down to that.

Oh dear, I wouldn’t be able to pare down to two a year either… in fact I save quite a bit and it takes up very little space! I sit my kids down at the end of the year and we pick out our favorites. Then we take pictures of them and let the physical paper go. Once I have enough art saved up for each child I will have a book printed out for them to flip through. How thrilled will they be to see their art published!

Here are a few guidelines to help you wade through the artwork madness…
1. If it was painted by your child, keep it.
2. If it was pre-cut pieces that your child simply glued together, toss it.
3. If your child used his or her imagination only, keep it.

As for the schoolwork, I scan the big reports the older kids do every year and maybe a couple of “great job” papers. For the younger kids, I simply save a coloring and writing sample from the beginning and end of the year to see how they have progressed.

Sometimes the kids might have a hard time with the purging of the papers in the beginning, but taking pictures of the artwork lets them know that all is not lost. This activity will help your child build that “it is good to let go” feeling.

Hello lovely Mabelhood neighbors! I have been sharing organizing tips here for some time now, and this week I thought I would do something a little bit different. I want to hear from you! Do you have a nagging organizing problem in your home or office? Do you have a persistent paper pile or old pictures stacked way too high?

Share your questions in the comments and I will feature the answer in a future post! We have covered topics like laundry, playrooms and even motivating your children to clean, but there is so much more!

Do you have any problem areas you would like to Ask The Organizer about?