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Moving students home – Make home life simple

· Tuesday, April 23rd, 2019

Each party in this living situation has different expectations so make a contract with each other so it is clear what the expectations are. Click To Tweet

Expectations

It is a big change in lifestyle when students move home for the summer, for the students and the parents. Sometimes students think

What are your expectations?

It will be just like before I left
I will have the same responsibilities as I did living away from home
I am on vacation for 4 months
and so on…

Sometimes parents think

they have lived on their own so they should have no problem contributing around the home without being asked
now I have someone to help with all the work
things have changed and we do things differently now
and so on…

Each party in this living situation has different expectations so make a contract with each other so it is clear what the expectation are. My daughter presented me with some rules when she moved back home for a few months. She asked me to look at them and see if they were suitable and to add any rules. It made things very easy and simple because there were less misunderstanding.

Your contract/ agreement might cover the following ideas.

May I have the car?

Car

Who pays for gas?
When can they use it?
Do they have to ask to use the car or can they just take it?

Food/ Groceries

Who buys the groceries?
Who pays for the groceries?
Do you buy everything on the list?
Do you buy only the things you need from the list when you go shopping?

Cooking

Who cooks?
Who plans the meals?
Do you cook for everyone or only yourself?
What needs to be cleaned?

Kitchen

Who cleans up the kitchen?
What needs to be cleaned, floors counters, stove, sink?
Who does the dishes?
Who empties the dishwasher?

Schedule

Do you record your activities in a specific place, electronic or paper?
Do you need to tell where you are going and when you will be back?
Are there any activities you are expected to attend?

Laundry

Who is responsible for laundry ?

Cleaning

Who does the cleaning, is it a shared task?

This checklist of ideas makes it seem like working out an agreement will be a lot of work. The agreement only needs to cover areas that cause conflict, tension or have changed since the student last lived with you.

Our agreement looked like this:

Food

Make a contract / agreement with everyone in the family to reduce stress and misunderstandings

Buy groceries: give Mom the bill, buy everything on the list
Weekday meals: First one home cooks, Mom will try to plan the meals for the week

Car

Mom will pay for gas

Kitchen:

Clean and wipe counter and island and stove
No dishes in sink or on the counter, put them in the dishwasher before going to bed

Schedule:

Record your evening activities and times when you won’t be home for supper on the calendar
Politely and conversational let us know where you are going and when you plan on returning. This for safety reason, if you don’t return we need to know where and when to start looking for you

2 weeks ago I wrote about Moving a Student Back Home

Tell me what items you put on your contract in the comments below.

Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, in person and virtually. She enjoys working with her clients to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situation. She reduces clutter, streamlines processes and manages time to help her clients be more effective in reaching their goals. Julie can coach you to break-free of the physical or emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca

Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space

Click here to learn more about working with a Professional Organizer?

Book your complimentary Organizing Breakthrough Session

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Categories : Home Routine Planning, Moving, Organizing Children, Organizing Students

Tags : Attitude, dorm room organizing, family, organizing with children

Get your life reorganized

Posted by Julie Stobbe

· Tuesday, March 19th, 2019

· 2 Comments

Remember to donate items to charity and not to put them in the garbage.

Being organized is not about being perfect.

Anyone can learn to be more organized. It is a set of skills that can be taught. Organization creates efficiency and effectiveness, making your life and surroundings perform optimally for you. When you start organizing remember these tips:

Accept your limitations on time, space, energy and money
Be consistent, do a little at a time on an on-going basis
Acknowledge your successes. Success breeds success motivating you to do more.
Take it one day at a time

How do I decide where to start?

I tell my clients:

to start with the space that is bothering them the most.
sometimes you may need to start in an area of your home that you are going to use for storage. Organizing that space first will give you more places to store items that need to be removed from other rooms.

How do I start?

Get some boxes and bags for :

garbage
recycling
things to go to other rooms – put them in a container and take them after you are done working in the space your are organizing. If you leave the room you might never return
things to be returned to other people – put them in a container and return them to the correct owner after you organizing time is over.
don’t buy organizing products – wait until you know what you are storing, where you are storing it, and how much you have to store. Then you can the best container to hold the items.

How to I get the room looking nice?

There are 5 steps to follow:

Step 1 Sort

Sort everything in the room into categories. The categories depend on what is in the room. You might have:

electronics
books
tools
computer items
dishes
food categories
cosmetics
paper supplies

Figure out the categories of things you have in your room and sort the things you can see and then work in the drawers and cupboards

Step 2 Part with items

Part with items you no longer need and donate them to charity

Step 3 Assign a home

Find the best place to store the item , close to where you use them and so you access them easily. Things you don’t use very often can be stored further away and in less accessible places.

Step 4 Containers

Now is the time to get the right container to store the items. Anything can be a container:

boxes
wine boxes cut in half
magazine holders
jars
tins
plastic bins
bags

Step 5 Evaluate

Use your system and then see:

if you have things stored in the best locations
is it easy to get it out and put it away
does everything have a “home”Being organized is not about being perfect. Anyone can learn to be more organized. It is a set of skills that can be taught. Click To Tweet

How do I remember all this?

Easy it spells SPACE

S – sort

P– Part with items

A – Assign a home

C – Containerize

E – Evaluate

If you need some help with your organizing book a 50 minute break through organizing session . Click on the link to book your complimentary appointment, and speak with me to get helpful tips to get you unstuck. Organizing Break Through session

Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, in person and virtually. She enjoys working with her clients to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situation. She reduces clutter, streamlines processes and manages time to help her clients be more effective in reaching their goals. Julie can coach you to break-free of the physical or emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms.

Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca

Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space

Click here to learn more about working with a Professional Organizer?

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Categories : Do-It-Yourself, Organizing Tips

Tags : organizing, organizing with children, SPACE, time management

Time management for children

Posted by Julie Stobbe

· Wednesday, January 17th, 2018

· 15 Comments

Time to schedule, words on blank board hold by a young girl in the outdoor.

Scheduling helps everyone to understand what needs to be done and when it needs to be completed.

Weekly Agenda Page

I like to develop a weekly agenda page for each child in the family. They have their own page posted on the refrigerator or bulletin board.

Record all Weekly Activities – School, Home and Extra Curricular

At the beginning of each week, I record all their activities, music lessons, group activities, sports, etc. I also record their special activities at school so they remember to bring library looks, physical education clothing, and musical instruments. It also includes any chores that they have to do around the house. If you prepare it on the computer, many things don’t change from week to week.

Record Additional Activities for the Week – Test, Projects, Parties

The children will add to the page, tests and projects that have been assigned at school. Before they can play, watch TV or have screen time they have to complete everything on their list. If you start this habit for them when they are young, it teaches them how to organize their time. You will be helping to instill in them a habit that will last them a life time.

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Library books	Physical education	Class trip		violin
Practice piano	Girl Guides	Collect garbage	Skating	Birthday Party at Susie’s
Set table	Empty dishwasher

Paper or an App

I like paper because I can see everyone’s week at a glace without switching between screens and accounts. But if you enjoy technology because you can access information from anywhere at anytime try Choice Works for scheduling with your children’s activities. It allows you to select activities and list them by picture for non reading children or in words.

A Students Guide to Effective Time Management

Thanks to Amy and Peyton for sending me this article for young adults entering college and university. This article has many helpful tips to help you be successful at school : A Students Guide to Effective Time Management

Time management is about finding a system that works for you and your children to make life easier. Please leave a comment about agendas, systems and apps that you use.

Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, in person and virtually. She enjoys working with her clients to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situation. She reduces clutter, streamlines processes and manages time to help her clients be more effective in reaching their goals. Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca

Twitter – @julieorganizer Facebook – http://facebook.com/mindoverclutter/

Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space https://www.facebook.com/groups/1881280812154271/

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Categories : Organizing Children, Time Management

Tags : Attitude, office organizing, organizing with children, productivity, time management

Swoop Bags for Organizing Toys

Posted by Julie Stobbe

· Thursday, April 13th, 2017

· No Comments

Do you have children in your family with Lego laying allover the floor? Here is a fun organizing tool to make cleanup of toys easy and fun . Check out swoop bags.

Super Swoop Bag Berry with Lego Bricks

Need help getting toys and home routines organized? Contact Mind over Clutter for a free one hour assessment in person or virtually to get you on the road to success.

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Categories : Organizing Children, Organizing Products

Tags : containers, organizing with children, swoop bag, toys

A Cluttered Life – Middle Class Abundance

Posted by Julie Stobbe

· Friday, March 24th, 2017

· 6 Comments

Make your home perfect for you.

This 6 minute video is a great look at our society and our relationship with “stuff”. It is easy to collect “stuff” but it is hard to know how to get rid of things.

http://www.uctv.tv/shows/Stuff-A-Cluttered-Life-Middle-Class-Abundance-Ep-1-24699

Need help simplifying your life and home contact Mind over Clutter to work with you in person or virtually to help you meet your goals.

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Categories : Organizing Children, Organizing Tips

Tags : decluttering, organizing, organizing with children

3 Tips for Organizing During A Divorce

Posted by Julie Stobbe

· Tuesday, January 10th, 2017

· 3 Comments

This is an excerpt from a great article by Autumn Leopold . Click on the link below to see the entire article

1) Give people the appropriate time and space they need to sort through items. If they need to stop and share some memories with you, let them. Do not judge or share your opinion just keep the process moving forward.

2) Be mindful of the children in the home. If they need to see or discuss some of the items you may be donating or throwing away, sit and let them get their feelings out. They may have some memories tied to those items that you aren’t aware of.

3) After the homes are separated, parents should do their best to create a new routine for children as quickly as possible. Do something new and change things up around the house. Get different bedding or a few decorative items to create a new environment for the healing to begin.

Organizing During A Divorce.

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Categories : Organizing Children, Organizing Tips

Tags : divorce, family, organizing with children

11 Professional Organizers Share their Favourite Tips.

Posted by Julie Stobbe

· Wednesday, November 9th, 2016

· 10 Comments

I asked my colleagues from the Professional Organizers in Canada Cyber Chapter to send me their favourite organizing tip. This is what they said.

Patti Schneider from Time to Organize Coach™ in Huntsville, Ontario tells us :

Don’t organize anything without tossing, recycling and donating first!

April Miller owner of April Miller Professional Organizing in St John`s Newfoundland shared:

To ensure better maintenance: Organize according to what works for you, not according to someone else’s system.

Elana Kleinman owner of EK Organizing in Toronto, Ontario

For maintenance, do a 5-10 minute scan of your home before bed and return everything to its assigned home. This prevents end-of-week (month?) organizing marathons:)

Ruth Beattie-Ostrom of HOME, Hard Organizing Made Easy from Parry Sound, Ontario shared:

A fun tip to involve children to help maintain the house: set the timer for 15 min and everyone (incl mom) puts items back in their place.

Kym McFadden owns Space-Ese-Solutions Inc in Burlington, Ontario.

If you don’t use it, lose it. Recycle, donate or toss it in the garbage. I generally tell clients for clothing wear it within 6 months and all other items use it within 6-12 months or out it goes. Then go have fun! If it is close to bedtime read books together.

Nathalie Bureau owner of Nathalie Bureau L’Art de l’Organisation/Organized Living from Saint Boniface, Quebec tells us:

Using the space vertically is one of my best tips
Sort food packages in a drawer using hand made separators or dividers.

Adele Lapointe of Chaos to Clarity from Burlington, Ontario simply said:

Like with like

Karen McIntosh Murdock,Your Organized Friend in Edmonton, Alberta

If grieving clients are having trouble releasing sentimental belongings I recommend that we take photos of the items, write down the stories surrounding the item and make them into a photobook.

Bev Chandler owner of C & C Organizing from Regina, Saskatchewan shared:

Keep the things you use the most, close at hand.

Adriana Romkes from Dundas,Ontario tell us:

Less is more

My tip, Julie Stobbe owner of Mind over Clutter in Beamsville, Ontario

If you are having trouble letting go of things figure out if it is because you are clinging to past or fear the future. Once you solve that mystery it will be easier to part with unused items.

Share your favourite organizing tip with me in the comment box.

Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices. She enjoys working with her clients to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situation. She reduces clutter, streamlines processes and manages time to help her clients be more effective in reaching their goals. Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca

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Categories : Organizing Tips, People who Can Help

Tags : decluttering, family, organizing, organizing with children

Smart Organizing – Simple Strategies for Bringing Order to Your Home

Posted by Julie Stobbe

· Tuesday, September 27th, 2016

· 2 Comments

Author Sandra Felton

Sandra Felton, the organizer lady, is the author of this very practical book to help people bring order to their life. The book helps people to “reach their organizational goals in the simplest way possible. This is why I recommend the book. The book is full of people’s stories, quizzes, tips and practical solutions to suit a variety of personalities.

She focuses on planning. I recently twitted “hope is not a plan”. She outlines how to develop a plan that is right for the person, how to work with the plan getting each space in the house organized and how to live with the plan and maintain the new organized life.

Here are some of the tips that appear in her book.

Bathroom

If a bathroom is shared by several children and is cluttered with their things, get them their own coloured basket for toiletries. Each child can take it a back and forth to the bedroom leaving the bathroom clear.

Garage

Use the walls to hang up smaller items you need more often. Put up a peg board in the garage and use S- hooks to hang up gardening equipment, tools and sports equipment.

Laundry Routine

If you do laundry for a number of people, refuse to wash unpaired socks. Insist that everyone pins each pair of socks together with a sturdy safety pin or those little plastic circles into which some sock pairs will slip. If they aren’t paired you won’t wash them. Now no more pairing socks. Another good idea is to colour code socks. Buy a different colour band or sock for each individual and let him or her match their socks.

Sandra Felton encourages,”spending less time and energy on the mechanics of living and giving more time for more significant pursuits.” Her books help people to be successful at this.

_________________________________________________________________

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Categories : Book Reviews

Tags : bathrooms, Bedrooms, decluttering, family, organizing with children

5 Bathroom Organizing Tips

Posted by Julie Stobbe

· Thursday, June 11th, 2015

· 11 Comments

1. Have a drawer for each person who uses the bathroom to store his or her toiletries and cosmetics. If you don’t have the space to store items in the bathroom, give each person a basket to transport their things to the bathroom from his or her bedroom, where the basket is stored.

2. Purchase under-sink storage shelves or baskets to make good use of this under-utilized area.

Find a shelf or stacking baskets to use under the sink

3. If medications are stored in the bathroom, safely store them where small children can’t gain access.

4. Store cleaning supplies safely nearby so you can do bathroom quick cleans ups but out of the reach of children.

5. Add hooks or towel bars to the walls or over-the-door racks/hooks to hang and dry towels after use. Not enough room in the bathroom? Install hooks or bars in the bedrooms. This will keep towels off the floor, neat and clean.

Swing out towels bars provide space between each towel so they can dry quickly

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Categories : Organizing Children, Organizing Products, Organizing Tips

Tags : bathroom, family, organizing with children

6 Tips for Organizing with Children in Mind

Posted by Julie Stobbe

· Wednesday, June 3rd, 2015

· No Comments

1. As children grow, placement of their items should change with their higher reach.

Hooks are great for keeping things off the floor

Have hooks at a variety of heights so each child can reach a hook

2. Items for tasks that children are responsible for should be kept within their reach. If a child constantly needs help accessing these items or putting them away, this will cause frustration for both parent and child. Keep books, toys, dishes, coat hooks, clothes closet bars and towels at age/size-appropriate level

3. Remember to always keep cleaning supplies and medicines out of the reach of children

4. If children are permitted to use the microwave oven unsupervised, place the unit at a height where children can remove food easily without climbing on counters or standing on chairs. This will help prevent injuries from hot food spilling or a child falling.

5. Label bins, drawers, and shelves with pictures or words to make tiding up quick and easy.

Label containers to make clean up easy

6. Establish a bulletin board, magnet board, or a wall covered with magnetic paint as an area to display children’s work. As new work comes home, remove items from the display area and put them in a box. When the school year is over, go through the box and decide which pieces to save and put away and which to recycle.

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Categories : Organizing Children, Organizing Tips

Tags : family, organizing with children