Okay here are some more tips that I have recieved from our wonderful sister in the ward. She helps us out, figure out how to declutter or better organize our lives that seem to sometimes consume us.
-Use little bins or “Lazy Susans” in your refrigerator to help keep things organized and easy to get to, like yogurt cups, etc.
-Put your child’s artwork, flash cards, map of the world, etc. under a clear plastic tablecloth on your dining table. Makes a great conversation and learning experience while eating.
-To keep up with all the kids’ (and the grown-ups) church and school papers, events and notices, permission slips, tickets, etc.; divide up a big cork board, the side of the refrigerator, front of kitchen cabinets, or have a corkboard for everyone in the family lined up on the wall somewhere, and you’ll be able to keep up with special papers for each person at a glance.
-Use a plastic bin like a busboy to remove dishes all at once from the table after meals.
-Have a fun, colorful spray bottle of water to wash the table clean after meals. The kids will have fun doing this chore.
-Using an ordinary 3-ring binder, lined paper, and pocket dividers; create a section for everyone in the family and you’ll have a place for everyone’s own phone messages, and any messages that need to get to each other. Everyone checks their section daily and makes a check mark on the message to show that they’ve responded to it. This binder becomes a super message center by the phone.
-You can freeze all kinds of foods and use them when you need them such as hot dogs, Twinkies and other snack cakes, milk, etc. Freeze leftover chili, etc. when you have too much or when you know you don’t want to eat leftovers right away. For single or smaller households, you might like to package two pieces of sandwich bread in a plastic baggie, freeze, and use at your convenience. The whole loaf of bread won’t be lying around getting stale. Just be sure to take items out in enough time to defrost.
-Buy a brand new, clean, colorful feather duster for each child when they get the chicken pox. When they feel itchy, they use their feather duster to “scratch” themselves.