Here’s another tip:  If you have a newer style fridge, open the doors and study their sides.  These newer style refrigerators’ doors are quite wide and have a good deal of rubber seals.  So while you’re at it, give those wide sides and seals a good scrubbing too.  This ain’t your Grandma’s refrigerator!

‘Tis the Season to give your refrigerator(s) a new start for the new year too!!

While these gifts are much appreciated when tearing away the bright paper and ribbon, the real challenge comes after New Year’s when we try to find space to store these treasures. After all, a girl can only have so many pairs of cozy slippers and scented bath products. And my dear husband already has enough plaid flannel shirts to outfit all the campers at Mahoney State Park. Even the dog could do without the stocking full of squeaky toys that have the ability quench even the most robust Christmas spirit.

If this scenario rings true in your home, here are some suggestions for clutter-free gift giving.

Give a gift of education, entertainment or service.

• · For families with children, a season pass to the zoo or children’s museum is always a treat.
• · Membership to an online movie service such as NetFlix will provide hours of entertainment on long winter nights.
• · Those with an interest in cooking or crafts might enjoy a class to learn a new skill.
• · A book of coupons for various services such as snow-shoveling, yard work or child care is a gift from the heart.
• Consumable gifts provide memories without the clutter.
• · A platter of baked treats and homemade jams is always a hit during the holidays.
• · There’s nothing like a basket of prime fruit delivered on a cold winter morning to take away the chill. Some companies even offer a “fruit of the month” to extend the gift all year long.
• · A home cooked meal, packaged for the freezer is a much appreciated time-saver for busy moms.

Make a financial donation to a favorite organization in the recipient’s name.

• · For teachers, make a donation to a scholarship fund or school project instead of wrapping up another apple-shaped ornament.
• · For the outdoorsmen, send a gift to Ducks Unlimited or the Sierra Club.
• · For the book lover, donate a book to the local library in his or her name. An added bonus is that the recipient has the option to check out the book to read and then return it for others to enjoy.
• · For the cook, send a donation to a food pantry or shelter to provide meals for the needy.
• · People of faith will appreciate a gift to their local church.
• · A donation to a favorite health organization such as the American Red Cross or Cancer Society is always appreciated and much needed.

I hope I’ve provided some ideas to make your holiday season both happy and LIGHT.

2.  Make use of the “one in-one out” rule.  Before you buy the next toy for your child, decide which toy is leaving.  The same rule works for clothes, gadgets, and almost everything in your home.

2.  How clean is clean?  Does the house have to be able to pass the “white glove test” every week.  I don’t think so.  Find a compromise that the whole family can live with.

3.  Make sure everyone in the home is helping out.  Even kids as young as three can do many chores and duties.  It may take a while to teach them to do the job, how you want it done, but it is time well spent.

4. Sit down with your family once a week and schedule times, that the person is free, to clean the different rooms of the home.  Only schedule times during the five weekdays.

5.  Buy your groceries during your lunch hour and keep a cooler in the car to keep your cold items cold.  The secret is that not many people shop during the week and the grocery stores are almost empty.  It will take you half the time to shop as it does on the weekend.

6. Never do your laundry on the weekend.  You can ever pick a night to do all the loads and just keep setting a timer to remind you keep changing the loads or you can do one or two loads every weekday.

This will insure that you have every weekend FREE to enjoy with your family and or friends.

You will be refreshed and ready to tackle whatever comes your way the next week.

I have written a book on this subject titled: Myth or Reality? Weekends FREE.

Thank you for letting me answer your question!

Diane Sullivan

The Organization Station

402-253-8145

email: diane@organization-station.net

Do you have piles of papers on your desk at work? How do you think this mess is impacting your career? In a recent CareerBuilder study about office hoarding, 2,662 hiring managers and 4,912 workers were surveyed. The study revealed the following reasons to organize your workstation:

• Your stuff could be weighing down your productivity. One-third of workers said they tend to be hoarders. Thirty-eight percent of workers say that between 50 and 100 percent of their desk is covered with work and other materials, while 16 percent of workers said 75 percent or more of their desk is covered.
• You’re less likely to receive a promotion. Twenty-eight percent of employers say they are less likely to promote someone who has a disorganized or messy workspace.
• An employer’s perception of you could be affected. Nearly two in five employers say piles of paper covering a desk negatively impacted their perception of that person. Twenty-seven percent feel that person is disorganized; 17 percent sense he is just messy.

If you think you could use some help organizing at the office, here are a few ways to organize your workstation:

Create a filing system. Whether you have paper or computer documents, a good filing system can help avoid a cluttered desk or desktop. First, create separate folders for different needs. For example, if you work with clients, give each one his own folder. That way, when you go to look for important documents, you know exactly where they should be.

Get rid of things you no longer need. Recycle old papers, throw away trash, and put everything away in its proper place. If you only need one or two pens for everyday use, donate the rest to your office supply room or to a co-worker.

Focus on one thing at a time. When you’re multitasking, it’s easy to let things get out of hand and neglect cleaning your workspace. To avoid this, set aside blocks of time for each project and focus on the task at hand. If you don’t finish with it, put away the documents in their proper place and come back to the task later.

Keep things you use every day within reach.  Do you use a stapler or tape everyday? Keep in on your desk, if you do otherwise keep them in a drawer or on a shelf.

Do you have any routines that make your life less stressful? It is so simple to start some and yet so many of us resist them! When we have routines in place, and follow them, we are much less likely to be stressed out and overwhelmed.  For instance, most of us would do well to establish a nightly routine to help us get ready for the morning. Plan to:

• Make lunches for the next day
• Set out clothes for the next day, don’t forget the accessories
• Set the table for breakfast

By taking the time to get these few things done in the evening you will have a much more relaxed morning. Less stress is always best!

We started in the top level of the home and we organized each child’s room along with the child so that each one would learn some new organizing skills along the way.   I believe that being organized is a learned skill,  so don’t think it’s too late for you to learn how to be organized or to teach your children.

 By the time we were finished with the whole house “Mom” felt at ease about going on a vacation and to coming back to a nice home that was ready for school to start.  What would make you feel more comfortable in your home?

Here are some simple ways to make the most of the lazy days of summer with your kids or grandkids.

• Make healthy juice pops by putting a Popsicle stick into small paper cups of juice and freezing. Just tear away the cup to eat!
• Cool off with an old-fashioned water fight! Give each team a bucket of water and several sponges (the big, thirsty ones are best). The “wettest” team gets a pie (whipped cream on a sponge) in the face. Afterwards, just hose off and enjoy a sweet treat together to top off the festivities.
• Try this fun recipe I like to call “Under the Sea” for a deep sea adventure at the dinner table!

8 oz. angel hair pasta
4-6 hotdogs
butter or margarine
food coloring

Boil pasta according to package directions. Tint pasta with food coloring and butter to make greenish-blue. Snip each hotdog about halfway up – lengthwise from one end – in eight pieces. Drop hotdogs into boiling water. The “legs” will curl during cooking to resemble an octopus. Serve your “octopus” over the “sea” of noodles. Optional: Use ketchup and mustard to draw eyes and mouth on the “octopus” using a toothpick.

Technorati Tags: summer fun,kids,cyndysalzmann,omaha organizer,america’s clutter coach

• Make healthy juice pops by putting a Popsicle stick into small paper cups of juice and freezing. Just tear away the cup to eat!
• Cool off with an old-fashioned water fight! Give each team a bucket of water and several sponges (the big, thirsty ones are best). The “wettest” team gets a pie (whipped cream on a sponge) in the face. Afterwards, just hose off and enjoy a sweet treat together to top off the festivities.
• Try this fun recipe I like to call “Under the Sea” for a deep sea adventure at the dinner table!

8 oz. angel hair pasta
4-6 hotdogs
butter or margarine
food coloring

Boil pasta according to package directions. Tint pasta with food coloring and butter to make greenish-blue. Snip each hotdog about halfway up – lengthwise from one end – in eight pieces. Drop hotdogs into boiling water. The “legs” will curl during cooking to resemble an octopus. Serve your “octopus” over the “sea” of noodles. Optional: Use ketchup and mustard to draw eyes and mouth on the “octopus” using a toothpick.

It can easily get out of control though if we don’t make some decisions along the way.

Here are some tips that will help with this situation.

1.  Gather up the artwork and lay it on the floor (in a semi-circle) then
have the child lay down in the middle of the artwork and take a picture
from up above them. You then can let go of the original artwork because
you have a picture of it and you will also know how old your child was
when the picture was taken.
2.  Give the child a finite space to hang their artwork up, like a
bulletin board and have them decide when to change from one artwork to
another.  The decision is then put on them and you will know which ones
mean a lot to them.
3.  Use an archival storage box per year that is about 11 x 14 and 2 inches deep.
This should be the amount of artwork kept through the 6 years of artwork
the child should have.