It’s official.  As of today, my kids wrapped up another great school year and brought home a mountain of papers to prove it.  Writing journals, art projects, report cards - their backpacks were stuffed to the limit.  Within 10 minutes of getting home this afternoon, all three kids had scattered their stash all over the living room floor.  I’m a big fan of purging and I’m not a scrapbooker, so my first instinct was to grab a trash bag and rescue my floor.  But, as a nostalgic Mom, I just couldn’t bring myself to toss it all.  I mean what kind of parent could throw out a perfect, purple octopus painting by their 5 year-old or a “Why I love my Mom” essay by their third-grader?  So, naturally, I was forced to find another alternative. 

That’s when I remembered an idea I read about in Family Fun Magazine.  One clever Mom suggested using Priority Mail boxes to store kid art projects.  I use Priority Mail to ship all my MeckMom Etsy Store orders, so luckily I had a pack of these flat rate boxes sitting in the garage.  I pulled out three boxes and labeled them with each child’s name, teacher, grade, and the year.  Next, I started sifting through their stash and pulled out my favorite pieces.  Then, I let the kids choose a few of their favorites.  After that, I went through their family inbox (that’s where I temorarily store stuff I want to keep) and added a few more items to their box (like school pictures, awards, mother’s day cards, etc.). 

My plan from this point is to take a video of each child going through and describing the treasures in their box.  Once that’s done, we’ll pack everything up, seal the box, and move them to the big, plastic  container in the garage. 

It’s not a permanent solution - eventually I hope to make DVDs of each kid’s photos, art, and videos.  It’s just a great way to keep everything organized (and off my floor) until I have time to take on the bigger project.  The flat rate boxes are available for free at your local post office or online at usps.com.  Just thought I’d pass it on.

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Let’s face it, greeting card stores are not kid-friendly.  They stock tons of fragile knick knacks and scatter them amidst endless rows of brightly colored, cartoon-covered cards - all within easy reach of my kid’s curious fingers.  So, when it comes time to find the perfect Mother’s Day card, I skip the store and grab my greeting card file folder instead.

My greeting card box is a simple accordion style file box with built-in dividers.  I bought it to coordinate with my other office stuff at Staples for around $18, but you could use a cheaper plastic version or a three-ring binder stocked with sheet protectors as well.  Essentially, I divided the box into the basic card categories (thank you, holiday, birthday, etc.) and labeled the dividers with return address-size labels.  To help keep things tidy, I store the cards in the open slots and stash all the envelopes in the back.

Whenever I’m kid-free and get a chance to visit Hallmark or the greeting card aisle of Target, I try to stock up on a random collection of cards to replenish my supply.  That way when special events such as birthdays and baby showers pop up on my calendar I’ve always got a few great cards to choose from. 

I’m not much of a ’saver’ (I like to keep digital copies), but if you have a hard time parting with hand-written notes from friends and family you could also use this system to keep your treasured cards safe and organized.  Just make sure your file box or binder is made of acid-free materials like this plastic version from Amazon.com.

This little quick fix is cheap, easy, and completely convenient - three of my favorite organizing adjectives.  :)  Just thought I’d pass it on.    

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As a Mom, sometimes it seems like I spend half my day “picking up” after my family. I often spend so much time getting the small stuff in order that I never make it to the deep cleaning. Consequently, I’m always looking for cheap tools to help speed up the the process. Two of my favorites are my Butler’s Broom and my ultra-handy Grabber.

It’s kind of amazing how quickly the kitchen floor can go from clean to crumb-covered. Even if the mess is isolated to a certain spot (like that pesky area under the stools) - the kitchen gets so much foot traffic that the initial mess seems to spread within minutes. My solution? Catch the mess early with a Butler’s Broom - or better yet, make your kids do it. I bought this handy little tool in the cleaning supplies section of Wal Mart for around $10. Its short size makes it very kid-friendly and allows it to tuck away neatly on my pantry door. It’s perfect for sweeping up small messes and reaching into tight corners. As a bonus, the handle-mounted dustpan saves you from bending down and it’s large enough to hold even the bigger kitchen clean-ups. I’ve used mine several times a day for the past two years and - although it’s starting to signs of wear - still works like a charm.

My Grabber was another Wal Mart find that I can’t live without. On any given day, I probably pick up dozens of random items off my floors, tables, sofas (and pretty much any other horizontal surface). I guess it might have something to do with the 4 people in our family that are less than 40 inches tall. You long time readers might remember the stash boxes I created to help deal with this pick-up-after-yourselves problem. Although the stash boxes and our weekly stash box challenge help a ton, I still hate bending over a zillion times a day to pick up what remains. That’s where this handy tool comes in. Designed to help people with disabilities extend their reach, the Grabber is perfect for Moms looking to streamline their clean-ups.  It’s narrow and lightweight which makes it incredibly convenient for grabbing kid shoes, papers, matchbox cars, couch cushions and pretty much everything else that wanders out of place each day. Best of all, the long handle virtually eliminates the need to bend over and provides extended reach for when your son decides to stash his rotten apple core behind the way-too-heavy-to-move-by-yourself armoire.

I loved having my Grabber during pregnancy - especially during that last trimester when I couldn’t bend over to tie my own shoes, let alone pick up Polly Pockets. If you’ve got a baby shower to attend in the near future, I highly recommend skipping the sea of traditional pastel baby presents and picking up a Grabber instead. Trust me, yours will be the first thank you card she’ll write! You can find the Grabber at various sites online or in the “as seen on TV” section of your local Wal Mart for around $10. Just thought I’d pass it on.

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My oldest daughter turned eight this year and one of her many transitions into “big kid life” has been to manage her own bath-time routine.  One area she seemed to struggle with was temperature control.  I can’t tell you how many times I had to drain the tub because she’d managed to fill it with icy-cold or scalding-hot water.  I thought shifting her to showers would help but she would end up letting the water run for 10 minutes before her shower because she couldn’t seem to get the water to a comfortable temperature.  After awhile, I gave up on the training and opted to start the shower for her each night.  It was tedious, but at least I didn’t have to worry about her scalding herself or draining all the contents of the hot-water heater. 

Then last week I had one of those ah-hah moments that every mother loves.  I was filling the tub for my youngest kids when I noticed that, unlike my daughter, I didn’t have to adjust the handle when filling the tub.  I seemed to know - from years of experience, I guess - just how far to turn the handle to get the water to the right temperature.  It occured to me that if I could somehow mark that “perfect” spot for my daughter, she’d be able to do the same.  I quickly grabbed a pink Sharpie from the junk drawer and, while the water was still running, marked the faucet handle.  I put one small stripe on the wall fixture and another in the same location on the handle (click on the picture above to get a closer view).  When the stripes are aligned, the water coming from the faucet is a perfect kid-friendly temp.

So far, the results have been great.  Now when my daughter needs to start her own bath or shower she just lines up the pink stripes, waits for the temperature to regulate, and then hops in.  It also came in handy today with my little five-year-old.  I started the tub for her and then went to clean the kitchen while she hopped in.  Apparently she bumped the handle during her entry because within a few minutes she was screaming about the “super-cold water” that was pouring out of the faucet.  In the past I would have had to drop whatever I was doing and go fix it for her…but not this time.  I just reminded her about the pink shower stripes and told her to make them touch.  She adjusted the handle all by herself and was happy as a clam in her warm, bubbly bath. 

If marking up your fixtures with permanent marker makes you nervous, try a bright shade of nail polish instead - just create little dots instead of lines.  That way if you ever need to remove or adjust the marks a little nail polish remover should do the trick.  It’s not a revolutionary idea, but when it comes to managing the everyday motherhood obstacles, every little bit helps. :)  Just thought I’d pass it on. 

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If you live anywhere in the Midwest you’ll probably understand why I’m posting this today. At the moment, my house, car, grass, and pretty much everything else that’s exposed to the elements is coated in two inches of solid ice.

Today, my kids spent the better part of an hour smashing zillions of icicles with wooden spoons. Of course, immediately after peeling off all their cold, soggy outerwear they started begging for cups of steamy hot chocolate…so I pulled out one of my favorite appliances - my Cocomotion.

I used to hate making instant hot cocoa. I could never manage to get the right temperature with the microwave and the cocoa powder never seemed to mix into the milk without making a gloppy mess. Then, a few years ago my mother-in-law introduced me to this little wonder. Made by Mr. Coffee, this handy gadget makes the perfect cup of hot cocoa every time and costs less than $25.

The clear, easy-pour canister is marked like a measuring cup so you can make up to 4 mugs of hot cocoa in a single batch. Simply fill the canister to the desired level with milk or water, dump in your powdered cocoa or cider, twist the lid, and hit the button. The Cocomotion whips the contents into a frothy concoction for a few minutes and then shuts off automatically when the perfect drinking temperature is reached. To clean it, I just rinse it under the tap and dry it with a paper towel. As a bonus, the cord wraps up into the base allowing it to store neatly in the back of my cupboard.

I found my Cocomotion at WalMart a few years ago but you should still be able to get your hands on one because I’ve seen them at both Target and WalMart this year. In fact, since it’s late in the season, you may be able to find it in the clearance area. If you do find it for a steal, you might want to pick up several. They make great Christmas gifts when accompanied by a basket of gourmet cocoa packets. Just thought I’d pass it on.

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Thanks to everyone for your fabulous responses to last week’s Talk to Me Tuesday post.  It’s great to know that I’m not alone in my hatred of slimy, grimy showers.

Recently I got a great question from April regarding my many charts.  She wondered where I stash my charts in order to keep them accessible without making things look cluttered.  Although the fridge is a tempting solution, I like to reserve it for things like my Kid’s Weekly Planners and their current homework.  Consequently, I have to stash my other charts and lists elsewhere.  My favorite stash spots?  The inside of my kitchen cupboards and doors.

For example, the picture above shows the inside of the cupboard door nearest to my fridge.  On it I keep my Mom Game Plan, my Stash Box Challenge sheet, a pack of post-its and a clip of quick-reference school sheets (like the lunch menu, and the school calendar).  I’m not crazy about taping things to the inside of my cupboards and doors, so I use removeable hooks to hold things in place instead.  When used in combination with small binder clips they’re an inexpensive, flexible way to keep everything close at hand. 

I use the same basic solution on the inside of my pantry door as well.  Here the clips and hooks hold things like this ziploc bag of clipped box tops, the kid’s lunch boxes, and my Reuseable Grocery List.  As for your question regarding the Picture Job Chart, April, I keep that one on a similar hook inside the hall closet door.  When Saturday morning rolls around I grab the chart from the hook, adjust the jobs, and then post it on the outside of the pantry door for easy viewing.

So there you have it, April.  By keeping my charts and lists in these hidden stash spots around the house, I’m able to keep everything accessible without adding clutter to the public areas of the house.  It’s a simple, cheap and easy way to keep things organized and out of view.  Just thought I’d pass it on.

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As I mentioned in a previous post, I dread cleaning bathrooms.  I hate the germy gunk, the smelly chemicals, and the overall time commitment.  One area I particularly loathe is my shower.  For the last several years I’ve had a shower with sliding glass doors.  You know, those lovely glass doors that start out looking so bright and clear and slowly morph into cloudy, soap scum-covered eye sores?  Well, I hate cleaning them.  To begin with, it seems to take a lot of product to break through the soap scum.  On top of that, in order to get to the pesky scum you have to be willing to climb into the shower, close the doors, ruin whatever clothes you’re wearing, and inhale toxic fumes.  And to top it all off, no matter how hard you try, you can’t ever get to the pesky three inches of glass where the sliding doors overlap.

I’ve wrestled with my shower frustration for years now.  Then last week a simple solution to my years of shower hatred hit me right in the face…literally.  As I was scouring the scum-covered door, one of the glass panels popped out of its track and fell into the shower.  I thought about putting it back on and then realized that the door would be much easier to clean if I left it off the track.  Within ten minutes I had popped both panels off their track, cleaned both sides of the stubborn glass, and popped them back into place.  As a bonus, while the shower doors were off the track drying, I was able to step into the shower and scrub the walls and floor.  It was so much easier to get to all those hard-to-reach nooks and crannies now that the doors weren’t in the way.  At last, I’d found an easy and effective way to get my shower clean. 

Of course, immediately after figuring this out, I was kicking myself for not thinking of it sooner.  I bet most of you figured it years ago.  In fact, I bet you guys have tons of great tips for a lack-luster house-cleaner like me.  So for today’s ‘Talk To Me Tuesday’ post, I’m asking for you for your favorite cleaning tips.  Are there cleaning products or tools that you can’t live without?  Have you found any tips or tricks that make your cleaning process easier or faster?  If so, I hope you’ll share it with the rest of us.  I can’t wait to hear what you come up with.  As always, for those of you that comment, thanks - in advance - for passing it on.

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Thanks for all your great homework suggestions from last week’s Talk To Me Tuesday post.  I’ve already put several of them to the test.  You guys are going to be a fabulous resource for me!  Keep up the great comments.

I love sweater season.  I yearn for the first chilly days of fall like most people look forward to the first signs of spring.  As soon as the temperature starts to drop I stock my closet with stacks of cozy cashmere, cotton, and wool.  Of course the downside to all that sweater binging is that by mid-January my favorite sweaters and jackets are inevitably showing signs of wear. 

Little fuzzy balls and bits of woolen fluff can make even the most expensive sweater look cheap and unattractive.  Over the years, I’ve tried several sweater shaver gadgets and gizmos but never been pleased with the results.  Then, a few weeks ago I was watching a home makeover show and saw the host use a cheap little plastic razor to remove the pilling from the cushions of an old sofa.  I immediately thought about my sweater pilling problem and wondered if this easy solution could work for them as well. 

I whipped out one of my favorite sweaters and grabbed a little pink daisy razor from my bathroom drawer.  Much to my surprise it worked fabulously.  Thirty minutes and two razors later, I had managed to remove the annoying fuzz balls from 10 sweaters, 2 jackets, and my favorite wool coat.

Generally I’ve found that I get the best results if I lay the sweater out flat on the kitchen table but if you’re in a pinch it also works when you’re wearing the sweater.  Just pull the section you’re going to shave very taught use short vertical strokes.  Sharp razors yield the best results and you’ll want to replace it when you find the razor rolling over the pilling instead of cutting it off.  Don’t worry about using the more expensive multi-blade razors, the cheap one or two-blade razors work just as well.  One package of those little pink disposable wonders can save a whole closet full of sweaters and cost you less than a dollar.  It’s tough to beat a bargain like that.  Just through I’d pass it on. 

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