Make A Difference

It’s not just our family that exits the door each morning during the school, it’s our stuff! Can you find what you need to get the children off to school on time each day?

Briefcases and backpacks, library books and lunch sacks travel with us in and out of the house each day. Arriving home, these possessions scatter to the winds; in the morning, precious time is wasted rounding them up for another day’s use.

If you’re playing too many games of “Where’s the permission slip?”, it’s time to consider taming the chaos with a family launch pad.

Kindergarten teachers know a powerful organizing principle: reliable routines are the secret to a successful school day.

Well-crafted classroom routines give pupils a sense of security–and ensure that the day moves smoothly through each planned activity.

Put that organizing secret to work in your organized home!

Today in the Back-to-School Countdown, it’s time to craft morning, after-school and evening routines for the school year.

The start of school puts new demands on children’s bedrooms. Can the kids find clothing during the morning rush? Where will they do their homework?

To kick off a new school year from an organized home, it’s time to declutter, deep-clean and organize children’s rooms.

Working with your child, tackle kids’ rooms now for school-day success. Remove clutter, organize toys and clothing, and bring a fresh new feeling to your children’s private space.

Ready to start? Get inspired to create an organized, supportive space for your little learner:

8 Great Tips to Organize Kids’ Rooms

Gearing up for a new school year? Don’t get sticker shock when shopping for school clothes!

The cost of clothing the children for a new school year can be staggering. Even clothing in good repair may no longer fit a growing youngster after the summer holiday. If you’ve got a budding fashionista on your hands, your child’s list of must-have items can swell out of all reality.

How to send them back to school in style … and on budget? Try these ten ideas for saving money on school clothes.

Back-to-school on the horizon? Here comes the paperwork! Today in the Organized Home Back-to-School Countdown, we’re preparing for the paper flood ahead.

Each school day, children’s backpacks grow paperwork like leaves on trees. Permission slips and lunch menus. Sports rosters and progress reports.

The start of school brings a brisk new tempo to the household, sweeping away the sweet leisure of summer–and the first day of school can bring an unwelcome splash of busy reality.

Will you be ready? Get organized now to sail into school with ease!

On Day 3 of the Back-to-School Countdown, we focus on information, contacts and appointments. It’s time to gather paperwork, start a school-year contacts list, and schedule any needed appointments in good time for the first day of school.

Getting ready for back-to-school with the Organized Home Back-to-School Countdown? It’s Day 2 … and time to hang on to your wallet!

No doubt about it, outfitting the family for a new school year can be a pricey enterprise. Shoes, clothes and school supplies are only the beginning of the financial outlay.

Welcome to Day 1 of the Organized Home Back-to-School Countdown!

In spite of long and lazy summer days, a new school year is on the horizon. To be ready for the first day of school, there are lists to make and appointments to keep, paperwork to be processed and shopping to be done.

Track them all with this ultimate back-to-school checklist! Free for the printing, it’ll help you tick off back-to-school tasks and get organized for a new school year.

Move over, summer–a new school year is coming! With the start of school, families face new organization challenges.

School bells ring–and so do early-morning alarm clocks. Paper piles swell as hand-outs and homework stream into the house. Shorter autumn days bring a hectic round of sports, activities and events, and calendars fill with cryptic notes. Can the holidays be far behind?

Get organized now for the best school year ever! Use these ideas to prepare your home and family for the busy days ahead.

What’s for dinner? It’s the question of the hour!

Too many home managers look for answers in the supermarket at 5 p.m. Harried from the day’s work and harassed by by hungry children, they rack their brains for an answer to the what’s-for-dinner dilemma.

Three meals a day. Seven dinners a week. From supermarket to pantry, refrigerator to table, sink to cupboard, the kitchen routine can get old, old, old.

No wonder we hide our heads like ostriches from the plain and simple fact: into each day, one dinner must fall. What’s the answer? A menu plan.