I don't know about you, but one of my main struggles in life is to be organized. I love finding tips on how to be organized and how to "get it together". Having a family is hard work...and even harder when you struggle to be organized.
Soooo, here is what I have decided to do. I want you to comment to this post (you can see the comment link at the bottom of the post) and tell me something that you do to get/stay organized. It can relate to kids, family, cleaning, laundry, carpooling, feeding, etc. Anything goes! Just give me some organizing advice!!! I will put all the names in a hat and draw one name to receive ONE FREE OUTFIT from my chunky monkey designs. For those of you who have never seen my website, please check it out at www.mychunkymonkeydesigns.com (or click on the title of this post and it will take you to my site). I specialize in girl's clothing, sizes NB - 8yrs., but can also make boy's clothing as well. Just contact me if you happen to need a boy's outfit! There are also beach towels and diaper bags if you don't need an outfit!
So, go ahead and comment, and give me a tip or two!(and dont' forget to pass it on to your friends) It's easy AND you have nothing to lose! Don't forget to give me your name in your comment. You have until Sunday, April 26th @ 10pm! The winner will be announced Monday morning via a new post. Since I may not have your email address, please check back here on Monday morning! Good luck and thanks in advance for all of your advice! :)
Here are a few examples of outfits on my website! Go to the website for MUCH more!
55 comments:
Love your blog and your clothes!!! Those pants are TOO cute!!!!
I like to plan out the meals for the week and put them on a dry erase calendar on the fridge - this saves you from having to figure out every day what to fix for dinner and keeps little(and big! lol) from asking 5 times what's for dinner!!! :)
Being a teacher and a mom can be difficult and I have been in your shoes! I use to be the queen of organization, but with a career, hubby, and little one, it's easy to become distracted!
I write down things on a calendar to keep me sane (appts, b-days, special events.)
Every Sunday, I make a list of what we will eat for the whole week. I buy those ingredients and stick to my plan.I tend to do a lot of crock pot meals so that when I come home, I usually only have to make sides. If I didnt do this, we would have fast food every night. It was my resolution this year.
I also try to do housework in shifts. You can do everything in one day.
I could list a few more, but even those things dont keep me completely organized! I'm learning to be patient and spontaneous!
I dont want to sound like Super Mom... I meant you CANT do everything in one day! :)
I am a list-maker by nature. I can't function without my lists. I have learned, though, I have to list the most important things first, and the not so important things last. It gives me a real sense of accomplishment when I get to scratch things off. If I don't get everything scratched off in one day, the remaining things go to the top of the next day's list, and so on. Maybe a tad OCD, but it keeps me sane!
Not sure if these will help but they help me.
I brown several pounds of whatever meat, hamburger, chicken at once. I bag up portions and freeze for easy dinner nights. Spahetti, lasagna, taco's, chicken bake etc. Saves me thought and time.
I also file mail as it comes in if I should keep it. I throw away junk mail and file the electric, doctor bills and such in my files labeled as such right away. Keeps my piles down to minimum.
I have also fell in love with the under the bed drawers at Walmart for 10 bucks. It's easy for Kendall to get her own socks, underwear, pj's etc out by herself withtout completely ruining her dressers and closets.
Hope that helps. I think we all need help but we strive to be Martha Stewart sometimes and forget that play time is more important than housecleaning anyday.
Love your blog and love your clothes, they are some of Kendall's sigature things.
LOVE the clothes! You are SO talented! To help me stay organized and SAVE TIME, I do a meal calendar for a month at a time, once I have the calendar done, I use it to plan my grocery shopping trips. I shop twice a month, I get what I need for 2 wks based on the menu. I buy extra bread and freeze it, and only buy what we are going to have for the next 2 wks. Why buy what you aren't going to eat??!
I am also big on labeling. In my linen closet, I've set up small rubber maid containers to group things for cold/sinus, stomach, first aid, pain, ointment, etc. Tummy aches...get the "stomach" box!
seriously...I just wrote a long response and it disappeared. Organization....hmmmm...what is organization? I could use some major organization in my life. I am also a list maker, calendar-keeper, and I plan my meals out a week in advance. I also try to plan large meals that we can eat as leftovers the next day, so I'm cooking every other day. I also schedule my days out - I may not stick to my schedule everyday, but it helps me not to waste time if I have one. And I keep a travel potty in my car for my two young kids in case I forget to "schedule" a potty break before we leave the house! :) By the way...I think being disorganized is a disease of most of the creative types in this world! We have too many ideas in our heads and so much we want to create that everything else gets tossed about in a mad rush! We just can't help it!
Organization...what does that mean? :)
My little guy's pj's, underwear, socks and undershirts are all in different colored fabric bins that he can reach. this way he knows where each thing is and he can get himself dressed (in the basic things...I still pick out his clothes...lol)
At work I use bins for all the different stacks of paper. If I didn't, I would never find anything. I enjoyed reading the other responses. Laura French
You know I adore your outfits, so here I am, commenting!
I write everything on my calendar, from when bills are due, to when I need to make a call, to when I need to work at the store. I look at my calendar first thing in the morning and set my cell phone for reminders during the day.
I make my menus 2 weeks in advance and print it out. I plan it around who is running sales/triple coupons and the kids know what's for dinner. I also know the night before what I need to get out of the freezer.
We do "3 minute clean up" before we move on to the next room/project. It helps keep the house tidy, and teaches the children that they are part of keeping the house organized. They also have age appropriate chores and a chore chart and have since they were 3.
I do my grocery shopping on Sunday after thegrocerygame.com prints its list - I shop one week at a time. As far as organization, my secret it to keep the "stuff" at a minimum - I'm a big donator to GoodWill and I get a tax write-off. If it's broken, been ignored for far too long, or outgrown then it goes straight to GoodWill. My boys never miss it and I'm happy with less clutter!
I don't know what I would do without my purse calendar. It has everything in it from Dr's appt's to Chuck's travel schedule and softball schedule to my workouts. Yes, I write in my workouts for week to week and do it about a month at a time so I have to stick to it.
For the girls, I plan out their outfits for the week at the beginning of the week all the way down to socks. It makes the mornings run easier when I don't have to think so early about what goes together. Also, no arguments from the kids b/c they know everything is already ready - they are used to the routine.
LAstly, routine keeps me organized. Without it, I think we would all be lost. I like a day here and there routine free, but mostly we try to stick to one.
I love it! I'm an organizational freak as well... :) One thing I have found especially helpful when going on trips: I created an Excel spreadsheet with columns for each person in our house with a list of everything they need to go out of town. Travelling with kids gets complicated (esp. babies) so this helps me remember everything. Whenever I start packing for a trip, I print off the spreadsheet and check things off as I go...I feel like I won't forget something that way and it seems like I don't have to think as much! :)
Well, I don't know if there is any kind of advice I can give you...I just read through all the comments listed here to get a few ideas myself! I think the ONLY place I am really organized is with my laundry. I have 5 seperate white laundry hampers in my laundry room with lids (because I hate looking at the laundry!) and on the top of each one is written what goes inside...Towels, Lights, Darks, Reds, Daddy (for Daddy's work clothes). The girls have learned to put their clothes in the correct hamper and that keeps me from having to go around and pick up the laundry all over the house AND it's already seperated!
Well I was trying to think of something different to put but I think everything I do is on here already! I read through all the other ones and seems like these ladies know what they are talking about, hehe. My mane thing of staying organized is keeping a calender with all the important stuff. For each catagory (ex. games, work, dates, whatever) there is a different color marker to use:)
Hey girl! Clothes are something that I struggled to keep organized for a while. My sister-in-law gives us all of her old boys & girls clothes so at any given time, we have bags of clothes. I also buy in the off season which sometimes I would forget I bought. So to solve this problem, I keep 2 huge see through totes in both of their closets labeled- Next Year Winter & Next Year Summer. When we get items (even if they will be used 3 summers from now) I put them in the labeled box. When it is time for the next season, we pull them out and figure what might possibly fit. I also have a "Too big shoes" box. When I realize that Thomas or Ellison has outgrown an outfit, I put it in a boxed labeld "Too Small Clothes." As soon as the tote fills up, I find someone (usually my sister) to give them to since I am pretty sure we are done having kids :)
I have really enjoyed reading everyone elses comments! Hope to see you soon.
Oh one more thing, instead of saving "leftovers" which in my house never get eaten, I just go ahead and freeze 1/2 the recipe in a pyrex dish. I also sometimes just have huge "cooking" days where I cook 20 meals & freeze them in my pyrex dishes.
We have a large marker-board on the side of the fridge, and I write down everywhere we have to be for the month. That way, as I stumble into the kitchen each morning in search of caffeine, I can see where we're supposed to be that day! Also, I have one of those long storage compartments with bins for each day of the week in each child's closet. Clothes for the week are placed in these for a streamlined morning. I also hate housework, so I designate a day of the week to deep-clean a room of the house. That way, housework can be cut down to a couple of hours each morning and I can be done with it, as the idea of entire days devoted to housecleaning both overwhelms and depresses me! :)
I wash everyone's clothes separately that way when I'm done there is a lot less sorting to do. My clothes, Craig's clothes and the girls clothes all stay separate and don't get mixed up. It takes a lot less time to fold and put away when the load you are working on is all going to the same bedroom!
I use the Shout Color Catcher sheets to absorb dyes from bright colors, then I can wash all colors together and I don't have to wait for each person's laundry to have a full load of whites, darks, etc. They really do work and I've never had anything bleed while using them
Oh i love your stuff--especially since I ma about to have a little girl! :)
I love trying to stay organized, but with little it can be SO hard sometimes! I agree with the planning meals out for the week and sticking to it--i usually write it on a list on the fridge. I also have a calendar/planner that has a space underneath it for each child/dinner/to do list, etc. It it called a momagenda and I love it!
I loved reading through all the other ideas too--so helpful!
Hi Paige! Great idea - I loved reading everyone's posts. I know this is going to sound OCD, but here goes: I made a list on the computer of what is in our 2 freezers, pantry & fridge in categories (veggies, meat, etc). I like the thought of planning meals in advance, but I'm so random as to what I will 'feel like' eating each day, that I haven't started that practice yet. The list helps me to decide what's for dinner...easy to glance at & know what's in there rather than having to dig through (esp the cold freezer...brrr!) to decide. Then when something's used, it gets marked off so I know I need to replinish it on the next grocery trip. (And if I make any random purchases, I hand-write them on the list...then will modify/print a new list every few weeks when the old one gets marked up/messy.)
Love your clothes so here goes...we put our dishes in dishwasher immediately when we finish eating our meals and snacks. (I Can't stand dishes in the sink.) One of the kids usually helps unload it so that it is always ready for dirty dishes. I keep a bin in the kids' closets so that anytime I find that an outfit is too small I can toss it in for Goodwill or consignment. I do a 'big clean' every other week and just spot clean on the opposite weeks. Everyone has to pick up after themselves each day so that it never piles up. I have a little wicker organizer on my kitchen counter to keep the important mail, bills and kids' forms, etc. Huge help! Throw junk mail away immediately.
Hmm, I don't know if there is any kind of advice I can give you either... But I am definitely getting some good ideas here! One thing that works for me is choosing one day to clean the whole house. I call this "deep cleaning." I do pickup after ourselves every day though.
Love the Clothes. I have a difficult time with organization. However, my husband always tells me to FINISH THE DRILL(always finish what you start).
Hey friend! ok- what do I do to stay organized? hmm... I make a grocery list each Sunday and write out our meals for the week on the back- that way I know what we will eat each night. I like knowing in advance! I love to use coupons so if I have one for a certain item I write a "C" beside it on the list.
TOYS can get out of control so I bought all sized clear plastic containers and have labeled all their toys in the playroom closet. It's much easier for them to see what they want and to clean up this way. We also have a rule that toys stay in the playroom upstairs because toys all over the house can quickly make the house a complete disaster and that makes mommy a tad bit frazzled!
I also like to keep my pantry neat and labeled. That way the girls know where things are and I keep healthy snacks in their reach.
Now...off to read the other comments here and get new ideas! Thanks!!
Great idea Paige!! Thank you everyone for your posts, I really have learned some great tips!! To stay organized at this wild house, I keep a calender of all of Jason's events and our fmily. I am crazy about a calender and do not know what I would do without one. I also have recently started making a menu for the week. It really helps. Lastly, I have a few friends and we swap meals
I am not really organized most of the time, but I am really trying to get there!! I cut out my coupons and match them up to the weekly circulars at the begining of the week and decide what we are making for dinner for the week ;)
In the evening, I pour cereal into bags and put their vitamins into as well. Then I pour juice and milk into their cups. Even the 17m old gets her own bag.
The kids then take their back packs, cereal bags, and cups into car. Easy drop breakfast = )
What I do is when I get home from work I put Sydney in the play pen when we walk in the door and I automatically get their bags ready for the next day(diaper bag with clothes for Nanny's,sign Samantha's agenda, etc). Get bottles and make Samantha's lunch and pick out Samantha's outfit for the next day. I know it sounds rushed but it actually goes by really fast and seems to take less time than if I do it after I get the girls down. Also to keep the clutter down in their rooms I have two times a year that I CLEAN out their rooms, that is Christmas and birthdays. It is out with old and in with the new!!! Hope you like the ideas...
I put a set of sheets inside one of the pillowcases in the linen closet. That way when I need to change the sheets, I just pull out the "bag" and everything is there. You don't lose any pillowcases that way!
Hello! I try to get a head start on the next day.... each evening before bed I get out their clothes/socks/shoes and also set out and fill their lunch boxes with snacks. Sabrina Comps
I love your clothes! I am a very organized person so there are lots of little things I do to keep work, kids, husband, etc.. together. I always have sticky notes readily avaliable and have pink ones for tasks that are the most important to get done in a week. Another thing I reccomend is buying a sweater organizer and then a shoe organizer, to hang in the kids closets to put all their weeks outfits in on Sunday night. I go to www.weather.com and then I plan out their outfits accordingly. It saves a lot of time in the mornings. I also have a coupon organizer that I have done by category like; Drinks, condiments, vegetables, etc.. I go through the paper on Sunday's and fill it up and always keep it in my car so I have it for my grocery store trips. My last tip is that I chop up an onion, and a pepper gladwear as well as pre-cook some grilled or baked chicken breasts or turkey on Sunday nights so I can easily throw together meals for the week like pasta, salads, tacos, pizza, etc.. Hope this helps! Take Care!
Getting things done in the morning is so hard for me...not to mention that i like to sleep as late as possible! Every minute of sleep is precious right?! I get everything ready for the day the night before. i pack lunches, lay out sets of clothes (and let the girls pick out which one to wear the following morning), and even my clothes so that we are up and out of the door. it really saves me time in the mornings and lets me enjoy spending time with them....just talking about the plans of the day. love the clothes and great idea!!!
Rivers Collison
Amy Purdy shared your site with me! I'm not a mom yet (hope that doesn't kill my chances of winning!) but I am daffy crazy about my 5 month old niece. I've only been married 16 months, but my hubby and I both work demanding jobs and are busy with church and community activities. I've found one way to stay organized is to do what Amy said they do - keeping the dishwasher always ready for dirty dishes. My husband thankfully unloads the dishwasher every morning after a wash. I also stay on top of laundry doing a load or two a day. We work out and exercise daily, which makes for lots of stinky, dirty clothes. I find it much easier to constantly have a load in the wash (which has a convenient timer) so I never have 5 or 6 loads at a time to do!!! Gotta go check out your clothing line!!!
I clean the kids bathroom while they are playing in the tub so they get to play, I never have to leave the room and I can get something productive done while bathtime is happening.
I also keep old wipe dispensers and fill them with plastic grocery bags so I can just pop the top and pull out a bag when I need it. It is alot neater than just throwing the bags in the closet! Your clothes are so cute!
To stay organized, I have a whiteboard calendar in the kitchen with a couple of magnets. When I have an important item on a scrap of paper, like a receipt or a phone number, I stick it up there with a magnet until I can save it in my cell phone. I also use it for appointments and other important dates. This helps me tremendously; at the moment, February is still up there. What month is this, anyway???
HI Paige!
Thank you so much for doing this! I've realized I'm not the only one who struggles staying organized and I've gotten some great ideas that I'm going to implement. Something that helps me is I open my mail over the garbage can, that way I immediately throw away the junk and envelopes. Then I keep a file in a cubby in my kitchen with a hanging file for each family memeber. The files hold anything current to do with that person ie. baseball roster, schedules, spelling words, teacher letters. One more thing that helps me is I have a clippy magnet on the fridge that I keep upcoming events in chronological order. When that event is over, it goes in the trash and the next event is visible.
Hey Paige! Your clothes are so cute, so here goes with one thing I do to keep us organized. Because my 4 year old now has a mind of her own and likes to decide what she is going to wear to school every day, I have started picking out (with her assistance) 5 outfits on Sunday night. She then gets to pick out which outfit the night before that she is going to wear the next day. It has cut down on the arguments over clothes each and every morning! This has become my favorite "get organized" tool as of late, and mornings are so much more peaceful! Hope y'all are doing well!
Amy Hutto
Hey girl! Love the clothes!! I wish I had time to sew and make all of the cute things I would like to!! I love to smock but just don't have the time! :( Everything I do is already on here too. I may not be the most organized person in the world but I sure do try!! You have to have some kind of organization with 5 kids!! I love your blog and the new background I just may steal!! ;) I can NOT do without my calendar!! I have everything on it!! I like to go back at the end of the year and see everything we have done and try not to do so much. :)
I make notes for everything, but somehow I still forget something....I use to be organized before kids! Ashley B.
Hey Paige! I'm sure you don't remember me, but I'm friends with Sara, & we met once while you were still living in Florida. Were we judges together one year for Sara's dance team...maybe?? Anyway, love your stuff! I always check your listings on Ebay, plus Sara forwards me your emails. Okay, I am definitely not one to give advice on organization! I have 4 kids & homeschool, but am so unorganized it's ridiculous! Like many others on here, I depend on my calendar every day; otherwise, I'd forget every appointment I have. One other thing I do is if I'm taking all the kids out to the park or a picnic lunch, I label their sandwiches with stickers on the ziploc so they don't get mixed up...Spiderman for my youngest son, cars for my oldest son, & Tinker Bell for my oldest daughter. That way the one that likes more peanut butter than jelly doesn't end up with the opposite. Silly, but every little bit helps in the interest of harmony! Misha Holland
I get the kids clothes out the night before along with myself and get them steamed and ready. I have a "Mommy Calender" that I keep in my purse and I put everything on it including appt., parties and grocercies. I keep it in my purse. I load my car up the night before so I know that I won't be leaving anything at home. Once bills come in the mail, I go online and pay them with the correct due date so file it away. I also have things on automatic payments. That is pretty much it. My biggest problem is the dinner thing. I need to work on that one.
I too struggle with being organized and being productive. I think I try to do is to prioritize what is the most important thing I have to do for that day and make sure to do that first. I can get sidetracked by things that I really like to do and neglect the things I have to do.
I also enjoy freezer cooking. I plan my meals for 2 weeks to one month and assemble them and then put them in the freezer. Then all I have to do is thaw and bake and add some veggies to go along with. It makes life much easier and cuts down on the food budget too!
A great website is flylady.com. I don't follow her method too much anymore but she taught me so much. The main thing I learned was how much I can actually get done in a short amount of time. She uses 15 minute intervals. It is amazing. Good luck and I am so impressed with your clothing business! Everything is adorable!
Blessings!
I take Sundays or Friday (my day off) to cook a big casserole or soup. I always double the recipe and freeze half in a foil pan. If you do this each week. You have 4-5 frozen meals that you can pop in the oven for a week night. Most of the casseroles that freeze the best are tomato based...but I will try to freeze anything once....Michelle Cox
I keep clorox wipes in the bathrooms and do a quick wipe down every morning after getting ready! This helps cut down on the time when i need to do some serious cleaning of the bathrooms!
I pick at least one day every month to go through our closets (especially my 2 year olds) and get rid of any clothes, pajamas ett that he has outgrown or that needs to be donated. I make sure all the hangers are facing the same way and put all the clothes in 'seasons'. This helps the closets look and stay organized and it's not so overwhelming if I waited to go through them once a year instead of monthly.
I have no advice.I am just as disorganized as you are. If you got some good advice pass it along!!! I just want to be in the drawing!
LOL
Hey girl..I kinda feel like I am cheating :) I have several things that I use to keep organized. They all seem common sense to me :) I plan 5 meals on Sunday so I know what if for dinner every night and can only do one grocery trip on Monday and have everything I need for the week. I also get all my kids cloths out the night before...even down to socks and shoes. They do not leave their rooms in the morning until they are fully dressed..but that takes some training of the kids to :) I also keep a bag going of items to donate...I just put the things in there as I find them and when the bag is full it goes right into the car. Helps keep the clutter up :)
Jennifer Langston
Hello Paige! Great idea!
My favorite tips:
1. throw away junk mail the same day
2. use plastic over the door shoe bags just about anywhere to store stuff..I have them in the bathroom and pantry
3. Use plastic skirt/clothes hangers to store outdoor flags. Fold lengthwise in thirds and hang in closet. :)
I find labeling items works for me. This helps with household items as well as putting toys away. It also has developed Trey’s interest with words...not to mention, it helps to eliminate questions from hubby. Another thing I am faithful about is writing out schedules on the calendar…this serves as a reminder as well as a communication board between my husband and I.
Paige:
Love the website and the pics and stories about your family! The questions about Mommy are too cute! Keep up the good work!
I thought of some advice!
Put your gymbo receipts in an envelope so you always know where they are!!! How was that :)
I have a Mommy calender that I keep for everything. I also put the kids clothes out the night before and steam them and load the car up with everything before we leave in the morning. It makes a huge difference.
I'm way late on this but your blog won't connect to the blog list I follow so I only get by here about once a month.
I had a couple of tips that I didn't see already mentioned.
I fold the laundry right out of the dryer. It might stayed stacked there a few days but at least it's not wrinkled in a pile!
I clean the girls rooms while they bathe. Their bathroom opens right where their doors are so I can hear and check in every few minutes.
I take pictures of my rooms. It's amazing when you look at it on the computer and you see so much that needs to be done. It really is like seeing it through another set of eyes.
Those are just a couple of things that help me.
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