In Los Angeles?  Meet Peter Walsh at a book signing and discussion of his new book It's All Too Much at the Santa Monica Barnes & Noble on the 3rd Street Promenade (corner of 3rd and Wilshire), this coming Tuesday, March 20th at 7:30pm. Tell him momready sent you!




Got organizing problems?  As promised, in January we submitted some of your questions to our organizing guru, Peter Walsh.  This month we are pleased to be passing along his advice so that we can all bring some sense of order to our own homes.


Karen R. writes:
"Sometimes I feel like I have to "leave things out so I can see them" or else I'll forget about them. (Like a project I plan to do--e.g. hem some pants) but then I have too much clutter.  Any suggestions?

Peter Suggests:
Rather than have things lying around the house that you plan to get to have one place where you put 'projects'.  Better still - create a simple To Do list that you keep on a corkboard or in your PDA if you have one.  This way you can clearly see what you have to attend to and feel excited as you check things off your list!


Janet B.R. writes:
The main is about record retention - it seems I get conflicting reports of how long to hold onto everything for - as far as paperwork, taxes, paid bills, cancelled checks etc.

Peter Suggests:
It's important to keep yourself up to date and what you need to keep and what you can let go of.  As far as the IRS is concerned, go to their website at Publication 552 for details on the paperwork that individuals have to keep.  Also, speak to an accountant or financial advisor if you need anything explained in this area.  Basically, go to a trusted source - it'll take a lot of anxiety out of recordkeeping.
(p.s.  also check out the momready article I have to keep it how long?)


Jennifer B. writes:
How do you suggest organizing all the toys in a bedroom shared by siblings?  Our girls are 3 years apart and each have different toys that they play with.  Their room is cluttered with toys, dolls, clothes, etc.

Peter Suggests:
Easy!  Depending on the space you have assign areas for each child.  Maybe a toy bin or two for each of them and one or two for toys they both play with.  Once the bins are full, before they can add a toy they have to pass a toy of similar size onto Goodwill or a charity of your choice.  Work with the girls to decide what they want to hold on to, what they share, what they value and what they can pass on - there are great life lessons here that will help your child well beyond their toy years!


Alison S. writes:
Buying children's clothes and toys are not cheap.  If you're hoping some day to have a second child and obviously you don't know whether it'll be the same sex or when it will be... how do you decide what to keep (both clothes and toys) and how do you keep it while making room for the new sizes and development stages?

Peter Suggests:
I am asked this a lot!  It's about space and limits. Decide on what is reasonable for you and the room you have.  Maybe three or four plastic bins is reasonable.  This is the limit of what you can hold on to.  This forces you to be discerning and it keep the volume of kids' clothing under control.  Work with other moms in your area or circle of friends with kids the same age so that there's a little give and take - this often takes some of the pressure off you when it comes to what you need to hold onto.


Nell in Denver writes:
Our family of 4 does not have a "mud room" - our garage enters right into the kitchen.  In winter, the doorway is piled with boots, wet socks, snow pants, parkas, leftover snack, etc.  Any ideas?

Peter Suggests:
You only have the space you have and so your situation is tough.  Sturdy boxes or containers for boots, enough hooks at the right heights for coats and bags and easily accessible containers for gloves, hats and scarves can all be set up right inside the doorway - although I am guessing that you have this done already!  My other suggestion is to set up something in the garage so that everything is off loaded before they get to the doorway - maybe looking at this space you have in a slightly different way may open up new possibilities for you.



Allyson from Trabuco Canyon writes:
I have three school aged children. I'm so overwhelmed by paperwork that I don't know where to start.  The daily stuff is what is getting me right now, stuff they will need during the week (book reports, spelling tests, valentines, etc.) It ends up staying on the kitchen table until we need it.  What is the best way to manage the daily stuff?

Peter Suggests:
The school paper work is a killer!  For the daily stuff get a file tray or small basket for each child.  Label it and train the kids to put their paperwork in their tray.  Get a large calendar that you can immediately write dates and commitments on when the paperwork comes in.  Finally, get a larger basket for each child.  With completed projects or schoolwork put it immediately into their basket.  At the end of the month or semester or whatever works for you, decide with your child the three pieces they want to keep.  File them away, take digital photos of the rest and let it go.  You can't hold onto everything without eventually becoming overwhelmed.  Hopefully these simple systems will take some pressure off you.


DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION FOR PETER?
Email us at info@momready.com your organizing questions for Peter to answer in an upcoming Ask Peter.



Peter Walsh is the organizational expert featured on TLC's hit show 'Clean Sweep'.  He talks across the country and internationally about the importance of de-cluttering and organization as key to living a happier, less stressed life.

Visit Peter's website at www.peterwalshdesign.com to read more about his work and approach to organization.






CLICK HERE to purchase Peter's NEW book It's All Too Much






CLICK HERE to purchase Peter's book How to Organize Just about Everything