Well my friends, the Savvy Organizer is back. But not in a “I am so organized, it would make you sick” kind of way, but more in a “I-am-so-overwhelmed-I-need-ME” kind of way. It is true. My house+move=total disaster!! Seriously, it is so not funny (even if it is more than a little ironic

Five second update: I had Ezra 18 months ago (yikes, has that ever ZIPPED by), Paul’s uncle died which took me to Calgary for 5 weeks before Christmas, my house froze and flooded Christmas day (a year ago), Insurance, massive renovations of half our living space, being the general contractor because I am THAT retarded, rebuilding massive amounts of Ikea, unpacking, final renos done by my beloved, albeit insanely busy husband, and then… I thought it would be AWESOME to move! And again not in a “I will think about this, plan for it, de-clutter and do this thing in a logical, timely process…” but in a “put an offer on a house that was no longer on the market, pack, move and re-paint a house in 3 weeks kind of way.” WHY do I do this to myself?!?

The house is perfect though. BIGGER!! Four bedrooms up!!! An office in the basement, main floor laundry, big kitchen, newly renovated basement, AN IN-GROUND POOL for summer fun (and yes, I know they are super dangerous and yes, it is fenced, and no - my children will never be allowed in it alone until they can swim like Michael Phelp’s), and still tons of grass space in the back yard!!! And here is the ultimate kicker… it is literally across the street from my brother and sister-in-law’s house. Ummm - SOLD! So even though we are back to square one with a house that we need to work on, it was too perfect to pass up.

That brings you up to date on the whole, “So, what have you been up to?” question. Now - why I need “me” or at least an organizing buddy.

I am so overwhelmed, I don’t know where to start! Every single room is a mess. There are boxes everywhere, partially painted rooms, and tools scattered throughout. We have been here a month, and while I am working everyday, I feel like I am not getting anywhere. Then my SIL suggested a podcast she found very helpful… haha… SMACK! But it has been making me think again of a time where I used to be organized. And then it dawned on me, that while I knew I needed help, I could be MY OWN client; that I could do this as “The Savvy Organizer”! Ok - before you start worry about my sanity and multiple-personalities - I think it is actually a really good idea. I realized that, like me, many, many people are overwhelmed with their houses. They have good intentions and strong desires, but don’t know HOW to get there. And that by me going public with my own personal disaster zone, and finding my way out of this mess, maybe they could too…!

The Plan! This is going to be an everyday blog where I am accountable to YOU. I will post in the morning the plan for the day, and account how the previous day went. There will also be a occasional podcast on something that I have learned or felt that I needed to expand upon. Because some of you are in a similar “spinning in circles” state… I want you to do this with me!! Your house might be WAY better than mine, but you have a pesky room/drawer/cupboard that you know you want to fix. Or your house may be much worse - with years and years of stumbling. Whatever the case - we can work together! Just think of it like exercise buddies, but organizing buddies instead!!! Seriously though - I desperately need help. And support. And encouragement. Because I can’t stand living like this and it is making me a grumpy mom! So I am throwing this out there to the internet - whoever you are, let’s work together.

SO - for my new client (oh, let’s just call her - oh, I don’t know… ummm … Maja) : First things first! For tomorrow, I need you to:
1) Take pictures of your entire house and post them. (You can post yours on the Flicker group).
2) Write down your goals for each and every single space that needs attention. Be detailed, specific and timely. “Get my house organized” is not going to cut it. This has to be involved. I need to know exactly what you are going to do and how you are going to get there. (These you can post ?)

Until next time friends! Get BUSY!

Organizing doesn’t always have to be a huge day long production. I’m sure we’ve all learned through the podcasts that getting organized is an ongoing process, you don’t have to be perfect just keep at it.

If your clutter is keeping you up a night, we suggest taking FIVE! That’s right… take 5 minutes right now and clean up ONE cupboard in your kitchen, or one drawer in your dresser. One space, Five minutes…easy peasy. Now go set the timer, and don’t get sucked into doing more. This is your five minute fix then pat yourself on the back and do something else, enjoy your family, read an extra book to the kiddos, take a bubble bath, and be proud.

Let us know what your “5 Minute Fix” was today (mine is under my kitchen sink!) - Daria

We’re back from vacation and ready to Play, but before we get those toys out they need a bit of organizing. Maja’s major headache is her Toy Room!

In our “Toy Room Tantrum” episode today we’ll explore what you need to create an organized and functional toy room that your kids will love, and will hopefully ease that clutter headache for all the moms who listen in.

How to do it:
1 - Shelves (tall ones are best)
2 - Baskets and Bins
3 - Labels or Graphic picture for front of the bin (take out your camera and snap pics of what goes in, your kids will pick it up fast and be able to put away toys in a snap)
4 - Ditch the big ole’ Toy Box (it’s a black hole!)
5 - Widdle down your toy collection and be ruthless. Don’t forget our Mantra - “Top to bottom, left to right, focus, Focus, FOCUS!”
6 - How to maintain it is simply to have quick cleanups twice a day, then it’s simple and fast to keep it organized and beautiful

*If you have an area in your home or office that requires organizing, but you just don’t know where to start, shoot us an email to: thesavvyorganizer@gmail.com and your question might be featured and answered in an upcoming episode.

I have long struggled with accessorizing my wardrobe, and have finally determined that I was born without that gene.(DANGIT!) Pulling myself together is something I have been trying to do more of after becoming addicted to the TLC show “What Not to Wear“. (BTW, I would be fine if someone wanted to nominate me…!) I realized that part of the reason I never varied in my necklaces was because I had no idea what I had and they were always jumbled together in a mess in my jewelry box. I typically would think of this at the last part of getting ready, as consequently would never bother because of the state of the mess.

I had been “racking” my brain, trying to come up with a reasonably inexpensive alternative that would work and I came up with this idea. A cork board attached to the back of your door (bedroom or closet) with all of your necklaces hanging on the back. I used push pins to hang the necklaces and bracelets, but I am thinking you could use it for other accessories as well. I haven’t figured out to hang my little earrings yet, but when I do, you will be the first to know. I hope you enjoy getting your jewelry organized! - Maja

When you’re encouraging your kids to keep their rooms tidy, there is no better way to do it than to make it seem like a game…think Mary Poppins - “a spoon full of sugar, makes the medicine go down, in a most delightful way”!!

These fun hampers are the perfect way to engage your kids, and teach them to put their dirty clothes in the right place. I love so many things about these Bongo Buddy hampers by Redmon, besides how adorable they are they come in a variety of animals and colours to fit in any decor. So many in fact, that you can find one that both you and your kids would appreciate and adopt. I also love that they are collapsable - you can take them with you when you go somewhere for the weekend! You still want to keep some semblance of order when you are on vacation and there is nothing I hate more than garbage bags of dirty laundry, or worse - dirty clothes everywhere! The portability of these was the ultimate sale for me.

I am certain your children will find it a much easier task keeping clothes off their floor when they “feed” the animals their dirty clothes. I hope you enjoy these and find the perfect one for your decor! Be sure to comment and let us know your FAVE buddy.

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