• Toni said, “My tip – file folder and file storage and file away important paper immediately.. As soon as it comes in the mail.. either label it in your head to toss, recycle, shred OR do what ever it is – if it’s a bill – pay it, if it’s an application – fill it out. Put in envelope – postage and get it OUT. Then file the rest in appropriate folders. You can use a milk crate or filing cabinet or one of those accordian folders.”
• Gianna said, “Clean when the kids are asleep.”
• Jessica said, “My best tool is my calendar posted in the laundry room. I keep track of everyones appt, practices, and work schedules.”
• Veronica said, “My best tip is to install shelves in the garage. This keepa a lot of stuff off the floor allowing you more space.”

The winner of the Pretty Neat book was entry #31! GiantSis, our winner said, “I love decorative boxes and baskets. They help me sort things as needed and hide the clutter and junk until I am ready to sort through it. Plus, they liven up all my boring black furniture!”

Thanks for sharing your tips!

The post Pretty Neat Winner appeared first on The Mom Maven.

I’m sure you can relate. We all dream of having the neat, well organized home that all our friends are jealous of but…we don’t. I love organizational products, gadgets, books and TV shows but sometimes the TV shows just make me feel guilty because my home isn’t perfect. Well, in Alicia Rockmore & Sarah Welch’s book Pretty Neat: The Buttoned-Up Way to Get Organized and Let Go of Perfection I received their message loud and clear when they said, “We think it is high time for a new standard of organization: an imperfect one.”

In Pretty Neat they cover everything from delegating, eliminating excuses, taking charge of your to-do list and taming your in boxes. I found Chapter 5, Eliminate the Excuses, to be the one that struck a chord in me. I think I have a Masters Degree in excuses when it comes to organizing my home. I am a mater delegater so the daily cleaning, laundry, dishes etc gets done. My problem is the clutter/papers and folding the laundry.

Kitchen Table Before

I actually sat down at 10:00 this morning to write this review, but I couldn’t write it. I hadn’t taken action on what I had learned in Pretty Neat. Instead of writing I got up and tackled the most cluttered place in my house, the kitchen table. We have literally been on the run the last 2 weeks and have hardly eaten any meals together at the table, and last night when we did eat together we didn’t all have room at the table.

I was cranking the Disney tunes from Pandora on my Roku as I got to work. I got 4 reusable shopping bags and put 1 on each person’s chair. Then as I cleaned and decluttered I put the items in the correct person’s bag for them to put away properly when they got home tonight. I also threw away a bunch of papers we no longer needed…and some Christmas candy that was buried in there too. It took me about 90 minutes but I got everything sorted and taken care of.

Kitchen Table After

I felt so good about what I had accomplished I even took a picture and texted it to my husband who relied, “Look, a table!”

I have a lot more to do to get my entire house back in order but no I have no more excuses! I learned a lot more great tips and tricks from Pretty Neat. It was an easy read-except for the small print which was a bit tough for this old lady to see. I have 1 copy of Pretty Neat to give to one lucky reader (US only).
Mandatory 1st Entry Leave me a comment telling me your best organizing tip/product. Mine is actually another product from Get Buttoned Up-their Nothing Else pad is my favorite to-do list! I first picked it up a few years ago at Office Depot and I honestly can’t live without it!

Bonus Entries-leave a separate comment for each entry

• Follow @GetButtonedUp and @MomMaven on Twitter
• Tweet this I need to #organize my life. I want to #win @getbuttonedup ‘s book Pretty Neat from @MomMaven http://bit.ly/gLsuvC (you may do this 2x a day)
• Like Get Buttoned Up on Facebook and leave a wall comment that MomMaven sent you
• Blog subscribers, GFC friends, Networked blog subscribers and Facebook Likers each get 1 entry

This giveaway is open to US residents only. The winner will be chosen by Random.org at 9pm on 3/21/11. Good Luck!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All opinions are 100% mine. By participating in this review I am entered into a contest through Global Influence where cash prizes will be awarded to selected bloggers.

The post Pretty Neat-Book Review & Giveaway appeared first on The Mom Maven.