Organization

Back to School Groove...

By Ann Springer School has already commenced in some parts of the country, while others are still preparing for the big day. Returning to the school routine is both a great and dreadful day in many households. It marks the end of the fun summer but also the beginning of a fresh school year full of possibilities. The back-to-school ritual is also a time that requires a lot of purchasing and preparing, but with the right ...

Recipe Roundup...

Get your cookbooks and recipe cards cooking with this plan. By Ann Springer Piles and piles of new recipes you’ve been wanting to try? Endless cookbooks but no place to store them? Do you have recipes scrolled out on 3 x 5 cards and others torn from the pages of a magazine? Most people have more recipes than they could ever cook in a lifetime, and the Internet has made cookbooks almost obsolete because they make recipes so...

Married With Children...

Tips for keeping your house tidy even when you’ve got kids at home. By Ann Springer Everyone knows that living with children means you are familiar with sacrificing. I love having a clean house, so I struggle to keep my sanity when I’ve stepped on another Lego with my bare foot or find yogurt art smeared all over my kitchen table. While I openly admit to having a passion for organization, I am the first one to complain...

Comings and Goings...

Mud rooms serve multiple purposes in both warm and cold climates. By Ann Springer I’d never heard the term “mud room” until we had spent several years living in cold weather country. I’ve grown to appreciate the purpose of a mud room and I believe everyone should have one, even if it’s not actually used for mud. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of a mud room, it’s a room that typically sits at the entrance...

Loading Up the Laundry...

Advice on streamlining your laundry process. By Ann Springer I saw a cartoon recently that was a sketch of a laundry room. It had three machines side by side. The first was labeled “washer.” The next “dryer.” And the final one was “folder.” If this were really the case, the laundry would practically do itself! Unfortunately, laundry can be a never-ending, time-consuming process. Some families must do multiple...

Kids Corner...

Stop the wars over messy bedrooms with this simple organizing strategy. By Ann Springer Most parents would likely agree that getting their kids to pick up their bedrooms can be more work than just doing it themselves. We all know that method is a losing battle. The kids will never learn to be responsible if everything is done for them. Besides, what parent wants to pick up after their kids all the time? Not sure where to...

Young Picasso...

Keeping art supplies organized is easy once you draw up a plan. By Ann Springer Parents everywhere rejoiced when washable art supplies hit the market. No longer do you have to line your kitchen table with newspaper before you can let your kids create a masterpiece. Children love to create their own masterpieces and there are endless products on store shelves to help these budding artists. If you’re not organized, you may...