Organizing the Freezer

Its hard to find things in my freezer when it is packed solid. I have tried different things, starting with buying what will be used within the week, and placing items according to frequent use: Ice cream on top shelf (to keep from little ones), leftovers (which I immediately freeze after meals) on the second. The third, fourth and fifth shelves in my freezer are drawers, facilitating getting to items; I place frozen fish and sausages on upper drawer, meat on second and frozen vegetables on the bottom.
I have tried containers but they take too much room, although I use them for small items.  Any good suggestions?

When kids are home all day, the pantry gets out of control

A good way to keep pantry organized is having the snacks you want them to eat within reach. Best if you have items in baskets of: sweets, salty, nuts, drinks, etc.  Containers from the Dollar Store are great for this purpose, nothing fancy, even cardboard boxes help group and separate snacks, avoiding a mess and more work for you. 

Fun Organizing

One of the benefits of organizing your home, is selecting the many items never used or needed, and moving them to a loving home to be enjoyed.
I can’t emphasize enough the relief of seeing a closet efficiently organized, with only the clothing I regularly wear. It doesn’t mean you have to get rid of everything. I store things I really love and seasonal garments in out of reach spaces; I use vacuum space saver bags, placing small ones on closet upper shelves and large ones under the bed.  When I open those bags is like a shopping trip.

A man's trash is another's treasure, you can Organize an exchange club in your neighborhood or homeowner’s association, church or school. Its surprising you how many of us are willing to spend time looking for lost serving dish’s lids! Do you have mismatched toppers, old blender’s containers, silverware or anything else you don’t need anymore?  You and your friends can have fun decluttering the house with garage sale, it breaks the ice in new neighborhoods, giving you a little cash.
I know of a group of friends that go Thrift Shop and garage sale shopping together, the goal is to spend less than $20.00 each, and whoever gets the best deals during the treasure hunt gets treated for lunch by the group. Its lots of fun.

Organizing for the Elderly Part III - Bathrooms

• Preferably have a shower stall or walk-in bathtub for easy access
• Organize personal care items within reach, not under the sink or too high up  

Place only first aid items in medicine cabinet,
not prescription drugs

A seat in the bathroom helps them undress

• Have shower chair, so they can sit while showering

• Install a panic button in the bathroom 

• Arrange elderly’s shower time when someone is at home
• It is helpful to have a message/tag board with emergency contact number and plenty of paper to write on

Label content of drawers to make it easier for them

Organize clothing by season and color

Shoes under the bed are easy to access

How can we encourage our elders to be active? Loneliness and boredom lead to depression. Can family members and friends visit regularly to engage the elderly in different activities, like cards, bingo or solving puzzles?

The most effective way of engaging our mom has been creating attractive little spaces for different activities; she loves cooking books, and knitting. We got her a comfortable recliner, she keeps her knitting basket next to it. We placed a round table close to shelves, where she keeps her supplies, family pictures, photo albums and her favorite hobby: a collection of cookbooks.
Ideas and suggestions are welcome, please share them.

Buying Quality Shoes

Having one good-quality pair of shoes is better
than several low quality ones

We were taught is better to have one good-quality pair of shoes than several low quality ones, that could injure our feet.
When we were little, ours shoes were Buster Brown good leather shoes, often older sibling’s hand-me-downs, either made in Italy or Spain —the cradle of high quality shoe-molds.

Buster Brown Classic Shoes

Three pairs were the most we ever had: black school uniform shoes, brown for daily wear and white or patent leather for Sunday. We knew we had to take care of our shoes, cleaning them weekly; often mending heels and soles.  Nowadays, with the mammoth variety of footwear from around the globe, we sacrifice quality for style and quantity, hurting our feet in the process.  It stands true for both men and women shoes, a classic well-chosen pair will compliment any outfit; while cheap looking ones will bring it down.  High quality doesn’t necessarily have to be expensive; also, resale stores often have great gently own shoes at a fraction of the original price.
I learned how to buy good quality shoes, from the head of purchasing of an exclusive department store in Florida. Here are some of her tips: 

• Have your feet measured by a shoe sales professional, every other year, to confirm size and width

Lined with leather or other natural material

• A fine pair of shoes is made out of good, soft leather, lined with leather or other natural materials

Make sure shoe is sewn to sole

• Make sure shoe is sewn to sole, most shoes are glued and can’t be resoled

Look for small close stitches, not careless
like these ones

• Look for small close stitches, not long or careless
• Look for arch support in closed shoes
• Wear only leather shoes that hug your feet, neither tight nor lose; a good pair of shoes should fit like a glove, allowing comfortable foot motion
• A good quality leather shoe can be stretched with shoe trees to improve fit
• Synthetic shoes won’t let feet breath, breeding fungus
• Foot ache means shoes are hurting your feet; with permanent damage in children 
• Clean shoes before storing them (dust shoe and sole), and place absorbent shoe trees to keep in shape 

Full grain leather with minimal treatment make best quality shoes, lasting a long time if maintained properly. Most shoes are made with corrected leather, sanded down to fix imperfections, and treated with artificial coat and sealant. Shoes look good but can easily damage. Read label to see what kind of leather you are purchasing.

Shoes Cleaning

Dirty shoes are not cool

Cleanliness and dressing elegantly, never goes out of style, dirty shoes kill any outfit.
When I was little, there was a wooden box with black, brown, and white liquid shoe cleaners and polishing cream in our home. And although the shoe-shine boy was (and still is) a colorful Dominican figure, we had to clean our own shoes each Saturday. Of course we complained every time, now recalling it nostalgically.

Shoe shinning kit

Our parents engaged us in family chores, instilling a sense of responsibility and money saving. Shoe-cleaning can be a family activity, tied to weekly allowance.
Here are easy steps to clean your shoes and leather goods: 

Thoroughly brush shoes to loose dirt, including sole.
Use soapy water and a rag on sole, if needed.

Apply appropriate color cleaning liquid or
leather conditioner to outer surface, let it dry 

Apply shoe polish wax using a soft polishing
brush or a flannel cloth

Protect shoes and purses storing it in bags, old pillow cases are great for this purpose 
Wash tennis shoes following manufacturers instructions. Cloth footwear can be washed in the same load along with floor mops, bathroom rugs and cleaning rags; it helps cleaning shoes. To remove stubborn dirt, I use soap diluted in water, apply it on surface brushing briskly before placing it in washer. Let shoes dry in dry room or if foot odor is a problem, let dry under sunlight.

Organizing for the Elderly Part II

Clutter free room, with comfortable chair next to bathroom

What can we do at home to keep the elderly safe?

If our parents live by themselves we constantly worry about their safety, and if they live with us we need to rearrange our home to protect them, especially bedroom, bathroom and kitchen areas, removing obstacles and sharp pointy furniture, small rugs and anything that could make them fall, they did for us, now we do it for them.  

Avoid furniture with sharp corners

It's important to consider individual’s level of independence, making them part of the decision-making process, respectfully explaining why precautions are taken. For example, is not a good idea to keep prescriptions by night table, unless they are inhalers or palliatives, because it is easy to forget one took them already. 

It is not a good idea to keep prescription by night table

Prescription medications:

• There are several apps to keep track of prescription medications, that send reminders, prescription interaction warnings, and many other helpful features. These applications are reliable, I have been using Mango Health, but please do your own research to identify one suitable to your needs.
• Store medicine bottles in the kitchen-pantry to avoid humidity and keep control of all prescriptions.
• Make a list of all prescriptions and post it visibly behind their bathroom door and in kitchen pantry.
• Place a color sticker on each Rx bottle to facilitate intake schedule; for example, yellow for morning, green for afternoon, and blue for evening pills.
  

  

  Color code to indicate intake time

  
  
• Involve seniors in the preparation of daily prescriptions boxes, going over reasons why meds were prescribed; it makes them feel in control of their own health care process. 
• Seniors forget to take medication or double up on it, its hard for them to keep track, so it’s a good idea to separate daily doses in prescriptions boxes. Automated pill bottles are also available.
• Set alarm for the elderly and for you and follow up on it. Apps can be of great help.
• Check expiration dates and discard old medication bottles, don't leave it up to them.

Nutritional needs and medical care are important issues, but my area of expertise is organization and it would be great to hear from you on different aspects of senior care, fresh ideas and suggestions!

Over the Door Cosmetic Organizer

For a long while I have been looking for a larger medicine cabinet to install in a long bathroom corridor, to store personal care items and cosmetics; last week, I stumbled on this fantastic piece,  with led lights, it can be installed over the door and on the wall, price ranging from $89.00 to $149.00 Its will clear a great deal of clutter from bathroom sink. A great finding!

Organizing for the Elderly - Part I

Keep rooms clutter free

Are you caring for an elderly parent or relative?  We are, and a dear friend asked me to discuss organizing a home with the elderly in mind. The most important thing is safety: arm them with a panic button, get coffee maker, toaster, and all small appliances that automatically turn off after a short while, have them use a microwave to warm-up food, and if they insist on cooking get an induction cooktop, install smoke and gas detectors and “fall-proof” entire house.

Induction cooktops are ideal, they don't get hot and stop working once liquids dry

How many of you have parents that insist on living in their own place? My mother does, and we worry about her constantly. She is also attached to her stuff refusing to let go of it; so, I am the bad guy who periodically goes there removing what she doesn’t need or use. We all get attached to sweet memories, but clutter is dangerous for the elderly.
Each visit to mom is an organizing trip for me. I will share some thoughts in three parts, hoping you will also share useful ideas and suggestions on how to keep our home safe for our elderly.

• Have their room next to the bathroom, with shower not a bathtub to avoid falls
• Remove all items they can trip on such as rugs without grip and unnecessary furniture

Avoid having rugs, they are a tripping hazard

Have a clear path from bedroom to bathroom with darkness activated night lights

Create safe and cozy spaces, separate little corners for variety

• Create safe and cozy spaces, separate little corners, to give them variety: TV space, reading corner next to a bookcase; keeping in mind what they love or miss from their home: favorite books, arts and craft, photo albums, gardening time, etc.

Different spaces for different activities

• Keep place clutter-free with designated spaces for different activities, and supplies organized in small baskets and plastic containers. Make everything easy to reach, to avoid falls.
• Keep their medicine organized in shelves, highly visible, with big labels to avoid mistakes.
• They need people to talk to, family and friends can rotate their visits; it can be fun, playing table games or doing arts and crafts they enjoy.

Avoid pointy corners whenever possible

• Have comfortable chairs, and rounded corner furniture, so they don’t bruise. It is sad to find a loved one with bruises!

Children's Bedrooms

Less is better in children's rooms

Wouldn't you agree that children don’t need lots of fancy furniture in their room? Less is better, avoiding clutter and giving them elbowroom.  
All you need is to make the room safe, a comfortable bed, a nightstand (avoid pointy corners) with nightlight, a chest of drawers for t-shirts, shorts, underwear and socks and lots of shelf space with storage baskets.

If you have the space, its great to have a designated play area outside the bedroom; either way, I suggest having only a few toys on the shelves, rotating them every other week. As in a boutique or specialty shop, fewer, well selected items to choose from, lowers the anxiety of choosing. It also helps maintaining the room organized and children enjoy their toys longer; since they are often overwhelmed with too many items to choose from. Some children collect toys (cars, trucks, dolls, its.)that can double as room decoration. 

Favorite items displayed

Having a designated play area and clearly defined boundaries help children relax and think clearly. Training children to be part of the organization process gives them a sense of ownership and pride. If kindergarten teachers can train thirty or more children to place items back in its place, so can we. Children disciplined to use designated spaces according to activity, excel in structured environments, such as school and social settings.

The Space Between the Olives

A book dealing with youth, community activism and immigration issues, is now available. 

The Space Between the olives presents a living case of courage and commitment to improve the lives of the citizens in the mythical town of Alborde, doomed by economic perils, dealing with timely immigration issues and community engagement.

Originally published in Spanish, The Space Between the Olives: A Story of Civic Engagement is based on a true story. It is a tale of courage, solidarity, civic action, and commitment. Author Lily Guzman shows those interested in community development how to participate and act to improve the lives of citizens at the core of an organized society: the municipality. It is a much-needed example to inspire readers to produce significant changes in their own communities at the grassroots level. Lily Guzman is currently an international business development consultant for LGA Inc. She represents the U.S. in the Ibero-American Union of Municipalists (UIM), an international municipal government organization, under which she has managed several exchange programs between U.S. institutions and Latin America and Spain, including the Stetson University faculty and students exchange program, the Stetson University law exchange program with the Universities of Granada and Malaga, the Latin American Studies Program Municipal Government Internship, and the yearly Latin American Mayors and Municipal Workers Workshop in central Florida. Lily Guzman has also served as Latin America Coordinator for the Greater Fort Lauderdale Sister Cities Organization. She is the author of The Caterpillar Story/La Historia de la Oruga and Mas Alla de Mi, a book of poetry and short stories.

The author, an immigrant from the Dominican Republic shares her life experience in activism and community work. Available for interviews and discussions on local community issues.

Children's Closet

Fabric closet organizers are ideal for easy access

Engaging children in the organizing process, is an educational/training opportunity, as much as a convenience for us, and if they understand the logic behind our organizational choices, they are more likely to support it.

If you have more than one child, purchase high quality garments siblings can inherit, it saves money. My children were first in the family, thus I purchased high quality clothing to pass down to nieces and nephews. Keep a reasonable number of pants, shorts, shirts, and sweaters within their reach, although not too many to avoid overwhelming them with too many choices. Create easy to reach storage area, like fabric organizers that hang from closet rods.

Organize Logically: tops above, bottoms lower 

Keep upper wear (shirts, t-shirts, sweaters) in space above, pants and shorts below. It makes sense and its easier for children to grasp the idea.
I like to place underwear and socks in bottom drawers.  If you don’t have a chest of drawers you can find inexpensive, yet practical plastic closet storage drawers, to place under bed, or baskets in shelves. Same for shoes storage.

Baskets are also a great solution

Have ‘recycle’ basket in the closet, to collect outgrown items. Do this often, so your child doesn’t have to go to school in uncomfortable clothing. If siblings will inherit clothing sort it often, to keep each child’s items separate, in view and easy to find; it gives them a sense of ownership and pride.

If there is a big age difference between children, only select items in good condition to put away until next child can use them; If not, donate clothing to a charitable organization (tax deductible). If you feel attachment to a little outfit, take a picture for keepsake and give it to someone you know will appreciate and enjoy it.  I had to do that with my expensive business outfits, when I started working from home. It pleases me to see family and friends enjoying my suits now.

Where are your keys?

Organizing is not about living in a showroom, it is about making life easier and reducing stress... as a byproduct we get to live in a nice and neat environment.
How many times you got late to work or missed an appointment entirely because you couldn't find your car keys? I know I have. This applies to every object in your home or file in your computer.
When I decided, a very long time ago, that my keys were going to be always in one place and one place only something clicked inside me. From that day on I realized that not only my keys had to have a place where I knew I was going to find them every single time... everything else had to have a place too. 
If you know something will be a problem you find a permanent solution, otherwise you will keep on "temporarily" solving it over and over.
If finding your keys becomes an everyday problem, it might be time to find a permanent place for them.
  

Trellises for your vines?... No thank you!

Home Brewed Trellis

We planted a few blooming vines on our backyard hoping they will eventually cover concrete blocks wall.
Now that spring have them growing madly I decided some trellises would make a nice addition... that was until I checked pricing online.
Instead I came up with a home brewed solution that I'd like to share with you here.
With a box of concrete screws, a roll of aluminum wire, power drill and impact driver in hand I set out to mounting my own trellis... if you can call it that!
On concrete block below top of wall I drilled two wholes separated vertically by one block and inserted screws on them. Repeated this operation every 4 feet or so all around.
After I had all screws in place I mounted aluminum wire alternating  top and bottom screw to form a kind of X in between.
Images below will give you a better idea.