Organizational Befores and Afters

Do you suffer from Crowded Hallway Syndrome? Are baskets of waiting-to-be-folded laundry getting you down? Do your children search and destroy the house looking for pants while their dresser drawers lie empty?

Then you will love the patented Fold As You Go system, brought to you by the Hardys!

First, clear off your laundry room's shelf. Relocate cleaners and paper goods.

Second, line up your baskets. Label the shelf, if you desire, with each family member's name. Put two baskets on the floor, one for towels and one for bedding.

Third, take laundry out of the dryer one piece at a time. Toss in the appropriate basket.

Fourth, have people take baskets to their rooms weekly, where they have been instructed to fold and put away their clothes. (But turn a blind eye to the folding part.)

Fifth, enjoy your clean and organized laundry room with nothing jamming up the hallway!

*****

Now on to a different matter.

You may remember that my New Year's resolution last year was to clean my closet. You may also remember that I lost the kids' Christmas Eve pajamas in here, and you can see why.

Anything that didn't have a real home ended up here. That was my real problem. Yes, I had too many clothes. But it was the boxes of photographs and holiday decorations, the kids' "grow-into" clothes, leftovers from craft projects, and hidden birthday presents (that I couldn't find) that really did me in.

So I threw out half of what was in there. I bought a few organizers. And now . . . it is like my own little room! I even hung my Young Women's quilt.

It's been over a month and the closet still looks the same. That is to say, awesome.

Like most people who live with messes I never intended to tolerate chaos; I just didn't know how to tame the growing monster.

(Do you love it? Keep it. Not sure? Toss it.)

I only show you these atrocities to prove that if I can get organized, so can you.

So do it! I'll be here to cheer you on.