Life. Love. Not so much organizing!

Well, long time, no post! Our summer started out with a bang. Mimi was sick the last week of school. Turns out she had a perforated (ruptured) appendix which was taken out June 20. We were home from the hospital Friday night the 26th after a week of IV antibiotics. Oy, what a scary, stressful few weeks! All is good now. My sanity-savers, a.k.a. my parents, came up from Texas for two weeks to help out.

Child health tip of the day: You know your child best. Don't hesitate to be "that annoying, pushy parent" who insists on further action in the doctor's office or ER. We didn't and I've finally stopped beating myself up for not "catching" that Mimi was seriously ill. Kids perforate about half the time because their appendicitis doesn't always present in the classical way.

Anyhoo, now for an organizing tip for the day:

It's not too early to start sorting out school clothes to see where your kids stand in the clothing department! We've got about a month to go in our house but I'll feel better once we have Mimi's clothes sorted out to see what we are lacking. We picked out and ordered her backpack and school shoes this morning on http://www.llbean.com/. Next, we'll go through her fall clothes from last year and see what's still wearable (at her age, not much!). Bundle up the too-small-stuff and take them to our favorite donation site, then make a list of what we need and do a little shopping.

The last weeks of summer tend to produce a frenzy of activity to get everything fun done before school starts. So make a date with your kids and their closets. Ahh, won't it be nice to cross that off your to-do list!

Underwear? Check!

The countdown 'til the last day of school has finally entered the very low single digits! I have to admit that I'm just as excited as Mimi is about the beginning of summer. Spending lazy hours at the pool and in the garden, sleeping in a little bit later, cooking on the grill, what's not to like?!

Vacation time also means, surprise, list time for me. My brother-in-law has made fun of me for years about my proclivity for making lists. I just love them and really can't function without them. Even though I use Microsoft Outlook religiously for my calendar, address book and, of course, email, the “Task” function has never lit my fire. I think I just need the added tactile buzz of putting pen or pencil to paper. And more than anything, I love to cross off a finished task!

A few months ago I made a packing spreadsheet for John. He travels quite a bit, mostly overseas. I really got tired of seeing $100 airport ties on our debit card not to mention funky, foreign underwear! And I was always sure that one day I'd get a frantic phone call summoning me to Dulles with his forgotten passport – although, to be fair, he’s never forgotten his passport. Yet. He keeps his spreadsheet in his nightstand drawer. Enabling? Yes. But it works and makes both of us happy.

Take a quiet moment with your pencil and pad (or laptop) and make a vacation packing checklist for each member of your family. There are many online list sites to help jog your memory. I really like the reasonably priced subscription-based List PlanIt (http://www.listplanit.com/). Jennifer is a super nice mom I met on the airport shuttle in Orlando after the NAPO conference. She is a self-described "List Mama", a woman after my own heart!

With your lists in hand, you'll be so happy you didn't get down the road without Mr. Snuggles or blankee or paci. And that you, your kids or hubby don't have to run into the CVS to buy underwear!

What’s the most important thing you’ve ever left home without?

A-Camping-We-Will-Go...

We had a great time “car camping” at Bull Run Park last Friday. Yes, the Friday of the torrential thunderstorms. Luckily, the storms stopped as we were pulling into our campsite so we quickly put up our tent and picnic canopy. As the next wave of rain came, we were cozily ensconced under the canopy, snacking away, enjoying our friends, and keeping (relatively) dry.

Since camping season is upon us, I’ve been thinking about organizing camping gear. Especially if you’re facing a rainy set-up, you want the most essential things packed close-at-hand. You also don’t want to finally find the salt and pepper just as you are packing up to leave!

Here are a few tips for family-style gear organizing as well as a few other tips to make your camping trips fun and relaxing!

Always keep in mind when you will need something and how quickly you will need it. These two things will drive your packing and unpacking process.

Pack your “arrival” stuff last and unpack it first. This includes your tent and rain cover, picnic table tarp or canopy and a mallet. John, Jen and Tom were making fun of my mallet obsession but it’s a very important tool! Seriously. Also, keep your raingear all together in one mesh bag in case you are setting up in the rain.

Once you have your tent set up you can unload the rest of your car. Don’t worry, the kids will find plenty to do while you are unloading the car. Mimi, Thomas and Jack were fascinated with the multiple (large) puddles of water around our campsite. They floated leaves, built bridges, stomped and splashed, and generally had a big time. With nary a mention of Noggin, Gameboy or pbskids.org. Ah, it was so ‘70s!

You’ll see that I use the large, clear Sterilite bins for most of our things. They keep things dry and bug-free!

Divvy up the unpacking chores and get all your clothes and kitchen stuff out now. It’s a good idea to create a “day bag” for each family member and pack them all in a large bin or duffle bag. Each day bag could be a backpack or just a large beach bag. Include extra outerwear (sweater, windbreaker, etc.), swimsuit, towel, sun hat, sunglasses, medications, water bottle, bug spray and other personal odds and ends. Make sure each child has their own flashlight unless you want to spend your time as the flashlight referee!

Try packing complete sets of each child’s clothing in plastic grocery bags. They can just grab a bag of clothes in the morning and get dressed. The grocery bags can then serve as dirty clothes bags in the evening. For babies or toddlers, you could use large Ziploc bags. Don’t forget your own sets of clothing! You can keep all clothing bags in one suitcase, duffle bag or large plastic bin.

All the kitchen stuff goes into one bin including cutlery, plates/bowls, mugs, pots, tablecloth/clips, pot holders, paper towels, trash bags, spices, dish scrubby, dish soap, tea, coffee, condiments, etc. Don’t put your stove fuel in here or all your stuff will smell like gas!

Next comes the cooler. Or should I say coolers. We keep a large one for food items and a smaller one for beverages.

Unless you are arriving at night, you can pack your “night stuff” first and unload it last. This would include pajamas, flashlights, sleeping bags, sleeping pads and toiletries.

Couple of pre- and post-planning ideas:

Get the whole family involved in creating check lists. It gets everyone excited and filled with anticipation about the camping trip. REI.com has a lot of great information for family camping including checklists. I will say that it’s fun to listen to your kids come up with their own checklist items!

Write down menus for each meal so you don’t forget to pack an important ingredient. If you are camping with friends, coordinate meals and food purchases.

Take notes after each trip. It seems like there is always something we wish we had brought. Like tongs to turn the sausages.

Tape a list of all the contents of your kitchen bin on the underside of the lid so you’ll remember what’s inside. I found my dishwashing liquid after Jen and I had used shampoo to wash our supper plates!

We’d like to push our camping boundaries a bit next time and hit Shenandoah National Park.

Where is your favorite camping site?

The Garage Whisperer

Oh gorgeous days! They won't last forever (or even a few weeks) so now is the time to take advantage of the relatively cool 80-something-degree days to declutter and organize your garage. Think about it -- is that where you want to be when the thermometer hits 95 degrees or so?!

It's actually pretty easy to make a big difference in a garage in a relatively short amount of time. It tends to be a catch-all for all manner of big, bulky stuff that we're not sure we really want or need anyway. Seasonal items also often end up in the garage as well as just plain, old trash!

First things first. Take a really hard look at the current contents of your garage. Using my favorite organizing method from Julie Morgenstern, S.P.A.C.E. (Sort-Purge-Assign a Home-Containerize-Equalize), begin to sort and purge items that you haven't used in a year or two. Toss, donate or recycle items as needed.

Side note: In a perfect world, you would empty your garage during this process. I hear the groans out there but, really, it's essential to clear the garage out completely before you begin putting items back in. An empty garage helps you accurately assess the usable space. And seeing the garage contents in your driveway and/or yard helps you get a very clear idea of how much stuff you are keeping. Otherwise, you might find yourself merely moving stuff around. You'll just have to trust me on this one!

Once you have sorted and purged, take a broom and sweep out the accumulated dust and dirt. Trust me on this one, it'll just make you feel better!

OK, time for assigning homes and containerizing! Take a good look at what you have left in your garage. Now look up. The ceiling and walls are valuable real estate in a garage. Anything you can get up and off the floor is going to pay dividends in "found" space. The Container Store, Home Depot and Target are all great places to find hooks, shelving and other item-specific organizing supplies. A couple of my favorite items are bike hangers and ladder hooks.

Give serious thought to creating zones in your garage, grouping like items for easy access. Sporting goods, camping supplies, yard and garden supplies, home repair and tools, and trash and recycling are probably a few of the most common zones found in garages. Again, use wall space and the ceiling to your advantage. Look around your house for containers that can be repurposed for use in the garage.

Now pat yourself on the back and drive your car into your newly organized garage! Don't forget the last letter of SPACE -- Equalize. In essence, this just means keeping your space organized through regular maintenance -- but SPACM just wasn't as memorable. When you get back from that camping trip, put your camp gear in the camp gear zone! After spending a glorious day in your garden, put all your tools in the garden zone. As Ben Franklin said, "A place for everything, everything in its place."

What's the strangest thing you've ever kept or found in your garage?

Well, Twitter-dee-dee...

OK, so I can't help thinking of Scarlett O'Hara's famous "Fiddle-dee-dee" line while I'm trying to figure out the whole Twitter thing.

I resisted it for the longest time. I really didn't want to be a Twit. Or a Twitterer. Or whatever they call themselves.

Then I signed up a few months ago and did exactly nothing with it. Then I went to the NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers) conference a couple of weeks ago and felt totally out of the loop! All the Twitterers seemed to be having so much fun.

OK, back at home and trying again. I've got a few followers. I'm following a few people. We'll see if it snowballs as people keep telling me it will. Or if I discover I am not really cut out to be a Twit. Twitterer. Whatever.

Why do you Tweet?

Winnie the Pooh - Home Office Organizer

Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.

A.A. Milne

As any self-respecting mom knows, A.A. Milne is the creator of Winnie the Pooh. This gentle, very Pooh Bear quote really boils organizing down to its essence. If you get something organized on the front end, your day-to-day “doing it” is not all mixed up!

The client who sent me this quote (a mom herself) mentioned in the same email that her husband absolutely loves working in his newly organized home office.

It’s amazing how putting in the hours organizing a home office can pay real dividends in the way you feel about working in that office. And doesn’t how you feel about working directly correlate to how productive you are? For most of us, our environment really does affect our workaday attitude.

Home office tip for the day:

Without getting out of your chair, you should be able to get a file folder, label it and file it in its proper drawer. Think about how you can set up your desk to create this time-saving process!

I have to confess that I also found this wonderful, antithesis-of-being-organized A.A. Milne quote:

One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries.

Sound like any five year olds you know?

Best. Conference. Ever.

OK, so in my previous life in corporate America, I attended my fair share of conferences, trade shows, annual meetings, seminars and conventions. I usually came back to the office with a noticable bump in motivation and enthusiasm. Mission accomplished.

Last week I attended the annual conference of NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers) for the first time. I was truly surrounded by my peeps! Lots of cool organizing products, great time management tips and tools, and unique organizing methodologies.

It helped that it was held in sunny Orlando. I knew I would be coming back to Northern Virginia's strange, strange Spring of 2009 weather. In a word: Gray and dreary. OK, three words.

Posts will be forthcoming -- keep your eyes peeled!