In case of emergency

So the other day I was at work when I got a text from my boyfriend, asking if I wanted to go see a movie when I got off. Basically I freaked out, because I hadn't been in the mood to put makeup on that day, and I had let my hair dry air dry, leaving it au natural, if you know what I'm sayin'. Now, I could give a lecture on how the right guy will love you no matter that you look like(as he did), but let's face it ladies. You're gonna wish you had put some eyeliner on or something! Y'all know how it is.

I do have to thank the man for being my inspiration for this post, because today I'm going to talk about what you need to keep in your purse at all times for emergencies such as this:

First thing's first. You need a comb. I'm not expecting you to somehow shove a round brush in your bag, but you can buy those little fold-up ones pretty much anywhere that sells hair stuff. It won't take up that much space, I promise!

And while we're on the topic of hair stuff, make sure you have a hair tie wrapped around the brush, because you'll need it. Trust me. A hair tie was the one thing I didn't have, and I sorely regretted it. I had to use a rubber band instead! It worked, but it hurt coming out lol.

Lastly for hair products, I strongly suggest adding a few bobby pins to the mix. I have a little pouch where I keep bobby pins, safety pins, spot remover, etc. just in case, but if you don't have that, just latch those puppies onto that hair tie you WILL be putting in your purse!

Next you're gonna need some makeup. I don't want you all going out and buying a bigger bag so you can fit a full face of makeup in there. You'll only need one or two things.

First off, you'll need some eyeliner. Nothing crazy here, ladies. Stick with the basics, brown or black. I like to take my eyeliner pencils, once they're stubs, and put them in my purse. Instant travel size! Plus I don't feel wasteful throwing away an eyeliner that's still good, but won't fit in my sharpener anymore. If you can, try to find one will a little smudging power, because you can line your eyes, smudge it out, and have a little smokey eye action going on. It's shadow and liner all in one!

Really the only other makeup item you need is a tinted lip balm. You won't want lipstick, though, because that'll be too dramatic for your natural eyes. Or, better yet, a lip and cheek stain. That way you can add a little color to your face and lips both! I didn't have that, just burt's bees chapstick, but hey, that's why I'm telling you this, so you can learn from my mistakes.

This next thing is optional, but I work at a dry cleaner and it was hot that day, so I badly needed it, if you catch my drift. This thing would be an atomizer, otherwise known as a lifesaver. For those that don't know what an atomizer is, it's a little tube that you can put perfume in, and it won't spill or break, and therefore great for traveling. Just put a little of whatever fragrance you're wearing that day in that little tube, stick it in your purse, and you're good to go! I got mine from Old Navy, but I have seen them at Wal-Mart in the travel section as well. They're super cheap, like $2.

And there you have it! So next time you get invited unexpectedly on a date(or an interview, or a party, whatever the case may be) you'll be ready. Have fun :)

Save space:Organizing your dresser drawers

So you've been on this cleaning/organizing kick(The weather's reenacting "Frozen", what ELSE is there to do?!) and your room(or house, if you're an over achiever) is looking pretty fantastic, if you do say so yourself. *insert a nonchalant rubbing of the nails on your shirt* But you get to your closet and you're just stumped. Like you've been standing there staring at it for 20 minutes and.....nothing.



I definitely had this problem not too long ago. I have always had this thing about closet doors. When I was little I was convinced that if my closet had doors, then obviously, the monsters would be able to hide in there and come out to get me when my parents were conveniently sound asleep. Even to this day sleeping in a room with closed closet doors is very unsettling to me. I no longer believe monsters are out to get me, but the feeling of dislike and uneasiness just never went away....so, I don't have doors on my closet.

Because I my closet doesn't have doors, I have had to revert to other ways of hiding my clothes. When I was little, it was butterfly bead curtains....loved those things. But as I got older and the hot pink butterfly beads just got WAAAY too lame for my oh so sophisticated 14 year-old self(yeah, no) I had to think of yet OTHER ways to hide my crap....I mean, totally neat, spotless, clothing collection. :)

My biggest problem is this. I am a selective neat freak.(You learned about my childhood fears AND my strange lifestyle habits. I guess today is sharing day.) By selective I mean this. untidiness makes me itch....but I'm not gonna clean it! So basically, my room is like always spotless, because I have, through much trial and error, learned to pick up as I go, because if I let it slide for too long, I'm gonna forget what my floor looks like and "Hoarders" is gonna have to come in and do an intervention on me. Basically.

Long story......still really long(sorry!) I just got really tired of looking at all my clothes all the time. No matter how I hung them(at one point they were hung long to short!) the whole thing just looked...messy. So I came up with this genius idea to put a dresser in my closet and make a little "get ready" station with mirrors and baskets for my perfumes and curling irons!(actually, I got the idea from a display at IKEA, but who's counting, right?) I went out an bought myself a super dope dresser with the really nice glide-y drawers that don't slam when you close them, and stuck that baby in my closet. All by myself. I was very proud.

But then the hard part came. Namely, getting all my stuff in those drawers, which, FYI, always look like they can hold more at the store then they do when faced with a bed full of shirts I totally forgot I even had! and that's where I get to the "How-To" part of this really long-winded story, because I KNOW you've all gone through something like this in your life, and wondered HOW it was all going to fit!

Well, to answer that question, it might not all fit. Switching to a dresser is a perfect time to go through all your clothes and get rid of some stuff. I'm talking, stuff that doesn't fit(and can't be fixed, a.k.a. taken in or out), stuff you don't like/wear anymore. Those jammy pants that are just too ratty to technically be called "pants" anymore.....hypothetically.

Once you've rid yourself of that burden, I'm sure you'll find it much easier to squeeze everything in. But, if it's still a tight fit, or even if you just want to be able to find all your clothes without having to dig through piles, I suggest this next little tip(thank you pinterest!). Rolling. Aw yeah. If you do it right, and fold your clothes right(ie nicely, without any wrinkles in it. Don't get lazy!) your clothes will stay wrinkly. Like my mom says, "If they don't go in with wrinkles, chances are they won't come out with them, either."

And this doesn't just work for clothes either. With all that extra space, you could fit your scarves, belts, even jewelry in your dresser drawers and save even more space that way! Plus, It just decreases the over all "cluttered" look of your space. Just add little containers or spacers so nothing rolls around and gets lost. It'll look super cute...and how awesome would that be to only have to go to one place to get your whole outfit together?!

Another bonus tip for you lovely readers: This tip works with packing for trips too. Say goodbye to the multiple suitcase weekend trip! You're welcome.

5 things to do instead of watching TV

 

So the weather is yucky, you're out of school, and you have no job. Basically, you're stuck at home with nothing to do and you're going a little stir crazy. In this completely hypothetical situation, you may be wandering the halls trying to figure out what to do to pass the time...that you haven't already done eighteen times. After awhile it gets kinda hard to think of stuff to do. You don't want to watch TV; you've already spent the last two days having a "Full House" marathon and Doctor Oz just said too much TV is bad for your brain development; but what else are you supposed to do?!

These are my five things to do instead of watching TV:

1- EXERCISE
Yeah yeah yeah, I know. You don't want to do that! You want to do something fun! But January is the perfect time to kick-start your health, especially when you have nothing to do and no where to go. Even if you're only killing half an hour, you'll feel better, and maybe even have more energy to get out there and shovel your driveway so you can leave your house! LOL no, probably not. But you get the idea.

2- READ A BOOK
This is pretty self-explanatory, but what if you don't like to read? It's a difficult concept for me to imagine, but I've heard there are people in this world that are like that. No biggie. Get an audiobook. Your library is jam packed with great books just waiting to me listened to! And if you listen to a book, you can do something else while you're listening...because multi-tasking is good :)

3- CLEAN YOUR HOUSE
This doesn't sound like fun to me at all, but how often do you tell yourself that you're gonna do it when you've got the time? Suddenly you find yourself with all the time in the world! You don't have to do it all at once, take a room a day, and then come spring cleaning time, your house won't be such an overwhelming project! Plus you can listen to that book while you clean, which only makes the time go faster!

4-DO SOMETHING CRAFTY
Whatever that may be...sewing, knitting, painting, drawing, scrapbooking, whatever. Just make something crafty. Make some wall art for your bare living room walls, make fun crafts with the kids. Get a head start on some Christmas presents! Remember that pair of pants you told your mom you'd hem...and then totally forgot for like six months?(hypothetically, of course) Even if you're not a crafty or artistic person, days like this are a perfect time to experiment and find out just how creative you can be!

5- EXPERIMENT
I reserved this last tip as a sort of miscellaneous section. Everyone has those little things they saw on youtube and always wanted to try, but never took the time. It may be a recipe, or a hairstyle, or whatever, but I know you've all got something you've been putting off 'till later. Well, it's later, and you've got nothing better to do, so try that new smokey eye tutorial, or that recipe for homemade red velvet cake(I'm available for taste testing)

See? There are so many things you can do with your day that doesn't involve the TV! I'm not saying TV is bad....I really really like TV...and often, I'll do many of these things while watching TV. But sometimes it's good to unplug and try new things. I find I have a greater appreciation for easy entertainment when I don't have it. Now get out there and make your day productive!

How to write a Homeschool Rubric in 5 easy steps

- By Michelle

Grading for homeschooling can be really daunting if the assignment you are evaluating doesn't include tests or worksheets with clear cut right or wrong answers. Most homeschoolers don't worry about this too much until they hit high school and they suddenly realize that they need to give grades and keep transcripts. Today's post is the first in a series that will help you get ready for high school record keeping painlessly. 

So what do you do if you are using a curriculum you have pulled together yourself and, therefore, don't have those assessment tools included? You might consider creating your own personalize Rubrics based on your expectations and your child's abilities. Rubrics are great for record keeping AND for keeping you honest when your are looking over your their work since your expectations were already defined prior to the assignment. Also, your child will give you better quality work if they clearly know what you are looking for.

So here are my...

 


Remember, this is YOUR Rubric, so it can look however you want it to look. That said, I am a visual person so here are a couple examples to inspire you.

Also, consider handing out your rubric with the assignment so your child can see what they need to do to get a perfect score. Or even better... have the child create their own Rubric.


So how do you use this to grade your students work? Here is a video from Essentials in Writing that may help answer that question for you.

So, I Need To Clean My Room....

In my household, we have four bedrooms, and six people to fill them. One of the rooms is being used for a homeschool room, so that leaves three bedrooms for everyone to pair up into. My room-mate just so happens to be my 16-year-old sister, Hannah.

Now, I love Hannah. She is an amazing girl. But sometimes we have a little trouble. Because Hannah is kind of a neat freak. And I am not.

Usually this actually works out to my advantage. I've only had to clean our room a handful of times, because Hannah usually takes care of it. It's great. I'll just come up to my room randomly and find that not only is the floor clearly visible, but there's also clean laundry folded on the bed and soft music playing in the background. This is the effect my dear sister has on our room.

However, Hannah has been out of town the last three days at snow camp, and I have found that left to my own devices, I have a slightly different effect on the room. Yah... I'll leave you to imagine. Just know it's not pretty.

This morning when I woke up I looked around the room, thought about how messy it is, and then I realized... she is coming home from snow camp. tonight.

So I have two options here:

1. Greet her at the door with a, "THANK GOODNESS YOU'RE HOME I NEED SOMEONE TO CLEAN!!!!"

or....

2. Surprise her and clean it for her!

After much consideration, I chose option one.

Juuuussstttt kidding, I chose option two, of course! ;)

Now, on the rare occasion that I clean my own bedroom, I always like to do something different so it's not just the same old same old. I decided to go on pinterest and see if I could find any inspiration for better organization.

First I looked for jewelry organization ideas. The top of both of our dressers are so over-run with jewelry! Here's what I found:

• Pinterest is just teeming with jewelry organization ideas, but I especially liked the idea of using recycled teacups or plates to organize rings and bracelets. I don't think I would do that with necklaces, though, like they have it in the picture, just because I hate untangling necklaces. 

• Doorknobs screwed into a piece of driftwood (or even regular wood) makes a really unique necklace hanger. I love the mis-matched, vintage handles, also. They remind me of the beautiful ones Anthropologie sells. (Here is a lovely turquoise one that's on sale for about $3.00 right now! You can get it in a few colors, so they don't all match, or take a look at their other knobs on sale.)
• For special occasion jewelry, I found one idea in which you take a shadow box, remove the back, and just lay it over top of your jewelry. It will protect your gems, and it looks absolutely gorgeous. J. Crew displays their jewelry in their stores similarly, and I drool over it every time I see it. It's just such an elegant way to do it! 

Next, I looked up scarf organization ideas... We literally got a million scarves for Christmas this year. I love scarves, don't get me wrong, but there are only so many you can drape on the end of your bed before it starts getting frustrating.

• I found this tutorial for using shower curtain rings on a hanger to hang them up in your closet... great idea! (Although I'm thinking this might not work for bulkier scarves.)

• Here's what I would LOVE to do with my scarves except I know this would only last about three seconds... but it just looks so appealing!

Last, I looked up some ideas for a makeup station/vanity. Currently, all of our makeup is in a little container on the floor next to our mirror which is also on the floor. Also, Our room is not well lit at all, so it's really hard to see how your makeup actually looks until you go to a brighter room. I would love to have a little vanity table/dressing area with a lamp and a mirror to make things easier. Not to mention that just seems so glamorous! 

• I love the idea of having a big mirror and a small mirror on your vanity. Big one for hair, small one for things like eye makeup and plucking eyebrows. 

• If you have too much stuff on the top of your table, it will start looking cluttered. Yucky. However, a few pretty brush holders could help organize things, and still keep them within reach. I love the white, lacey ones in the bottom right corner. I bet you could find something just like that at IKEA or even Target for very inexpensive!
• I. want. a. vanity. tray. They are so beautiful! I saw pictures of some that didn't have a mirror on the bottom... you could just use an old picture frame and add a thin piece of wood to the bottom if you didn't want the mirror. However, I happen to love how the mirror reflects light upward and, just like the shadow box with the necklaces, it seems so glamorous!

So It looks like I have my work cut out for me today! I am going to hopefully be taking a trip to goodwill (as long as they are open on MLKjr. Day... crossing my fingers) to find some things for my vanity and for organizing. Hannah's going to love it... :)

Choosing the Perfect Curriculum for your Homeschool

-By Michelle

Last September you were probably all excited about the start of the new school year with the new curriculum that you had searched for since February. You did your research by visiting message boards and yahoo groups and talked to the actual users who loved the program. You were convinced that you had finally found the program that you were going to use for the rest of your homeschool years and if you had the money, you would buy the entire remaining years of curriculum they offered and be done with it. You were that sure.

The first few weeks had its issues, but there is always a learning curve with new programs right? But, by Christmas you are thrilled for the break and by January you are dreading starting back to school, so the search begins all over again. 

This time you are not going to leave anything to chance so you do a search to determine what your teaching philosophy is, whether it be classical, traditional, or possibly Charlotte Mason to name a few.  In my case, I lean towards Charlotte Mason. So you go to the all the message boards and you ask for all the Charlotte Mason curricula that is out there and you learn about…

• Charlotte Mason Help
• Ambleside Online
• Living Books Curriculum
• Heart of Dakota
• My Father's World
• etc…

So you begin researching, and one strikes you a little better than the others. Then you begin researching, asking questions and you feel like you have asked a lot of good questions. You've looked over the samples extensively and you feel confident that this is the program for you. 

Now since you are changing programs, you'll probably have some overlap or gaps from the previous program to the current one because you need to start at the beginning. Everyone says, "Oh, don't miss that! It is worth it. It is such a rich program." You might even try combining your kids into a program when previously they have worked separately from one another or vise versa. Now you have a whole new dynamic which you have just introduced into your children's lives. 

This is a cycle that tends to happen year after year after year until…

A.) You end up giving up and sending your children to school.

B.) You hand your kids their curriculum and watch from the sidelines.

The reason that this keeps happening is because…

Moms get bored, frustrated and overwhelmed. Let's face it, if you had stuck with a lot of these programs, they would have educated your children just fine and the they would have gotten out of it what needed to be gotten out it. They might not have enjoyed it every second, but they would have been able to learn from it. When we went to school, we weren't given choices about what textbooks and materials we were going to use and I would venture to say that if your reading this you are a reasonably educated person. The school system didn't tailor a fantastic individualized education for you. 

But see as moms, we are participating in this day after day, often with multiple children, and we find ourselves bored or the concepts seem to be taking too long for our children to grasp. We begin to think, "Hey, there has to be a better method out there."Or perhaps a project your child is working on takes 10 random items to create a really useless project that you may find a complete waste of time. Even if the kids enjoy it, you may not always feel you have time to dedicate to it. Let me assure you, there is no guilt in that. I am a busy mom, full time college student and I get it. I need to make the best use of time for my family. So that leads me to a really obvious thought...

There is no perfect curriculum - But I have a slightly different take. 

I am really drawn to the beauty of a Charlotte Mason curriculum but I am not 100% CM. I am unique as are you. The only person a program is perfect for is the person who wrote it. That is because they wrote it with all their favorite methods, and ideas. So if you find something that is just perfect for you, then you would probably get a long really well with the author who wrote it. 

There is nothing wrong with declaring your teaching style, but don't feel bad if you also find things appealing in other styles. Maybe something about Classical memorization, or history cycle appeals to you. Maybe the traditional workbooks seem really appealing for Grammar instead of narrating and dictation. You may not be one style so why should should your curriculum be one style?

How to choose then?

If you decide to go with an All-in-One program…

• Don't be afraid to adjust the lesson plans to fit your teaching style. Maybe the program wants your child to narrate after every history reading but you want to add lap booking. Go for it! You're the boss, not the curriculum. 
• Don't be afraid to only use part of the program that is working and supplement with something else in another area. If you really can't stand the science, use your library to supplement or possibly add some hands on projects if that is what is missing. 

If you decide to pick and choose among suppliers…

• Keep your lesson planning simple. Watch my video at the end of this post to see how to make a simple one page lesson plan for 12 weeks worth of school. 
• Don't spend so much money that you can't make adjustments later in the year. If the program you want to purchase is going to wipe you out till next year, maybe you need to reevaluate if it is really the right program for you. At least choose one that has a high resale value should you decide it isn't working. 
• If you don't have the time and energy to use all you purchased, don't feel guilty, have a summer learning workshop. For instance, I have IEW that I am planning to have a writing workshop for a few weeks this summer. I will be able to be really focused on what I am teaching and have a lot more time to dedicate to it. 

Don't be afraid to write your own program that includes all the elements you love. 

• You don't have to do this from scratch. Use the table of contents from a book or curriculum as a guide what to teach. 
• Don't try to pack too many books into one week. Take your time and spread it out to start. If it is too light you can always add more, but if you burn yourself out, you'll likely give up. 
• Use free online programs like Charlotte Mason Help to give you some ideas. Only take what you love and leave the rest. 
• Don't try to write it all. Use some pre made programs if you prefer. I wrote my own for my youngest, but I still have a Math and Language Arts programs that are already written. 

And finally, Don't be afraid to not choose a curriculum at all. 

• Sometimes it is good to take a step back and let your children explore and learn on their own for awhile while you reevaluate what is working and what isn't. 
• Interest-led schooling is a very good choice for many families. You may find that you do much better following your children's leads rather than trying to anticipate them. So keep your $'s in the bank and buy your books and materials as interests arise. 

 

Running out of time

Do you ever feel like you’ve got so much to do that you’re running around like a chicken with its head cut off? Sometimes I have so much crammed into my day that I just want to curl up in a ball and weep openly.

 

I recently started a new job, and I’m also a college student….and I like to get in about an hour of exercise a day. I don’t have a family to look after or anything like that, but I know that feeling of drowning in your day. I had to learn quickly how to manage my busy schedule or I wasn’t going to make it at all…and I’m pretty sure most of you know exactly how I felt.

 

First thing’s first…you’re going to want to give up pretty much every day. I don’t know how many times I’ve decided I’ll just be dumb, fat and poor, but then that pesky little common sense steps in and ruins my pity party. So annoying. So, I had to think of other ways to make my life easier.

 

I started writing down everything I had to do each week, split up into individual days, and, more often than not, I was surprised to see that I didn’t have as much to do as I thought I did! By writing it down I also made sure I didn’t forget anything. I always like to get cute little notebooks(currently I’m sporting a vintage mickey mouse journal! Yay!) I mean, who said organization has to be boring?

 

Along with making a to-do list, I’ve also had to work at getting rid of my frankly worrying habit for procrastination. Seriously. It’s pretty bad. The biggest problem I was having with cramming everything I needed to do in just 24 short hours was, well, I was spending a good number of those hours not doing anything productive. I’m not saying that breaks are bad or that you need to go go go all the time, but I was spending too much time watching TV, or something equally useless. Basically, don’t leave it for later, because later quickly becomes never. It’s like what your mom always said, “Clean as you go!” or was that just MY mom? Ah well, you still get the point.

 

This next tip was something I still have a hard time with. Sometimes you have to say “No”. I know, I know. But don’t get out the pitch forks just yet. Remember, we’ve only got 24 hours in a day, and, let’s face it. We’re not going to spend all 24 hours crossing off stuff on our to-do list. So, foul as it may seem, I had to train myself to realize my limits, and to never go past them, which meant sometimes I couldn’t do everything I wanted to, but in the words of a wise lady called my mom, “There’s always more”. She calls this her e-bay method. Seriously. I think she needs to write a book of one-liners. She could make millions and then I wouldn’t need a job, and wouldn’t have to use any of these tips!

 

Something that goes along with this is realizing you may not be able to do all the things you’ve planned for each day. Ideally, I would like to work out for an hour or more every day. But sometimes that just isn’t going to happen, no matter how early I get up. So I modify my plan, and maybe work out for half an hour. But each day is going to be different. Saturday I barely squeezed in 20 minutes, but today I had enough time to devote that entire hour! As much as managing my life requires structure and discipline, I also have to remember to play it by ear and understand my priorities. If I had taken an entire hour on Saturday to work out, that would mean sacrificing homework time, which, frankly, is more important to me. Ya see?

 

Anywho, I come now to my last tip. Get ready, because it’s massively profound. YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING YOURSELF. Boom. I’m talking to you, moms! I know you have a bit of a control problem and you just feel more comfortable doing it yourself. At least you know it was done right! But you’re only human, and sometimes you need to act like one. Chances are you’ve got a kid or a husband who will take those library books back if you just ask them. Hypothetically. I understand that this will be really hard for most of you. Trust me. I am a HUGE control freak, and I get fidgety when I have to let someone else do something for me…but you know what? More things get done and the world doesn’t end! Which means less stress over how much is left to do at the end of every day!

 

This may have been a rambling bunch of nonsense to many of you, but these things really helped me make the most of every day, and I hope it helps you a little too!
 

How to Organize your Purse in 5 easy steps

Have you ever gone through your purse looking for a pen, but couldn’t find it under all the receipts and gum wrappers? Can your friends and family hear you coming from the rattling of loose change and that pack of breath mints you forgot you even had?

If you’re nodding and grinning guiltily, you’re in luck, because this is How to organize your purse in 5 easy steps!

STEP1: Think about what you need

This seems really obvious, I know, but it’s true.Think about it. What do you use every day? This will be a little different for everyone. For me, I would put things like chapstick, my phone, money, my keys, etc. on that need list.

Similarly, think about the things you don’t need. You’re going to want to bring your chapstick, for sure, but do you really need to tote around your entire lip product collection? I’m speaking from experience, believe me. I used to have an entire pocket devoted to lip gloss…and it wasn’t pretty. 

Sort through all the things that are currently in your purse and make two piles; one for all the things you know you’ll use regularly, and one for the things you put in your purse because you needed it for a party….and never took it out.

STEP 2:Think about size

Even if you have a large purse, you want to utilize all that space as best you can. Size matters! You can go to the travel section of any store and get mini everything. because do you REALLY need to lug around that full size bottle of hand lotion?

    *A tip I learned a while back for you ladies that like to keep some makeup with you is to take that stub of eyeliner that’s on it’s last leg and stick that in your purse!

STEP 3: What do you reach for the most?

You've got everything sorted out now, and you're ready to load up your purse. But first you have to ask yourself this question: What do I grab the most? For me, it’s my phone, so I’m going to want to put that in a place that is really easy to access, like a front pocket. You’ll want to do this for everything you put in your purse. All the things that you know you’ll need, but not very often(perhaps Ibuprofen) should go in a back pocket, or the bottom of your purse. Make sure that everything is still easily accessible, though, otherwise it’ll all get jumbled up when you DO need that Ibuprofen…then you’ll have to start all over!

STEP 4: Take the time.

You’ve followed all these steps up to this point, and your purse is finally clean and organized!(and probably a few pounds lighter, am I right?) But here’s the thing. You can’t just do this once and be done. Life is going to happen and you’re going to just stuff something in your bag and forget about it, and before you know it, you’ve got a suitcase again!

I would suggest you go through this process about twice a year, or whenever you feel like your purse is getting too messy. Take twenty minutes, turn on the TV, and just dump everything out. Get rid of all those receipts and gum wrappers that have been threatening to take over you bag! Remember that lipstick you threw in there for touch-ups at your office Christmas party? It’s July, I think you can get rid of that now.

STEP 5: Don’t be afraid to leave something at home

This is going to be hard to do, believe me, but it’s one of the easiest ways to keep your purse organized! 

AND BECAUSE I'm SO NICE.....

BONUS TIP: No pockets? No problem!

Many of the really cute purses on the market today really aren’t designed for organization. They’re basically one big sack with a couple phone-sized pickets on the sides. You want to keep everything need and tidy, but you don’t want a purse that looks like cargo pants with a shoulder strap!

If you have a purse like this, have no fear! There’s an easy, inexpensive way to fix the problem. Create your own pockets. Group all your like items(lip gloss, hair ties, bobby pins, etc.) and put them in their own pouch. These pouches can be found pretty much everywhere(I personally like the ones at Forever21...so cute!), and they can be pretty inexpensive. By doing this you’re creating your own pockets, and you get to keep your cute purse!

I know that the concept of organization can be very overwhelming, and I hope these tips made things seem a little more manageable!