Thursday, April 19, 2012

Do Your Chores!

The dreaded chore list.  Kids hate doing them.  Parents hate arguing over them.  On the up-side, a family chore chart can help teach organization and responsibility to your little ones.  Here's a perfectly simple way to keep track of the daunting list without ruining your decor or your family.

Here's what you'll need:

  • magnetic paper (found at any office supply store)
  • computer with Microsoft Excel
  • fun family pictures
  • a list of chores for kiddos and grown-ups!

Our family chart on the fridge - so easy to move magnetic chores!
Thanks to years in the corporate world, I've learned a few tricks when it comes to Excel.  Luckily, the program is really intuitive.  Just size the cells however you wish, add some fun background colors that fit into your kitchen color scheme, and - if you really want to get personal - copy and paste family photos onto the spreadsheet. Use a color border for other cells with the chores. Print onto magnetic paper, cut out the chore blocks, and voila!

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

The Snail Mail Thank You Note

Overwhelmed by others' generosity this past holiday season?   Don't forget to send your written notes to show your appreciation, even for the little things!  As Emily Post says, "It's never wrong to send a written thank-you".

Snail mail is (almost) a thing of the past, but a hand-written letter can still make a big impact, especially if it's on the right paper.  I LOVE stationary.  It's certainly one of my must-haves in any household.  Here's a few of my favorites for every member of your house!


Tuesday, December 13, 2011

No need to check the list twice!

If you're like me (and my large Irish family), keeping your holiday shopping organized can be a tall order.  I - with no small contribution from Excel - have a solution!

With this simple spreadsheet, keep everything in order... including your budget!  Track every idea you've had before selecting THE gift to give to your loved one.  Just remember to keep it hidden away from prying eyes and curious little ones!

Click here - Gift Giving Guide - to download my printable!

Friday, December 9, 2011

Holiday Ornaments

Do you dread opening your Christmas ornament storage box, waiting to see which of your favorites were broken, smushed, cracked, or smashed?  Unless you need a few ornament pieces to protect against intruders a la Home Alone, the destruction is probably a source of angst.  

Photo from marthastewart.com
Protect your holiday treasures with this simple solution. Revamp your current rubbermaid storage box using only a cardboard box, plastic cups, and a hot glue gun.   Cut out rectangles of cardboard to fit inside your storage box.  Then, hot glue plastic cups to the cardboard in an array.  This ensures minimal movement and redistribution over the year of storage in the garage.  

Remember to use bubble wrap or tissue paper to protect the truly delicate, but save that extra step on the fuzzy or plush ornaments.

Add as many layers of cardboard & cups as you need, and voila!

Friday, November 18, 2011

An Organized Linen Closet... for good.

 How often do you organize something, beaming with pride and accomplishment, only to find it's right back to the way it was only a short time later?  Here's a way to keep your linen closet organized for good!

As a military family, I'm always trying to think of ways to arrange a space that will translate to any home... unfortunately, this usually eliminates the use of closet systems such as the awesome Container Store elfa system.  Fortunately, there's an easier solution for a linen closet!  Keep everything in labeled baskets that can be packed up and transplanted anywhere, including to a different location within the same house as family needs grow and change!

All you need is a few supplies: hardware store paint samples, ribbon, scissors, hole-punch, sharpie and baskets of various sizes to suit your needs.  Michael's craft stores always have a wide variety of baskets and almost always have a sale going on; it's definitely an inexpensive way to stock up on a variety of the same style.

Cut circles from the paint samples and write your basket categories using a sharpie... Helpful hint: play with the colors to fit a house decorating scheme, color-code kids linen baskets, or just use your favorite colors!  Tie the tags onto each basket with ribbon and never again worry about whether or not Martha Stewart would scowl at your fitted sheet folding skills.  The baskets will help keep things organized without necessitating perfection!

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

What's for Dinner?

How often do you take your time making a concise, yet comprehensive grocery list only to return home from shopping and realize you've forgotten that vital ingredient for Wednesday's taco night?

It's an easy problem to solve! All you need is computer paper, Microsoft excel and a planner!  I buy blank paper from Filofax that comes with the appropriate holes already punched (it can be tricky to measure out!).  On excel, design a 2 column spreadsheet with boxes for all the common shopping aisles. My categories are: Produce, Deli, Meats, Snacks, Cooking, Baking, Cooking, Frozen, Dairy & Eggs, and Household.  I format my printer options so I can print the list directly onto the Filfofax paper to fit nicely into one of my planner tabs for Groceries & Menus!  Helpful hint: organize the categories in the same order you move through your store aisles so you instantly know if you've skipped something!  


Under the same planner tab, I also keep a monthly spreadsheet to plan our family meals.  With two small kids, I try to plan a week's worth of meals and make only one big grocery trip a week.  With my meal planner spreadsheet, I can keep track of what's for dinner a week in advance.  By keeping the meal schedule right next to my grocery list, I can see at a glance what ingredients are missing from the shopping list for each planned meal.  It's the little adjustments that make the big differences!  
Download my printable spreadsheets below!
These were designed for the Personal sized Filofax. 
     

Monday, November 7, 2011

Where did I put that...

With this system, you'll never have to frantically search again!  When you create a family binder system, all the important documents will always be in one safe, organized space.

Who brings snack at this weekend's soccer game?  When are school pictures?  Did I remember to write down doctor information for the babysitter?  Never fear!  Keep it all in a family binder.  Simply purchase a 3-ring binder (the bigger the family, the larger the size) and create tabs to suit your needs.

      • House & Home
      • Daddy
      • Mommy
      • Kids
      • Take-Out Menus
      • Babysitters
      • Anything!
Each section should contain a page with important personal information: name, phone, doctor information, allergies, and (for the kiddos) likes, dislikes, etc.  Keep a 3 hole punch in your desk and you can add other pages as they come in.  Get a new soccer schedule?  Punch it and add to your child's tab.  Planning a party for dad?  Keep the guest list in his binder section.  Finally found a trusted plumber or landscaper?  Add it to the House & Home category for future reference.  It's as easy as that!

Pretty soon, it will become second nature and piles of desktop/ countertop clutter will disappear!