As any parent knows, adding a child to the family can quickly and drastically alter the environment of any home. From infants to teens, kids come with a lot of “stuff.” What are you supposed to do with it all? Here are a few simple tips to help you teach your children how to get organized and stay that way…

• Bins, boxes, and baskets kept on lower shelves make it easy for your child to put away toys. Label storage containers with both pictures (for young children) and printed words (for preschoolers).
• Better yet, have your child draw pictures for the labels. Or, you can cut out the toys’ logos straight from the original boxes, take photos of the toys, or print the logos directly from the manufacturer websites. And, if your storage containers have handles, luggage tags are a quick and easy way to attach the finished labels.
• Before birthdays, Christmas, or other special gift-giving occasions, sit down with your child to sort through toys together. Guide your child through the decision-making process of which toys to keep and which to donate in order to make room for new toys received as gifts. In fact, take your child with you to the donation center.
• As you fold laundry, separate your child’s clothes into complete outfits. Store them individually in gallon-sized zip-top bags. Keep one bagged outfit in the car, just in case. And, when you travel, squeeze any extra air out of the bags to make packing the suitcase a breeze.
• Provide low hooks for your child to hang up sweaters, pajamas, jackets, book bags, etc. Before bedtime, check the weather forecast with your child. Then, have your child select an appropriate outfit to wear the next day.

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Photo Source: freefotouk

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Dropbox has to be one of my favorite finds ever! If you don’t already have a backup system in place for your computer files, you should definitely sign up for a free account.

Dropbox is the easiest way to store, sync, and share files online. There’s no complicated interface to learn, it works seamlessly with any operating system (i.e., Windows, Mac, Linux), and it automatically makes sure your files are up-to-date.

Nowadays, our lives are on our computers. So, if you’re anything like me, you’ll be eternally grateful for the peace of mind that Dropbox offers (without you having to remember a thing)!

Plus, for those of us on a rather tight budget, the free account option is a lifesaver, providing just enough storage space for your most essential files.

Having your files (and all their revisions) accessible from anywhere in the world via the Dropbox website is a super-dooper handy feature for anyone who travels.

If you happen to forget to grab your final proposal before you leave home, it’s no problem! Just stop by the library and print a new copy! So cool!

The features as listed on the Dropbox website…

• Sync files of any size or type
• Share large files and photos easily
• Automatic online backup
• Access your files anywhere
• Sync between operating systems
• Track and undo changes to files

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