Organization and the Busy Mom

I don't know about you, but most days it is a struggle for me to do everything that is required, plus more on the pesky to-do list. The end result is a catch all space for things I do not have time to figure out how to deal with, or don't know where it should go. And, lets be honest, between cooking, cleaning, getting kids ready, taking kids to practice, school (both for kids and self), helping the husband out, taking care of the dog (or other pet), volunteering, helping kids practice whatever class they're in, helping kids with homework, homework for self, etc that trying to come up with the energy to organize just doesn't come close to topping any list.

What I do know is this: An organized space (even if not perfect) will make life run much easier, and will provide more energy and less stress. Yes, that may seem obvious and unhelpful, but stay with me. All it takes to a more organized family unit is a few extra minutes a day. I read once that it really takes less than 20 minutes each day to choose a spot to start organizing and making better. Less than 20 minutes! No matter how busy you are, you can afford to give that time to less clutter!

Simply start by choosing the spot that feels the most frazzling (yes, clutter has a feeling), turn on the radio (or iPod) and crank up the tunes and start working away. Keep at it every day until that spot is done. If you feel on a roll and want to keep going, do it, but on the other days you feel like doing less break through the nagging urge and set a timer.

If music isn't your thing, use that time to chat with a friend on the phone, or play a movie in background, or a book recording. Something that will help you feel as though the time isn't just about getting more organized, but also giving a piece of "you time" at the same time. Either that or set up a reward system - say after the 20 minutes you will enjoy a wonderful glass of wine, or maybe a bath. Organizing should never feel like a drag!

One thing, though, make sure the clutter isn't moving from one space in your home to another: It does no good moving everything to the garage or a catch all room. Get rid of the excess and free your family and mind up. To keep things from being cluttered up again, have a donation month every year right after the holidays and save the receipts for the next years taxes.

So what are you waiting for, your 20 minutes is waiting for you!

Souvenir Savings for Kids

This is a brilliant chore chart that Krystal made a few months ago. I am the lucky recipient of said chore chart, and am happy to report that my kids love it! My daughter actually bugged me for days to get a few dry erase markers so we could start our chore adventure. In seeing their excitement to cross things off daily an idea hit me - why not use this bit of brilliance towards the better good of a Disney family vacation?

 Over the past few weeks I have been thinking over several ways to incorporate this into our trip savings, and finally struck on something we can actually use (as a side note, we are not telling our kids about the trip until we arrive at the airport, which also added some difficulty on finding the perfect savings idea)! This chart will no longer be granting prizes at the end of the week, but allowance money. Each week the kids get an X in each slot of the chart they will given $4.00; however, $2.00 will be put into savings for something very special: Disney park souvenirs!. We have a little over a year until our trip so, given the kids do their chores, they will have approximately $130.00 each to spend on whatever they would like in the parks.

 Depending on the ages of your children, the weekly amount may need to be adjusted, but for my two kids (ages 5 and 3) this is perfect, and will let them get several things in the parks. What we plan to do is take a picture of all the money they saved, and put it in a card along with a Disney gift card, which will be given to them as soon as we arrive in our hotel. The picture of the money is more to make the two of them understand the value of their hard work.

 Do you have any tips to involve with Disney vacations savings?