Amber's Organizing - Tips

How small changes at home reduce your footprint on our earth Much of the recycling and earth conscientiousness I practice has come from watching my clients. You all teach me more than you think! I’m proud to see so many families throughout Chicago recycling and being mindful of small steps that make a huge difference over time. Here are a few ideas. How many of these do you already practice, and which ones could you add to your day? Use a water bottle instead of buying plastic cases of water. Use a cloth napkin at dinner time instead of buying…

How to Prepare Your Home for the Holidays: 12 Organizing Tips of Christmas Reduce the number of collections or knick-knacks you have displayed. This will make room for fresh flowers, holiday décor, and platters of food to entertain family and friends. The less that’s displayed, the less cluttered your home will look for the holidays. As you bring out décor for specific holidays, pack your regular every day knick-knacks and décor into the holiday box. When you put holiday decor away, you can put back the everyday décor. This makes for an easy swap. Plan ahead. Decide on menus, reservations,…

The trick to the completion of a successful school year is maintenance. If you start the year by building good habits into yours and their day and weeks, maintenance will take care of itself. Decide on ONE family calendar, whether it’s an electronic calendar or a physical calendar that hangs on the wall in the mudroom. Get into the habit of writing every parent or kid commitment onto the calendar. If you can review the day’s schedule with family members each morning at breakfast or the night before during dinner, you’ll be set up for success. Empty backpacks every night….

Transitions bring on stress – even those we’ve been through many times before, like shedding our relaxed summer selves and getting back to the school year hustle.  We can minimize start-up stress, however, by planning and putting things in place now.  With proper preparation and organization, we will avoid unnecessary anxiety, arguments, and overall pressure, leaving our kids with more energy to soak up new knowledge and reconnect with old friends.   Also, by engaging our kids in preparation, we not only give them a solid boost this year, but we model good behavior that they may copy throughout their learning lives. Maybe you’re…

A successful first day (or week) of school starts with organizing and planning. Physical and emotional barriers will get in the way. Here are some ideas of how to hurdle over them. Physical Logistics On the day before school starts, run through the morning routine with your kids and have them help you prepare the following items. Check that the bathroom is clean and there are towels, shampoo, soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, etc. for each child (and yourself!). Layout each child’s outfit in an accessible and obvious location.  Put out everything they are going to wear in one place (shoes waiting…

Let’s talk Purse Organization. Two things always prove true: women love purses and women change out their purses often. How should you organize your purse? What are good practices to keep your purse organized?  There are two issues to address and discuss. The first is the mess left behind when you don’t empty your purse entirely while rotating or switching between purses. Soon your collection of purses is littered with leftover mints, coins, business cards and lip gloss from when you last used it. The second is keeping your purse tidy throughout the week. No one longs for embarrassment as…

In contrast to the towering skyscrapers, any metropolitan city is a land of smaller interior living spaces. A typical older apartment or condo building is divided into many boxy rooms connected by tight doorways and long narrow hallways; the more modern open-concept is far less commonly found. Kitchens are often tight and usually separated from the rooms meant for social gathering and relaxing. Doorways are small and hallways are long and narrow. And let’s not forget the closets. Historic homes always lack closet space resembling skinny boxes with plaster walls. Staying clutter-free and organized in these historic spaces is a…

Nearly everyone I meet enjoys going to The Container Store to feel the sense of organization and to see all the neat gadgets and ideas on display. I must admit, I am a sucker for the store myself. Everything has its place, neatly labeled or perfectly itemized and stored-the complete opposite of most of our homes. Unfortunately, those same people I meet find it overwhelming and difficult to know exactly what you need, how you would use it, and what would work in your particular space back at home. Sometimes we, including myself, overspend because something might fit at the…

10 steps to organizing the linen closet or medicine cabinet Empty all contents of the shelves onto the floor or flat surface- the floor, a bed or table. Pitch anything expired- yes, check every bottle. You’ll be surprised how much stuff you’ll find. Also toss any product you don’t like or use on a regular basis. Our preferences change over the years. The creams or scents you once used might not be your favorite anymore. Group items into like categories. For categories, think of what aisles and sections you shop when you’re in Walgreens or Target. Common piles are first…

Take these Steps to Purge and Maximize Your Closet I know you’ve heard it said before- you only wear twenty percent of the clothes in your closet. I hate to say it again, but it’s true. Time and time again I see people with jam packed closets and dresser drawers, but when it comes down to it, they have their two favorite pairs of jeans, the one or two pajamas they wear every night, and the same t-shirt that they work out in because it’s the most comfortable they own. Let’s not deny that it’s true. If you had to…