A monthly online magazine chock-full of insightful articles for busy mothers.

by Marilyn Bohn

Do you remember that commercial Staples had on a few years ago that was aired in July? It was the one where the music was the Christmas song “It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year”. Every time it came on I just cracked up laughing. Along with the music a father was zipping around the store loading his cart with school supplies with the happiest smile on his face. The children were standing there watching with sad expressions.

I had five daughters; four of them were under four so I always had a busy, busy summer. It was a lot of work planning and implementing worthwhile activities, trying to keep them sharp for school and having a balance with play activities and just play. I admire mothers who can home school their children. But frankly I am just not the mother that can have my kids around me all the time. I was happy when school started again in the fall.

So whether you send your kids off to public or private school or you home school or are on year around school this is a good time of year to get the little and big ones ready for the school year.

Before you head out to the stores and grab up the great buys they are offering this time of year take stock of what you have at home. Check to see how many pens, pencils, lined paper, notebook paper, note pads, erasers, and other supplies you have. If you haven’t designated a place in your home for paper/office supplies, do so now. This will save you a lot of time and money. Label the shelves, use containers to separate items. Containers can be check book boxes, plastic baby food containers, plastic Crisco containers—you do not need to rush out and buy containers, first look around your home to see what you have that you can use. Store the extras behind the items that will be used currently.

This is the ideal time to also set up a homework area. According to the magazine Psychology Today in the September 2007 issue,”Creating a functional, organized and comfortable area for your child to do their homework can increase their productivity and give them confidence to do well in school”. Notice it doesn’t say you have to have a desk and all that goes with it; it needs to be an organized, functional and comfortable area. If that area isn’t a desk have supplies they need for home work assignments convenient for them to access.

Create a filing system where they can put their art work or home work they want to keep ‘forever’. Right now is the time to set ground rules on how many pieces of paper they will be allowed to save. Three pieces of paper a week will add up to 864 pieces pre-school through sixth grade.

Set up a designated place to manage everyday paperwork. Make this accessible for them and for you. Have baskets or sorting bins (metal kind that sit on a desk or the kind that hang on the wall) labeled with each child’s name on them and one for the parents. When they come home from school teach them the expectation is they will unload their backpack by putting their papers in their designated spot. If there is something that has to be signed by you and returned to school this goes in your slot. But don’t just rely on them putting it in the right place, check their slots also.

You could separate your slot into more specific slots such as To Do, To Pay (picture day forms, field trip fees etc) and To File.

Okay, now you can dash to the store for all of those great buys. Go alone if you can, you will probably buy less and it won’t be a hassle without little voices saying, “Buy this, buy this, can I have this?” When you get the specific list of what your child needs then they can go with you to buy those specific items.

I hope this school year will be the best ever for you and your child/children.

Marilyn is a creative organizer who helps women, seniors and their families create space and end clutter in their homes and offices by setting up custom made systems.

Marilyn invites you to visit her website http://www.marilynbohn.com where you can find solutions to your organizing needs. She offers free tips in her blogs, articles and videos for your home and office organizing solutions.

Marilyn is a creative organizer who helps women, seniors & their families to create space and end clutter in homes and offices by setting up custom made systems.
Visit her website http://www.marilynbohn.com for free organizing tips.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

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by Carol Leifer,
Author of When You Lie About Your Age, the Terrorists Win: Reflections on Looking in the Mirror

The people who frequent nude beaches are never the people you want to see naked.
Making love to a woman is like buying real estate — “Location, location, location!”
Never buy expensive thong underwear. One trip through the dryer and it’s a frilly bookmark.
Never put your baby’s length on a birth announcement. It’s a baby, not a marlin.
If you see a woman with a big belly, never ask if she’s pregnant or when she’s due. Trust me.
If you have a garage sale at your house, don’t be afraid to put anything and everything out. (I once sold half a bottle of Listerine.)
Never eat pistachio nuts after getting a French manicure.
When someone says, “To make a long story short,” they’re already too late.
When a waiter asks you to taste the wine and you’re clueless, sip it and then say, “Yeah, that should get me hammered.”
Badly cut bangs do always grow back.
A great birthday gift for a woman you don’t like who’s about to turn forty? Magnifying mirror.
Best job for a woman? Judge. She gets to wear a big black weight-hiding muumuu all day.
Worst job for a woman? Naval recruit. How anyone would have the courage to wear white pants all year is beyond me.
When someone starts a sentence with “No offense . . . ,” you can bet they are about to say something incredibly offensive. (Same goes for “Nothing personal . . .” and “Can I give you some constructive criticism?”)
Tequila should always be sold with an instant camera attached to it so the next day you have some idea of what happened.
Five-minute drum solos are always four and a half minutes too long.
The phrase “good toupee” is an oxymoron.
I believe that we can take the word “morbidly” out of the phrase “morbidly obese.” It seems mean and gratuitous, like calling someone stroke-inducingly plain.
Worst question to ask an elderly person? “How are you feeling?” You’ll be there for days. (Second worst question? “I’m sorry, could you repeat that?”)
Someone named Adolph has a hard time dating.
When a salesperson in a clothing store tells you that you look great in something, always remember that they work on commission.
The sunny side of the street is the one with the threat of skin cancer on it.
Never wear high heels to an event if you’re going to be outside on a lawn.
If your thighs make noise while wearing corduroy pants, you need to lose some weight.
If you can tie a cherry stem with your tongue, you are really good at sex.
A witch’s tit is not colder than anyone else’s tit.
When your husband suggests experimenting sexually with multiple “inputs,” politely remind him that you are a woman and not a surge protector.
Never refer to a woman as “ma’am,” even if she’s ninety years old. No one likes it.
You may not rationalize eating an entire pint of ice cream by claiming it was for the calcium.
Never eat at a restaurant that charges for bread.
No one looks good eating a burrito. Not even a porn actress.
A fly in an airplane is very lost.
Men recuperate from the death of a spouse much sooner than women do.
When you offer someone a mint, they will invariably ask, “Why, do I need one?”
Never buy Sweet’N Low, Equal, or Splenda at the supermarket. That’s what restaurants are for.
If you plan on having your lover’s name tattooed on your arm, always leave room before it for a possible “I Hate” down the road.
Why do men have nipples? What’s the point? They’re like plastic fruit.
Professional bodybuilders look like walking challahs.
Never complain about your age to someone older than you.
Director Norman Jewison is ironically not Jewish.
The above is an excerpt from the book When You Lie About Your Age, the Terrorists Win: Reflections on Looking in the Mirror by Carol Leifer. The above excerpt is a digitally scanned reproduction of text from print. Although this excerpt has been proofread, occasional errors may appear due to the scanning process. Please refer to the finished book for accuracy.

Excerpted from When You Lie About Your Age, the Terrorists Win by Carol Leifer. (c) 2009 by Carol Leifer. Reprinted by arrangement with The Random House Publishing Group.

Author Bio
Author Name, Carol Leifer of When You Lie About Your Age, the Terrorists Win: Reflections on Looking in the Mirror, is an accomplished stand-up comedian and an Emmy-nominated writer and producer for her work on such television shows as Seinfeld, The Larry Sanders Show, Saturday Night Live, and the Academy Awards. She has starred in several of her own comedy specials, which have aired on HBO, Showtime, and Comedy Central. Her “big break” came when David Letterman unexpectedly showed up one night at the Comic Strip in New York City and caught Carol’s show. His visit led to her making twenty-five guest appearances on Late Night with David Letterman. Carol has also been seen on The Tonight Show, Real Time with Bill Maher, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, and The Oprah Winfrey Show. She starred in and created the WB sitcom Alright Already. She lives in Santa Monica with her partner, their son, and their seven rescue dogs.

For more information please visit www.carolleifer.com