ten best strategies for de-cluttering and organizing toys in your child’s playroom.

My daughter, Emily, is the queen of a messy room. We get her room picked up and she's right back in there messing it up. Then, she doesn't want to go in there because it's too messy and then she's hounding me, looking for something to do.

One day, I just got fed up with it and sat down and decided to get her room organized. We took the following steps to organize and declutter her room.

Ten best strategies for de-cluttering and organizing toys in your child’s playroom.
1. Draw a diagram of your child's room to find where to put toys.
2. Purchase plastic bins in several sizes-organize toys first by size to see what sizes you need.
3. Go through their closet and toy bins and see if there are any toys that are broken, or that they no longer play with and get rid of them.
4. Purchase a toy box with different containers and put toys that they don't play with as much in this toy box in the closet.
5. Organize toys by "topic" like cars, dolls, etc. Put these in bins that are labeled as such.
6. Go through toys monthly, cleaning out broken toys and outgrown toys to keep toys at a minimal and save time and space later.
7. Use your closet's top shelves-rotate toys to this shelf and kids will feel like they have "new" toys when you bring out the toys that haven't been played with for awhile.
8. Store bigger toys in basement to free up space in child's room.
9. Use the space under child's bed. Purchase a slider bin on wheels and keep books and crayons and stuff like that for easy access.
10. Get your child involve. Make it fun to keep their things organized and soon, they will keep toys put away and decluttered.

Things have been working out well for us and her room looks very organized and pretty. She likes that things have a place to go and makes it easy to keep her room picked up and organized.
She is excited to show her friends when they come over and they all keep the toys organized and put them back in the right bin when done. It's even taught her to read new words by looking at the labeled bins over and over.

It really isn't hard to stay organized and decluttered. You just have to make a decision to do so and stick with it!

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Hot Wheels® blogging program, for a gift card worth $40. For more information on how you can participate, click here.” (make sure you link to http://walltracks.socialmoms.com/about)

Ten time-savings tips

With running two businesses (three, really with my blogs) and being a mom and wife, I really need to find ways to make my life easier. I've learned with time what works and what doesn't.
I've listed ten time-saving tips to share for all you busy moms out there:

Tip one:

When it's school season, try to get things ready the night before. Make lunches if they take a cold lunch. Lay out clothes for next day, etc.

Tip two:

Get a chalk board for your kitchen. Writing out the schedule for the week is not only time-saving, it keeps you organized. The two go hand-in-hand to help you out.

Tip three:

Speaking of writing down schedules. Assign chores to your children-and husband. Us moms have a tendency to do it all ourselves. Ask for help if you need it. Reward everyone with a trip to the zoo with the free Saturday you end up having.

Tip four:

Shop once a month instead of weekly. Stock up on supplies and buy in bulk. This will help free up lots of time. Who really likes grocery shopping anyway? This way, you eliminate three trips!

Tip five:

Shop early for holidays. Start getting xmas gifts throughout the year. Then, around Xmas time, you will be able to sit back while others are running around.

Tip six:

Carpool with other moms. If your kids are in a lot of sports, ask other moms to share with driving.

Tip seven:

Make dinners ahead of time. Start on a Monday and make your dinners for the week and freeze them. This is an awesome time-saving tip!! You can finds lots of freezable dinner recipes online on food blogs and sites.

Tip eight:

Pick one day to do laundry. Believe it or not, some moms do laundry three or four times a week. Don't do it! Tell everyone to have their baskets in their rooms and that you will only be doing laundry on Sunday, or Monday, etc. -and stick to it!

Tip nine:

Check emails in the early morning (or, late night) when things are calm. You will find that you can answer them more quickly if you aren't being bothered by "mom stuff".


Tip ten:

Have one big party instead of many. This tip works if you have several birthdays, holidays, ect. in one month. Invite the whole family over at one time and make it a big birthday bash. This is for those big families as well. We all know how busy they must be!


"I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Starbucks blogging program, for a gift card worth $30. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”

10 Tips for Keep your family safe on the road

Do you ever think about safety when on the road? Families have a tendency to think more about their destination then the trip to there.

Keeping your family safe during a road trip can mean the difference between a pleasant trip and a disasterous one.

Have you ever thought about your windshield when planning a trip? Windshields can cause major accidents and families could have avoided it by simply checking their windows for small cracks.

Here are some facts about car windshield safety:

A chip could turn into a crack at any time, often when you are least expecting it. Windshield repair is often a safe and economical alternative to a full windshield replacement.


Scheduling a windshield chip repair is easy! Companies like Safelite AutoGlass provide mobile service – wherever your car is – often within 24 hours of your initial call.


Safelite AutoGlass brings you peace of mind by emailing you a Technician Profile before your appointment, showing you a photograph and credentials of the technician coming to your home or place of business.

So what can you do to stay safe during a road trip (or any time)?

Rest
- Make sure you are well rested before taking a trip if you are the one driving.
Stay clear
-Keep your mind clear and focused on your driving to avoid going off the road.
Make stops
-Allow enough time for plenty of stops to refresh yourself.
Bring plenty of things to do
-Bring toys and things for youngsters to do to avoid fights and distractions.
Two drivers
-If you can, have two drivers to take turns to avoid falling asleep at the wheel.
Check car
-Before you go on your trip, have your car checked for low tires, chips in windshield, etc.
Bring plenty of water
-Staying well hydrated will keep you more alert.
Bring emergency supplies
-Always have emergency road service supplies in trunk in case of emergency.
Bring a cell phone
-Have a phone in case of emergency and have your insurance number and emergency contact handy.

Do a last minute check

Check your car over right before you leave to make sure tires are safe and there are no chips in your windows.

What ideas do you have to make a road trip safe?
Leave a comment and let me know!
“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Safelite blogging program, for a gift card worth $30. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”