This newsletter is sent out to subscribers twice a month. Enjoy! Carol Riggles ======================== :: WORDS TO LIVE BY :: ======================== If you don't have time to do it right you must have time to do it over. ======================== :: FEATURE ARTICLE :: ======================== Prepare Now for an Organized "Back-To-School" September by Carol Riggles It hardly seems like summer has begun when we have to return our attention to the new school year. Retailers may be rushing the "back-to-school" season, but believe me, if you don't get ready now - you may find yourself feeling rushed and overwhelmed when school begins. Here are some great ideas to get and stay organized during the 2003-2004 school year: First of all, if you haven't sorted through the paperwork that accumulated during the 2002-2003 school year - now is the time! If you are like me, you think every piece of schoolwork has value and you tend to save it all. This is sentimental, to say the least, but certainly not practical. You have to decide how much space you have for storing such items first, and then make the pile fit the space. I use small see-thru plastic file boxes that can be stacked - one for each school year. In front of the box I place a piece of schoolwork that is representative of that year making the school year identifiable without having to actually label the box. You will have to determine what type of work to save. As an art historian, I give artwork the highest priority, even though my son is no van Gogh. You may prefer to keep papers with high grades or examples of creative writing instead, just make sure that you limit your selections so your pile of "keepers" doesn't become larger than the container or drawer you have selected to store the work in. It is essential to keep each school year for each person in its own box, file, drawer, etc. If you mingle stuff, and it isn't dated or identified, you will never be able to determine when it was created and by whom, and thereby diminish its future value as a source of reminiscing. If space for such storage is very limited, try using a 12-pocket accordian file folder for each person and label each pocket with each of the 12 school years. Saving just one piece of work from each subject is actually preferable to saving everything! The trick to ending up with the best stuff to keep is having a place to throw everything during the year so you can sort it all out at the same time at the end of the year. I use a file drawer with a hanging folder. The benefit of keeping everything during the year of its production is to prove to teachers that an assignment was completed and turned in. Many times I have seen an incomplete on my son's interim report card for an assignment I know he did. Teachers are just as busy and overwhelmed with paperwork as we are, if not even more so, and they do make mistakes. Since I don't throw anything away during the school year, I can always find a work that was completed even if it was done several months prior. Work filed in the hanging folder gets placed there in a somewhat chronological manner, so finding something completed a few months ago is very easy. After the old stuff is organized and put away, and a place for new paperwork has been set up, find a place for hanging the student's backpack. The backpack will be the storage place for all supplies that are used on a daily basis - at home and at school. It needs to be visible but not in the way. Doorknobs are favorite spots but then the backpack is in the way when the door needs to be opened or closed. A peg or hook near door the student uses to go to school is the best solution, eliminating any chance that the bag will be forgotten. Inside the backpack should be a special folder or portfolio just for homework - one pocket for completed work that is ready to turn in for grading, and the other pocket for new assignments still needing completion. The homework folder should be brightly colored and easy to identify, and the student needs to remember to carry it to all classes in addition to the subject folder or notebook for the individual class. The advantage of keeping homework separate from other class material is to save time. When the teacher asks for assignments, the student can simply pull out the folder and go through the small amount of paperwork in the completed work pocket. If homework is kept in the regular notebook for that subject, it can be difficult to find, and easy to forget about. When my son returns from school, I can glance at the homework folder to determine how much play time he should be allowed before beginning his assignments, and I can make sure he is turning in the work he has completed. One more organizing idea for the coming school year - Before you go out and buy new school clothes and supplies, take a day or two to go through everything you already own. As you sort, make sure you include a box for items outgrown but still functional to donate to your local Goodwill or charity. When you take the items you no longer need to the second- hand outlet, make sure you take the list of the things you do need to purchase. Lots of other people have been sorting their perfectly good stuff for the same reason, and you can really save a lot of money if you take a moment to glance at the shelves and racks to find items you need. About the author: Carol Riggles, owner of Carroll Creek Remedies, provides simple, practical, and effective solutions for better health and a more organized lifestyle. ======================== :: JUST FOR FUN :: ======================== One morning a mother was trying to wake up her son. "Wake up now! It's time to go to school." "I don't want to go to school," the son replied. His mother said, "Give me two reasons why you don't want to go to school." "Okay. One, all the children hate me. Two, all the teachers hate me." "Not good enough," the mother replied. "Fine," the son said. "Then you give me two good reasons why I SHOULD go to school." "One, you're 50 years old. Two, you're the principal of the school." ======================== :: INTERESTING INFO :: ======================== Helping Kids Stay Uncluttered (Some hints from cleaning professionals) Put away half of your kids' toys and switch them around every few months. They'll have plenty to play with and their room will stay cleaner. Label boxes, baskets, milk crates, plastic tubs - anything they might store toys in - to teach them how to sort toys and keep them off the floor. Let the kids decorate the containers they use so they will be personal and fun. Set a short period of time each day or each week that kids have to straighten up their room. Make a game out of it with a timer and give rewards to all kids for jobs well done. It will become a good habit and they'll have fun. Get the kids to go through their toys periodically and pick out some things that they don't play with anymore. Pack them up and take them somewhere where there are kids who don't have enough toys. Put bookshelves in every available place where the kids can stack their toys, books, etc. Anything to keep the floor clean. Teach kids good cleaning habits by being neat and tidy yourself. Hanging up clothes and putting things away after you use them sets a good example. Assign specific chores to kids and set a limit on when the chore has to be done. Put hooks and pegs on the backs of room doors and on the insides of closet doors for quick hangups when the kids come in. Let the kids do some "adult" clean up jobs. Sometimes loading the dishwasher or helping Mom clean up after a baking session is fun, especially for smaller children and it teaches good habits. Let kids listen to whatever they want to while they are cleaning. A little noise will be worth a clean room! Assign each child a towel and make sure they hang it up every day. This saves unnecessary washing. SOURCE: Merry Maids of Boca Raton, Florida http://www.merry-maids.com/kids_tips.html ======================== :: TIME-SAVING IDEA :: ======================== Feng shui reminder - For increased positive energy in your home - Always replace burned out light bulbs immediately! If you use special light bulbs in the vanity lights in your bathroom, keep the spare replacement bulbs stored in the vanity cabinet rather than in a utility closet somewhere else. This way, when a bulb blows, you can replace it immediately, rather than putting it off and forgetting about it, or having to make a special trip to the utility closet to find the right bulb. ========================= :: SEASONAL SUGGESTION :: ========================= Summer isn't over yet! Try some of these great smoothie recipes to cool you off without adding unhealthy calories:   Healthy Smoothie Recipes   =========================== :: COPYRIGHT INFORMATION :: =========================== Copyright 2003 - CCR Enterprises - All rights reserved in all countries. Reproduction of this material is prohibited in any form without prior permission. If you prefer not to receive the newsletter, simply reply to this message and type "Remove from Eliminate Clutter" in the Subject Line, or click on the removal link below:   Please Remove Me   If you have been forwarded this newsletter and would like to subscribe, simply reply to this message and type "Please add me to your Eliminate Clutter Newsletter" in the Subject Line, or click on the link below:   Please Subscribe Me