It is no secret that a happy home is an organized home! My organized home has lots of boxes to help me keep it that way.  One place I love to look for these is http://www.containerstore.com/ if they don’thave it to help you get organized than you might be beyond  help

Spring is just around the corner and along with Spring comes “Spring Cleaning”

We all know the windows need to been washed, the air-conditioner filter changed, rooms aired out , etc. but how many of us tackle the black-hole known as the “child’s closet”?

Well I took the plunge and went where few have gone before and this is what I’ve learned:

1.Most Important: empty out the closet. Label four boxes - Keep, Donate, Trash, Repair and sort the contents into them. **Don’t ask for help from your younger children - nothing will go, but get your teen’s input to avoid a mutiny.

2.Want your children to hang their clothes up - make sure they can reach the rods. Adjust the rods to the appropriate height for your child, so your child may access
their own clothing.

For taller children or teens install a second rod beneath the first to create double hang-up space. After all todays teens change clothing quicker than the TV converter zaps that 30 second commercial good-bye.

3.Solving the case of the missing shoe - add a shoe rack or shoe bag and encourage your children to make friends with them.

4. Keep the top shelf for special items: “Out of reach, out of mind”

I wanted to pass along this link to one of my favorite magazines for natural design and decorating.

If you want to live a little closer to nature, you’ll like it. It’s called NaturalHomeMagazine, and it’s filled with ideas for”living wisely and living well,” whether you want to bring a little of the outdoors in for spring…or design an entire new wing!

I just enjoy thumbing through it for inspiration, or even if I want to take a mental break to dream (wouldn’t it be great to live in that window-filled house on the side of a cliff, surrounded by nature preserves?!) . Pick up a copy and you’ll see what I mean.

Here’s another organizing tip that makes good use of clear plastic shoe boxes with lids (available at stores like Target). It’s such an obvious solution but never occurred to me.

Put one pair of shoes in each clear shoebox, and stack them up on the shelves in your closet. You can easily see and get to the shoes you need, and they stay dust-free and protected.

No more digging through a mixed-up jumble on your closet floor, or getting frustrated with shoe racks–I know my shoes always slip off or fall through the rungs and I end up just tossing them in a pile anyway.

This year, one of my New Year’s resolutions for 2009 is to get completely organized.

So far I’ve only managed to tackle the bathroom, but that was a huge undertaking. It took me HOURS to sort through all the products I’d stuffed into the cabinet under the sink. But now everything is neatly categorized and stacked in clear plastic shoeboxes, which is a great tip I saw in magazine while getting my hair cut.

Here’s what to do: Go buy a bunch of the clear plastic bins with lids at Target or elsewhere. They’re less than a dollar apiece. Then sort all your bathroom stuff by category: makeup, dental care, eye care, medicines, nail care, etc. You’ll soon see you have duplicates you didn’t realize you had. Be ruthless and throw out or give away anything that you don’t use, has expired or you have more of than you’ll ever need.

Next place each category of items into its own plastic storage box. I have one for nail polish/remover/files/clippers; one for contact lenses, solutions, wipes; one for makeup.

It’s worked out pretty well–I stacked them under the sink, and now there’s no more digging through a jumble of stuff and getting frustrated when I can’t find what I need. Just that simple clearing of clutter really helps clear your mind when you’re getting ready in the morning.

Okay, I didn’t win this year’s HGTV Dream Home Give Away (even though I should have–I would have been much more excited and appreciative than the woman who actually did!), but now we all get another chance at a great place to live.

This house suits my style more anyway, because it’s designed to be eco-friendly–which I’m totally into.

Check out the site. Even if you decide not to enter or don’t think you’ll win, there’s lots of great ideas for organizing, decorating and renovating that have minimal impact on the environment.