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5 Steps to a Cleaner Linen Closet
2007-01-29 02:25:01
Most people will agree that there?s always something that needs to be cleaned or organized in the house. Unfortunately, most of us don?t have time to dust off the nooks and crannies of our bookshelves on a regular basis. Instead, we usually opt to settle down in front of a the latest reality TV show or curl up with a good book, figuring that we might as well enjoy the few minutes of free time we have at the end of the day. But let?s face it: there?s only so much television you can watch without getting that recurring nagging feeling reminding you that you really should be organizing one of the messy places that you allowed to get disorganized while you chose instead to watch American Idol week after week after week. Or maybe that?s just me. But don?t point fingers; you may have been watching 24. Fortunately, there is a way in which you can have your cake and eat it too. Er, I mean, be a bit more organized and also have time to relax. In less than half an hour, you can probabl...
More About: Lean , Clean , Close , Closet , Cleaner

My New Year?s Re(Solution)
2007-01-25 14:23:01
I know it?s a bit late, but I?ve finally figured out what my New Year ?s resolution should be. Like most naively idealistic women, I?d like to resolve to be a better mother, daughter, sister or friend. Or, at least I should be influential in the creation of world peace. But considering that it?s nearly impossible to assess my progress in those fields (or at least to appraise such personal developments within the first few weeks of the new year), I thought I?d better try something more immediately obvious, so as not to get discouraged and give up. And so arose my ultimate resolution, one that I hope will endure for the next 52 weeks. And it is?drum roll please?.to stop letting my dirty dishes pile up in the sink. It?s a terrible admission to make, but my sink is by far one of the dirtiest places in my home. The kitchen counters can be clean and the food can be put in its proper place, but for some reason, the dirty dishes always seem to pile up. And I have a dishwasher. I know ...
More About: Solution

The Best Laid Plans of Mommies and Men?Keeping up with the unexpected
2007-01-25 14:23:01
Like I said, I had a plan. It was a valiant plan, a great plan, one I was sure would usher me into the holiday season with tranquility, pleasure and ease. And it did. Sort of. I planned my menu two weeks before the holiday just like I promised I would. I did the grocery shopping ten full days before my big family dinner. And boy, was I sure glad that I did! Everything seemed to be going perfectly, until my daughter got a fever. And not just any fever- a persistent, unrelenting fever that refused to abate for 8 full days. I couldn?t work, I couldn?t cook, I couldn?t even sleep- all I could do was tend to a cranky three year-old who just couldn?t get better. And then, not quite out of the blue, I got a fever too. And suddenly, Tzofia and I were in bed together, moaning and groaning, coughing and sneezing- and doing everything EXCEPT cooking or cleaning for the dinner party. I thought about canceling. After all, who would want to come to a germ-infested house anyway? Wit...
More About: Men , With , Best , Plans , Expect

Refrigerator Reorganization
2007-01-25 14:23:01
When I recently changed from a top-to-bottom refrigerator to a side-by-side model, I almost had a mental breakdown.  Seriously.  For 20 years I?d been accustomed to a certain way of life, and then suddenly, there I was, thrown into an abyss of deep, narrow shelves, when all I wanted were wide, shallow ones.  In the first few days, I insisted that my husband put all of the food (especially the freshly-cooked and newly-purchased items) into the fridge.  Over time, however, I gradually grew more comfortable with my new appliance.  Nevertheless, I still feel a tiny twinge of nervousness every time I need to stock it up with food for a large gathering. There are, however, certain tricks that I?ve learned that can help make extra room in your refrigerator where you thought there was none.  Although it may seem obvious, the easiest way to make room in your refrigerator is to throw out everything that is spoiled, past its due date, or you know you won?t ever eat.  There?s no point in saving...
More About: Organization , Gera , Organ

How to Undo Mudroom Madness
2007-01-25 14:23:01
We?ve been in our new house for nearly three months now, and the coat closet was just installed. Really. It?s a good thing that we?ve only been using our coats for a few weeks, because believe me, without a proper coat closet, coats are a catastrophe. Throw in a tangled jumble of scarves, hats, mittens, gloves (that is, if you?re lucky enough to have a matching pair), and you have a recipe for mudroom madness. Or, if you?re like me and don?t have a mudroom, you have plain-old hallway havoc. The good news is that since we?ve gotten the closet (ok, it?s only been 3 weeks, but still), we haven?t had even one coat or backpack out of place. It might sound silly, but it?s no easy feat when half of your family is composed of a three-year-old and a one-year-old. And yet, even the children have gotten a routine down pat: come home, unload knapsack, take off coat, put them both in the closet. Here are a couple of easy ways to keep your mudroom or foyer neat, and to enable your children to hel...
More About: How To , Ness , Room , Madness

Keeping Holiday Receipts Organized
2007-01-25 14:23:01
The holiday season is the easiest time to let the  house go a bit - let things pile up.  And there?s always some way to rationalize the bedlam:  you were too busy to put your packages away, too tired to deal with the mess, or running late to a holiday party with little time to focus on straightening up the house.  All of these excuses are valid (I should know; I?ve used them all numerous times); but they are still excuses.  Because it?s exactly in times of chaos that critical receipts can get lost, misplaced or accidentally thrown out.  Consequently, taking extra time to care for your holiday receipts can save you from the distress of searching for them, arguing with the store clerk to return or exchange your items without their proper receipts and the throbbing headache that justifiably results from this entirely traumatic process.   The easiest way to keep your holiday receipts on hand is to clear out a special section of your wallet just for these receipts.  Make an effort to pla...
More About: Organize , Holiday , Keep , Ping , Organ

Staying Sane During the Holiday Season
2007-01-25 14:23:01
I can?t believe it?s December already.  Not only is another year coming to a close, but the holiday season is upon us, and I?ve barely begun to prepare.   Of course, it would be so easy for me to tell you that I?ve bought all my gifts, prepared the menu for my big family dinner and purchased all of the ingredients that I?ll be using.  But that wouldn?t be true.  It doesn?t matter though, because I have a plan.    My plan is to stay focused and remain organized so that when the big day finally arrives I can enjoy it, instead of running around like a lunatic.  How am I going to do that, you may ask?  Well, I?m going to follow an easy tip sheet that I prepared during the last holiday season (when things could have been a bit more in control).  I encourage you to follow the same guidelines, to keep your own sanity as well.  We can compare notes afterwards, and see how well the plan worked.    Tip 1: Don?t move on to Step 2 without completing Step 1 in its entirety.  This means, don?t le...
More About: Holiday , Season , Ring , The Holiday , Stay

Closing the Closet - Easy Ways to Cut Out Clothes Closet Clutter
2007-01-25 14:23:01
In my old apartment, I never closed my closet door. I simply couldn?t. I tried and tried, but jacket sleeves or long skirt bottoms kept getting stuck in the door and preventing it from closing. The plus side was that I got a great glimpse of my wardrobe options every morning- without having to lift a finger. The down side was that I never got to look at a clutter-free room because my clothing was always in plain view. Ok, so I really enjoy sitting in an overstuffed armchair when I happen upon one, and I LOVE indulging in an overstuffed corned-beef sandwich about twice a year. But an overstuffed closet? It?s a bit much on a regular basis. When we moved to our new place, I promised myself that I wouldn?t allow the same messy closet that I tolerated in our admittedly temporary apartment (so what if ?temporary? turned out to be nearly 3 years?). So I set about organizing my new closet in a way that it can (hopefully) stay neat. And I realized that it?s not really as hard as it seems. By...
More About: Clothes , Close , Sing , Closet , Easy

How to Spruce Up Your Bathroom (Without Paying a Fortune)
2007-01-25 14:23:01
It?s kind of funny to say out loud, but my guest bathroom is one of the most favorite places in the house. Perhaps because it?s not cluttered with the mundane things that are used every day in a regular bathroom (like frayed toothbrushes and three different types of shampoo), or perhaps it just makes me happy that the towels are always hanging neatly on the rack, waiting for a guest to come and take a hot shower. Either way, I am always delighted to look at the bathroom and know that it?s going to (hopefully) be enjoyed by a weary traveler or someone who just needs to escape from the constant chaos in our house. Although I am fully aware that it?s quite luxurious to even have a guest bathroom, having one (even for a short while) has really taught me how it?s the simple things that can really spruce up a bathroom and make it not only a functional space, but a beautiful room as well. I?d even venture to say that by adding a few bathroom accessories, a bathroom can really be enjoyed b...
More About: Bath , How To , Bathroom , Fortune , With

Caddies: They?re not Just for Golfers Anymore!
2007-01-25 14:23:01
Has the tranquility of your long-awaited bath ever been interrupted by children?s toys bobbing in the bubbles or the view of a messy bathroom beyond the rim of your tub? Did you every wonder why your friends? bathrooms seem so neat, while yours always looks like a ransacked testing lab for beauty products and medicine? If so, you are not alone (trust me, I?ve been there!)- but there are a few quick and easy things you can do to make your time in the bathroom a more pleasant and relaxing experience. One of the most helpful things I?ve found that cuts down the time of my morning routine is a makeup caddy that sits on my bathroom counter. After years of rummaging through my makeup bag morning after morning, I can now find each piece of makeup quickly, because it stands right in its own place. Makeup caddies don?t only have to be functional; they can also be beautiful. Try looking for a makeup caddy in a bright color that will match your bathroom, or one that looks like a little basket ...
More About: Golf , Just , They , More , Caddie

The Muffins That Almost Weren?t
2007-01-25 14:23:01
My husband moved into our new home about a month before the kids and I did so that he could start unpacking the boxes, take care of last minute construction details, and make sure that all of the major appliances were properly installed before I brought the kids into a messy place. It seemed like a good idea at the time, and to a large extent, I?m sure it was. Out of some 170+ boxes, probably only 40-50 were left by the time I got to the house. The beds were made and there was food in the fridge (which was the only appliance that actually worked, but that?s a whole other story). I spent at least 12 hours a day unpacking and cleaning in my first week home (really!), and thought that things were finally almost all in order. That ?s when I decided it was time to bake muffins. You?re probably thinking it?s crazy to bake muffins when not everything is unpacked, but by that time, I was yearning for a bit of homemade cooking, something more than frozen hotdogs or yogurt. The muffins were de...
More About: Hat , Muffins , Most , Muffin

Getting Organized: Again and Again
2006-11-26 23:29:00
Over the past few years, I’ve moved around a lot: from my parents’ spacious house to a college dorm to a small apartment and finally to a house of my own. I’ve morphed from studious college-student to new wife, to new mother, to graduate student AND mother, and finally to working mother. There’s no question ...