What's On My Happy List?

A few organization tips....

Tip #1 This is our Rise and Shine Chart! Hanging in our bathroom in an effort to help our school mornings run smoothly. haha! Some mornings are just plain nuts around here. no escaping it. I made this for Hannah and Brie with a few reminders for the older two as well.

Tip #2 What do I do with all the school papers brought home?

I chuck what I can get rid of . :) Reminders or pertinent info needed in the next few weeks I pin to a bulletin board by our calendar. Other papers that I may need to make reference to throughout the year, any completed projects, papers or home work assignments that they think they might want to save, I put in their individual binders in the office. 

Then, at the end of the year or before the new school year starts we go thru each binder and clean it out.  We determine what we really, really want to keep. That usually is any report cards, awards, special projects, or assignments. Then we throw away the rest. Love purging! I get a folder such as this...label it with child and school year 

and transfer what we are keeping to it. Then we place that folder to one of these long term storage bins...{we've go a few} each bin holds a good 4 yrs worth of school work. It's fairly organized and ready to be taken when they leave the nest. Anyway, this system has worked quite well for us over the years. 

Tip #3 school lunch ideas...

I have a confession to make. I hate to make school lunches! {I encourage hot lunch for that very reason.} So my girls know that if they want to take lunch from home, they are responsible for making it. I do, however, enjoy surprising them on occasion by slipping in a note or a treat...One of my latest surprises...JUNK MAIL!  {Got this idea on line...stink'in creative and easy peasy} 

Stuff a favorite candy bar inside the envelope.... and you'll have one happy kid.

You can find a bunch of free downloads of lunch box notes on line...
I've copied off a few that I keep in a folder to easily grab and cut out when I get a chance to pass on some cold lunch lov'in.  

    Tip #4

       My favorite personal organization tip?

  Pen and paper! 

Nothing is better, in my opinion. I came up with this grocery shopping/things to do list outline awhile back. It keeps me way more organized than simply writing a random list. 

As you can see, I use the heck out of this piece of paper. It's my lifeline. If I misplace or lose it, I feel lost myself! After a couple of weeks I just print out another one. Easy Peasy! 

Happy Organizing!