Betsy asks: My daughter is ten years old and I find I still have to nag her to keep her room clean and organized. Do you think there is ever an age when we as moms should just allow the kids to live in filth in their own space if that is what they want?

Clever Parents! What a clever name and a great resource for parents. I recently spent some time doing a Q & A interview with their organzing columnist, Betsy Kramer. Boy, does Betsy ask hard questions, like the one above.

Betsy, rest assured that your question is my most asked question from parents. It is sometimes phrased differently, such as “Can you do something with MY child’s room?” but is essentially the same. 

The frequency of that question is part of the reason that I wrote “Growing Up Organized: A Mom-to-Mom Guide.” (Amazon. $14)

  As a mom, I’ve sometimes thought that it should be so simple. After all, what is it that us moms want. Well, we want things like our children to put the cereal bowl in the dishwasher, appear on time when you call out that it is time to go, actually be able to find two matching shoes and hopefully take your mess with you when you leave the room.

The problem is that “it” isn’t so simple. It is all about learning to be organized. Little people are not born organized. They are taught to be organized and we are their teachers. The problem lies in that no one taught us how to teach them! That is what my book aims to do. As a professional organizer, I teach people how to be organized. Now I am sharing that skill by sharing ideas on how to teach your child to be organized. Unless you intend to attend college with them, it is a pretty good idea for them to learn to be organized.

Do you want to know what my answer to Betsy was? Well, check out her Clutter Busting Column on Clever Parents. Kramer, a professional organizer herself, is all about finding the simplicity in your life – certainly a must for parents. Her company is company is Cash in Clutter. Vist her there or at Clever Parents.

 If you have questions about organizing your kids, I’d love to hear them and I’ll share my answers on this blog!

 

 

 

is the website for smart, successful parents. The Clever Parents site is for all parents—moms and dads—who are figuring out ways to get the most out of every day and every dollar and who do it in a way that’s healthy, fun, and… clever.

Organizing games for baby showers….

I asked the mother-to-be if she wanted to have baby shower games. She said yes, and shared that this may be her only time to have a baby shower so she’d love to experience it – games and all! If you are having a shower, you might ask the guest of honor if she has anything she does want to do or not do.

To organize games for baby showers, make sure you:

•  Plan the games ahead.
• Have enough copies for everyone.
• Gathered the materials or supplies needed ahead of time
• Have pens for everyone
• Have something for everyone to write on- clipboards, books or magazines work
• Plan a time limit for each game or the games as a whole. In general, 30 minutes is probably plenty of game playing.
• Keep a copy of the games for the mother-to-be’s baby book.
• Use a basket to collect all of your game supplies. Tuck it in one corner of the room so that you are ready before the party begins.
• Have prizes. They always make the party fun.

Chosing games for a baby shower for an adopted baby is a bit different.  A portion of traditional baby shower games have something to do with a mother’s pregnancy. But, there are still lots of other games that have to do with the baby and are suitable for an adopted baby shower.

For this ladybug shower for the expected baby girl from China, I tried to choose game prizes that went along with that. The prizes were a ladybug magnet, a bottle of green tea with ginseng and a panda bear bookmark.

The first game was Baby ABC’s. Guests were given five minutes to see if they could think of an item the baby needed that began with each letter of the alphabet. I used a downloadable game card from Plan the Perfect Baby Shower.com.

The next game was one I created from trivia I found on various websites. It was directly related to babies in China.

 

 

 Answer Key: 1 noodles, 2 color red, 3 hard-boiled egg, 4 ladybug, 5 money and wine, 6 clock, 7 layer cake, 8 golden bells

 For the last game, we played baby bingo. Give each guest a blank bingo card. In each square, they write an item that the mother-to-be may open. They may write things like blanket, book, dress, onesie, bib, sippee cup, spoon, truck and so forth. They may use words more than once. If they think there will be five blankets, they can use blanket five times.

As gifts are opened, the guests play along by playing bingo. Each time as item is revealed, they cross it off on their  sheet. The first one to get a bingo wins! (Bingo is a crossed off row horizontally, diagonally or vertically.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Looking for the decorating ideas or food ideas for this baby shower? You’ll find them on my previous two posts. Thanks!

A Ladybug Theme

A baby’s adoption is certainly worthy of a special event! It was great fun planning a shower for the mother-to-be, who will be going to China for her baby girl soon.

Ladybugs, a symbol of   good luck, especially associated with Chinese adoptions, were chosen for the day. What fun to collect ladybug items! There is even a child’s book on this subject called Little Miss Ladybug & Her Magical Red Thread

 

You’ll also find some  information on ladybugs and Chinese adoptions at CafePress. They have ladybug-adoption related gear for sale like this:

Photo descriptions for the shower photos:

• A ladybug story book (from The Dollar Tree) was featured on the foyer table, along with the party invitation.
• On a side table in the dining, a ladybug pillow was displayed along with the menu, which  was printed on ladybug paper. The menu was printed so mommy-to-be could have it for her scrapbook or baby book.
• On the table, a flower arrangement was made in a child’s pail. Toy ladybugs (from the Dollar Tree) creep up the trellis and on the table.
• On the other side of the centerpiece, a red butterfly net with a bamboo handle captures a toy ladybug. A green tablecloth and bamboo runner complete the garden scene.
• A ladybug screen picnic cover was placed over the lemon cookies. It is from Hamrick’s in South Carolina.
• Ladybugs grace the petit fours, sweet cakes from a local bakery.
• Ladybug fleece fabric, from Hobby Lobby, creates a garland for the mantle, also graced with pink and white flowers and a couple of big stuffed ladybugs. The ladybugs are actually bedroom slippers with the slipper portion hidden for decorating purposes.

White plates and red napkins rounded things out. There were quite a few bugs on the table so I went for plain dishes but if you are inclined for more bugs, you can find ladybug plates and cups in a lot of spots. A great spot to find ladybug dishes of all kinds is at bizrate.

The Menu

Baby Shower Menu

 Pineapple chicken salad with tea biscuits

Hummus with garden wheat crackers

 Ham and arugula wrapped melon

   Lemon-filled lemon cookie

Fresh grapes

             Cinnamon almonds, Praline almonds

 Thin mints

 Ladybug petit four

Sparkling White Grape Punch

How to Organize the Menu Preparations

 On TV, there is a show call Semi- Homemade.  Don’t panic about this menu because it so most certainly semi-homemade.  It was organized to fit the shower into a busy week.

Chicken Salad purchased from Sam’s club. To the tub of chicken salad, add 1/2 can pineapple tidbits, 1/2 cup of slivered almonds and the green of four green onions.

The hummus, garden wheat crackers, grapes and nuts are all from Sam’s Club.

To create the melon appetizer, simple cube a honey dew melon. Top each bite-size cube with an arugula leaf and a folded bite of thinly sliced lunch ham. Skewer with a toothpick. A tray of these fresh appetizers took about 10 minutes to complete. Serve with a dip of Paul Newman’s Liten Up Balsamic Vinegarette.

To create the punch, chill one bottle of white grape juice and one bottle of ginger ale. Add to the punch bowl with ice just before serving.

Anyone can organize that menu!

Menu Timeline-

• Order petit fours or cupcakes ahead. Pick them up the day before the shower.
• Set the table the day before the shower. Label each dish.
• The morning of the shower, stir in additions to chicken salad.
• Create the melon appetizer.
• Fill dishes and platters. Cover each. Place cold items in the fridge.
• A few minutes before guests arrive, place out cold food and fill the punch bowl.

It’s just that simple.

Shower Games – Click here to see the blog post with the games.

Isn’t this the cutest onesie invitation?

Once your print out your invitation on the pink onesie, the outfit pops out of the paper on preforated edges. You don’t have to spend a lot to have a nice event but you do need to be organized. Otherwise, you’ll run around grabbing anything, no matter the cost.

 

 

 

 

 

This cute invite is from the Dollar Tree.  Just $1 for 6 invites. So for $4, I had cute, custom invites for my upcoming shower.

Here’s a checklist to help you organize your shower.

• Have the mother-to-be create a guest list.
• Create or buy invites, address and mail.
• Select a shower theme. It will make it easier to decorate and shop if you have something in mind. It’s okay if you just want the theme to be “baby.” If so, you can look for pastels and baby items for decorations. I don’t want to spoil the surprise for my friend so look for my decorating and game ideas following the party, in another post.
• Look around your home and decide what you will need to decorate. You’ll certainly want something on the food table. How about other areas? For my shower, I’m going to put something cute on the foyer table, decorate the food table and also put decorations on the fireplace mantle. It is the focal point of the room where the shower is held.
• Make a list of decorating items you need. Tablecloth? Streamers? Flowers? Other items?
• Are you going to have party favors?
• How about party games? Any prizes?
• Where will people sit? Do you need any extra chairs?
• What will you need for the food table? Some items might be plates, forks, spoons, napkins, punch bowl and cups.
• Create a menu for the party. From the menu, create a shopping list. Don’t forget to add any items for decorating or prizes to your shopping list.
• Call ahead to order any cakes or party trays.
• On the week of the party, create a daily to-do list so you don’t get overwhelmed by it all at once. Divide your household tasks among the days preceding the party. That includes clearing clutter, dusting, vacuuming, mopping the floor, cleaning the bathroom. Next add your special tasks such as decorating, picking up cakes or making food.
• Aim to have the house cleaned and decorated the day before the party so that on the party day, you can concentrate on the food and making your guests feel welcome.

Here’s a link to the blog from the day of the party- complete with photos.

Meet Emily Wilska.

 Emily is the Organization Editor for BellaOnline, an on line magazine that is “The Voice of Women.”  She hails from San Francisco. A professional organizer, she is the owner of The Organized Life, a company devoted to creating customized organizing solutions for home, office, and travel. You’ll like Emily’s advice like her 50 Thing Challenge.  

I bet you’ve got 50 things to get rid of!

Recently, Emily asked me to share some info on organizing kids. I wrote What Every Mom Should Know about Organizing & Kids. I definitely tell it like it is. Check it out today.

Mommies with sense follow Mommies with Cents. This week, you can get more than just good advice on this great site. You can enter to win a copy of my book, Growing Up Organized. (amazon.com $14)

You may wonder what Cents have to do with Organized. Let me explain that in questions. How many times have you had to go to the store for something you knew you had….but you didn’t know where you had it? How many times have you reached for a cute outfit you were waiting for your child to grow into…but they already grew out of it? How many times have you taken stuff from the grocery to your fridge to your trash can?

Go to Mommies with Cents. Register to win a copy!

Sometimes, demanding a child (or teen) clean their room can result in an argument. “But it is MY room”.

When should you listen to your child’s demands that sound something like “But, it is MY room?”

It’s a fair question. 

The answer isn’t really one of age. The answer really is an organizing question.

First, note that clean and organized are two different subjects. Is your child asking to live in a messy, disorganized room or a dirty room?

I measure organization not by things lined up in neat rows or countless labeled plastic tubs. Rather, I measure organization by responsibility.

• Is your child ready for school on time in the mornings?
• Do they get dressed and appear in the kitchen on time?
• Set their own alarm clock?
• Find and put on their own clothing?
• Manage their bath or shower by themselves?
• Is their homework done and turned in on time or are there lots of “I forgot” moments or last-minute tasks?
• When it is time for an activity, do they appear ready and have what they need? This could range from appropriate dress for a religious lesson, books in hand, to a ball game, dressed in uniform and ready to go.
• When assigned household chores, do they get them done? (They may grumble or complain but ultimately the question is if they get them done.)

These and other tasks are a measure of how well your child is able to organize their day, their time and their belongings. They may have a messy room that makes you want to cover your eyes when you walk by, but they are organized.

If your child is basically organized, meeting the criteria above, they have probably earned the right to say “But, it is MY room.” Some leyway should be allowed to let them decide the measure of how neat or messy the belongings are. You can always beg them to close the door!

If your child is basically unorganized, that doesn’t apply. If you have to wake them up, find their clothing, beg them to get ready on time and act like an inspector general to see that everything is in their backpack, they are not ready to manage their room. Increasing disorganization in their lives isn’t going to improve their responsibility. Instead, you need to be figuring out how to teach them to be organized. (My book, Growing Up Organized)is a good place to start.)

Now let’s talk clean. Even if you have a messy child or teen, I personally don’t think a dirty room is okay. A dirty room is one that needs dusting, vacuuming, sheets changed and trash taken out. These kinds of routine chores are important for overall health.

If your child is old enough to demand “But, it is MY room” they need to know that statement is a two-way street. If they want it to be their room, kept as they want, then they are also old enough to take over all of the cleaning tasks that occur in their room. Set a clean standard. What do you mean by clean? How often do you expect it done? Create a checklist so that they fully understand what your version of clean includes.

How messy your child’s room is lies in your hands. However, I strongly suggest that one thing that is not okay. That is allowing them to be as messy, dirty and disorganized as they wish and you come in behind them and clean it up. They learn one thing when you do that. They learn that YOU will clean it up. That is probably not the message you wished to impart.

I’ve put some great organizing essentials for every child’s room up on The Housekeeping Channel, a site full of great advice. Check it out today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo credit: children play with pillows copyright Pavel Losevsky-fotolia.com

What do you get when you add plastic tubs, a zillion hangers, a case of ramin noodles, a shower caddy and a grumpy teenager?

You get a picture of heading off to college.

Sure it’s exciting.

Yes, the packing is annoying.

You’ll start chanting “I have too much stuff. I have no home for this stuff. I don’t know why I have all this stuff.”

Then you will arrive on campus and chant “Why didn’t I bring what I need? I didn’t know I needed THAT. I don’t have money to run out and buy all this stuff!” Then you will sound like your parent when you look at your roommate and say “What! Do I look like I am made of money?”

I’ve worked over the years to save you some pain. I’ve created a great college packing list and posted it at my website. You won’t want everything on that list but it will get you thinking about what you do or don’t have. If you go prepared, you’ll find moving in easier. You’ll find it less stressful. You’ll find those first weeks smoother.

Besides, you’ll quickly know everyone on your floor as they turn to you for the hammer, the plyers, the sticky-tack, a snack, thumbtacks, staples, and and extra pair of socks. It’s a great way to make friends.

Taking everything with you is a great money saving tip. Shopping over the summer means looking for items on sale, on E-bay, Freecycle or Craig’s List. It might means your parents will spring for it. (Sorry mom.) You might already have extra towels or pillows at home you can take. But, if you wait to get to school and discover you don’t have things, I wonder whose wallet it will come out of?

Get great advice for college life at My Roommate is Driving Me Crazy. You’ll find my tips on how-to pack there as well as how-to save money getting everything you need. You’ll also learn how to plan to get along with that roomie!

 

 

 

 

 

Photo Credit: Moving – copyright Thomas Perkins – Fotolia.com

Don’t you love organizing for fun instead of just to make something work?

Apparently Ann Marie Williams of Atmosphere Consulting feels the same way. She blogged the other day about Organize for Summer Fun. She begins her list with…

Are you “ready” for fun?

• Find, try on and wash bathing suits.
• Consolidate all sunscreen in one area. Throw away any lotions that have expired and re-stock.

Find more at her blog, Organizing Expert – The Personal Trainer for Your Space.

Thanks Ann Marie for finding a way to organize some fun!

 

 

 

 

Photo Credit: Sandals copyright Johanna Goodyear – Fotolia.com

 

Contents of my middle-of-the night drawer.

Last night,  just after my husband brushed his teeth, I attempted to brush mine. I say attempted because I turned on the water and there was only a tiny trickle.

Seriously, within three minutes we went from water to no water.

“Honey, do you think that the city is doing this on purpose,” I asked him. After all, it was about an hour before the start of June 1st, the dreaded hurricane season. For two weeks, the newspaper, radio, TV and billboards have begged and pleaded with city residents to be prepared for today.

Would they really stop county services to make sure we got the message?

Since we once had a pipe break, we headed out the front door to see if our yard was flooded. Across the street, our neighbor was examining his yard and also hoping it was not a pipe break.

“Do you have water,” he called.

“Nope. Do you,” we asked. He did not.

We offered him some bottled water, which we had on hand for the hurricane season but he declined. He reported that he bought water today for the same reason.

Back inside, we called the water department and learned of a water main break within our neighborhood. By this morning, we once again had plenty of water.

The small shortage of water got me thinking. Perhaps everyone would really get prepared if they briefly stopped the water and dimmed the lights on purpose when hurricane season dawns.

Don’t wait for the forecaster to be counting down the hours to landfall. Get ready. Do it now.  Need help getting ready? Turn to the outstanding special hurricane  section from the Pensacola News Journal. 

Meanwhile, I’ve got a few more things to do here. Add a bit more water and food. Get fresh batteries. Restock my valuable paperwork case that goes with me in case of emergency. Later this month, I’ll post some more info.

Photo Above: Transistor radio’s, flashlights, spare batteries, candle and holder plus matches are great to have in a drawer in your bedroom.  No one wants to rummage around in the dark to find these supplies on a storm night.