Projects | BeOrganizedTheOrganizedParent

Projects

Greenhouse Getaway

By Amanda Morgan

After a long, dark winter, just the word spring sends my mind running with thoughts of warm, bright, sunny days. Unfortunately, that isn't always the case. In my neck of the woods, spring can be a fickle friend. We've been known to go from sunny and bright to buried in late snow in the course of one day.

Leprechaun Trap

By Stephanie Morgan

Around this time last year I stumbled on the idea of making a Leprechaun Trap for St. Paddy’s Day and mentally filed it away. So when I started thinking of activities for the upcoming holiday, it was the first thing that popped into my head (which is somewhat of a miracle considering how long it was stowed away in there). As with many of my projects, I wanted to add an interactive element and this DIY chalk version is what I came up with.

Making Blankers: A Kid-Friendly Service Project

By Amanda Morgan

Do you have a favorite child-friendly service project? My kids love their blankets. They drag them around the house, burrowing under piles of them. So when I wanted to engage them in a service project they could connect with, making blankets seemed to be an obvious choice.

Animal Herd Valentines

By Stephanie Morgan

Have you noticed the preponderance of plastic animal crafts popping up lately? Crafty bloggers everywhere have latched on to these little guys. I'm jumping on the bandwagon with these DIY animal herd valentines.

Cleaning House with Kids

By Amanda Morgan

Ever heard the saying, "Cleaning your house while your kids are growing is a like shoveling your walk while it's still snowing"? It's often too true. Do your laundry and you'll find a hamper full of dirty ones before you get the last load folded.

The 12 Commandment of Parenting

By Stephanie Morgan

The new year is the perfect time to slow down and take a look at our daily routines and weekly schedules. As moms we hear a lot about savoring the moment and enjoying our kids while they’re young. So today I want to get a little more practical and talk about what’s needed to actually accomplish our lofty goals.

Growing Snowflakes

By Amanda Morgan- Not Just Cute

I noticed recently that I had two very similar pins on my wintertime Pinterest board. Both Mom in Madison and Delia Creates had caught my attention with their sparkly home-grown snowflakes. I figure if I'm pinning it once a year, I should probably get around to doing it, right?

Reading & Art Advent Calendar

By Stephanie Morgan- Modern Parents, Messy Kids

With two toddlers running around the house, I'm all for the trend of ditching the candy and filling the Advent calendars with Christmas activities instead. I'm a little scared, however, of actually committing myself to a project or outing each day before I get a chance to see how it's shaking out.

Meals in a Hurry

By Amanda Morgan- Not Just Cute

The holiday season is an exciting time! We gather with family and friends. We adorn the house with time-worn trinkets and hand made decorations.

Toddler-Friendly Jack-o-Lanterns

By Stephanie Morgan- Modern Parents, Messy Kids

It's become tradition in our family for each family member to get their own pumpkin on Halloween. We usually hit up the pumpkin patch in early October, then get around to decorating our finds a few weeks later.

Getting Started with Play

By Amanda Morgan- Not Just Cute

Children are natural-born explorers. Present them with a bin of dry beans and random tubes, and they will dive in hands first.

Cleaning Schedule Pop Quiz

By Stephanie Morgan- Modern Parents, Messy Kids

I recently realized something fairly important in regards to trying to keep our house clean. Everbody needs a system and no one system works well for everyone.

The Perfect Playdough for Fall

By Amanda Morgan- Not Just Cute

Fall is my favorite time of year. From the cool, crisp air brushing past your cheeks to the crunch of the leaves beneath your feet, it’s simply a feast for the senses. But for me, the best part of fall are the smells.

Creating a System to Organize Your Back-To-School Clutter

By Amanda Morgan- Not Just Cute

Confession: I tend to be a stacker. My natural tendency is to place plapers into sometimes-neat-and-tidy-but-always-inefficient piles.

DIY Preschool Prep Book

By Stephanie Morgan- Modern Parents, Messy Kids

Creating a labeled picture book can help your preschooler ease into their new environment (and make letting go a little easier).

BYORB- Brew Your Own Root Beer

By Amanda Morgan- Not Just Cute

I know that as a child I attended plenty of picnics, barbecues, and other summer gatherings. I'm sure I enjoyed them thoroughly, but of all the hundreds of things there were served at those get-together, I only remember one: Homemade Root Beer.

Surviving a Long Trip without a Meltdown

By Stephanie Morgan- Modern Parents, Messy Kids

A few weeks ago my family took a much-needed vacation to my in-laws Montana lake house. The time away was pure bliss, the getting there and back... not so much.

A Summer Vacation Celebration

By Amanda Morgan- Not Just Cute

Before too long, the school doors will fly open and our children will pour out, bubbling over with the excitement of summer vacation.

Dear Sweet Puddin'head- A Frosting for Festive Occasions

By Amanda Morgan- Not Just Cute

I've been eye-deep into some pretty heavy work lately, so I decided it was time for some fluff. LITERALLY.

Make Every Day Feel Like Mother's Day

By Stephanie Morgan- Modern Parents, Messy Kids

Wouldn’t it be great if every day could be like Mother’s Day? If you could take all the time you wanted to dress up and fell pretty and then rely on the kids and hubby to plan out the day?

Preventing a Puzzling Mess

By Amanda Morgan- Not Just Cute

Back in graduate school days, I was lucky enough to have a teaching assistanship in a child development lab. With three rooms serving five to six different classes of children, the center was well-stocked with all kinds of toys...

Honoring Kids Artwork

By Stephanie Morgan- Modern Parents, Messy Kids

For many families, spring is a time to get a fresh start on cleaning and organizing. And when it comes to clutter, your children’s art can be one of the biggest culprits.

Hands-On Nature

By Amanda Morgan- Not Just Cute

I believe that there is nothing that will compel our children to be good stewards of the earth that's quite as powerful as simply experiencing the wonder and joy of nature for themselves.

Toy Room Organization

By Stephanie Morgan- Modern Parents, Messy Kids

Parents are always asking for more posts on storage and organization, particularly pertaining to toys. Just for you, I'm going out of my comfort zone a bit here and exposing what is decidedly one of the less stylish spots in my house...

See Through Seed Gardens

By Amanda Morgan- Not Just Cute

As a seed germinates and grows, it's hard for children to understand what goes on beneath that mystic cover of soil. Of course you can sprout bean seeds in a plastic bag...

Customized Paint Projects

By Stephanie Morgan- Modern Parents, Messy Kids

A little paint can go a long way in customizing a child's room, and these days there are several varieties of paints and primer that will make your personalized touches extra special...

Deconstructing Dinner

By Amanda Morgan- Not Just Cute

My boys are finicky eaters. I try not to take it personally that the same child I’ve asked to stop eating playdough may very well refuse the dinner I spent an hour preparing.

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Shaving Cream Valentines

By Stephanie Morgan- Modern Parents, Messy Kids

What else do we think about in February except Valentines. Here is a great valentine project with shaving cream instead of chocolate...

Three Favorite Ways to Spend a Snowy Day

By Amanda Morgan- Not Just Cute

Winter has been unusually slow in getting here this year, and my boys have been anxious! It didn't take long after that first snowflake finally fell for them to jump into their snowsuits ...

The Rabbit Diet

By Stephanie Morgan- Modern Parents, Messy Kids

As a mom of two young children, ensuring my little ones get a balanced diet is one of my biggest meal planning challenges. It seems the list of "no thank you" foods grows by the day. Even more frustrating is how unpredictable tiny palates can be...

Magic Fizz for Mad Scientists

By Amanda Morgan- Not Just Cute

Here’s a formula for fun! I have yet to see a child not get excited by this activity! While it has many developmental objectives in and of itself, it is also a great way to get kids excited...

Remembering the Perfectly Ordinary Days

By Amanda Morgan- Not Just Cute

Along with keepsakes from all the holidays, outings, and momentous achievements, I want to make sure that there’s a place for remembering those “perfectly ordinary days.” Here are a few ideas...

Magic Milk Paint

By Stephanie Morgan- Modern Parents, Messy Kids

These magic milk colors have been on our to-do list for a long time. This project is the perfect mix of art, science, and fun. You probably already have everything you need in your kitchen:

Four Fun Ways to Use those Extra Hours of Darkness

By Amanda Morgan- Not Just Cute

As we get deeper into autumn and the night's darkness seems to take up a bigger chunk of each 24 hours, it can sometimes feel challenging to find activities to enjoy with your family...

Backyard Campout

By Stephanie Morgan- Modern Parents, Messy Kids

As parents, it's our goal to forge a strong bond with our children so they'll hopefully turn to us with they're struggling in life. But how do you make that happen? Camping is one activity that's been...

Halloween Safety

It's Halloween night, do you know where your kids are? Well it's dark. They're probably going door-to-door wearing funny shoes and vision-restricting masks. They're rushing up and down stairs, dodging candle-lit gourds and packs of other hyper kids toting large fake weapons. Nothing to worry about...

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Halloween Costumes Made Easy

By Stephanie Vozza- The Oranized Parent Founder

My mom was the queen of the give-minute Halloween costume. One year my sister went as the "Unknown Third Grader" (inspired by the Unknown Comic of '70s Gong Show fame).

Five Fun Ways to Serve Up Pumpkin

By Amanda Morgan- Not Just Cute

Pumpkins are oneof my favorite symbols for fall. From their color to their shape, it all just makes me happy! Perhaps most of all, I love that they are just as functional as they are festive...

Grocery Shopping with Kids

Ahhh... grocery shopping with kids. Whether they're begging for cookies for trying to become a stunt-toddler, taking children to the store isn't always fun. If you must bring your children tot he store, there are a few things to keep in mind.

Making an Auto Emergency Kit

What have you got in your car in case of an emergency? There are always people who are caught unprepared. You don't have to be one of them. Here is a list of things you can keep in your car or van to help you manage an emergency just a little better.

Making Chores Fun

Want to get some help around the house when it comes to cleaning? Success can be all in your approach. Take a tip from Tom Sawyer and his white picket fence and make chores feel more like games so you can get willing participants.

Purging your Purse

As humans, we seem to have a need to fill empty space. Take a handbag for example. Chances are, if a woman carries a large bag, she has items inside that she really doesn't need. Just because the purse is big doesn't mean it has to be filled.

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