Problem:
Dear Geralin,
Help! I need an organizing hint. Here goes: I never know what to do about getting my kids out the door with all their sports stuff; I home-schooler mom with have 5 kids. I need each of them to pack their own things but usually someone forgets something, including me. Any ideas for getting me out the door without a return trip home for forgotten items?
Solution:
Hi Kim,
This is a good question and is applicable to all parents—even those with one child. Following is a “do it yourself” method. Best of all, it is inexpensive and not too time-consuming; for me it has worked well.
Take large index cards and write a list of everything needed for each sport. Draw or and cut out pictures (from magazines) of the equipment needed if your kids can’t read. For example, if you have a soccer player your card would have pictures of: a soccer ball, cleats, shin guards, shorts, both Home and Away jerseys, water bottle, and team identification.
Did you notice that I put the items in order from the ground up? Point this out to your kids so they start understanding organizing techniques.
You could do this for every sport and activity as well as for a diaper bag, or backpack, etc.
Now, there is a product that is this exactly like this (only looks nicer) available at: www.simplyordered.com. The price is very reasonable and the cards are really cute.
Thank you for your question and let me know how this works.
By Geralin Thomas on 10/9/07 in Gear, OH! Organizing Hints, Featured, Columns, Fitness, An Organized Life
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October 10th, 2007 at 4:56 pm
Hi Clever Parents!
I’m a hockey-soccer-lacrosse-baseball mom, professional organizer, and the inventor of Get Your Gear ™ cards. Although I didn’t play these team sports when I grew up, I had a clue about some of the equipment–at least the stuff you could see as a spectator. However, especially when my kids started playing hockey, I didn’t have a clue what was under those jerseys. Moreover, my kids didn’t either.
Get Your Gear(TM) cards were developed out of my need and desire to get out the door and get to my kids’ activities without having to make a trip back home.
Oh, the stories I could tell. Necessity is definitely the mother of invention.
Like millions of other parents prior to walking the walk with kids in sports, we schlepped diaper bags. I will never forget the day when I asked my husband to grab the diaper bag as we headed out the door. He did what he was asked–he grabbed the bag. It didn’t matter that it was empty.
Get Your Gear(TM) cards will not only help you remember stuff, it can also help save your marriage.
One tip I like to share with customers–use a Dry Erase marker to circle specific items you are running low on. Esample: Your daycare provider can circle *diapers* on the Baby card when you’re out. Elementary students can circle *Show and Tell* to help them remember that special item the next day. After the diapers are refilled and the show and tell item is brought to school, one swipe with a damp kleenex restores the card for the next reminder.
My hope is that Get Your Gear(TM) cards will make your life easier and less stresed. If you have a story you’d like to share about your use of this product or something similar you’ve created, please share it. Together, we’re all smarter than any of us.
Have a Simply Ordered day!
Karen Asmundson, Simplyordered.com