Well our summer guest post series is coming to an end. Doesn’t mean I won’t still be accepting guests around here, just probably not on a weekly basis.  Today we’ve got Beth visiting and while she doesn’t have a public blog she is an Org Junkie reader and wanted to share the method she uses for organizing her boys clothes.   I can’t believe I’ve never thought to do this.  Anytime we can empower our kids to manage a task on their own is a very smart thing.  Welcome Beth!

Mornings have a reputation for being a bit chaotic, but before my oldest son started kindergarten, it wasn’t disastrous if we couldn’t find a matching pair of socks or if there were lots of jeans in the boys’ drawers but no shirts.  We just took the time to find whatever was lacking.  Once school became a part of our lives, each minute in the morning was much more precious. Also, my boys were in charge of putting their laundry away and their drawers were prime examples of organization-gone-wrong.  Very wrong.

After some experimenting, I came up with the following solution:

I had GnomeClothes from Etsy make me several sets of mesh bags in three different colors (she makes produce bags; I gave her my dimensions and requirements, and she made me some wonderful bags!)

Those colors matched the laundry tubs my sons were already using.

After doing laundry, I assemble several sets of pants, shirts, socks, and underwear and slide each set into a bag.

The boys are in charge of putting away their laundry bags and any leftover laundry (usually pajamas and extra socks and such).

They find it is much easier and faster to put away the bags (which means they’re more willing to do it!) and they always have a complete set of clothes to wear in the mornings (and the outfits match too!).

For church clothes, I tied a purple ribbon to the bag; the boys know not to use that bag until Sunday morning.

It does take a little time up-front for me, but it pays off every morning we have a little less chaos!

My system travels pretty well too – when we drive to visit my parents, I simply calculate the number of days we’ll be gone, throw that number of bags and a pair of PJs for each boy into one big tub and they’re packed!

My husband and I have three boys, 7, 5, and 2. (my middle boy, the one in the pictures, just started kindergarten today! And yup, used his little blue bag to get dressed). I’m a speech and language therapist by training, but teach early childhood music and movement classes these days. I’m NOT naturally organized, and frequently feel like Sisyphus when trying to keep the house in livable shape – and that was true even before we added three boys to the mix!

Making it easy for kids to dress themselves is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

I haven’t posted a Storage Star in awhile but I knew it was time when I saw how Kara, from Kara’s Korner, took a problem that annoyed her and persevered until she found a storage solution that worked for her.  Kara had these awesome shelves in her closet dividing her and her husband’s space.

Kara used these shelves for shoes but the problem was she had more shoes than shelf.  The shelves are really tall so when she tried to stack her shoes on top of each other to maximize space it was difficult to pull out just the pair she needed without shoes falling to the floor.  Yep that would drive me nutso too.

Recognizing what a great space she did have she knew she could improve on its efficiency.  She tried various ideas, including beautiful baskets but that didn’t work for her.  She was still annoyed.  Finally she had her husband add an additional shelf between each of the existing shelves essentially doubling her space and now look at her shoe storage!

Oh my goodness that just makes me giddy.  I love how excited she is by it and I don’t blame her.  I’d be thrilled to have all those shelves in my closet too :)   The additional shelving didn’t cost them any money either because they already had the wood lying around.  Such a great idea and I’m glad that she didn’t give up but kept at it until she found just the right fit for her.

Sometimes we get a system in place that works for many others and then think there must be something wrong with us when it doesn’t work for us.  For example, while baskets work for me (that’s what I use in my closet for shoes) it isn’t necessarily what’s right for others.  Everyone is different and we all have our own unique organizing threshold.  And you know what?  It’s okay.  Do what works for you and don’t give up if you find a system isn’t working as you dreamed it might, just try something else.  Organizing is a PROCESS and sometimes it does take a few tries to get it to where we are satisfied with how the system is working for us.

Check out Kara’s post for more pictures and to read about the journey she took until she got her closet functioning just right for her.  Beautiful!

Which systems in your home could use a little (or a lot) of tweaking?

Try following my PROCESS steps to help you through the journey.  You can do it, I know you can!!

Storage Star ~ Shoe Shelves is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

Another new feature around here (and I’ve still got a few more to come yet too!) is a monthly one where I give a little shout out to my most awesome sponsors.  I’m very particular about the ads I select as I want them to be relevant and helpful to my readers.  Most of the time they are organizing related although occasionally something else sneaks in there that I think you might be interested in :)

I appreciate my sponsors so much as without them I couldn’t put in the crazy amount of time that I do to share this passion of mine with others.  So thank you to them for that and thanks to my readers as well who come around here day after day looking for a “hit” of an organizing fix :)

World Label is your office supply store for labels.  They manufacturer and stock laser and inkjet labels for all types of printers.  Address labels, CD labels and DVD labels, mailing labels and shipping labels and more on 8.5″x11″ sheets.  Check out their PDFplannerPRO which is a free package that allows you to input and print data into planner pages and as well  customize the forms with your logo or image.

Simplify 101 is a professional organizing business that also offers online organizing workshops.  Aby Garvey’s passion is to help you create real and lasting change in your life by getting more organized.  She currently has an early bird special going on for the upcoming It’s About Time:  How to Have More Fun and Get More Done workshop that starts October 7th.   Also upcoming is an Organize Your Closet workshop that begins Sept 23rd.

Get Organized Wizard offers materials and other resources to help you set goals and get organized in business life, personal life and home & family life.  Michele Connolly will help you move from procrastination to action.  Be sure to check out her latest program called 52 Organizing Missions Home Organizer which includes everything you need to organize, simplify and declutter your home and your life.

List Plan It offers literally hundreds of list printables and downloads to get your world in order.  Choose the membership that works for you.  A personal/family print membership allows you to print all the lists you want for just $20.00 a year.  A personal/family download membership allows you to download and type directly into each page all the lists you want for $30.00 a year.

Sponsor Spotlight is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

Hi all!  It’s back to school week for us here and I don’t know who is more anxious about starting a new school, me or the kids :)   I can’t believe my baby is starting kindergarten, crazy!  Hopefully the week will go well without too much turmoil or tears (from me!).

Okay so today is an exciting MPM because it’s also giveaway day.  With school starting and getting back into routine I’m thrilled to tell you about a fantastic breakfast ebook, called Better Breakfasts: 110 Breakfast Recipes to get your day off to a better start!, written by Kate of Stolen Moments Cooking (she also offers an awesome menu planning service).

If you are looking for something different to serve your kiddos in the morning like I am, this ebook is for you.  The recipes all seem simple, straightforward and quick to make and I love all the variety.  Many can be made in advance and frozen so all you have to do is pop them into the microwave on a busy morning and be on your way.  For instance this is one of the recipes I’ll be making this week.

Bacon & Cheese Muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 c. flour
• 2 t. baking powder
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/4 t. black pepper
• 1 1/4 c. milk
• 1/4 c. butter or margarine, melted and cooled
• 1 egg
• 1/2 lb. bacon, diced, cooked and degreased  (I’ll probably just used pre-cooked)
• 3/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. In a small bowl, mix together the milk, melted butter or margarine and eggs.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until moistened.

2. Fold in the bacon and cheese just until combined. Scoop into greased or lined muffin tins.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until lightly golden brown.  Yum!

Giveaway

I’ve got THREE copies of this ebook to give away to three lucky Menu Plan Monday participants.  Winners will be selected at random from the linky list below (no comment required).  Link up your weekly menu as usual prior to Thursday, September 2rd at 4:00 pm PST to be eligible.  I’ll update this post with the winner shortly after that.  Thanks and good luck!

Kate has also discounted her ebook for one week only (till next Sunday at midnight) from $7.95 to $5.95 which is a great price!  Click here to buy now.

I hope you all have a great week!  If you are looking for a cute menu planner check out my picks for this week over at Sprik Space:  Weekly Menu Planner or Weekly Menu Planner with Shopping List.

Here’s what we’ll be eating:

Monday: Hubby’s cooking stirfry

Tuesday: Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken

Wednesday: Plum Good Pork Chops (you’ll need to sign in for this recipe)

Thursday: Leftover buffet

Friday: One-Pot Spaghetti

Saturday: Black Bean Fajitas

Simple Supper Sunday

WHAT’S ON YOUR MENU THIS WEEK?

Menu Plan Monday guidelines and banner selections are here.

PS:  Thanks for all the homemade bread links last week, I can’t wait to try them!!

Menu Plan Monday ~ Aug 30th + giveaway! is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

Where I use to live one of my best girlfriends owns the local thrift store called What’s in Store? I love that name and decided I was totally stealing it for my weekly segment here where I introduce new items I’ve recently added to my online store :)

This week I’m super excited to introduce you to the UNII Palette.  A most efficient and functional makeup palette.  This product had me at two words:  consolidate and contain!

Problem: Too many makeup containers taking up too much space in your drawer or in your purse leading to a big pile of clutter.

Storage Solution: One makeup container that holds all your favorite makeup pieces in one small compact container.

How: By depotting your makeup you can consolidate your favorites into one container rather than many.

I love this product!  Seriously insane how you much streamlining this palette provides.  Not only does it save space but it saves me time from having to open up a bunch of different compacts to put on my face in the morning.  I can open this one palette now and that’s that.  Those are my pictures above and obviously I have more makeup than that but I’m still in the middle of depotting my favorites.  It took me awhile to get the hang of the whole depotting process.  I actually went to the dollar store and bought some cheapo stuff there first to practice on and it does get easier with practice I promise.  With your UNII you also get step by step instructions which is helpful if you’ve never done it before.  All it takes is a blow dryer and a sharp tool like a nail file or exacto knife.

You can also find many You Tube videos on how to do it as well.  The inside of the case is magnetic so once you finish depotting you add a small magnet (included) to the back of each piece of makeup so it doesn’t slide around.

Many makeup lines are also getting on board with this less packaging idea and will sell you refill packs which means no depotting required and a lot less waste in the landfill.  So awesome!

Look at the difference in size between the depotted piece (the thin piece on top) and the actual case it came from.

Insane!

Notes: The UNII doesn’t hold big brushes but it will hold smaller ones as well as eye liners and lip pencils.    As you can see from the picture above the top of the inside case is one big mirror which is a great added feature.

Measurements:

Outer dimensions : 3.7″D x 6″L x0.7″ thick
Inner dimensions : 2.8″D x 5.4″L x0.4″ thick

Colors:

Twilight

Pomegranate

Eggplant

Lemongrass

Snow

Cost: $29.00

Discount Code: Get 10% off by using code unii10off after you click on one of the add to cart links below (coupon expires Sept 7th)

Purchase the Twilight UNII Palette:

Purchase the Pomegranate UNII Palette:

Purchase the Eggplant UNII Palette:

Purchase the Lemongrass UNII Palette:

Purchase the Snow UNII Palette:

Learn more about why I sell with OpenSky here.

What’s In Store?….The UNII Palette is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

I did so much purging of stuff before I moved (which I highly recommend) but as I learned you may also need to do more of it on the other side of your move as well once you see the space you have available to you.

Turns out my new home has a lot less storage space so rather than let it all stay piled up somewhere I sharpened my decision making skills and pared down even more.  At this stage it gets tough because most of the items are ones I love and use.  However there are three parts to this equation.

Clutter = anything you don’t love or use OR have the space to store.

So out it went.  And you know what, now that’s its gone, I don’t miss any of it.

In fact it feels great!  So great in fact that this load above was the first of two in my new house!  Just when I thought I couldn’t get it down even more than I have, I went through again and added more to the pile.

Best feeling in the world!  Well okay maybe not THE best but it’s up there :)

Do you have long forgotten piles of stuff that have been sitting there for some time taking up precious space in your home?  Why not take a pass at purging some of it today and then after you feel the high of that, go through it again and again and again. You’ll be so glad you did! :)

What are you going to part with today?

I’d love to see YOUR purge pile so email me (orgjunkie (at) hotmail (dot) com) a picture of it with My Purge Pile in the subject line so I can check it out.  In my effort to get others “hooked” along with me, I’m going to select one person from those emails to personally send a copy of Peter Walsh’s DVD, It’s All Too Much, which is a step by step guide for decluttering and bringing organization to every room in your home.

I so know you can do this!

I’ll make the email cut off Monday at 4:00 pm pst so be sure to send me your email before then.  Just know that by emailing me your purge picture you are giving me permission to use it in future blog posts although you can remain anonymous if you’d like.

Purge power!

Keep the purging going even after you move is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

Another great guest post today, this time from Crystal of Crystal & Co. where she blogs about a wide variety of topics including life with FIVE boys.  I sure do love her fun blog header.  Welcome Crystal, thanks for sharing with us today!

As a mom of five boys my life gets a little crazy.

Okay, that is understatement.

My life gets a little overwhelming, which is why meal planning is key at my house. Otherwise, the clock strikes 6:00 pm and my hungry children are staring at me hoping that a sandwich is not what’s for dinner.

You can see some of my meal plans here. To help make meal planning as seamless as possible I’ve been known to do some pre-assembling in advance.  With some metal disposable pans, some Ziplock baggies  a marker, and a little bit of time meal time can really be simplified.

For a recipe like Sunday Chicken Dinner in the Slow Cooker, from one of my favorite recipe fetching sites, I just take all of the ingredients and place them in a Ziplock bag. Then, when I am ready to cook this meal, all I have to do is defrost (if need be) and literally plop it in the crockpot.  (Did I mention I am all about slow cooking?!)

Not all of the meals require multiple Ziplock bags. This one has a lot of veggies, so they took up a bag of their own. But you get the idea.

For a casserole I use a disposable metal pan. Sometimes I precook the meat on the stove, like I did for this Tator Tot Casserole.  Then, I layer the rest of the uncooked ingredients, cover with foil, label with a marker and then freeze until I am ready to bake it.

During a busy school week, these are the things that take the guess work out of dinner for me! It really keeps us at the table and away from the drive–thru line.

Do the same thing with your veggies-  I like to buy frozen. I toss them in a zippy bag, add salt and pepper, a pat of butter and a spoonful of minced garlic. Toss the Ziplock bag back in the freezer. Then when you are ready to use them all you have to do is put them in a saucepan with water and boil until the water evaporates. Simple solution to a great side that will go with just about any dinner!

I also keep assorted frozen breads and rolls on hand. Partner this with your pre-assembled dinner and veggie and suddenly dinner is done and life is simplified!

This idea would also make a great gift idea when someone is having a baby, getting married or even in a time of a family tragedy. Simply prepare a list of the meals with cooking instructions as well as the veggie and bread recommendations and any family is good to go.

Crystal is the author of Crystal & Co. where she share her mommy struggles, tips on raising twins and her search for simplicity while raising a basketball team.

Pre-Assembling Meals is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

Yep that’s right, Glad Press’n Seal!  I gleaned this fantastic advice from a reader who was kind enough to leave it in a comment for me on my how do I move my jewelry post.   Oh my word, this one required a super big happy dance and then some!  I simply wrapped my DIY jewelry board up in this sticky stuff and then packed it away in a box.  When I got to my new home all I had to do was unwrap it and hang it up.  No having to fuss with each piece of jewelry.  So easy!!

My jewelry didn’t even budge…completely stayed tangle free!

So once I figured out how terrific this product was for keeping contents in place I used it to cover many of my other containers.   Here is one of my utensil “drawers” in action.

before:

after:

So simple!!

Here are a few other jewelry suggestions I received and used.  Seriously best readers evah!

Using an ice cube tray with a lid to pack some of my more delicate pieces of jewelry.

And using a paper towel holder (cut down to fit) for the jewelry I was taking with me on the plane.  Brilliant!

Moving is so much work but utilizing simple tips like the ones above certainly made it that much easier for me.  I hope it helps some of you as well!

PS:  Just in case you’re wondering, nope I don’t have any affiliation with Glad whatsoever.

A moving tip that made life so much easier! is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

Updated to add: This giveaway is now closed. The winner is #194 Megan!!

A couple of years ago I posted about how I organize my blogging.  I created my own notebook/calendar of sorts and that worked for me quite some time.  However as my workload increased I found that my homemade jobie wasn’t cutting it anymore and I floundered along in disorganization for awhile until I finally found the system that works for me now.

Now I use the BusyBodyBook to organize my blogging and it is working beautifully!  This is the one I have but there are also other cover styles to choose from.  Isn’t it pretty!

What makes this planner/calendar so unique is the weekly grid with 5 columns for each day.

I designate one column to keep track of my advertising spaces, one column to track my daily posting topics, one column to track my daily priority to do item, one column to plan ahead and one column for ideas.  I love how much better I feel knowing I’m on top of what needs to be done, it takes so much pressure off me which means less daily stress and I’m all for that!  I keep it right beside my laptop so I know what I’m suppose to be doing and when.  I use this organizer along with my List Notebook and together I’ve got one big brain dump…whoot!

Others use this calendar to organize their family…one column for each family member and that works great too because you can instantly see if you have any overlaps in scheduling.  You can also designate a column for menu planning as well or even tracking personal goals!!

Other highlights include:

• Full months-at-a-glance pages in front of book
• planning calendar for birthdays and anniversaries
• perforated shopping lists page
• important contacts pages
• 2 large inside cover pockets
• A bookmark always keeps you on the right page
• Protective clear plastic front and back covers
• Spiral binding
• Dimensions = 7″ x 10″
• $17.95 each

You have the option of purchasing the BusyBodyBook for the academic year (Aug to Aug) or the calendar year (Jan to Dec).   You can view samples of the BusyBodyBook pages here and for even more information, the BusyBodyBook was recently featured on the Daily Grommet!

Giveaway:

If you’d like the opportunity to win one of these great organizers simply leave a comment on this post (I’d love to hear how you would designate your columns) prior to Tuesday, August 31st at 4:00 pm PST.  Winner will be selected via random.org.  Open to everyone.

It’s time to get organized!

The BusyBodyBook Organizer Giveaway! is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

Hey ladies, how are you?  We meet again!  I’m finally settling into my home here and feeling somewhat organized.  I say somewhat because the kids start school in a week and I still haven’t created a backpack station…talk about living on the edge..lol.

So ever since I won my Kitchenaid Mixer from Pioneer Woman last year I’ve been wanting to make bread with it.  But I haven’t because I’m completely intimidated by the thought of it all.  I’ve never ever made homemade bread any other way than with the help of a bread machine (please tell me I’m not the only one) and as those of you who have been around here for awhile know, I don’t exactly have the best track record in the kitchen.  If you are new to my site, let me introduce you to one of my cooking nightmares, so painful.   Anyway all that to say I need counseling help.   If you happen to have a tutorial on your site about making bread can you leave a link for me in the comments.  Or, you know, if you’d like to come on over and just walk me through the steps in person that would be even better :)  Okay that one might be logistically challenging so how about a video guide?  I’m a visual girl that needs more help than you could ever imagine a teeny tiny bit of hand holding.  Anyone?  Anyone?

All the recipes I tried last week were absolutely delicious.  Oh my goodness, yum!  We really enjoyed the Pizza Roll Up Burritos, such a fun change to traditional pizza.   The Minestrone Soup was also yummy and pretty easy to throw together and my daughter was nice enough to whip up some yummy baking powder biscuits to go with it.

I’ve heard from many people how organizing coupons can be quite the challenge.  Well this week I’m going to send you over to visit From the Same Nest to read their most excellent tutorial on creating a coupon binder.  Love it!

So here’s what we’ll be eating this week:

Monday: Quick Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

Tuesday: Italian Breaded Baked Parmesan Pork Chops (found at Lamp Unto My Feet)

Wednesday: Sherri’s Aussie Chicken (missed from last week)

Thursday: Leftover buffet

Friday: Hawaiian Meatloaf

Saturday: Breakfast for dinner ~ Applesauce Pancakes

Sunday: Pizza Quesadillas

WHAT’S ON YOUR MENU THIS WEEK?

Everyone is welcome to participate!  Menu planning has been such a lifesaver for me and I hope it is/will be for you as well.  Give it a try!

Menu Plan Monday guidelines and banner selections are here.

Menu Plan Monday ~ Aug 23rd is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie