Starting this little blog continually proves to be one of the best personal decisions I’ve made. Organization truly is something i’m coo-coo-crazy about. All of us have that *thing* that gets our motor revving and organization is what does it for me. While motherhood is my main job, simply organized gives me a chance to expand my mind beyond the parenting day to day and share my (obsessive, hair-brained) ideas with all of you reading along.

Besides being able to share my projects, the blog affords me the opportunity to connect with amazing and fun readers. I enjoy hearing from all of you whether it’s a comment on a post, an e-mail or a note on my facebook page. Discovering those notes in my inbox make me smile.

But I also LOVE to receive e-mails from companies and fellow bloggers looking to partner up with me on fun reviews, projects, giveaways and now I can add interviews to that list.

The same week I heard from the Martha Stewart company regarding the wall manager review and giveaway (still can’t get over that one!), a lovely gal from care.com e-mailed asking if I  would be interested in completing an interview about organized playrooms.

What the what?

Me? She had to have the wrong person, right?

Nope. She was looking for me and I was more than thrilled to answer her questions. she reached out to several mom bloggers in regards to this article/interview…And she found some good ones, my friends. I’m in good company and, again, am honored Christine reached out to me to join the group.

by the way, Christine mentioned she would need a good, high-resolution photo of me for the article. uuum, didn’t have one of those. organization tips – yes. good photo of me – no. so, looks like i had to solve that dilemma. a big thank you and shout out to my very talented 8 year old for taking the photo you see in this article and now on the sidebar.

a mom just keeping it real, peeps!

You probably know care.com from their hilarious babysitting/caregiving commercials. My personal favorite is the sitter who shows up with her boyfriend…on a motorcycle. I can’t relate to anything that crazy, but trust me when I say our family has had their fair share of bad babysitting experiences. Not only does care.com offer a great caregiver referral website, they also have a website with great parenting content and articles.

And that is exactly where you can find this interview series…right here.

Now, on to the blogger interviews! each of us was asked a series of questions. The questions not only relate to spring cleaning or organization, but also how to get your kids involved. If you’re a parent, you know keeping the house clean and tidy is a monumental frustration. It’s just par for the course with little ones around. They’re kids and kids should be kids. But it’s helpful to start the learning process when they’re young. We have struggled with this area since becoming parents and I’ve tried many ideas…But reading this article gave me some new tricks to test out in our home. I hope you find a few gems too and enjoy!

First up is Anna from ask anna…

anna was interviewed about keeping a clean and organized kitchen. I’ve been reading Anna’s blog for a while now, and guest posted on her site once, but I always learn something new with each post. My favorite tip in her interview…

“To motivate my daughter to help out around the house, I created a job chart for her. At the end of every week, she gets paid for the jobs she’s completed, and if she chooses not to do a job, then I get paid for it.”

The “i get paid for it” part – genius! I never thought to pay myself!! Love that!

Second is Julie from julie marsh…

Julie was interviewed about organizing a family room. Julie’s blog is a new find for me and look forward to keeping up with her ideas. Something in her interview that i enjoyed…

“I subscribe to the broken window theory. I know that sounds harsh, like I’m comparing clutter to criminal activity, but if I let the place go, it gives license to the rest of my family to let it go too. Therefore, I strive to keep a minimum standard of cleanliness in place. Of course, my family argues that my minimum is stricter than many people’s mother-in-law standard.”

Well said, Julie!

Third is Dana from a slob comes clean…

Don’t you love that blog name? This was another new blog find for me. In the article, Dana talks about 3 ways to de-clutter your kid’s room. Sign me up! here’s a quote that most all of us are aware of, but too easily forget…

“The less stuff we have in the kids’ rooms, the easier it is for them to put things back in order on their own”

We live in a more, more, more society which makes it difficult to remember that less is typically better for us.

Next up is christine from i dream of clean…

Christine shared 3 tips to an organized laundry room. Yes, one of the most cherished rooms in any home with children. If you read my post about our laundry routine, this may sound familiar…But it sure was nice to know someone else follows my same motto of just one load per day…

“Wash, dry, and fold at least one load a day. Of course there are days that I dread this task, but not nearly as much as seeing a HUGE pile of laundry that needs to be washed on laundry day.”

Finally, it was my turn…

Christine interviewed me about organizing a playroom. The playroom at our previous house is still one of my most popular blog entries – it was such a fun and inspiring space. But the toy organization posts are a big hit too. It’s an organization area every parent struggles with – even me! The toy organization system i set up in our old house works just as well in our current rental…And I have a feeling it will continue working once we move and get settled in our new california house. In the interview i shared tips on finding a system that works for you AND your family as well as keeping it simple. The mesh bins work for ALL of us – not just me. I think when it comes to organizing for your family, all of the members should be considered in the type of system you choose. Otherwise, it won’t work.

Enough of my blabbing! I hope you’ll make your way over to the care.com website to read each of the interviews. And in the process find a few new bloggers to follow along with. 🙂