Marla the Blogger

I went to the store the other day and couldn't believe they had their back-to-school items stocked already. Just like Christmas, it seems that they start marketing back-to-school earlier and earlier each year. My son isn't technically in school yet (although we always refer to his daycare as "school") and doesn't really need any supplies, but this time of year is a good time to go through your kids clothes, toys and other items. I put away or donate clothes and toys that he's outgrown and make a list of new things he needs.

This year, though, I'm also going to use the time to inspect his toys and make sure they're still safe. I know we tend to get a lot of hand-me-down items from friends and family, and my son can be rough on some of his things. I don't know how old some of them are or what condition they might be in now, so it's important to make sure his furniture and toys are safe and working properly to avoid injury.  Any items that are broken or not working as they should we'll throw away. Anything still in good, usable condition, but are items that he's outgrown or no longer needs, we'll donate.

One good resource to help when evaluating toys and furniture is the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission website (http://www.cpsc.gov/).  They have lists of product recalls and safety news, and if you have had a problem with an unsafe product, you can report it on their site. I've gone to their website before to check for any recalls on used items that we've been given. They also have a neighborhood safety section on the site with resources for child safety, fire safety and more.

Back-to-school is usually associated with buying new clothes and items for kids. Make sure this year as you're getting anything new (or used) that it's safe. And check everything you already have to make sure your kids will have a healthy and safe school year. 

I'm usually a pretty organized person, but with everything I need to keep track of, sometimes it's tough. There's never a lack of things I have to remember to do. I usually keep lists, both at home and at work, of what I need to do, but sometimes I employ some other creative ways to try to remember something:

• Group items together - for some recurring tasks that I tend to forget to do, I've lumped them together with other tasks so I'm more likely to remember to do both of them. For example, I always clean the cat's litter box on trash night. We give our cat his monthly flea treatment the same day I pay the rent. The two items I'm more likely to forget (litter box and flea treatment) are tied to tasks I always remember (trash day and rent due).
• Move something familiar to an unfamiliar place - this one works really well when I need to remember something in the short term and don't have paper and pen handy. For example, if I'm in the car and realize I need to remember to make a specific phone call when I get home, I'll move my wedding ring from my left hand to my right hand. Later, I'll notice and think, "why is my ring on my right hand?" and then I'll remember the phone call I need to make.
• Say it out loud - my husband is terrible at remembering things, so he often laughs when I ask him to remind me later to do something. But really, it's not that I expect him to remind me later (although sometimes he does) but the effort of saying out loud what I need to remember often helps keep it fresh in my mind. Usually, if I've mentioned something to him I'll remember it on my own later.

There's a lot to keep track of in our busy lives. The old standards of sticking to a routine, keeping a calendar, having a specific place to put your keys, etc. are all useful and definitely help. Sometimes, though you have to get a little imaginative to keep track of it all. So go ahead and leave yourself a voicemail or send yourself an email or put sticky notes on the bathroom mirror. It may seem odd to use methods like this to help, but use whatever works for YOU to stay organized and help you to remember.