Being Organized is the Key

As a single mom I have had to learn how to cut corners in my 'duties' as the person who runs my house.  For me, being organized is the key.  I struggle all the time with keeping a clean house.  I just can't seem to stay on top of it!  I will be honest, I do not like cleaning at all.  Organizing... I can do that all day long.  It is therapy to me.  Cleaning is a chore, a chore I have to make myself do.  I have a system in place where I clean on Sundays, the day my ex has my little girl.  I try to utilize that day to get ready for the whole week.  I cook two meals, clean the house, get all Sabrina's bags ready (dance, school, etc...), get all my stuff ready for work, laundry, have lunch items ready, etc.  When I do not do this, my week is much harder and more chaotic.  I feel refreshed and ready to begin the week when all this stuff is ready Sunday night.  When I am not able to accomplish this I usually feel anxious.  So, it is important for me to do this.

We all need to find what parts of our life make us feel out of control, and what we can do to get control over that area.  What single mom doesn't need to feel in control of at least something? We have all learned that we don't have control over much, so where can we get control to feel like we are accomplishing what we need to? For me it is being organized for my crazy week ahead.  What is it for you?  How do you make it work?  I would love to hear from you.

A couple other tricks of mine:

• I have a folder/notebook for each of my kids, even the ones that are adults.  The folder holds anything I need like school goals, chore charts, stickers, passport, etc...  All my folders are in a bag in my kitchen.  (I had to make it pretty!)
• I have a bag for every event/job we are involved in to keep things organized.  One bag for dance, One bag for each of my jobs, One bag for my school books , One bag for visits with dad, One bag for church, etc...
• I have my daughters toys in bins that I keep in the basement.  I bring up a few at a time in her room.  It keeps the mess down.  My daughter likes to play with everything at once, so this way we only are playing with Poly Pockets, Dolls and coloring at once.  Easier to clean that than all of her toys.  Plus when she gets tired of one toy, I switch it with another one and she is excited.

Share your ideas with me!