Get Organized for Back-to-School
by Molly Gold, founder of GO MOM !NCThe school bell is about to ring, if it hasn't already for some children, signifying a new school year. Whether you are in the first weeks of class or still preparing, staying ahead of the paper flow, managing homework, stocking on school supplies and spending a lot of money are probably on your mind. You can manage the chaos and stay organized all year. Here's how:
Plan Ahead
The only way you can command your time is to consciously map it. Simply put, use a family oriented planner that enables you to track all family members' schedules in one place. When you monitor your family schedule, you can then plan how and when to accomplish important back-to-school tasks, such as replacing clothes, purchasing school supplies, and attending back-to-school night. Stock your kids' homework stations with pencil and paper basics while purchasing classroom items. Take it one step further by creating an emergency project box full of grade appropriate tools that will hold the night before anxiety at bay. Visit Target stores for an ample supply of poster board, report folders, markers, glue sticks, and an assortment of interesting arts and crafts items in small quantities to allow your child's creativity to shine, one project at a time.
Plan for Paper
Before you start stacking all those important school papers in a long forgotten corner of your kitchen, on top of last months bills, put your paper trail in place beginning with in/out boxes for each family member. Show everyone where to place their papers and then sort them daily with your planner at hand to note important deadlines and tasks. When setting up your own filing system, check out the new GO MOM!® School Organizer. With monthly pockets for everything from school related projects and fundraisers to teacher newsletters and activities rosters, you can't help but be ready for the first round of parent/teacher conferences at the end of first quarter. If it's your house that keeps you buried, you'll find the GO MOM!® Home Organizer to be equally as effective in helping you categorize and sort the most important papers as you manage your family's busy days.
Plan to Purge
We all do better with a clean, organized environment. If you haven't yet gone through everyone's closets, dressers, and bedrooms while evaluating wardrobes for school, do it as soon as you have your routine in motion. Make room for the year ahead by rounding up all outgrown items, discarding everything that can't be repaired, both in the toy and clothing departments. For items in good condition, arrange for a charitable donation or enlist your kids' help and plan a yard sale in late September. Take advantage of your clean slate and give each room a quick cleaning with an all purpose cleaner like Mr. Clean Extra Power Multi-Surface Cleaner. From scrubbing baseboards to replacing air filters, flipping mattresses and cleaning windows, Fall is a great time to freshen your home and welcome the change of seasons. And for Moms of older kids, enlist their helping hands as you plow through this process. Respect and responsibility for both our possessions and environment are life skills worth teaching.
GO MOM !NC Founder, Molly Gold, is a 40-year-old mother of three and the creator of The GO MOM!® product line. Gold is known for her keen insights into Family Scheduling and has been featured both in print and on air media alike. Gold currently serves on Proctor & Gamble's Mr. Clean Team Expert Panel, Cartoon Network's Tickle U Advisory Board and as Family Scheduling Expert at both www.BlueSuitMom.com, and www.NewBaby.com. Gold's work has most recently been featured on NBC's Today Show Weekend Edition, as a contributing author in the newly released, The Experts Guide to the Baby Years, by Samantha Ettus, Women's Health Magazine, and in the February 2007 Family Fun Magazine.
