The Organized Parent: 8 Tips for Getting Your Growing Family's Act Together

One child is a relationship. Raising two or more is a small business. To stay sane as the family grows, you need to organize and plan effectively.

What follows are 8 tips for keeping family life on track as school events, pediatrician appointments and errands multiply.

Grow Calendar 2011

*Keep a "Waiting For" file. My file currently contains: birthday invitations responded to, information on my girls' upcoming dance recital, and receipts for uniforms on order. Without this file, these papers would be on my desk.

*Read the school newsletter. Skip the newsletter and the school gods will get you. Your kid will arrive in uniform on costume day. You'll find out about the big pilgrim event after the turkey's been roasted. Note newsletter events - then look for them to change in the next newsletter.

*Get an electronic organizer. As the family grows, so do the number of regularly scheduled events. Kids' activities, PTA meetings - why record these by hand each week when you can program them to repeat? The best gift I got preparing for my second child was a Palm organizer.

*Keep spring open. Once the kids start school, May and June are as busy as December. Schedule a business trip during the last month of school and you risk missing an important event. Keep your calendar as clear as possible during this time.

*Create an inbox for your mate. You swear you left it on the counter for him. He hasn't seen it. Avoid conflict by giving your spouse an inbox. Put the roofing estimate job in the box and place flowers on the counter.

*Meet with your spouse. Plans made in passing don't always register. Men are lousy at multitasking. Women get overwhelmed at home. Sit down and compare calendars. Start by scheduling date night.

*Consider birthday parties optional. The more kids you have, the more invitations you get. Pass on those that don't fit your schedule. But RSVP so the busy birthday parent can plan.

*Preserve free time. My favorite days with my girls are the unscheduled ones. Set aside time to just hang out together. It's as important as anything else you'll do.

(c) 2006 Jennifer Bingham Hull. Reprint rights granted as long as entire article is published, including resource box and its live links.

The Organized Parent: 8 Tips for Getting Your Growing Family's Act Together

Grow Calendar 2011

Getting a Spiral Staircase

Are you looking to build a spiral staircase in your own house? If you want to build a good looking staircase, and you don't want to have a serious developer install it for a vastly overpriced amount, you can try to build and put the stairs in yourself. To do this, you will need to buy a spiral staircase kit--a kit that makes it easy to build and install the stairs. This is a modular kit, good for many sorts of houses and shapes.

If you want fast and easy assembly, and a staircase that doesn't take up too much space, go for the spiral variety. Because it is a spiral, and not a flat staircase, it will wind around a common center, taking up much less space than a normal staircase. This looks great in any house or building.

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Unfortunately, it will be a little bit more annoying to climb than a regular set of steps, because of its spiral nature. However, the tradeoff is well worth it, because in the end you can buy an easy to install by yourself set of stairs that you can install yourself.

You can find these kits online or at several hardware stores. Go check your local Lowes and Walmart, and look online for the types of stairs you are most interested in. I guarantee you'll find what you're looking for. You should definitely look for one that fits the color and design of your house, and also the shape and size.

Getting a Spiral Staircase

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