Updated:  This giveaway is now closed.  The winner is Joy from Frugal Menu Mamas!

A couple of weeks ago as I was perusing around Etsy, one of my absolutely favorite sites, I came across these fun Family Rules Printables by Perfect Sentiment and just had to buy a set for myself.

I thought they would be awesome hung in our dining room as a great reminder about what the family rules are.  I love the idea of our expectations being clearly displayed for the kids in hopes that they might actually get it.  A girl can dream can’t she

The printables were reasonably priced at $4.00 and I figured that while I could easily make them myself I wasn’t willing to sacrifice the time it would take to do it.  Not when I could purchase them so inexpensively and be able to download them right away.

I quickly ran down to my local dollar store to purchase some 5×7 frames and was able to get 6 black frames for $10.00.

This little project took me no time at all to assemble and I was so pleased with the results I just had to share it with you.  This is how they look hung up in our dining room.

So for $14.00 I got a great piece of conversational art in my dining room that leads to many a family discussion around the dining room table.  And now that I own the printables I can easily assemble some sets for Christmas gifts if I want to.

When I emailed Erin of Perfect Sentiment to tell her how pleased I was she offered to give away a set of printables to one of my readers.  So if this is something that interests you just leave a comment on this post prior to Oct 11th at 12:00 pm PST to enter.  Open to everyone.

This giveaway is now over. The winner is Ginny of Mom of 2 Dancers!

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to sit in on a blogcast put on by Office Max and Organizing Expert Peter Walsh about back to school.   It was hard for me to think about back to school at the beginning of August seeing as how my kids don’t go back to school until next Tuesday but I had every intention of getting this post up earlier for everyone who has kids that return sooner.  Unfortunately life happens sometimes and I’m only now getting around to sharing this with you.  I think you’ll still find it super helpful as the suggestions are just excellent for organizing kids for the entire school year.  You can check out the video here.

Some of the highlights are:

TIPS FOR HOME

1) Find the vision you have for a space and start with a clean slate

2) Make organization a family value

3) Use the right tools for great organization

TIPS FOR ORGANIZING YOUR CHILD

1) Show that you value organization

2) Establish clear limits and routines

3) Always ‘finish the cycle’ (complete a task).  For example:  if you start something, finish it.  If you open something, close it.  If you use up something, replenish it.

TIPS FOR THE CLASSROOM

1) Establish clear routines

2) Involve kids with classroom organization

3) Use words, pictures and color to help organize

One of the best takeaways was Peter’s advice to get your kids involved in each step of the process, something I wholeheartedly agree with.  Have your child set up their desk and they will be more committed to maintaining it.

Thanks to Office Max I also have a few back to school supplies to share with you.  Here is what is included:

~ one green owl drawstring bag

~ one pencil box

~ one heart binder and 7 pocket expanding file

~ one composition notebook

~ 10 fun file folders in two designs (these are not from Office Max)

Office Max’s owl and cupcake product lines (available in store only) are absolutely adorable.  My daughter went ga ga over the cupcake line which is why you aren’t seeing any of them up for grabs

To enter, simply leave a comment on this post by Tuesday, September 8th at 4:00 pm PST.

Good luck!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED…the winner is #173 Carrie!

Kid Kaddy is a brilliant product I recently had the pleasure of trying out with my youngest son who is three.  It’s basically an organized (love that!) and convenient way to carry art supplies.  The unique thing about this product is the way the crayons are separated with their own individual slots and of course the portability of the whole thing.

Did I mention it was brilliant yet?  Oh I did, well that’s because it is.  My son has his crayons and coloring book in his and it has become a church staple for us.  This is the one we have.

Now what I like about this product is that yes it keeps the crayons all nicely organized and separated but that would mean nothing if my son didn’t actually put them back that way.  Well what do you know he actually does.  I don’t know if it’s because all the crayons are all there lined up and separated so he can see which one he wants easily or what but he definitely enjoys not only taking them out but putting them back in as well.  Now that’s brilliant.  Oh wait I said that already.

Created by two sisters, Debbie Gernenz and Kathy Martis, the Kid Kaddy was born as a way to carry not only crayons, but the books as well, in an organized and easily portable fashion.  Very smart thinking ladies.

In fact I now leave my Kid Kaddy right in the van so it’s handy if my son needs something to do while we are traveling or so we can quickly grab it when we get to church or the any other place that requires waiting time and distraction.

My son using his Kid Kaddy in the van

Some of the great features of the Kid Kaddy are:

~ two large pockets on the inside that will hold any standard size-coloring book, sketchpad, or notebook

~ a firm, yet light, surface that enhances it’s portability and won’t allow coloring books to bend

~ removable panels to hold crayons, markers, or pencils individually

~ panels can be moved from one side of the Kaddy to the other allowing easy access and acts as a weight to hold down pages

~ made of fabric for a soft feel and includes a hook and loop closure to secure its contents

~ a set of soft handles provides an easy way for small hands to carry

The Kid Kaddy sells for $19.95 and that includes the crayons and coloring book which in my book is a very nice touch.

I get so many compliments on my Kaddy and people are always asking me where I got it from.  It’s one of those ideas that is so simple you wonder why you never thought of it first.  I really do love it!

The two gals of Kid Kaddy are kindly giving away one today to one of you.  The winner will win the Kid Kaddy of their choice from the fabric selections they have available.

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment below telling me which fabric you would choose if you won (don’t worry you can change your mind later if you want).

Deadline is Monday, June 8th at 6:00 pm PST. NOW CLOSED

Good luck!

Laurieann is a Professional Organizer turned WAHM mom who saw a need and set out to fill it. Her site, Organize It Mom, offers all sorts of products (that she creates herself!) to help you organize your days, your kids and your kid’s toys.

I had the opportunity to try a few of these products myself and hands down my favorite were the toy labels. These are absolutely fantastic!

Each kit includes 18 toy labels laminated with removeable adhesive on the back of each label. The are bright and colorful and as you can see each one includes not only the word but a picture as well. In the picture below I’ve added the lego one to my son’s lego storage container.

I am thrilled, just thrilled to introduce you to this next product. Anyone who has ever tried to travel with kids will appreciate this one. Back in July as I was packing to go on holidays for a month, I desperately looked for something that would be the ideal travel bag for the flight. I was flying with my under two son and I needed something that would accommodate MANY needs plus more. As you know when flying you are only allowed two carry-on bags. One of them for me was my laptop, the other one needed to carry everything else including diapers, wipes, snacks, baby blanket, baby stuffie, baby toys, sippy cups, my water, my purse, a book, sunglasses, camera, and the list goes on and on.

Prior to leaving I pulled out every bag I owned (which happens to be quite a few since I’m always trying to find the one) and not one of them seemed adequate. I finally settled on one though and then proceeded to be extremely annoyed the entire flight when I couldn’t quickly find or grab what I needed while holding my squirming, you can’t make me cooperate, one and a half year old.

I don’t like to be annoyed.

I simply don’t have the patience for it.

The success of travelling with babies and kids is based on organization. Organization requires a bag that stands upright on it’s own, has multiple pockets for everything under the sun, meets airline requirements, and basically acts as my home on the go. Do you think I’m asking for too much? I assumed I was because if a bag like that existed I didn’t know about it.

UNTIL NOW….

Happy Traveler Family Gear Bag

The bag of my traveling dreams has arrived….in bright red no less. Family Travel Gear is a company that understands the needs of traveling families. Of that I have no doubt. When the Happy Traveler Family Gear Bag appeared in my mailbox I open the package with anticipation hoping that I wasn’t in for another mediocre bag to add to my collection. Frankly I was pretty skeptical. First thing I saw was the big pocket on front, and then another pocket, and then another one, oh and what’s that, another pocket! The pockets don’t end it seems and I instantly fell in love.

THEN….I saw one pocket in particular and nearly wept with tears of joy. Ladies there is a pocket on the side of this bag…..are you ready for this….for the portable DVD player AND slots for the DVD’s!! I’m seriously not kidding! I had a separate bag for the DVD player when I travelled and had one of my bigger kids carry it on but it was just one more thing to worry about.

On the other side of this is an insulated pocket for sippy cups or bottles plus there is also a pocket for my camera, a pocket for my wallet and airline tickets, a pocket for my magazine and did I mention that the glorious front pocket includes a FULL BODY changing pad and numerous pockets for diapers, wet wipes holder, ointments and more. Oh.My.Word. All this AND it meets airline carry-on sizing requirements. Get out of town…..literally.

And less you think this bag will just sit in the closet when not in use, think again. This beautiful bag of amazing possibilities can also be used as a back seat kid’s organizer/toy box and snack bag for car travel.

Family Travel Gear doesn’t just sell bags either. They are a family owned and operated business inspired by their personal travel experiences with their own children and sell many other travel products as well to make your life easier. They claim to personally test all of their products and you know what, after seeing this bag and what it means for all my organized future travels, I believe they do just that.

Thank you Family Travel Gear!!

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