Surviving the Back to School Chaos with these organizing tips

Hooray!   Hooray! 
The kids are back in school.

 ... oh, man! Now we have to get up early, be on a schedule and eat dinner in shifts due to after school activities.  That's a end of summer bummer.

 Here are a few great tips the Rebecca Regnier and I chatted about on her weekly show Rebecca Regnier's Full Plate:
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So, take a moment and think about your home and family.
What is working?
What can be working better?
Talk about these things and come up with a game plan that everyone can help maintain some sanity in your home during the school year.  Everyone in your home can help in some way.

Yes, my boys are living, breathing proof that your kids can do their own laundry.

What are your tricks to back to school?

It's Just Water

A small basement flood reminds me of this post of 4 years ago (Yeah, this blog is nearly 5 years old). Not much significant was lost. Most of what needs to be tossed are items I really should not have anymore anyway ... bonus in all of this is we will have a spanking clean basement.

Here's the post from February 14, 2007:

One Friday at 5:10pm, trying to get my two boys into the car so I can get them to the "drop and flop" (my nickname for the halfway meeting location) for their weekend with their dad. As we are rushing out the door, Jacob knocks over a full glass of water.

Water goes EVERYWHERE!
Jacob's face bursts into tears.
Matthew has this look of terror on his face
("Oh man, mom is going to FREAK!").

My reaction:
"WOW! You know, I needed to clean the floor and you just helped me out. It is OK. Let's clean this up together."

I cannot tell you the joy that came over Jacob's face.

It would have been quite easy for me to "FREAK" and point out how we were going to be even more late. It was so much better for us all to just stop, each grab a towel, wipe up the floor and leave the house happy.....not to mention our floor was a bit cleaner.

Next time something out of control happens, think about the choice you have in your reaction.

Does your reaction help the situation you are in?
You have a split moment to choose a positive outcome.

How has your positive reaction changed the outcome of a bad situation?

Vegas, Zebras, Ant Farms and Desert Snowman

Been gone pretty much all last week in Las Vegas for the National Association of Senior Move Managers conference. I was honored to be invited to be a speaker in one of the educational sessions. My topic was a non-organizing topic, more like a marketing "rock show."

Well, like all great rock shows, there was some opening music. Then jumped right into the fun. It was awesome to hear the laughter and see the lightbulbs going off in many faces as I talked about how to make your most important marketing tool fun and unique -- YOURSELF!!

Good times indeed. In fact one person came up to me and said:
"I believe you could speak about
ant farms and make them sound exciting."

The set of zebras pic is one of my favorite slides from the show used to demostrate the power of being different. (you should see what I used for "unique")

Here's the opening playlist:
Spirit in the Sky, Nitty Gritty Band
Black Betty, Ram Jam
You Shook Me All Night Long, AC/DC
The Chain, Fleetwood Mac
Joy to the World, Three Dog Night
Lose Yourself, Eminem
Who Are You, The Who
How Far We've Come, Matchbox 20
Rockstar, Nickelback
Domino, Van Morrison
Son of a Preacherman, Dusty Springfield

Oh and of course my business partners were with me, my boys. We drove to Utah (because we could), toured the Hoover Dam (took lots of dam pictures), built a snowman in the Mojave Desert and they dragged me to the top of a 700 ft sand dune (so much damn fun).

What three songs would you have as YOUR opening playlist?

Making Packing Lunch Fun (read on for FREE stuff)

"The Holy Grail" day of the year has arrived ... Back to school!!!

Yeah, it signals pretty much the end of the summer fun and frolic. Though, mothers everywhere breathe a sign of relief, and a leap of joy, as the school bus pulls away that first day with their kids inside.

The daily task of packing school lunches is added to your list of things to do, why not make it fun?

Rubbermaid has come out with these super cool (pun totally intended) Blue Ice Fun Shape reusable ice packs for your lunches. You can see the baseball one Jacob tested in his lunch vs. the other options available in our freezer. Other shapes available are a frog, monkey, football and others.

Jacob was pretty excited about having a fun new way of keeping his juice bag and strawberries chilled until it was time to munch. The kids at his lunch table thought it was crazy when he pulled a baseball out of his lunch. "That's so awesome dude!" Not a bad way to start of the 3rd grade. Jacob's verdict, the new Rubbermaid Fun Shape rocks!!

So here's the deal: Are you interested in trying out a Rubbermaid Fun Shape ice pack for FREE?

Well, send me your address and who will be using the fun shape -- need to know if you want boy/girl/neutral. All entries will be tossed into a "hat" and a winner selected randomly. Contest will end Thursday, September 17th 9pm EST. My email is: angie@iorganizeyou.com
Rest assured your name, email and address will not be used for any promotion or advertising. US addresses only.

Hey, We all love free stuff. You don't have to use these fun freezer shapes for your kids. Your lunches can be fun, too.

What was your favorite thing mom packed in your lunch?

Bueller ... Bueller ... Bueller ... Bueller ...

Man, what a wonderful set of hot, steamly, beautiful summer days.

My boys and I have been having so much fun enjoying life. Doesn't pay the bills, but hey, the experience is priceless.

Sleeping in late, eating GIANT breakfasts, splashing in gramma's pool, seeing the latest movies and chillin' at home.

Just introduced them to the classic: Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."~Ferris Bueller

Slow down and take a moment.

Make sure you are not missing a bit of life.

What classic movie should kids see?

The Long Lost Art of a Letter

When was the last time you received a letter addressed to you
that wasn't a bill, notice or sales advertisement?
I'm talking about a letter for you,
written with the intent of caring or gratitude.

Michigan State Senator, Randy Richardville, took the time to write Matthew this letter acknowledging his recent achievement in receiving the Arrow of Light in Scouting. Mr. Richardville must have read about it in our local paper.

Matthew said he had no idea what to expect as he opened the letter in front of his school classmates. Then he read it and everyone cheered!

WOW!

Thank you Mr. Richardville for creating an amazing memory for my son.
I will remember the joy and pride on his face forever.

Who are you writing a note to today?
(emails do NOT count)

Yeah, I've Got Three Holes

HUGE hurdle crossed in our home last night.

Matthew and I had "The Talk."

I knew it was fast approaching, having dodged a few pointed questions in the past couple months. Jacob was inside watching TV while Matthew and I were outside in our hot tub. Not sure when I'd be alone with him again, I went for it.

All I could think about was when my mom told me. She and I were coming home from the grocery store and I was just mortified when she explained it. At the time, I had not heard anything about the whole process. I can't even recall how I thought the whole baby thing happened.

After clarifying the make-up of a woman's body ...
"You mean you've got 3 holes?!"
He had heard something about two parts mixing together,
then I explained that point ... "That comes out of me?!"
The kicker was how it all came together ...
"Uh, I don't see any point in doing that until I'm married like 5-6 years."

Matthew asked some really good questions, some were quite surprising. Once we started talking, the conversation seem to go very well. I pretty much stuck tightly to the facts and answered his questions in the fewest amount of words possible.

Whew! Tough conversation, though thankful I had "The Talk" with him. Better to be a bit uncomfortable and open the door to discussion, than to hide from the topic and let schoolyard rumors educate your child.

How was your "Talk?"

A Christmas Card From Us To You

We're kinda breaking tradition this year.

For the past 8 years, my boys and I have always made our Christmas cards. It started as a little activity to keep them entertained. I cut out different shapes, supplied the glue and music, they went to town.

Each of the up to 50 cards sent out were unique for the first 6 years. (yes, looking back I was insane) Then I became wise and had the boys decorate one card cover to use for our Christmas cards.

This year I am doing what most great artist do - "A Best Of ..."
For example:
Eagles, Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975
Eric Clapton, Crossroads
Madonna, The Immaculate Collection
Bel Biv Devoe, Best of Bel Biv Devoe
Poison, Best of Poison: 20 years of Rock
(links provided in case these are a must have for your holiday shopping needs)

Here is our 2008 Christmas card.

I'm not going to be mailing any cards this year. Just not going to happen. I know my limits and it's just not going to work this year. Feel free to print it out and enjoy.

Matthew, Jacob and I wish you all the best this holiday season.
Have fun!

What's on your 'Best of' collection?

4th Grade Wax Museum

Place 30 fourth graders in their school lunchroom. Each one has read a different biography and given the assignment to dress and briefly summarize the person's life they read about.

A few of the statues: Lou Gehrig. Thomas Edison. Betsy Ross. Wilber Wright. Troy Aikman. Abraham Lincoln. Tiger Woods. Louisa May Alcott. Robert E Lee. Sacagawea. Ann Frank. Benjamin Franklin. Davey Crockett.... and Paul Revere

"The British are coming! The British are coming! Hello, I'm Paul Revere," is how Matthew began his biography when his 'silversmithed' button was pressed.



Each student had to make a button that visitors to the museum could push to hear the story of their person.

It was great to see the effort the kids put into this project. All the different buttons crafted, each one was unique. I was quite impressed with each students presentation. Inside they many might have been nervous, but none of them showed it.

AWESOME! AWESOME! AWESOME!
I am amazed everyday at the skills kids have developed. I cannot imagine what accomplishments they will achieve in their lifetime.

I'm a pretty darn proud mom. Quite thankful for having my boys in my life.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

What's a recent school project from your kids?

Phantom Neighborhood Ghosts

As I walked up to a recent client's home there was this piece of paper taped to her front door:

"We've been GHOSTED!!!"
She explained it is a tradition her neighborhood has been doing for years. You create a little goodie bag to leave on the doorstep. Here's the note that accompanies the Phantom Ghost gift:


Well, my boys and I had fun driving around our neighborhood looking for homes we could "Ghost." We decide to kick in this new tradition off with 3 homes: two families we knew and one complete stranger.

Jacob was armed with our Ghost bags. He dashed up to the homes, rang the doorbell and sprinted back to the car. We had so much fun!!

Now we sit back and wait to see if the neighborhood will participate in our new tradition.

What is a recent tradition you have started?

I Am The Luckiest Mom In The World

Happy Birthday Matthew!!



I can't believe he is 10 years old. As I have always done, I find a moment on this day and write my birthday boy a note. When my boys turn 18 years old, they will each have 18 letters from me to them.

Another tradition my boys and I have is we make our own birthday cake. In the past they have been elaborate for a homemade cake: dinosaur village, monster truck show, volcano oozes over animals and a swamp monster destroying a city. We are quite imaginative in our home.


This year Matthew just wanted a simple white frosted cake. I suggested the sprinkles to make it festive. But I had a surprise: Trick Candles.

All the kids thought it was great since they kinda sparked a bit. When Matthew blew them out and they relit, I thought they would all pee their pants from laughter. It was HYSTERICAL!!

With the smoke alarms ready to go off, we got the candles out and dined on a very tasty cake. Matthew's deemed his party one of the best ever. Today was all about him.

I look at him and I am in awe at the amazing young man he has become. This morning Matthew said to me, "the love you give me is better than any stuff." Jacob agreed. Big group hug.

I am the luckiest mom in the world tonight.
Thank you Matthew.....Happy birthday my superman!

How does your family make you feel lucky?

Fishing Report

What a fabulous week!

I caught the first fish, nice size bass (just for you Soul baby!)






Jacob caught his first fish:
a sweet, little perch .






Finally, Matthew caught his first fish:
a baby bluegill.




All the many fish caught were released, except for the small pike we continued to catch. These guys are overrunning the lake and quickly became eagle food.

It was amazing to watch this eagle swoop in an snatch fish out of the lake. AWESOME!!

The UP of Michigan is a beautiful area. Put it on your list of places you should take the time to visit at some point in your life.

What is another place that you recommend to visit?

Gone Fishing!

I'm outta here!

Off to the UP of Michigan.
"Mom, It's like we're on another planet!"
We'll be spending time at my Dad's place on a lake.
Cell phones do not work.
Internet service? ... Yeah, Right.

Just some good 'ol fashion R&R with my boys
....Oh, and we will be catching a fish or two.

Here's the beast we caught 3 yrs ago.
Matthew and Jacob were so proud and excited.


What's your summer vacation plans?
(Winter vacation plans for those southern hemisphere fans)

Playing Hooky

I never skipped a day when I was in school.
Guess I was just terrified that my mom would find out, though not really sure what my punishment would have been and likely she would have not been the wiser to my fun and frolic. So, what I was unable to do in my childhood I recreate through my boys. Hey if throughout my boys life I am going to cause psychological damage such as "just add it to their therapy list" moments, why not create some unforgettable smiles that are ear-to-ear moments?

Jacob and I went to Cedar Point for his first introduction to rollercoasters. Cedar Point is THE Roller Coaster capital of the world. I have created a MONSTER! This little dude, just at the minimum 48 inch height to ride (I told him not to fart or he'd be too short), rode hands up, first seat on the Millenium -- 300 ft vertical drop, 80 deg decent, near 100 mph. Since we went on a Thursday, we rode all the coasters over and over, closing the park. He crashed within 10 minutes on the ride home.
"This is the best day of my life" he said to me.

Matthew wanted to go hiking, so we spent the day exploring Farnsworth Metropark which he had never visited. He loved it! We saw some huge fish, 10 cranes and found one toad. The best part came when we came across the rock cliffs along the Maumee River. His eyes just lit up.

"Do you think I can climb up there?"
"Matthew, you can do anything you believe. Go for it."
OK, I was a bit scared watching him climb 20ft up.
This isn't something Matthew has done.
The pride on his face when he reached the top - PRICELESS!

My boys both understood this was a very special day they each had. Skipping school is not something that I condone. Though you bet we will be playing hooky next Spring to ride some coasters, climb some rocks or do whatever activity that day brings.

What do you do when you play hooky?

Birthday Love

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

12 Birthday cards
6 Text message greetings
8 email cards
dozen or so Happy birthday phone calls

That is a lot of birthday love!

The day started out with "Birthday celebration breakfast" as Jacob exclaimed, which entailed party pancakes (pancakes with sprinkles and swirling chocolate chips), banana pancakes for me, 1 lb of sausage and 1 lb of bacon, chocolate milk in 'fancy' glasses. What was left after this onslaught of food ... a few small party pancakes. Scares me to think what these boys will eat in their teens.

After clearing the driving of snow, again, and a bit of playing in the snow, I headed off to the gym for an amazing workout, a fantastic business meeting and some shopping.

Picked up some pizza for dinner, the boys made me an awesome birthday cake with help from my mom. Home to a relaxing moment in the hottub. Kids in bed at 8pm, little surprise visit from someone special (yep, Soul, a "hot date").

Just an absolutely wonderful day! Would not change anything about the day ... well, I am getting sick of the snow.

Birthday month is not over yet, still 21 days to celebrate. Then all the attention will turn toward Leasa, who also takes the month of April to celebrate her birthday. We are seaking someone to sign up for May celebrations. Anyone out there?

What are your plans for your birthday?

Sometimes Being a Mom is Tough

Being a mom the last 24 hours has sucked. Period.

Matthew has been diagnosed with Juvenile Polyposis since he was 4.5 years old. Every year he has a colonoscopy to remove any colon polyps that develop. Today was #6. I keep thinking that the prep will be better the next year, but it is not.

First there is no solid food from the time he wakes, which to a 9.5 year old kid mine as well be starving them for a month. Then at 3pm I have to get Matthew to drink 12oz of Milk of Magnesia within 1 hour and wait for the 'fun' to begin.

Well, Matthew couldn't drink the stuff. (can ya blame him?)
I'm balling my eyes out for forcing him.
He's throwing it up.
(Hey, my kitchen floor is now clean)

The test went good, only 4 polyps. Matthew was awesome. He is one strong little man. I cannot imagine what Matthew will accomplish in his life.

He's one tough kid, and I am incredibly proud of him.

Anyone over 50 yrs old out there and haven't had your colonoscopy? What's your excuse?

Freedom to Read

My wonderful 3rd grader, Matthew, is a bookworm. He typically reads 4-5 books at one time. I checked his backpack for his current books:
Whale Rescue
My Dog Does My Homework
The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby
100 People Who Changed America
The Bible

Guess which book is causing a small uproar in his school.
... yep, The Bible.

Now, Matthew's reading perspective is that The Bible is a collection of stories and he does a verbal book report when he completes a section with his teacher. There is no philosophical discussion, no religious lecturing. A simple book report on what he has read.

When I first saw Matthew take The Bible to school (3-4 months ago), I chatted with him briefly about it, made sure his teacher had no concern. All seemed good, until this week. I have been told that Matthew cannot read The Bible in school.

I checked my passport and I still live in the USA!

This is not about religious readings.
I would not even say I am "religious." My son wants to read a book. I am not going to tell him "sorry buddy, you can't read that book."

I checked a recent list of past Banned Books in the US.
Here are just a few great books on the list:
(note: The Bible is not on this list of 90 books)
Blubber, Judy Blume
Catch-22, Joseph Heller
Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling
Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
Leaves of Grass, Walt Whitman
Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck
The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger

This is crazy! I have not spoke to Matthew about this.
I don't know what to say to him, he's 9 years old?!
This is about our basic freedom of choice.

Perhaps someday Matthew will be the "101st Person to Change America." For now, he is an individual making an impact on his hometown.

Update 2/9/2008: Matthew and I received a call from a school official apologizing. Matthew may read The Bible at school and report to the teacher for literature credit in class. I am tremendously proud of Matthew for the discussion he and I had on this situation. Thank you to the school district for your apology.

What book would you keep your kid from reading in school?

The Dumping Ground

To follow up from the previous post: We DID build an awesome snow fortress which led to a classic snowball fight. My boys took hold of the fortress, while I was left to fend for myself on the perimeter.
It was so much fun!


Then we followed by warming up in our hot tub as little snowflakes fell onto us. I'm very glad school was cancelled because my boys and I had a great time together.


On to business:
Cheryl runs her business out of her home, along with caring for her husband, taking care of her two kids, dogs, basketball games, running kids to movies, feeding everyone in the house (including the kid's friends) ... um, Cheryl's office becomes "The Dumping Ground."

As you walk into her office, there were papers piled up on the floor, desk, cabinets and shelves. We began sorting through the piles and getting rid of all that was no longer needed.



Cheryl knew exactly how she wanted her desk to be set up: move the printer to the corner, file folder racks right in front and a working surface. Again, we began sorting through the papers and items on her desk. Supplies were sorted and put away, client info was filed, old notes tossed and the desk top was dusted shiny.

Cheryl's son even commented on how great it looked as he slipped in a "Mom, can you take me to the movies?" Her wonderful husband chauffeured him and buddies to the show while we finished up.

Organized and ready for business.
Cheryl seemed quite delighted with her office.

What has been your recent fun family moment?

Ceiling Fan Project

Jacob and I had a fun little project tonight,
swapping out his old ceiling fan for a new one.

When I asked Jacob what he wanted for Christmas this year, he said Imaginext, Guinea Pig supplies, Nitendo DS games, etc. He also asked for a new ceiling fan. (odd?) Well, this fan has always bugged him. It worked just fine, though it was pretty small.


I finally got to Lowes and picked out a new ceiling fan for Jacob last week (no, I didn't put a ceiling fan under our Christmas tree). Afterschool today, Jacob and I began our project. It is important to me to work on home improvement project with my boys.

We talked about:
-the importance of shutting off the electricity
-how difficult it is to figure out how to get the old one off
-what each part is for on the new ceiling fan
-how to connect the wires (again, why the electricity is off)

The coolest part is having Jacob throw the breaker, him run upstairs and see his new ceiling fan working, lights and fan. SWEET!

We celebrated our accomplishment by getting some pizza.
(the old fan will be added to the boys garage sale in spring)

I love being a mom!
It's days like today that make all the stress being a single parent minuscule.

What is a story about your kids that takes your stress away?

Jacob is 7 ... finally

"I'm turning 7, on December 7, in 2007"
Jacob's enthusiasm about his birthday is very similiar to mine. He has stretched it out to a week long celebration. And I love it!!

Yes, Jacob has a mohawk and sometimes it is red. I figured he's not in the job market right now, why not have a crazy hairstyle. Honestly, it matches his personality.

My letter to Jacob is written and sealed.


Jacob's birthday week was kicked off with another tradition the boys and I share -- creating their birthday cake. Staying with the theme, Jacob wanted a 7 cake.



Jacob has such an energizing personality.
He's crazy like his mommy.
And the entertaining way he eats cake ..... I could sell tickets.



Happy Birthday Jacob!
I love you!
xoxoxox eeeek xoxoxox
What birthday traditions do you have?