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Women Living Well Blog: Back-To-School Organization Tips and Link-Up

Women Living Well Blog

Friday, August 13, 2010

Back-To-School Organization Tips and Link-Up

Are you ready for school to start? It's time to get organized!


If you Follow Me On Facebook, then you know that I have been working on a new school schedule. It starts with me rising at 5am - ugh! But it seems to be the only way to get it all done. I will post my schedule after I've lived it and tweaked it a bit.


But today I want to share some organizational tips from a friend I've known since high school (pictured on the right is Erin and her lovely family!). I want to invite other bloggers to link up any organizational posts they have below. If you do not blog - feel free to write in the comment box any good tips you have.


I'm looking to learn something here! Organization of stuff is not my forte.


Here's Erin's tips:

1) Cups - I was finding that some days there would be 10 kid cups in the dishwasher after one day at home. I bought cheap (3/ $1 at Flower Factory) stretchy bracelets, and the kids use those to label their cups. We have extras for friends/cousins. This way each kid uses one cup for water all day. Less to wash, and less mess!


2) Back of doors. I think the backs of our doors are great places to hide things and to keep organized. There are 3 pictures from doors in my home.


a. The backpacks/lunchbox are on the inside of our basement door. I bought heavy duty 3M adhesive hooks. They have been hanging for 2 years w/ no problem. This may not work as well with very heavy backpacks, but it's great for the lunchboxes, dance shoes bag, etc.


b. Costume jewelry is inside my closet door on a horizontal towel rack. Bracelets hang from plastic baby toy links. Works perfectly- no tangles, full view of everything, and in the same space where I dress.


c. Hairbows are inside my daughter's bedroom door. The flowers are attached to small 3M adhesive hooks. I hung strips of 1 inch grossgrain ribbon from the flowers and clip all of her hair bows to the ribbon.


Aren't those great!!! Now join me below in the link-up. There are no rules...link-up any post new or old below that has to do with getting organized. You do not have to link back to me. If you are not a blogger, share in the comment section below any tips you have. I simply want to have a good resource of organizational ideas.
Honestly, this is one of my weakest areas and my husband wishes I improved in this area. I am good at making schedules and keeping them, I am good at waking early, exercising, having a consistent quiet time, keeping a blogging schedule, homeschool schedule, loving on my man and reading the Bible to my kids BUT when it comes to managing stuff - well lets just say my closets are SCARY lol! Helpppppppp!


Walk with the King!



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14 Comments:

Blogger Jennifer @ Just Peachy in Dixie said...

I'm right there with you! Thanks for this post. Great tips. Don't wait to long to share your schedule! I wake up very early, but tend to waste too much of that time on the computer. I need some time management!

August 13, 2010 at 8:38 AM  
Blogger Caroline Cordle said...

My biggest battle was not having a HOME for everything. I would end up with random things migrating from one room to the next, without a place to rest! lol So, I have invested in good, sturdy storage boxes, with the clip sides. I have become slightly obsessed, and my closets look like an advert for the brand I use! BUT, I has helped to keep things so much tidier. For example...1 for medical supplies, 1 for household IDY tools, 1 for batteries and 1 for lighbulbs. Becasue they are stacking, it looks so nice.
My other tip is for storing clothes that older children have finished with but the youngers aren't wearing yet. We have 6 children, and pray God may bless us with more. We used to keep them in black bags in the loft, but that was a mess. We now have large 50L storage tubs, like I mentioned above, with the age of clothing inside taped on the end, and stacked in the garage. When it comes time for a new "age" of clothing, I just go into the garage and shuffle my stack to get the right box! HTH!
I am all fired up to do more scheduling this term, after all the helpful tips shared at the conference this week! PLUS, I have several friends queuing up to do "Good morning Gals" along with me!
Thanks for your blog and video's - they have blessed me greatly this week! x

August 13, 2010 at 8:58 AM  
Blogger Angela said...

I love the cups idea. Right now the way I solved the cup, and many other problems, is to color code my kids. They each have a cup in their color that they use all day. Their school supp;ies are organized in a caddy in their color, Etc.

August 13, 2010 at 9:08 AM  
Blogger SuperMom Blues said...

It's really hard for me to be organized because right now we live in such a tiny space for five people full time, and one on the weekends. We just don't have the space for everything we need! We'll be moving this fall to a bigger house with more storage space, so I know this won't be an issue there.

I LOVE storage boxes you can hide places like cabinets, under the bed, etc. I have one for baby blankets, one for craft supplies, one for computer disks . . . if it can fit in a box, it's probably in one! LOL

August 13, 2010 at 10:05 AM  
Blogger Courtney (Women Living Well) said...

I'm a bin fan too - but oh dear don't open the bin - it's a mess in there lol!!

Angela - I LOVE the idea of color coding your kids. Since I have a boy and girl - pink and blue stuff has worked out well that way...but then there's those orange, green and red cups...which confuse us all! Guess it's time to have more babies to assign those colors too right?

Courtney

August 13, 2010 at 10:13 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Courtney,

I love all those ideas. I recently read a idea (It was in a Cottage Decor Mag) about using those cute colorful cupcake liners or small custard bowls to organize things in a child's drawer. But I really like the bow organizer youv'e got.

I also love and will take heed to the cup idea.

August 13, 2010 at 11:14 AM  
Anonymous Victoria said...

What fabulous ideas. I have a collection of inexpensive retro costume necklaces and pins. I love 40-50's scarf pins, wearing them on hats, lapels, sweaters and scarfs. I recently purchased some retro picture frames at a thrift shop, removed the glass and cleaned them up. Turning them back side facing up, I stretched and tacked strips of lace across the back. Then placing a decorative ribbon to hang the frame, I turned the frame over and hung it over the mirror of my grandmothers dressing table. It's perfect for organizing my pins and hook earrings. I also have acquired a rather extensive collection of scarves, to go with my pins ;) To keep those organized and easy in reach: The smaller ones, I fold in half securing the folded end with an inexpensive stretchy hair band and put them inside ( with the tops sticking out) of a couple of old purses that I have hung on the sides of my dresser. Sounds rather shabby but I can easily see which one I want without having to search through a drawer , the longer winter ones I hang behind my door on a rod using the small curtain clips. For the silk or more delicate one, I fold them across the rod.

I have also used the frame with lace idea to organize my daughters small hair clips and barrettes.

Your blog is wonderful and your family beautiful.
Blessings

August 13, 2010 at 11:15 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Have you read Michelle Duggar's sorting out tips. She says to have 3 black bin liners and a timer set for 15 minutes. Put things to keep and store in one bag, things to sell or pass on in another and finally things that can only be thrown away in the third bag. Work for 15 minutes only and put the bags away. You can back to it again and again and not worry about children disturbing your work the rest of the time.

Michelle also advises storage boxes - with a system for recording what's in each box, and rotating toys, jigsaws, books and putting away seasonal items also.
I'm sure we've all admired the Duggar's home - so neat and tidy and uncluttered - well this is how she does it.
Chris

August 13, 2010 at 12:47 PM  
Blogger Jill said...

The sorting thing is actually on the Fly Lady website--which I LOVE. She has great tips and tricks for getting organized and keeping your house clean. I don't follow them to a T, but she offers great resources.

August 13, 2010 at 1:56 PM  
Blogger Courtney (Women Living Well) said...

Chris - now that you mention it I do remember the Duggar system in the book! Thanks for reminding me - she's amazing!

Jill - I LOVE the flylady too and follow her on facebook with her tips...I really should actually do them more lol!!!

Courtney

August 13, 2010 at 2:43 PM  
Blogger Toni said...

The Duggars use the classic, "Throw away, give away, put away" system. Flylady also advocates this, along with the 15 minute at a time suggestion. I think it originated with a book called The Messies Manual.

Big plug for Flylady here. If you want to declutter, organize, set up a cleaning and organizing schedule (that eventually includes all the "extras" like purse cleaning, weeding, car cleaning, etc.), then do check out Flylady's website. It's WONDERFUL (and much improved over her site of say 3 years ago or so.) Here's her 31 day "get started" steps.
http://flylady.net/pages/begin_babysteps.asp
Blessings,
Toni

August 13, 2010 at 3:16 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Courtney!

I feel your pain. I have an 8 yr. old boy going to 3rd grade and it is hard to be organized with boys.
I am weak with organizing stuff plus all the things you are good at. I am not a failure because Jesus is in my life. I am a work in progress. He has a lot of work to do on me yet. Please, God don't give up on me! :-)

I wish I could wake up as early as you do, but when I see, I already hit the snooze button for the 50th time and it is already 7:00 am. Darn! One day I will get that right!

So, one thing I did to organize all my son's toys inside his closet was to buy a shelf on IKEA and put plastic colorful drawers in each niche of if. Label them helps to have the kid knowing where his toys are and put them back when we ask too, which is the most important thing about organizing stuff, right? :-)
The shelf is low to the ground, so it is of easy access to the child also.

Hope it helps you a bit. Please, don't be long to share your schedule. I am dying to see it! Thanks for all your tips and advices on your blog and FB. I appreciate your efforts to help women to become women according to God's heart! Thanks a lot! Love you, sister!! :-)

August 13, 2010 at 5:40 PM  
Anonymous Saveatunity said...

I love the cup idea that is brilliant. I am stealing that idea...thanks. My kids will go through 5 cups a piece and confuse themselves on whos is whos. We started a post it note on the counter with each kids name on it and they had 2 put the cup on the post it. It almost worked until I found the baby crawling around with a yellow post it that said Joey on his butt. Next time I will try super sticky notes.

August 14, 2010 at 6:16 PM  
Anonymous Alison @ Hospitality Haven said...

For my jewellery I actually use a small bulletin board that is hung in my closet and I use push pins and hang necklaces, earrings, etc. from it! It's worked for 4 years and I love being able to see everything I have. It creates less clutter and simplifies my life.

August 16, 2010 at 1:49 AM  

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