Children are a lot of work! For the last week I have been taking care of my grandchildren who are visiting from out of state. What a delight they have been and what a challenge it is to keep up with them. My 3 ½ year old grandson said to me "grandma, I love you". I told him I loved him too and he said; "grandma I don’t love you very much, I only love you a little". I have laughed at that so many times. It’s a good thing we love our children and grandchildren very much because they take up almost every moment of every day and it can be frustrating and tiring.

I have been thinking of mothers and wondering how they can ever organize clutter in their homes and lives with young children. It reminds me of the Peace Corps motto: "This will be the hardest job you will ever love". Because I have been thinking of mothers and busy women I have come up with seven timely tips to eliminate clutter by simplifying and streamlining.

Here are seven timely tips to eliminate clutter:

1. Take stock of what clothes you own. Take everything out of your closets and drawers. Anything that doesn’t fit or that you never wear or you don’t feel fabulous wearing donate so you only keep what you wear. Your drawers and closets will be free of clutter so you can see what you have and what you need to purchase.

When buying shoes, belts, purses or other accessories purchase pieces that will go with a number of outfits rather than with just one outfit.

Organize clothes either by hanging complete outfits together or by type such as pants, skirts, dresses, and blouses together etc.

2. To save time and organize clutter keep make-up and facial products in separate containers. You can use attractive matching containers or containers you have around your home such as mugs, or shallow baskets etc.

Take a look at all of your cosmetics and only keep what you use. It is a waste of time to have to search through products you don’t use to find the ones you do use. Bacteria can grow on old cosmetics so toss them and don’t feel bad that you spent money on something you aren’t using. You used it at one time and now you can let it go.

3. In the kitchen have zones for everything to make food preparation faster and easier. Organize so you don’t have to search for cooking tools. This also makes it easier to put things away, saving you time. Have a baking area, a place for spices, an area for food stuffs like canned goods and a place for treats to be stored. Keep paper products together.

4. If you pack lunches, rather than doing the same thing over every morning prepare items in advance. For instance, if you pack crackers or cookies buy a large package and transfer serving sizes all at one time to small baggies. This will save a lot of time. Put these in a plastic bin or basket that can be simply pulled out in the morning and items selected. The same thing can be done for items that need to be refrigerated such as grapes, baby carrots, and fruit.

5. Dealing with mail can take up grundles of time. Have a landing place for mail and deal with it every day. Wait until there is a time you can concentrate on sorting it, don’t try to do it while someone is sharing their day with you or while you are on the phone.

6. Organize and simplify your banking routine. Take advantage of direct deposit. Opt for electronic bank statements to cut down on the amount of paper you have to sort through and file.

7. Plan what outfit you plan on wearing the night before including laying out what your children will wear. This will help with the morning rush and will save you time and eliminate frustration.

Simplify and streamline are two ways to organize clutter to make your life easier, give you more energy and help you have a less stressful life.

Marilyn is a professional organizer and invites you to visit her website www.marilynbohn.com, She is a sought after public speaker and author who is passionate about teaching ways to organize your life and how to reduce clutter. She works with women in their homes and offices. On her web site she teaches you to get rid of clutter by using her Lights On Organizing System. She provides practical information on how to declutter your home, office and life. In her blogs, articles, and videos she gives timely tips on how to clear clutter and how to declutter everything in your home and office. She is the author of a book called Go Organize! Conquer clutter in three simple steps which will be in major bookstores in December 2009.