I came across this darling picture of my daughter headed to summer camp. What great memories!

Do you have kids going to camp this summer?

Here’s what I did for packing for my kids for camp.

Camp is all about fun for the kids not staying clean or worried about their belongings.

I used Ziploc® bags for their clothes. I would put an entire outfit in one bag – socks, undies, a top and a bottom.

I packed a Ziploc® bag for every day that they were to be gone and put it in their suitcase/or duffel bag. When it was time to get dressed each morning, they would open a new bag and put on whatever it contained.

I also used a bag for their swim suit, towel and sunscreen.

I told my kids that it was okay for the dirty clothes to go back in their suitcase without a bag. That way they knew what was clean and what was dirty.

Bagging their clothes also insured that their outfits matched, I know, only a mother would care about that!

With my son Branden, it was not unusual with him to come home with half of his clothes still bagged! He was so busy having adventures that he would forget about changing clothes!

Oh well, at least the clothes were available!

I’m lovin’ Pinterest! When a client needs a special twist on organizing, I head over to Pinterest for ideas. In fact, follow me on Pinterest – I’m always pinning!

Here’s a photo collage of some great kids closet to round out my closet series this month. In trying to give credit where credit is due, click on the links below the photo to get more information.

Love the colors and the simplicity of this closet. The boxes can hold shoes, pjs, toys, you name it!

iheartorganizing

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This month we will focus on your clothes closet.  Let’s get going by looking at 10 reasons you may want (need) to organize your clothes closet.

1. You find yourself wearing the same outfits week after week
2. You can’t shut your closet door(s)
3. You can’t move your clothes hangers , it’s packed so tight in there
4. You can’t find your favorite shirt but you are sure it’s “in there somewhere”
5. Your closet rods are sagging
6. You can’t see the floor of your closet
7. There’s a layer of dust on the shoulders of some outfits
8. You can’t find the other shoe
9. You have clothes now hanging on hooks behind every door
10. You have clothes piled around your bedroom with nowhere to put them

If you can relate to any of these reasons, stay tuned for more closet clearing strategies. In fact, we’ll take a look at my closet (before and after)!

So you are determined to be more organized than ever but you don’t live by yourself… There’s your other half, the kids and maybe even a mother in law in the mix! You may be wondering how to get them organized. The answer … you can’t.  It’s like making someone love brussel sprouts (sorry mom). You cannot make someone be organized, and if you could, they certainly would not be organized the way YOU expect them to be.

Amen!  This is a guest post from my friend and Clever Container team leader, Melissa Schmalenberger aka Ms. Simplicity. If you like this article, please tell her so!

So often when I work with client’s they are terrified to throw* anything of their child’s away. I am not sure where this fear comes from, but parents everywhere I give you permission to start to throw your kid’s stuff away. I am talking about gum wrappers, broken bracelets, one earring without a mate, torn books, pieces of half scribbled on paper and toys they no longer play with. I am not telling you to get rid of their prized possessions, simply the junk and clutter in their room that surround them. READ MORE

In a forum for Professional Organizers, I saw a post asking about a timer that would help an ADD client. I quickly paid attention to that discussion thread as I often help ADD clients and parents of ADD children.  The tool that was suggested was the Time Timer.

So guess what? It’s today’s Tool Tuesday feature! I’ve done a little research and really think this is worth checking into – even if you don’t have ADD! READ MORE

I was on a mission earlier this summer to reduce the amount of memorabilia that I saved.  That was one of the reasons I put together the questions for memorabilia.  My husband and I have been married for 14 years and in that time we have moved 4 times.  Now I am used to moving, I was a military kid.  But what I noticed during the last move was how many boxes of memorabilia we were toting around.

So I set a goal – reduce our memorabilia by 50%.  That may sound a bit harsh to some of you but as the saying goes “to each his own”.  And I love a challenge – they motivate me to succeed! Let me start out by saying that at this point all of our children are adults and all but one is living on their own.

Here are some photos of what I started with. READ MORE

 Found some really darling ways to display the art our little kids bring home. to learn how it’s done, just click the link below the photo. Enjoy!

 Painted frame shapes on a wall

 Sharing Our Kids Art Space.

Hung a board with clips

a little of this, a little of that: DIY: {Kids} Art Display.

Repurposed a large frame

Delightful Order: Child’s Art Board Tutorial.

Scanned the artwork

Get The Look: Children’s Artwork Collages | Apartment Therapy Ohdeedoh.

Hung a wire clothes line

*Random Thoughts of a SUPERMOM!*: Pillow and Art Wall Questions..

Awesome product- window like frames

www.dynamicframes.com/

Have you heard of Pinterest?  You can see the ideas I find there by following my pin boards.

“When shelf space is at a premium, these boxes go a long way in keeping a number of items neat. Tame your paper clutter or sort out any smaller items with these crisp, stackable boxes.”

Organizing with boxes… Okay that’s nothing new but I like these document boxes by Clever Container. Not only are they colorful, but their uniform size makes them perfect for many areas in your home or office. Here are a few ways I have recommended using them:

• One for each family member to be used as in-boxes

• One per child to store (and limit) the amount of school projects and artwork kept for the year

• One per project at work or home

• Containerize crafting tools

• Containerize small toys (barbie outfits, small cars, etc.)

• Holds the art supplies

• Holds vacation/travel memorabilia

• Teachers can carry back and forth with papers to be graded

• Store doilies, napkins, napkin rings in linen closet

• Containerize all small office supplies (extra staples, paper clips, tape, scissors, etc.)

• Give them as a gift to each adult child with their old report cards, sports ribbons, and memorabilia inside

And the list goes on. How would you use these versatile boxes?

If you want a set, you can order them online at my Clever container website – www.clevercontainer.com/Natalie.

For about a year now I have been putting something out there on the social media sites on Tuesdays.  So many people ask me  for recommendations of productivity and organizing tools. It occurred to me that I should be putting these tools here on the blog! So starting today…

Welcome to Tool Tuesdays!

Today’s tool spotlight is GripIt

GripIt is a flat organizer that has rubberized elastic bands designed to hold objects of all shapes and sizes in place.  Unlike a pencil case or accessory bag where your things get jumbled and you stab yourself trying to fumble around and find things, GripIt allows you easy access to your small objects.  Here are a few uses for the GripIt: READ MORE