Generally, we have an easier time buying new clothes and putting them up in the closet than going through our old ones and throwing them out. It’s amazing how attached we can become to an old shirt we haven’t worn for years. Or perhaps you think that someday you’ll fit into those old jeans you looked so great in when you were 20.

The closet also usually has the advantage of a closed door to hide the mess and clutter. If your friends or family stop by for a quick visit it’s easier to just throw your things under the bed or into the closet to worry about later. Unfortunately, it’s not always to easy to go back and straighten up the mess.  Out of sight, out of mind, right?

This is really an unfortunate way to treat your space, especially when there are closet organizers available that will allow you to completely redefine the storage for your clothes and shoes. You can then create a space that you can really be proud of, and you might even rediscover some clothes you forgot you had!

The first step to really get you started is to be honest with yourself about what you truly need to keep.  This de-cluttering process can be quite liberating after you’ve eliminating a lot of the excess stuff that’s crowding you out of your closet. Don’t be afraid to throw out that 10-year-old sweater just because it cost you $100 on an impulse buy.  If you haven’t worn it in a few years you likely won’t anytime soon.  Pass it along to someone else you know who might like it or donate to your local charity.

Next, seriously considering getting some professional help from a company like California Closets. You can get a design consultation from someone who is trained to help you develop an organization setup that is custom to your specific space and needs. If you have a terrific new layout that completely fits your situation and looks great, you’ll likely have a much easier time keeping it clean and organized.

You should never judge a book by its cover. But is it possible to judge a person by his pantry? Well, I’m not normally one to judge anybody. But I’ve found that when I walk into someone’s home and look at his or her pantry, a mental image of the owner instantly takes shape in my mind—and I am amazed at how accurate that mental image usually turns out to be!

No, I’m not just talking about the difference between a neatnik and a slob—that can be pretty obvious to anyone. I’m talking about more fundamental character traits—what the person is like, how he/she approaches life, and even sometimes what he/she does for a living.

You can tell a lot about people by how they organize things. And very often you need to look no further than their pantry to get all the clues you need. Here are some common personality types and the kinds of pantries you most likely will find in their homes:

• The leaders (generals, CEOs): This pantry has all the little guys in front and big guys in the back. In fact, it almost looks as if all the cans, bottles, jars, and boxes were told by a photographer how to pose for a group picture. At first glance, the arrangement seems super-organized—until you notice that boxes of the exact same cereal are scattered everywhere, on different shelves and in different parts of the pantry, only because the boxes happen to vary in size. But that doesn’t matter. What matters is that the owner can enter the pantry at will and instantly survey the battlefield in front of him. Everything is visible, all the requisite data is at hand, and therefore vital decisions can quickly be made.

• The clerics/scholars: This type of pantry needs to be looked at closely. At first it can seem totally disorganized. Then you begin to notice that the apricots are way to the far left and the beans are right next to them. Next in line is the canned corn, and so forth. You soon realize that this pantry is a glorified file cabinet, where everything is arranged alphabetically. If you are the right type of person, you will find what you want in here in a jiffy!

• The craftsmen (chefs, cooks): I can always tell when someone is a serious pantry user. The spices are with the other spices, the oils are with the oils, and the juices are with the juices. Not only that, but there is a wide variety of brands, styles, and types within each category. And the next time I visit, I always see new items—but everything is still organized the same way. These are the folks who make optimal use of their pantries.

• The logical thinkers (engineers, scientists): OK, let’s look at the dates! Everything in the back is brand new. Everything in the front is relatively old. Looks a little like a high school yearbook, right? But logically, it makes all the sense in the world. First use the stuff that will expire soon. And save the newer stuff for later. As time goes on, the items in the back slowly inch forward. And the cycle of pantry life continues…

• The survivalists: Eighty-four cans of SPAM, you say? OK, I think we all know what type of cat we are dealing with here. At least you know who to call if you ever run out of something.

• The “look at me” types: This is the kind of pantry where as soon as you walk in, the first thing that hits your eyes is a jar of expensive caviar and a container of rare Matsutake mushrooms. The stuff that people actually eat is stashed out of sight, way in the back. The owners of this pantry harbor no qualms about guests poking their heads in and looking around. In fact, they welcome it.

• The penny-pinchers: Instead of noticing the containers themselves, look at what is inside them. The boxes are half full. So are the jars—and the bags. Most of the containers have been re-used…and very often will be re-used again. Frugality is the order of the day! In this household, you can rest assured that sure that no scraps will ever be thrown away.

• The free-spirits: This pantry tends to look very similar to the penny-pincher pantry, but with one notable exception: the half-full containers have no completely full containers to back them up. In fact, the owner of this pantry won’t realize he is low on supplies until the last flake of cereal finally disappears from that well-worn box.

Pantries don’t talk but they don’t have to. Without saying a word, they speak volumes about the people who own them and organize them. You should never judge people—but if you want to learn a little about them, just peek inside their pantry.

Tim Eyre works in the self storage industry, regularly traveling to see locations like a self storage facility in Peoria. In many locations, like the Brooklyn self storage units yard, Tim helps his customers store seasonal equipment when it is not being used for outdoor activities or home improvement projects.

Photo by Claudia Snell

It’s back to school time again, get your family organized and ready for the new school year!!!

The summer is a great, great time of year and I’m sure we all have fond memories of our own summer vacations.  Our children, too, surely look forward to summer and spending days at the pool, trips to Disneyland or the zoo and lots of fun and games.  But alas, summer must come to an end, and that means it’s time to get ready to go back to school.

Getting you and your family organized for a new year of school fun can be a daunting task. Each year presents new challenges and old routines are just not going to accommodate the changes that happen every year.


Routine is your friend.  Establish a clearly defined, easy to follow routine as soon as possible.  You might have gotten a little lax with some of your usual practices…perhaps chores are ignored and overlooked, computer time is stretched out a bit, bedtime has gotten a little hectic, and so forth.

Now is a great time to get back on track and get everyone back in the school year groove.  And don’t wait until the first week of school either…there’s enough to worry about.  Start with earlier bedtimes and earlier mornings, have a nice printed chore chart ready to go and in use.  Your kids might resist these rules and routines, but they really do need this structure and almost always respond quite well when they know exactly what’s expected of them and when.

Get a Good Organizer.  Get a good schedule book, family organizer or a good family tablet app to get everything clearly laid out and ready to go. Once you’ve written something down and can easily find it again you’re much more likely to remember what needs to be done and follow the plan.  And don’t just put down to-do lists and appointment times.  Organization books and calenders are great for this, of course, but also use them to record emergency phone numbers and other important phone numbers like the school attendance office, the doctor and dentist, babysitter, play dates, etc.

MomAgenda has some nice planners that I’ve used in the past and recommend. You can also get 10% off orders over $65 with the coupon code MOM10OFF65 or $10 off order over $75 with the code MOM10OFF75. Check them out HERE.

Don’t Wait Until the Last Minute. Make sure you have all of your back-to-school supplies in hand a month or at least a few weeks before opening bell. You don’t want to be one of the hoards of people shuffling around half-empty shelves during the evening of the first day of school.

Get those school haircuts done a week or two before school starts as well.  You want to give your children a little chance to get used to a new hairdo before school starts.

Plan Ahead.  You’ll want to get into the habit of planning ahead for the entire school year, and what better way to start than the first week.  Have the week’s meals all planned and the shopping done.  If you can, get the lunches made the night before. Have all the laundry done and have the next day’s school clothes laid out and ready to put on.  And, don’t forget to set your alarm clocks!  Allow yourself some extra time the first day or two so you can avoid any last-minute problems and have plenty of time to take care of unforeseen delays.

Remember, This is Fun!  You want to give your children good memories of school and need to make absolutely sure that you make going back to school a great experience. Don’t stress them out freaking out about the little things.

Get your organization hat on and say goodbye to any last minute back-to-school jitters.

Here are 7 awesome family tablet apps that you can download that support family life:

Daily Living Apps

1. GPS Tracker

If you want to know the whereabouts of everyone in your family, installing GPS Tracker is one of the best things you can do. With this tool, you will be able to know the location of your family and friends, as well as share your whereabouts as well.

2. Grocery iQ

Grocery iQ is probably one of the best of its kind. This grocery helper will enable you to create a list of groceries and estimate the total amount of the product so you can keep your list within your budget range. The perfect app for an organized family!

3. Epicurious

Dinner is an important time for families. It is the time when everyone bonds and shares one another’s story. Of course, if you want to make the meal time better, make sure you have yummy delicacies on the table. That is why Epicurious is a great app that can give you some new and delicious recipes to try.

Fun Games

4. Angry Birds

Angry Birds is probably one of the most popular applications on tablet PC’s and smartphones. Tablet PC users from all around the world uses this game application. It is a simply game that everyone can surely enjoy. Adults and kids alike will have fun playing this game while they learn some physics mechanisms together.

5. Scrabble Words Finder

Scrabble Words Finder is an educational game that can be a great past time for families. Divide your family in teams and start twisting those letters and race to get the higher score.

Educational Tools

6. The Lorax

Dr. Seuss is always a family’s favorite that is why The Lorax application is a great app for families. It is actually an eBook that is great for past time and bed time stories.

7. Park Math

Park Math is an award winning application. This app enables learning math easier and more fun. If you have a little child who is preparing to go to school, this app can help give him a start with basic math.

These are just some of the many helpful applications out there to help organize your family life, keep you and your children entertained, and help your child with reading and math.

This guest post was written by Danny who  likes to write from  http://www.androidtabletfanatic.com/.

1. Remove Distractions

Keep kids focused on the cleaning. Don’t turn on the television – it’s an invitation for distraction. Turn on the radio if the kids need some noise while helping.

2. Make The Process Organized And Easy

Set aside a day to get organized before cleaning. Buy or compile attractive storage containers, small object caddies, drawer organizers, and safe cleaning items. When everything has a place, it’s easier to keep everything neat and tidy. Organize your kids’ rooms, the bathrooms, the living room, the kitchen, and any other room your kids will help you keep clean. Label storage containers and boxes so children can easily see what goes where. They’ll be more likely to keep everything effortlessly tidy. Also keep recycling and trash bins available so that toy and food wrappers and drink containers will go into it instead of being left on counters or tables.

3. Set Schedules

Keep one day a week for more major cleaning, but also set aside small cleaning times each day. In the mornings, have a few minutes before breakfast for children to make their beds and clean up their morning bathroom mess. Before bedtime, put away any toys, clean up bathtime messes, and put homework and school items in backpacks to cut down on panic time the next morning. On your major cleaning day, keep in mind that kids, especially smaller children, have short attention spans. It might be easier to conduct cleaning in 15 to 20 minute periods throughout the day.

4. Make Sure They Know What’s Going On

Give your children tasks that are age-appropriate and go through the cleaning methods very clearly, step-by-step. A five-year-old is more able to help you make his or her bed and put away clothes and linens, while a toddler is more suited to running around picking up toys and putting them in their boxes.

5. Find Out What They Like To Do

Make a chart to keep track of which tasks children enjoy most. Some will hate vacuuming or sweeping, while others might love to straighten shelves, put away books, or dust tabletops. Figure out which activities they enjoy and they’ll get the task accomplished more easily. It can also be helpful to give children choices. When they choose their own tasks, the interest makes them more likely to complete the job.

6. Give Them Safety Tips

Teach kids how to clean safely. Show older children – 12 years and up – how to use cleaners such as dusting spray, anti-bacterial cleaners, air fresheners, etc. Keep anything that might be toxic well out of reach. There are now non-toxic, environmentally friendly cleaners that make it easier to let children help with cleaning.

7. Don’t Overcomplicate Things

Keep it simple! Don’t start out by expecting your children to scour the inside of the fridge, clean toilets, or mop the kitchen floor to a spotless shine. Find jobs that they can do easily and that won’t have to be completely re-done if they aren’t done perfectly. Sweeping, vacuuming, dusting, and wiping doorknobs with anti-bacterial cleaner are great jobs for kids. Older kids will be great at cleaning the insides of windows, cleaning bathroom counters and sinks, and organizing their closets.

8. Make It Fun

Make cleaning a competitive game. Set up some tasks as a race or give each child a list of tasks and see who can finish their list first. Let them know that there will be a quality check, though, so everything is done correctly. When you have a winner, give a small prize or some kind of recognition within the household. Print out your own ‘tickets’ and give one for each task accomplished. You can cash in tickets for a prize or fun activity, such as a trip to the zoo, library, park, or movie of the child’s choice. The option to choose a favorite dinner or dessert is a great prize, as well. For older children, when simple prizes cease to have meaning, making their allowance dependent on having their chores and cleaning done can be an incentive.

9. See What They Think

Ask your kids for their opinions. Children are smart and have great ideas. When you listen to their ideas and put those ideas into action around the house, it can make things easier for everyone. Ask the kids where to put the items they use the most in the refrigerator. Ask what utensils should be put in the kitchen drawers that are on their height level, where their items should be placed around their bathrooms, or how to rearrange the living room furniture so everyone can enjoy family time.

10. Set An Example

Leading by example is important. If the parts of the home that belong to adults are a mess, kids might not see a reason to keep their own areas cleaned up. Keep your own bedroom and living room nice and tidy, and your children will have a role model to follow in tidying up their own areas.

(A Guest Post by George Baker)

George whiles away the time working with hoover bags and writing about things like Numatic hoover bags on the internet.

Well, the Les Mess Organizing Card Game is just the trick to help accomplish these oftentimes difficult tasks.

According to their website, “LES MESS, a fun interactive card game that teaches children how to clean up after themselves and manage their possessions.”

Les Mess recently sent me a deck of these cards to try out and my kids have had quite a bit of fun with these.

The game is set up so that your child draws a card and then does the task in the allotted time.  There are also “Bonus” cards that allow the child a free day or some other twist.  You can then set up the game to offer a prize or reward when the task is completed.

This game seems like a handy way to get your kids involved in tidying up his or her things as well helping out around the house.   Ideally they will then become a bit more aware of keeping things organized and develop a habit of picking up more often.

Well, if only it were that simple.  I don’t know how many times I’ve bought a bunch of nice storage bins, carefully put a bunch of things in each one and threw them up in the closet or on a storage rack…only to pull them all apart a month later desperately looking for that missing glue gun or electric stapler.  Now I know I put that in one of these boxes!!!

The key to using storage bins and racks to get organized is to have a logical system of classifying like items as well as using the right type of storage item.  You’ll want to take some time before you buy your storage boxes to establish your precise needs.

You don’t want to use a large plastic pin for smaller items because they’ll most likely get lost in the mess.  Likewise, don’t bother putting one large item in one small box since that’s really a waste of resources.

~ Plan your system before you buy by thinking clearly about what you’re out to accomplish.

~ Buy the appropriate type of storage bin or box for your project.

~ Make sure you have enough room to house the box or bin you buy.

~ Use this time to purge some of the unnecessary or unwanted items in your home.  You don’t have to keep everything, and sometimes it feels great to lighten the load a bit.

~ Use colors logically to help you identify the contents of a box, or consider using clear plastic bins so you can see the contents without having to open everything up.

~ Label your boxes well so you know what’s in them.

~ Consider keeping a brief inventory elsewhere, like on your computer or even a printout, with a list of items in each storage box. You don’t have to list everything, but perhaps just the basics or the theme of each storage bin.

~ If you don’t have the shelves for storage boxes, consider stackable storage bins or containers.

· Clear your desktop and drawers of everything except large items like computers or printers. While you have your desk clear, wipe down surfaces and drawers.

· Put desk accessories (pencil cups, calendars, desk pad, rolodex) back on the desk where you are able to easily reach or see what you need. Insert drawer dividers or other desk organizers you need to keep like items together and stay organized.

· Sort the items you cleared from your desk. Set up boxes with categories like: shred, recycle, trash, office supplies, equipment, papers to file, decorations, and elsewhere (items that don’t belong at the desk to be put away later). Place items in these boxes.

· Put items you have sorted away. Place the things you use daily within easy reach, items you use weekly close enough to reach them with little effort, and supplies you use monthly or less often away from your desk. These can even go in a closet or storage area in another room. Keep your workspace clear so that you have a clutter free environment that allows you to focus on your work and put like items together so you can easily find them.

· File papers. If you do not have a good filing system, set up simple system for handling paper where you can find the paper you are looking for in less than a minute. Don’t pile—file!

· Place any decorative items where they can be seen and enjoyed, but not on your workspace. Display items that inspire you most, but minimum the amount of decorations so you are not distracted from your work.

· Maintain the hard work you have done. Take time to put things in their proper place each time you use them. When you are working your desk can become cluttered, which is understandable. Just make sure that at the end of the day everything is put away and the desktop is clear, ready for a new day of work.

Cathy Bates is owner of Practical Solutions Professional Organizing and a Golden Circle Member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO). They offer hands on organizing help for homes and offices. To find out more about how they can assist you, contact them at www.psorganizing.com or call (909)810-3719.

First I encourage you to de clutter your email. If you have a hotmail account, aol, or just a local ISP. Merge them all into ONE. My only recommendation is GMAIL. Gmail is one of Googles MANY tools to get you organized. Besides, if you have multiple email accounts you can check them all via Gmail as well as send and receive emails from a POP account.

In addition, it’s easy to organize your family life with the use of different Google applications such as Google Calender, Google Black Berry Sync, Google Contacts, Google Documents, Google Mail, and Google Voice.

Google is quick to point out to business; the value of time saved using Google to manage their business. Busy Moms rejoice because these same tools can save you time and sanity for both your busy family and yourself as well!

So how do I manage my family’s schedule with Google ?

The first step is to register for a Gmail account for each of your family members old enough to have an email account (old enough to learn how to use one.

I do not suggest creating a ‘family account’. Each user needs to have their own individual Google Account. Google will allow you to share what you want with each user.

Once you’re signed up with Gmail you can begin to coordinate the different accounts and start organizing you family life from wherever you might be whether it’s at home or on the road.

You can head over to the Google Calendar section and begin filling out your own calendar that you can then share with everyone, other individuals or specific groups of people.  You can limit some events to private settings while sharing other information with a different level of access.  You can even sync your calendar with other popular applications like Outlook or you Iphone or Blackberry.

Although I don’t have a list – I will share with you MY SECRET for using my blackberry to keep organized.

Are you ready ? It’s not about a Blackberry Mom application. It’s about using a service that offers EVERYthing you need on a remote server so you can access it from HOME WORK and your blackberry.

If you are a busy working mom, busy stay at home mom, Busy work from home mom, you need to DUMP and simplify. To do this you head over to: http://www.Gmail.com and created yourself an email (then get RID of all the others – its a time waster.

With your new Google account you can SYNC directly to your blackberry AND to your outlook (where you can also download your GMAIL email), organize your calenders, and have access to everything from your desktop, remotely from work, and on your blackberry.

You can also:
Invite others to share with you – colour label your kids, work, personal appointments, in google calender – share documents you create (google docs) – budget & track payments in google (excel), create a monthly grocery list ect.

If you don’t have the time to ‘set it all up yourself. Check out Famundo -it’s $4.95 a month – but you have to sync to outlook then to your blackberry. Whereas Google will Sync Real time with your blackberry.

So my Mom Blackberry keeping it all together trick is GOOGLE.