Janice, Author at Cut Clutter With Scissors

Are You Overwhelmed With School Papers Yet?

September 22, 2011 / Janice

School has been in session for most children for close to a month now. Are you overwhelmed with all the papers coming home?

There are the notices of events going on, the permission slips, homework, worksheets, and of course all the art work the younger children do. With so many papers coming in so fast it is easy to put them in a pile to go through later. But will you and/or your child go through them before the homework is due or the permission slip is too late?

If you didn’t set up a system to handle all these papers before school started then now is the time to do it! Below are some tips on a system I set up when my children where in school. Since everyone is different there is not one perfect system. You have to find what works best for you and your children. Sometimes it’s a matter of trial and error. I’ve also listed some websites below for you to check out their tips. The sooner you find one that works the smoother the school year will go for the whole family.

Notices, permission slips, etc.: A different color pocket folder for each child works best. Each day when your child brings home the papers be sure to mark the date on your calendar before you file the paper into the folder. You could also use a 3 ring binder with pocket folders in it.
Current homework: Each child should have their own notebook or folders they keep in their backpack. Usually the teachers will recommend what they want for their class. Check it daily. Your child will need to clean out this folder periodically or else the current homework could end up lost in the old homework.
Old homework: This is were it’s harder to decide what to keep and what to get rid of. Depending on the grade level there can be a lot of papers that your child never needs to look at again. If there is a chance they will need it to study for a test help them set up a folder for each subject. Most of the time in the younger grades you can get rid of the the practice papers. At the end of the school year very little if any needs to be kept.
Art work/stories: Many of these will be keepers, at least for a short time. You can hang up the art work, give it to the grandparents, or store it. Plastic boxes that go under the bed work great for these since many pieces of art work are larger than the standard piece of paper. You can also put those short stories they write in this box.

If you haven’t decluttered last years papers now is a good time to do it. This article will show you how.

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com/decluttering-childrens-school-papers/

Don’t forget to check out some of the links below for more ideas on how to organize children’s school papers.

Website links for controlling school papers.

http://www.onlineorganizing.com/NewslettersArticle.asp?newsletter=go&article=284

http://www.creativehomemaking.com/organizing/kids-artwork.shtml

http://www.familyhistorykids.com/organize_and_preserve_childrens_art_and_school_work.htm

http://www.marilynbohn.com/articles/back-to-school-and-the-agony-of-paperwork.html

Janice

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Helping Hand

September 20, 2011 / Janice

This past weekend we took my mother-in-law out for her 86th birthday dinner. Since the weather had turned cooler I looked through my closet for a nice long sleeve top to wear. Almost all of them were old and didn’t look that great anymore. Many were too heavy for this time of year.

Since I don’t like shopping much I tend to not update my wardrobe very often. As a result it sometimes reaches the point that everything looks washed out. You know, where the shirts are pilling, are faded, and hanging out of shape.

I only have a few dressy outfits for good and then my everyday uniform. There isn’t much in between. My everyday uniform consist of blue jeans or shorts and a short or long sleeve T-shirt depending on the time of year. The advantage of working out of my house is I can save a lot of money on clothes since I don’t need a wardrobe for a workplace.

Of course the disadvantage is since I don’t need a lot of nice casual clothes (business casual) I tend not to shop much for them. Now this may not be a disadvantage for most people, especially if they enjoy shopping, but it becomes my excuse not to shop often enough to keep my wardrobe updated.

A few years ago I joined the Missus Smarty Pants program and that helped me a lot. It taught me how to shop for the right kind of clothes for my body type. I didn’t dread going to the store so much and buying clothes that didn’t make me look my best, (wasting money?). With the help from her program I bought clothes that made me look good and were much more versatile. I think it is time to sign up again!

We all have our strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes that helping hand can help us overcome our weaknesses. Sometimes we may need that helping hand on a regular basis (like my clothes shopping dread) so we can continue to have accomplishments in our weaker areas.

This is what I’m trying to do with my blog and website. This is why I’m writing the Halloween blog series (starts Oct 3). I want to make sure I don’t wait until the last minute to put up decorations or buy candy. Yes, I have done that before! I also hope that this blog series can help you avoid procrastinating until the last minute. In other words, I’m offering a helping hand to help you plan and prepare for the holiday.

If this series works out well I’ll be happy to do it for Thanksgiving and Christmas and Chanukah. If you want to receive this blog series in your email all you have to do is sign-up here.

If you’re already receive the blog posts by email then you don’t have to do anything.

If you have any questions, suggestions, or ideas for the upcoming blog series, please let me know.

Thanks,

Janice

The “How To Have A Fun, Safe, And Decluttered Halloween” eBook is now available for the PC, Kindle, and Nook. It’s a witches brew of tips on decorations, costumes, and treats. Get it now before you head to the store.

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Requesting Input for New Blog Series

September 15, 2011 / Janice

I am currently writing a blog series called “Countdown to Halloween”. My objective is to help you prepare for Halloween over the course of the four weeks of October.

I will be sending out 1-2 blog posts each week with a list of things you can do to start enjoying the holiday without all the last minute stress. This series will be set up where I will welcome your suggestions or questions. It will be a lot like a free e-course only we get to help each other through the comment section of this blog and/or on my Facebook page.

Before I start the blog series in the next few weeks I’m asking for your input now on what you would like to see in the each post. Right now the areas I’m writing about are:

Setting up indoor and outdoor decorations.
Making or buying costumes.
School parties.
Buying candy or other treats.

If there are other areas you would like to see addressed in this series please let me know in the comment section.

If you want to receive the “Countdown to Halloween” blog series and future blog series please sign up here….

If you already receive the blog post updates in your email then you are ready to go.

For more tips on organizing and decluttering be sure to “Like” my Facebook page. This is also a good place to make comments or ask questions.

http://www.facebook.com/CutClutterWithScissors

Thanks for you input.

Janice

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Changing Fall Colors

September 13, 2011 / Janice

I changed the banner above to reflect some of the colors and events that happen during September. Every year there is the Great Forest Park Balloon Race here in St. Louis. There are some neat photos on the site but I think my photo is pretty good also. I plan on going to this year’s race this Sat. and hope to get some more great pictures.

Anyway, all the photos above were taken at Forest Park over the last couple of years during the month of September.

Now is a good time to get out your cameras and head to a local park. As nature creates her collage of changing colors you just may capture that great photo to print and hang as a fall decoration.

With the days getting shorter and cooler it’s time to change the decorations inside and out. The mums, pansies and other cool weather plants are showing up at the garden centers. Dig out the tired leggy summer plants and plant up a few of the fall plants. Just adding a couple of pots of golden or purple mums by your front door will brighten the entrance.

Towards October the gourds, pumpkins, and colored corn will be at the stores. These make clutter free decorations because you either compost them or throw them away after the season is over. If you decorate for Halloween and/or Thanksgiving these kind of things will blend right in with your other decorations. In fact, with the natural, seasonal items you’ll need fewer items that need to be stored for 10 plus months of the year.

In my last blog post I told you about my Halloween eBook. It is now available on Amazon for the Kindle and on Barnes and Noble for the Nook. On my sales page I have the link for Amazon already up but I’m waiting for the link for Barnes and Noble. It’s also available as a PDF for your PC. In the chapter on decorating I talk about some of the ideas above. If you decorate for Halloween then it’s not too early to purchase the eBook. Start with the fall decorating and build on that.

Learn more about what the eBook has in it here: http://organizebythemonth.com/how-to-have-a-fun-safe-and-decluttered-halloween-2/

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice

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Tips for Labor Day Celebrations

September 1, 2011 / Janice

Labor Day is a celebration of the American Worker. Despite all the economical and political dishevel (I won’t even begin to go there!) American’s need to step back and recognize how every worker, whether paid or volunteer, from Main Street to Wall Street, is what makes this country run. Like a fine machine we all are important and need to work together to make this country run at it’s best.

Okay, now I’ll get off my high horse and give you some information you can use to help make this Labor Day a celebration. Not everyone gets the day off (firemen, police, retail store workers, etc.) so if you run into any of these people working be sure to thank them for helping this country run.

I’m leaving town to visit my son so I have been using my “Travel Planner”. If you are traveling this weekend I suggest you read the following article and blog posts to help make the traveling more organized.

http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/make_travel_easier_with_a_travel_planner

http://organizebythemonth.com/traveling-by-car/

http://organizebythemonth.com/are-we-there-yet-travel-games/

Here are some sites that have information and ideas on how to celebrate Labor Day.

http://www.dol.gov/opa/aboutdol/laborday.htm

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/labor-day/

http://labor-day-weekend.com/

http://dailyholiday.info/labor-day

Have a safe and fun holiday weekend.

Janice

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