Quick Tips for Getting Organized
Volume 11 - March 2008

Laundry
If you have children laundry is seemingly never ending. One way to simplify your family’s laundry is to assign each person in the house a different color for bath towels and sheets. Then you can quickly sort and pass the load to that family member for folding! Obviously this won’t work for clothing, but you can still simplify the loads but giving each member a mesh bag to put their intimates and socks in. Then they can fold and pair up the smaller items and you don’t have to wonder where in the washer/dryer that missing sock is!!

Kitchen/Pantry
Use an extra baking tray on a shelf that houses small items like spices, honey, oils etc. When you need to find an item; slide out the tray, remove item and slide back in like a drawer. If you can find one with a lip around the edges, even better! This will also help keep cleanup quick by catching any drips or spills.

Cooking
Save yourself some extra steps in when cooking by having a large “garbage” bowl on the counter. Then as you are cutting, chopping and peeling you can toss the discards into the bowl and make one trip to the compost or garbage instead of 10 or 15! I do this even though my garbage can is easily accessible because it still saves me time and energy while cooking.

Baby
Make a quick bib for your little one by cutting an adult size small t-shirt yolk. Leave the t-shirt’s collar and cut down and around the front for the bib. Add some ribbon or rick-rack trim and you have a cute, lightweight bib to take out and about! Make a few in various colors and you can have your baby looking stylish with matching bibs for special outfits.

And…while you’re cutting up that t-shirt; cut the bottom half through both front and back. Sew together using a decorative machine stitch. Trim extra fabric and you have a great burp cloth!

Beauty
Need to quickly dry your freshly painted nails? I don’t know anyone that enjoys waving their hands around for 5 minutes only to nick a nail when they think their nails are finally dry. Try this tip instead of fanning and waving. Place your hands in a bowl of ice-cold water! Allow the nails to then air-dry for 2 minutes and repeat submerging in ice water for another 3 minutes. Also, if your polish has thickened, changed colors or separated – toss it.

Cleaning
If you find your hands in a greasy mess or black with gunk, grab the sugar! Take a scoop of granulated sugar, add water and give your hands a good rub. The granules will remove the grease and grime better than soap and your hands will be sweet smelling and gently exfoliated. Follow with a moisturizer for added benefits!

Home Keeping
If you like to keep plants in the house, which can not only add beauty to the décor but also clean the air and help your indoor environment, consider covering the soil of the potted plant with small rocks, marbles or even shells from the beach. This will keep the soil where it should be, in the pot, and help the pot and plant look even more beautiful in your home.

Recycling
If you use a drycleaner on a regular basis ask about recycling the wire hangers they send home with your clothes. A lot of people just toss them and each year the number of wire hangers in land fills equals the steel in about 60,000 cars! Another option is to ask your drycleaner to order free EcoHangers (800-568-7768). They are made from recycled, biodegradable paperboard and require less energy to produce than their wire counterpart. Every little bit CAN make a difference!!

Travel
As we move into spring, vacations planning starts. Save yourself some space in your suitcase by NOT packing the things your hotel will provide for free (hair dryer, shampoo, lotions, beach towels etc). Visit the hotel’s website or call ahead to see what amenities they offer. You might be surprised how light you can pack. Save room for souvenirs!!

Relationships
The month of March rolls around quickly for most people. And this year Easter is March 23rd – very early! Plan ahead and see what fun activities your neighborhood or community offers for family fun. Easter is a wonderful holiday to remember what’s important in life and be thankful for the blessings around us. Whether you are religious or not, it can be a very special family holiday. Forgo the commercialized “stuff” and enjoy the time with those you love. Plan a special meal, get outside and enjoy the weather, visit a nursing home or someone you haven’t seen in a while. Better yet, invite that person to your family’s meal and show some love! Remember, your children are watching and you teach more by what you DO then you ever will by what you say.


Kim Freeman is a co-founder of Smart Moms – Smart Business. She lives in Florida with her husband, 3 year old and new baby due in March 2008.

If you’d like to send her your tips for consideration please email Kim at kim@smartmoms-smartbusiness.com.