One area that needed vast improvement was always seeing a shopping list on an ugly scrap of paper on the right side of my kitchen counter near the phone. That paper was ALWAYS there – cluttering up the view, reminding me of things I that needed to be done, things I needed to get, and a constant reminder on my counter that there was always more to be done. If I didn’t have a pen on hand, the item couldn’t be added to the grocery list, and it would be forgotten by the time I finally hunted one down from my office.

Then there was the fact that there was only ever one copy of “The List” (as I called it). If I brought The List(tm) with me on errands but didn’t manage to get to grocery shopping, The List(tm) got forgotten until I found it three days later in shreds as I pulled my jeans from the dryer. If I sent my husband to work with The List(tm) but found I had time to shop myself, then he had to text me the contents of The List(tm). Don’t even get me started on what happens when an item on The List(tm) isn’t in stock. Upon return home, The Old List(tm) could be thrown out, but we’d immediately have to create A New List(tm) to add back again the item that we couldn’t get.

Enter, a breath of fresh air – The Smart Shopper grocery list organizer, which attaches to your fridge and acts as a digital list keeper.

The funny thing is, I can’t even say the phrase “Smart Shopper” without feeling like I have to add a number to the end of it, like the Robocop spoof ad ”6000 Sux”, or SNL’s home shopping disaster, the “Bass-o-matic ‘76″. So I think from here on in, even though it’s really just the Smart Shopper, I’m going to call it what it should be called – the Smart Shopper 2000.

The Smart Shopper 2000 is actually a voice activated list – you hit the “Record” button, say your item, such as “Skim milk”, “mac and cheese”, “dishwashing liquid”, etc. and it will add it to the list. BUT WAIT – there’s more! Here’s the best part about this list: it categorizes the items for you, so when you hit the “Print” button, it has your list all neatly categorized into departments such as: Errands, Dairy, Produce, Laundry, Frozen Foods, etc. No more running around from one end of the store to another while crossing items off your list.

Here’s another huge selling point for me – the ability to add custom items, and then give it a category. My bank is in my grocery store, so I always include “Deposit checks” on my shopping list. I custom typed the word in, then spoke it, and then gave it a category of “Errands.” Now, I can simply press Record, say “deposit checks” and it gets added to the list (which I can just print again if I accidentally run it through the dryer).

Finally, I can delete individual items, purge the entire list, or change quantities of items. The Smart Shopper 2000 comes with a thick book of recognized words, including such gems as “rectal cream” and “Depends”. Of course, when testing out voice recognition in your new Smart Shopper 2000, it may be necessary to walk by the fridge at odd hours, press a button, and slowly speak, “rrrrreeeeccctaaaaaaaaal creeeeeeem”.

( For those that currently own a Smart Shopper 2000, here’s one thing I did learn about the voice recognition to make it easier to get your item recognized the first time – while the recognition is still excellent, we used to have trouble on occasion getting it recognize certain items, such as “Half and Half”. Here’s the trick: it’s very reliant on consonants, so focus on making those clear. Press the record button and say “haFF anD haFF” and it’s perfect and quick. )

The Smart Shopper 2000 has made my life immensly easier – getting to look over and see a clean counter with no reminders of what daily tasks await me tomorrow – priceless. Occasionally having odd items appear on the list such as rectal cream and Depends, usually when I’m showing off the device to friends? Totally worth it still. Even with prankster husbands.

Developing a system to deal with all of the clothes is a necessity.  I’ve been very fortunate to have an older sister with two children who passes on clothes they’ve grown out of, as well as a network of friends who do the same.  This is the system that I have found works the best for my family.

1. Invest in large storage bins.

You will need at least two. The first bin is for clothes to grow in to and the second is for clothes you can not part with. You will also need a basket or a third bin for clothing you are going to get rid of.

2. As clothes come into your home, go through them immediately and pull out the ones that you would never put on your child.

This was a hard step for me at first. I felt guilty that I was getting rid of things that others so graciously gave to me.  So instead I would hang it in the closet and never use it.  That’s when it hit me that another family might be able to use it, and just because it wasn’t a color or a design I liked, someone else would enjoy it. As your children get older, you may even want to ask them if they would wear a piece of clothing if you can’t decide on whether or not you like it.  My children are now 8 and 6 and there are certain dresses that my youngest, who loves dresses, find too ‘cutesy’.  Why store them if they aren’t going to wear them?  Consider how many shirts, sweatshirts, pants, skirts and, dresses you really need and keep only the ones you really like.

3. Once you have gone through the clothes, they should be placed into the “grow into” bin, “get rid of basket” or your child’s closet/drawer space.

Make sure to label the bin with the size of the current clothing inside of it.  An index card works great for this and you can simply label it. (For example, “boy 8-10″, or “girl 4+”).

4. Go through the closets/drawers seasonally.

This is a fairly big task but it will save you time during the remainder of the year.  First, find a pair of pants, and a shirt that you know fit your child well now.  This will save you the aggravation of trying everything on them.  Go through the closet and drawers making piles of ‘keep’, ‘throw out’ and ‘pass on to others’.

If you are unsure about the size even after you have matched it up with a fitting piece of clothing, put it aside in the “fashion show” pile for your child to try on and model for you.  (This works really well with girls, and decently with boys who are 8 and under at least!)  Once you’ve sorted through the current clothing you can then go to the storage bin and bring in the new size of clothes.

5. Only save what you will use again or really can’t part with.

Having a boy and a girl, the majority of the clothes won’t be shared, although at times there is a sweatshirt or pair of jeans that survived my oldest and can be passed down.  The bigger problem is learning not to save every “favorite” outfit that your child has worn.  If you take as many pictures as I do, you will soon realize that you have pictures of that “favorite” outfit and no longer really need the clothes to go with it. Types of clothing I have saved are dance costumes or baby dedication clothes.  Even with two children I’ve found that these all still fit in one container.

6. Get rid of your ‘get rid of’ items.

When I go through the clothes twice a year I bag up and drop off the clothes that I’m getting rid of within a few days to my girlfriend with younger children. I usually put it in a garbage bag as I am going through the closets and drawers and then put that bag in my van so the first time I drive past her house I can drop it off.  I always make sure to tell her to pass on anything she doesn’t want, like or need.  I also stress that if’ I’ve given it to her, I don’t want it back.  That way she doesn’t have to remember who gave her what.  During the rest of the year I keep a basket under my utility sink.  As I notice, or my kids notice, that something no longer fits that item goes into the basket.  When the basket gets full I again bag it up and drop it off.

It’s been an incredible blessing to be the recipient of clothes others aren’t using.  Without a system in place I’d end up with way too many clothes in my kid’s closets.   Now if I could just find a way to get them to fold them exactly how I did when I went through the drawers before school started, I’d really be happy.

Written by Kathy Randolph, mother of 2, Zachary 8 and Katelyn 6.  Kathy works out of her home as a Creative Memories Unit Leader.  She works with others to organize digital photos as well as create photo albums of both digital and traditional styles, and offers custom framing for those who wish to display their precious memories on their walls. To learn more about Creative Memories you may visit her web site at www.mycmsite.com/kropwithkathy.

Over the course of the year (my daughter just had her first birthday), I have picked up many tips from friends, store catalogs, and those addictive TV decorating/organizing shows. My wardrobe is now lean, mean, and tidy. Getting dressed every morning is actually fun and energizing again.

Here’s what I learned (and I have done all these personally):

1. Remove and donate all clothes that you don’t LOVE.

The first step to enjoying getting dressed every morning is actually putting on clothes that make you feel great. We all have five-year old outdated shirts hanging around in our closet. If you wear what you love, your confidence will make you look fantastic. (On a side note, the same rule goes for shopping; if you don’t love it, don’t buy it!) Clothes can be donated to Big Sisters/Big Brothers or your local Johnnycake Center.

2. Shuffle your existing clothes around in your closet.

I’m amazing at how many of us (myself included) always seem to put the same shirts in the same area of the shirt rack. Just for kicks one day I shuffled all the shirts around and put them in new places. I made sure not to put shirts next to each other that had previously always lived side by side. The results were staggering – I was making completely new outfits with shirts I had always glossed over for years. It’s the standard Post-It Note effect; when things stick around in the same place, we learn to ignore them.

3. Paint the inside of your closet.

A nice bright color will make your wardrobe or closet seem like an actual room. You’ll be amazed at how energized it will make you.

4. Buy a whole new wardrobe system.

This may sound extreme, but it’s probably not as expensive as you think. IKEA makes wonderful customized wardrobe systems that hold closets full of items. I bought one for my bedroom and assembled it with a built-in jewelry box, tiered shelves and baskets as a chest of drawers replacement, and storage compartments for my shoes.

5.Update the hardware on your existing closet.

A quick trip to your local hardware store will yield hundreds of door pulls, handles and knobs to choose from. Instead of sliding doors that only allow one side of your closet to be visible at once, consider changing to pull-out hinged doors. Do you want to get rid of your doors completely? Add an exotic look to your closet by using a curtain rod and drapes instead.

6. Hang pictures in your closet.

What better way to brighten your day than to look at a picture of things you love every time you open your closet? Unexpected smiles are priceless, these are the reasons picture frames were invented.

7. Re-organize your closet completely.

There’s always a way to do something better. Hardware stores carry complete shelving units, and most of them are customizable and easy swappable. Organizing all your clothes in a new way will allow you to see them in a new light.

8. Use new containers for organizing wallets, jewelry, glasses, etc.

Your wardrobe doesn’t have to contain only clothes. Allowing space for accessories will allow you to see them with your clothes. This will make creating an entire daily outfit easy and fun.

9. Go clothes shopping with someone else and have them pick the clothes for you to try on.

When we shop, we tend to go for the same type of items over and over again. My favorite clothes I have now were not picked by me – my husband is my best shopping partner presently. When we go into stores, he goes around and chooses clothes he thinks would look good on me, which are always completely different than what I would have picked. He also picks realistic sizes so the clothes fit well – we tend not to see ourselves as we really are!

10. Speaking of realistic sizes, get rid of everything that doesn’t fit NOW.

Ideally, your closet should contain only clothes that you can reach into, wear today and look great in – think of it as boutique shopping in your own closet. Keeping clothes around that don’t fit won’t allow you to look your best or feel your best. Don’t hang on to the past. Dress for the day every day.

Have you ever “shaken up” your wardrobe? Share your tips!

We have a horrible living room to work with when it comes to arranging – one wall only goes up halfway, and the other wall contains a fireplace, leaving the only option for our TV is to sit on a diagonal in the room.

This is not so great for two reasons.

1. Wires, wires everywhere. It’s unsightly, messy, and it just looks unkempt. It can’t be that safe, either. It can’t be. No, I’m sure of it. It’s probably bad. Yeah.

Let’s take a moment to admire the chaos above.

2. It may look unsightly to me, but to a budding toddler, it looks as enticing as the brightly colored ball pit in a Chucky Cheese’s restaurant. And did I mention it’s on a diagonal? It’s not exactly hidden, nor is it anywhere remotely inaccessible.

To combat this, I needed to find a way to corral them and childproof them at the same time. And, as this is in plain sight, I would like it to be as inconspicuous as possible. A tall order perhaps, but certainly not impossible. All it took was a trip to my local Staples office supply store, and a walk down their storage aisle.

Before your trip to Staples, measure your power strip! Mine is a huge bulky surge protector. Whatever storage container I came home with, the power supply had to fit inside of it. I wanted to make sure Zoë would not be able to get at this once I was finished.

I came home with this sturdy black mesh storage container from Staples. While at the store, I realized I could flip it upside down and use the handles to corral wires through, while the entire power strip could fit safely inside the little shelter. And, as it is a mesh container, I won’t have any sleepless nights worrying about heat building up, or anything irrational like I usually do. The wires will be inside the storage container, which will be upside down in my entertainment unit. Zoë will have no way to access the surge protector at all.

To start, I unplugged everything and untangled all the existing wires. When putting them back in order, I made sure to use good judgment in order of operations to make sure the wire overlap was as tidy and clean as possible. The least amount of tangles inside the corral, the better!

Once everything is ready to be put back, turn your storage box upside down and put your power unit (or surge protector, or whatever you want to call it) inside it. Take your first item to plug in, and tie up any excess wire.

Once they are tied up, thread them through the carry handles and then plug them into the power unit. The more you start plugging items in, the more crowded it’s going to get under there. What I found helpful was to keep the entire thing slightly pushed out towards the floor and going in underneath instead of constantly lifting the unit for access.

Here’s the finished corral in full-flash view to see what I’ve actually done:

Here it is in the usual fashion, quite well hidden, and toddler-safe!

What have you done to hide wires? To protect them from kids? What methods do you use to keep your kids safe from your technology, and your technology safe from your kids? I’ve only scratched the surface of what’s to come, I’ll need all the advice I can get!