For Mother’s Day, what do you give to the mom who appears to have it all?  What do you give to the picky mom?  What do you give to the mom with a lot of clutter? 

Mother’s Day is a day to say thank you to a special mom, but sometimes it’s hard to know what to buy.  A trip to the salon to have her hair or nails done is nice, but maybe she already visits the salon regularly.  

Giving a gift certificate to a store that carries a wide range of goods is a great way to let her decide what she needs, or would like to have. Even if the mom doesn’t have a lot of clutter, almost everyone can improve organization in at least one area of their home, so think about a gift certificate to an organization product store like Home Storage Warehouse.  Home Storage Warehouse offers organizing products for every room in the home that meets the needs of most households.  The mom can then shop when she is ready and find something that she will truly love or need, instead of accepting a gift that could otherwise end up as clutter.

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer, speaker and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), NAPO-Baltimore Chapter, and Maryland Association of Professional Organizers, she shows homeowners how to reclaim their time and space, and offers organizing and time management workshops and group presentations. Jacquie is also the author of Take Control of Your Clutter Before it Takes Control of You: 101 Tips to Success.  Visit CastAway the Clutter to get a free organizing goals worksheet when you sign up for her organizing tips at www.castawaytheclutter.com

One of the top frustrations for moms is the never ending feeling of being disorganized and, of course, lack of time.  Learning some new time management techniques is helpful, but often it is not enough.  Having very specific organizational systems in place in your home can make all the difference between staying organized and just getting by.   Buying more stuff is not the answer, because now you have more things to clean and maintain.  The key is to buy organization products that will help you to keep the stuff that you are actually using, organized. 

With Mother’s Day coming up, it’s a good time to think about gift ideas that will not create clutter, either for you, or to give as a gift to another mom.  When considering a gift for a mom, think about what they need.  Gift ideas, like jewelry boxes, purses and bags, including laptop bags, plus make-up organizers and photo frames, make great gifts, but can also create clutter if they are not used or needed.  So what do you need this year? Or what gift can you give, that is not only functional, but will also be appreciated?  Here are some gift ideas that are beautiful and will also help to tame the clutter!

Jewelry box: Store and organize earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings and watches.  Pick the size and style that will store all of the jewelry that you or your giftee wears, otherwise most of it will be stored “next to” the jewelry box, instead of inside the jewelry box!  Sound familiar?

Purses and Bags: These are hard to choose for someone, unless you know the person well.  Of course, if it’s for yourself, it will be easy and you can ask a loved one to purchase a specific purse or bag for you.  One type of bag that many moms can use today is a computer laptop bag or sleeve.  These come in a variety of styles and designs and may be a welcomed gift.  Check out the selection at Home Storage Warehouse.

Make-up Organizers:  Does the mom love make-up and have trouble keeping it all organized?  Then a make-up organizer might just be the perfect gift.  If storage is not an issue for her, then consider make-up organizers  which fit nicely inside drawers or on cabinet or cupboard shelves.  This will keep their make-up organized, but without the visual clutter. 

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer, speaker and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), NAPO-Baltimore Chapter, she shows homeowners how to reclaim their time and space by solving the many issues and challenges that create clutter.  Jacquie also offers organizing and time management workshops and group presentations. Jacquie is also the author of Take Control of Your Clutter Before it Takes Control of You: 101 Tips to Success.  Visit CastAway the Clutter to get a free organizing goals worksheet when you sign up for her organizing tips at www.castawaytheclutter.com

Getting children and teens organized can be a challenge!  We can help them, but they have to want to be organized, in order to stay organized.  Sometimes, if they have cool or pretty organizers to store their toys and belongings, they may feel more motivated to keep their rooms tidy.

I recommend that you purchase a favorite toy or item they want and present it in an organizing product.  For example, pick up a colorful storage cube and place the actual gift inside. An idea for an older teen girl, is to place a toiletry (bubble bath, lotion etc.) or make-up gift inside a cosmetic or bath organizer.

For my children, after they have opened and played with their gifts for a while, I discuss with them ways to keep them organized. Their items should have a place, just like anything else in the house and it teaches them that they can’t just leave their things lying around.  If you don’t have containers, this is the time to figure out what you need and make a note to purchase them in the following few weeks, if possible.  Happy organizing!

Click here to shop for kid’s gifts at HomeStorageWarehouse.com.

For Gift Certificates click here.

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers and Maryland Association of Professional Organizers, she teaches homeowners how to reclaim their time and space, and offers Time Management workshops to businesses to maximize productivity.  Jacquie can be reached at jacquie@castawaytheclutter.com. Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips at www.castawaytheclutter.com.

Gift shopping can be quite stressful for acquaintances you respect, but maybe don’t know that well.  For instance, teachers certainly deserve to receive a gift of thanks during the holidays, but what do you buy?  One thing I’m sure of is that teachers do like to be organized and would appreciate anything that will help them to get organized.

For friends and co-workers, think about conversations you may have had regarding their home, car or other personal items.  You can learn a lot about their likes and dislikes, helping you to think of gifts they may appreciate.

Here are a few ideas, all different, that can help you to brainstorm ideas for your teachers, friends or co-workers.  This is an area I would recommend that you buy early, so that you don’t have to rush out at the last minute and spend more than you had originally intended.

Click here to shop for great gifts at HomeStorageWarehouse.com.

For Gift Certificates click here.

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers and Maryland Association of Professional Organizers, she teaches homeowners how to reclaim their time and space, and offers Time Management workshops to businesses to maximize productivity.  Jacquie can be reached at jacquie@castawaytheclutter.com. Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips at www.castawaytheclutter.com.

Do you struggle with what to get dad this holiday season? Another year of socks and ties is going to get old. Although they might not want to admit it, dads do like to be organized too.

Let’s take a look at some cool gift ideas that dad will appreciate.

Click here to shop for these and other great gifts for the men in your life.

If dad doesn’t mind doing the shopping himself, you could also get him a gift certificate.  Select the amount that fits your budget.

Most moms are so busy juggling career, family and other responsibilities that they find themselves in a constant struggle to stay organized. This holiday season, why not treat mom to a holiday gift that she will appreciate and is practical too?  There are many gift ideas that are attractive and will help to control the chaos of everyday life.  With a gift that helps mom stay organized, she can also reclaim a little more time for herself.

Here are a few gift ideas to help mom get organized.

Click here to shop for these and more organizing gifts for mom.