Quote to Ponder

Here is today's Real Simple Magazine's daily quote which I wanted to share with you:

Perfection is attained by slow degrees, it requires the hand of time.

— Voltaire

Cabin Fever? Use this time to Get Organized!

If you live in any area of the country other than Southern California, you're probably spending more time inside this winter than you have in quite awhile.

Why not use this time to focus on organizing at least one area in your home. Pick an area where you're spending a lot of time right now - maybe the den or living room. Discard or recycle old magazines; sort through the games and make sure all pieces are intact and not broken; cull through the toys and video games and keep only those you and your family actually play with.

Only 7 more weeks till Spring!

February is Library Lovers Month

Make sure and celebrate February's Library Lovers Month by donating books to your local library or school. Visit the Library Lovers website by clicking here for more ideas on how you can help your local library.

Loading an Organized Dishwasher

Okay, so this post will prove how anal retentive I can actually be. But I will always argue that an organized dishwasher makes for a more energy efficient home.

Think in rows when you're loading the dishwasher. The more you can fit into the dishwasher (without overloading it), the longer between cycles you will need. No more wasting energy on running an unorganized dishwasher every day.

"Get Organized Without Losing It" - A Great Little Organizing Book for Kids

I just finished reading this book and thought it had some great ideas for organizing kids. The book is geared mostly for kids from 3rd through 8th grade. I bought two copies of the book - one for me to keep and one for my elementary school library (where I also work). I was so excited because I had just put the book onto my "new book" cart, and a student already checked it out.

The author, Janet S. Fox, is a middle and high school teacher in Texas so she has first-hand knowledge of how important organization is for students.

I wanted to quote a portion of her book that I think sums up what makes an organized student:

Plan to Stay Organized Day-by-Day:

Each morning: look at your planner. Are you ready for the day?

Before you leave home for school: Make sure you have everything you need for the day. Backpack? Binder? Homework? Signed notes? Lunch? Special projects? What else?

At school: Write your assignments on your homework checklist. Write due dates, quiz dates, and test dates in you planner.

Before you leave school for home: Make sure you have everything you need for that night's homework. Handouts? Books? Worksheets? Notes? What else?

At home: Stick to your homework schedule as closely as you can. Life happens, but try not to get off track too much.

Each night: Before you go to bed, look at your planner. Are you ready for tomorrow?

Each night: Before you go to bed, gather up everything you need for school the next day. Put it all in one place - on your desk, by the back door, or on the kitchen table. Try to use the same place every night.

I would recommend this book for any family who wants to help their child get more organized which will ultimately help them to do better in school and feel better about themselves.

Click here to get more information about this book.

You're as Young as You Feel

Here's a quote from Real Simple Magazine's daily emails that I wanted to share with you because I think it's important to remember:

You can’t help getting older, but you don’t have to get old.

— George Burns

A "Colorful" Way to Get Organized

Colorful Images has a wonderful collection of bright and cheery Mary Engelbreit designed organizing products on their website. I'm a big fan of Mary Engelbreit's whimsical designs and find that if you enjoy looking at your organizing products, you're more likely to keep using them.

Check these out by clicking here.