Organization | Faith and Family Reviews

Archive for Organization

Re-organizing Closets and Office

Posted by html404 on January 22, 2012
in Organization

I finally found some time on Friday to do a bit more organizing. I cleaned out our closet. Still have to do the top shelves but it is looking a lot better than it was. I also put the two little boys clothes cubby in our linen closet/now my husband’s office. We decided to leave the desk in there so he can have a place do bill paying etc. He’s a happy man.

The other photos of what I still need to organize. The boxes and piles are what is in the middle of my bedroom floor. This is baby stuff and clothes that need to be packed up because we are no longer using it, there are books that still need to be unpacked and there is old office equipment and files that need to be put in the basement out of the way. Hoping dh will do that for me after we re-organize and re-pack everything!

Our utility/preserve storage closet got a once, twice over by my boys, but I think it needs a thrice over by mom to get it up to par. So many shoes! Ugh. The little shoe caddy only works if people use it! And it isn’t big enough for boots. I just wanted it cleaned up so the children had a place to take off all their snow gear and a place to hang it up to dry. Even though the closet is mostly picked up, snow clothes are still laying on the floor in the hallway…..still working on some habits around here.

The last photo is of the office and as you can see it is more cluttered. Maybe by Monday I will have it looking better as it is a weekend project and I am writing this Friday night! Here’s to hoping anyways!

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Re-Organizing: Monday Motivation

Posted by html404 on January 16, 2012
in Family Stuff, Furniture, Home, Monday Motivation, Organization, Techie Stuff

Nearly six months ago we moved into this home. It is incredible that we have lived here that long already. One of the home’s appeals was the basement, 4+ bedrooms, 2.5 baths and an office. However, by the time we moved in, settled, had our internet working and phone working, it was nearly a month later. That is when we discovered that the internet and phone jacks in the office did not work! A little disappointing to say the least. After lots of time on the phone, trying several areas of the house and getting tired of having my work in piles around the house, we talked about me taking over one of the kids bedrooms where the internet and phone connection were good. I decided on the older girls room, which meant moving the boys to another bedroom so the older girls could have their room. The girls were delighted at the prospect of getting a bigger room with a bigger closet. The boys on the other hand were not so thrilled initially, but after time to think about it and after their first night in their new room they seem to have accepted the change. Off to a good start.

Now I am re-organizing! It feels as though I have moved and I have, but you know that feeling of, “Oh there’s so much to do!” That’s the feeling I am experiencing today. Just slightly overwhelmed. It’s probably because I am tired too because I stayed up late burning photos and documents to CDs so I could delete them off my laptop and try to speed it up a bit to avoid screens freezing up on me. So far it seems to be working. Just need to run a virus scan too. Fun techie stuff.

Here are a couple of before and after photos:

Old office, now linen closet and the new office:

So obviously, my Monday Motivation is to get things a bit more organized!

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MLK Day – January 16

Posted by Brande on January 9, 2012
in Articles, Community Issues, Downloads, Education, Family Stuff, Giving Back/Charity, Monday Motivation, News Worthy, Organization, School

In just a week it will be Martin Luther King Day – Monday, January 16th. There is valuable information on this site not only about MLK, but how others can volunteer or serve those in need.

http://mlkday.gov/plan/library/communications/posters.php

Take your children on an educational tour about a man who made a difference and encourage them to change the world by making a difference too.

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Transformation – Monday Motivation

Posted by html404 on October 31, 2011
in Blog Stuff, Business, Family Stuff, Monday Motivation, Organization

I don’t know about you but I am always seeking new ways to do things whether that is in the organization of my home, my children or our businesses. Just this morning I was asking my daughter for her advice on what she finds most effective in keeping all her blogging organized and she confirmed that I needed to go with my gut and resolve the frustration in “My Documents” with our Young Living business, as that folder is getting more and more documents and it is getting harder to find things. Solution? It’s time to create new folders with in the one main folder to get the documents more organized and easier to find so I am not wasting time searching.

The above is a simple example to start with but it can go much deeper in our lives as to what needs transforming. Perhaps it is relationships for you – family or God in the spiritual realm, but it’s business for me. Or maybe it is home organization for another. I find that now that we have moved to a larger house with more storage a lot of our organizational handicaps we experienced in our small townhouse have nearly been eliminated. (Praise God for that!) The children are older and while the younger ones are still a work in progress they now have a place for everything which takes away a lot of the frustration of keeping things in order. Most days we are able to stay on top of things and keep our home neat and tidy. It is when mom (me!) slacks off of staying on top of the children to pick up what they were using, playing with etc. that things get disorderly. And all it takes is me not feeling like making my bed and everyone follows…..better to make my bed!

Transformation in any area usually requires effort and goals on our part or else transformation will not occur.

What area do you need to transform? What goals are you ready to write down and take action with this week?

*This post was inspired in part by a webinar series I participated in last night for my Young Living business since I am still thinking about things she said and the goals I made for my business.

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Review ~ Avery See-Through Sticky Notes

Posted by Professor on October 26, 2011
in Organization, Products for Dad, Products for Mom, Uncategorized

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.

Imagine what you can do with Avery Sticky notes…

Avery is the maker of wonderful office products. We are all aware of their sticky notes…who could live without them! Well…Avery has gone one step further and created ‘see through” sticky notes so you do not cover up information while still being able to tag your documents!

Avery is running a campaign to give back to schools:

The “Avery® Sticky Notes Mark the Spot” sweepstakes that launched on October 3, 2011.

Twenty-thousand people who register for the sweepstakes will randomly be selected to win a FREE pack of Avery® See-Through Sticky Notes. Five of those winners will be randomly selected to receive 100,000 Box Tops coupons (valued at $10,000) that will be applied to a school of their choice. The selected schools of the “Avery® Sticky Notes Mark the Spot” promotion will be presented with credit for the 100,000 Box Tops for Education®.

All anyone has to do is go to the Avery Facebook page (facebook.com/avery) and sign up to win a free pack of Sticky Notes and then choose the school they’d like the money to go to should they win. Pretty simple and it’s a great cause!

You can also grab a coupon for $2.00 OFF sticky notes at: http://www.avery.com/avery/en_us/Promos/Avery-Sticky-Notes-Coupon-Offer.htm?cmp_id=search-Google-avery+stickies

Imagine what you can do with Avery Sticky Notes and what schools can do with ½ Million Box Tops coupons!

OUR REVIEW:

We were pleased to review Avery’s see through sticky notes! I currently use Avery’s regular sticky notes … their lined sticky notes are my favorites. However, these have a special place in my heart! They are wonderful for marking documents and being able to see through the note without having to remove it and replace it … risking the loss of the tackiness of the note. One never has to worry about placing and replacing a note again! This is a wonderful innovative product. The notes are great for anyone…anyone who needs to post a note! I especially like that the notes work with ballpoint pens, pencils, and permanent markers…what an array! Finally, each note package had a box top for education on the package…very important for those who collect for their local schools!

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Review ~ Packin’ Smart

Posted by Professor on June 6, 2011
in Baby Products, Family Stuff, Food and Treats, Fun Stuff, Gift Ideas, Houseware, Organization

Packin’ SMART® is a space-saving storage solution for all your small essentials. De-stuff your bag while on-the-go, de-clutter your cabinet at home, define your drawer at office, and put an end to lose items! With three innovative styles to choose from, there should be no more excuses in organizing all your small essentials.

Packin’ SMART® Features

Separate compartments, each with its own lid so contents do not mix or shift. You can be confident that your measurement is precise at all times. Each container holds up 1/3 cup of dried goods; up to a full 8 oz. feeding.

Multiple uses for at home, office, and on-the-go. Each container separates for use as individual serving bowls. Please visit Uses page for more information about how Packin’ SMART® can help you get organized.

Add on as little or as many tiers as you need using easy-to-use secure click stacking system. Get organized the SMART way with this space-saving solution. Get SMART, Get Organized with Packin’ SMART®

Removable funnel-shaped inner lid for easy dispensing of contents. Minimize spills and access contents quickly and easily. Depending on the content, use the inner lid for dispensing but leave it open when storing larger items.

Together with multiple sets of Packin’ SMART®, create various tiers to store just what you need. Ergonomically designed for easy handling and made of FDA approved food grade material that is stain-, odor- and shatter-resistant .

Dishwasher safe, top rack only.
Wash with warm water and soft cloth or sponge.
Not recommended for microwave.

OUR REVIEW:

We received the 4 tier packin’ smart. This was a nice size as it allows for versatility of storage. I used the product to house treats for my toddler on the go. I found that this was a useful product to house treats as the compartments detach and I could give her one compartment and keep the rest in the diaper bag. One thing I liked was the small opening on the lid…it was great for dispensing just enough treats. The opening is large enough for the treats to get through without a problem, yet small enough so not too many treats squeeze out and make a mess.

Other uses? I think that this product would be great for baby formula…it would allow just the right amount and the opening would allow for easy dispensing. As I was looking over the website the pictures also show that you can use the product for a wide range of storage…one that caught my eye was office supplies such as paper clips and thumbtacks, etc…this would prove to be a great storage option as it would allow for neat and easy dispensing. I was also thinking this would be a great way to store spices…each in its own compartment and of course the easy dispensing feature! As you can tell the storage options are endless! This is a neat product! Visit www.packinsmart.com to view more about the product and buy a few!

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Purse Brite Organizer

Posted by html404 on May 27, 2011
in Organization

The Purse Brite is a nifty little purse organizer that fits into virtually any size purse! Whether that be a small purse or a big tote bag it keeps all your necessaries neatly organized.

This organizer has tons of pockets so everything from your makeup to your pens will be kept organized.

Another nifty thing about this purse organizer is that all you have to do to transfer it from one purse to the other is to lift it up and place it in the next bag! And that’s it! Everything will stay neatly in place.

The Purse Bright comes in 3 popular colors- pink, beige/tan, coal/light black. But, a added bonus is that it also includes a purse light,5x Magnification Lighted Mirror and a Luma Tweeze (tweezers with built-in light)! You can get all 4 items for just $12.95 here.

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Cut Back on Food Waste

Posted by html404 on May 26, 2011
in Food and Treats, Organization, Saving Money, Thrifty Thursday

I got an email this week giving some great ideas on how to cut back on food waste from FreshtheMovie.com. It is sad some weeks what can get thrown out just due to lack of planning and preparing. One of the comments on the post gave some great organizing tips on how she (her name was Virginia) went from spending $400 month on food to $80-$130!

A couple of suggestions were make the most of your leftovers, when you can’t eat it, freeze it and other practical reminders on how to cut back on throwing out all that wasted food on garbage day.

You can read the article in full here.

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Spring Cleaning: A Monday Motivation

Posted by html404 on March 28, 2011
in Cleaning, Monday Motivation, Organization

On Saturday my five older children were away with my husband at the Liberty Day conference for a history, fun filled day. They came home animated and talking non-stop about how much fun they had, who they got to talk to and what dresses they wanted to make for next year!

Meanwhile back on the home front I was home with the three younger ones. It is not very often I have just the three younger ones by myself. My what fun we had! I did a little craft with them – stay tuned this Thursday for a new thirfty tip. We read, we colored, we had a picnic lunch and supper and I even managed to clean when the little ones played.

Organization Brings Peace

While the children played, I got the boys room cleaned and organized. Packed away clothes, got a couple bags ready to give away and summer clothes are standing by.

I don’t know about you, but when things are neat, clean and organized I am at peace. Chaos runs rampant in our home with ten people doing ten different things and I relish in the times when there is calm and I get to have things the way I like them.

Spring Cleaning is My Monday Motivation

This week spring cleaning is my Monday motivation. After getting the boys room organized, I decide it was time for spring cleaning before the warm weather is here to stay.

This morning I was able to get our linen closet neat and tidy. It was overflowing due to certain little people just shoving things in there without folding them.

The upstairs bathroom got cleaned over the past three days.

Two bedrooms, the bathroom/laundry room and the rest of the downstairs left. Slow and steady wins the race, right? I am feeling good about our progress so far and am hoping we can get the cobwebs vacuumed, curtains washed and really clean house by the end of the week, if not before.

How about you, have you started any spring cleaning or spring projects around your house? If so, please leave a comment to share what you have been working on!

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How to Organize Your Coupons

Posted by html404 on March 17, 2011
in Guest Post, Organization, Saving Money

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post. While we appreciate our guest writer’s submissions, this does not constitute endorsement or agreement to the opinions expressed in the articles featured.

by Diane Johnson

Taking the time to find and cut out coupons may be a time-consuming process, but it can save you hundreds of dollars each year. However, even when you take the time to cut out the coupons, if you don’t have an effective way to organize and store your coupons, you’ll be more likely to miss out on the savings, simply because you can’t find the coupon you need or the coupon’s expiration date has slipped by you unnoticed. Learn to organize your coupons effectively, so you can take advantage of the savings awaiting you!

1) The first step to evaluate your coupon-clipping habits is to make sure you’re only cutting the coupons that you will actually use. Coupon clutter is a common culprit of coupon disorder. Avoid the clutter by collecting coupons for products you actually buy and for the stores at which you actually shop.

2) After you’ve determined to quit the coupon clutter, the next step to organizing your coupons is to determine how to sort your coupons. There are several ways to sort and categorize coupons, so experiment and find the most effective way for you. One of best ways to sort coupons that many consider to be the most intuitive is to organize by corresponding aisles in the store. Another common way is to divide your coupons up into categories such as “Beauty”, “Produce”, “Cleaning Products”, etc. And, of course, another simple and effective way to sort coupons is to sort by expiration date. The system isn’t important as long as it works for you.

3) The next step in organizing your coupons is to determine how to store your coupons. There are several viable options, so choose the one that works best for you. One viable and easy option is to use a series of sandwich bags or envelopes—one bag or envelope per category. Another simple way to store your coupons is to use an accordion file. These come in many sizes, some as small as a wallet, so you can easily toss it in your bag when it’s time to go to the store. Still another option is to store coupons inside a binder with sleeves or page protectors where you can store all the coupons according to your sorting system. This method of storage allows you to easily see how many of each type of coupon you have.

Once you have determined how to best sort and store your coupons to fit your needs, having an organized system of coupon clipping will lead to tons of savings as you can easy sort, find, and use your coupons. Happy saving!

About the author: Diane Johnson primarily writes about online education and anything else that interests her. She enjoys traveling, shopping, and sports.