Bringing your children into the kitchen is a recipe for fun and learning. It's a great excuse for one-on-one time that doesn't involve electronics or other distractions. Not only do you get the chance to cook up some great memories, your children also develop confidence and lifelong skills.

As a professional organizer, it's been a delight to help families make simple changes that turn the kitchen into a fun spot to be together. Planning ahead and organizing your kitchen with your kids in mind can help create a space everyone can safely use. Try these tips in your own kitchen:

Rethink organization

Chefs use a technique called mise en place, which is a French term for putting everything in its place. It usually applies to getting everything ready for a recipe before starting to cook. But for your kids, mise en place means getting your kitchen ready before jumping into a project with your little ones.

Early in your child's life, your kitchen was arranged to be convenient as you filled their bottles and made their meals. When your child is old enough to be invited to help cook, it is time to change things a bit. You'll want to keep hazardous items out of the way or behind child-proof locks, but other things should stay within their reach. Here are some organization tips:

• Use a lower drawer or cabinet to hold children's dishes and cups. This way they can set their own place at the table.

• Place healthy snacks on a shelf in the pantry where they can reach.

• Clear off an area of the island or countertop away from the stove so there is a safe space for your child to work.

• It can be fun for your child to have a few of their own kitchen tools. A set of plastic measuring cups and spoons, a scraper, a wooden spoon and a durable bowl are some good early tools. Organize them in a lower cabinet so your child can reach them.

Establish firm safety rules

Firm rules will help keep child safe in the kitchen. These may include only working in the kitchen with an adult, asking permission first, not ever touching the stove or oven and not ever handling sharp knives or other dangerous items.

Invest in a sturdy stepstool with good grips on the bottom so it won't easily slide while your children stands on top to help. Avoid having your child stand on a chair or sit on the kitchen countertop, as it could result in a dangerous fall.

Part of kitchen safety is teaching healthy habits. Start all cooking or kitchen tasks by having your child wash their hands. In addition, remind them to not touch their face while cooking, or eat raw food without asking you first.

Cook up some fun

Making yummy treats like cookies or brownies are often one of the earliest tasks we invite children to help us with. However, keep in mind that helping in the kitchen can also introduce your child to healthy fruits and vegetables. Having your kids add ingredients to a dish might just entice them to try a new food at dinner.

Get your child involved by letting them measure and stir. Here are just a few ideas for tasks children may enjoy doing that don't involve a stove or oven:

• Crack an egg and whisk it in a bowl for a recipe.

• Rinse fruits and vegetables.

• Add ingredients to a salad; let them toss the salad before serving.

• Pour pre-measured ingredients into a bowl. Older children will enjoy measuring the ingredients themselves.

• Make a sandwich.

• Butter toast.

• Juice a lemon with a hand juicer.

• Cut soft food with a plastic knife. For example, they could cut a banana into rounds for a smoothie.

• Spread peanut butter on apple slices.

Clean fun

Instead of telling your little chef doing dishes is a chore, show them how fun washing dishes in soapy water is! Having them help wash dishes and clean surfaces is a great way to end a cooking project (and clean your kitchen at the same time).

Cooking with children can be a bit messier than cooking alone, but the one-on-one time and lessons learned make it worthwhile. You can make it easier to clean up with some of these organizing tips:

• Fill a sink of warm, soapy water. As you finish with a bowl or spoon, have your child drop it in the sink to soak.

• Teach children to carry their own dirty dishes to the sink.

• Have them help unload the dishwasher.

• If your child is mixing something, place a rimmed baking sheet under their bowl. If flour flies out or liquid spills, the sheet will catch most of the mess, making clean up much easier.

• Not being able to reach makes kids more prone to spills, so let them use a sturdy step stool.

• Place some warm, soapy water in a small squirt bottle. Let your child squirt the counter and clean it with a sponge.

Helping to make your kitchen a warm, loving environment for learning will pay off in so many ways. Don't hesitate to bring your kids into the kitchen to teach them lessons and make memories.

The post Teach your kids fun, creativity and organization in the kitchen appeared first on FamilyToday.

It seems like it was just yesterday you were decorating your baby's nursery. Now, they are off to new adventures and want a more grown-up space.

As your little one grows up, they'll move from needing a place to spread out and play, to a spot to study. Then onto to a place to hang out and play video games or listen to music with friends.

These changes will come fast - As a parent, you let them pick decorations for their room in elementary school, but just a few years later, it's "babyish" and they want a grown-up room. It's just three years from middle school to high school and that change happens all over again. What's a parent to do?

As a professional organizer and a mom, I can tell you the solution: Choose great basics will create a room that will easily grow with your child. Setting up zones for sleep, play and study (as well as organized storage) sets the stage for years of use. You'll simply change art, bedding and accessories for a more grown-up space.

Here are some of my favorite tips for each zone:

1. Sleep zone

A bed is, of course, one of the staples of the room. Choosing one that has enough room for your child to grow into is a great investment. You won't need to replace it when they get bigger or need more support.

Choose a solid color and add colorful sheets and throw pillows as your child grows. You can also accent this with stuffed animals for a younger child.

Professional Organizer Tip: Choose a fluffy comforter rather than a flat bedspread. It is more forgiving for when your younger child is learning to make a bed. If there are wrinkled sheets underneath, they are less likely to show.

2. Study zone

When you are choosing furniture and planning the room's layout, designate a "homework" space. A younger child might be fine doing homework at the kitchen table, but eventually that will change. As they get a little older, they will need a quiet spot to read, study and write papers.

Doing homework in bed or lying on the floor isn't the best plan. Get a desk or table that is big enough to hold a computer and paperwork. Choose an adjustable chair that can be raised or lowered as needed. Add shelves to hold books and supplies.

Kari Lloyd, editor at ApartmentGuide, adds, "One of the best pieces a parent can invest in for their child is a good desk for a study space. Chairs can easily be swapped out or adjusted as your child grows, but a good desk is something they'll use for years."

Professional Organizer Tip:When creating this zone, consider a spot with minimal distractions. Any place that's facing a TV or a window where your child can see kids at play outside is not the best option. Noise is a factor as well-avoid placing the spot too close to a hallway where family will be walking by. Look for the wall or corner that is calm, quiet and distraction free.

3. Play zone

Younger children need a space to spread out, create and use their imagination. Tweens and young teens need a spot to hang out. For the older kids, their "play zone" might include a couch, a futon or a comfy rug and throw pillows where the gang can gather to chat, munch popcorn and be teens.

An open area to play with toys as well as surface area for art projects or building with Legos are musts for younger kids. They'll also need a place to store these toys and creations. A bookshelf next to the play area is a great investment. This "good bones" piece can hold toys now and will hold sports awards, books, souvenirs and photos of friends as your child ages.

Professional Organizer Tip: A long, low bookshelf is great for a child's room. They will use the top of the shelf for play space because they can reach it, or use it to display things they have made.

4. Storage zone

The difference between adults and children is the amount and kinds of things they store in their room. For adults, it is usually just their wardrobe. For kids, it is not just clothes, but toys, sporting goods, memorabilia, clothes they will grow into, clothes they grew out of, awards and collections. In order for the room to grow with them, plan on plenty of storage.

Start with the closet. A closet organizer will create more than one hanging zone. This will give you a low bar that will let young children reach their own clothing and gives teens the extra hanging room they need.

Choose furniture that offers storage- pick a nightstand with drawers rather than just a table, for example. Add cubbies to bookcases so there is a designated spot for toys with lots of pieces.

Professional Organizer Tip: Go vertical with storage by adding decorative coat hooks to the wall. Young children can hang up costumes, masks, costume jewelry and toy swords for imaginative play. For teens, the hooks become a great spot for backpacks, umbrellas, purses, scarves and sports gear.

With great basic furniture, it's easy to update a room as your child grows. Rearrange for a new look, slip on new bedding, take down old art and add some fun, trendy posters. Get rid of outgrown toys and replace them with decor and accessories just right for their age.

The post 4 ways to update your child’s room as they grow appeared first on FamilyToday.

You love your new husband or wife, you love being married but you don't love cleaning the house. Somehow, scrubbing toilets and chasing dust bunnies was not part of your "happily ever after" life together.

However, keeping house is part of married life....but can be difficult. Despite having different cleaning habits (or a lack of habits), you both need to decide when the house is cleaned, how often, and who does what to eliminate frustrations.

Here are a couple of methods you can try to handle your newlywed list of chores:

Five Ways to Share the Love (or Not) of Cleaning

Grab a calendar

Make a list of regular weekly chores such as grocery shopping, cleaning the kitchen, dusting, vacuuming and doing laundry and put it on the calendar. Choose a day (and time) so it's very clean what needs doing and when. This will leave you both free for date night, without the stress of feeling like you should stay home to clean instead.

Create a job jar

Skip the clean the bathroom or weed the flowerbed debate and make a job jar. Drop in all the chores for the week, and have both people draw out the same number of cards. You can't argue with the luck of the draw!

Enjoy it together

To spend more time together, don't divide your chores. In a busy world, it can be hard to find time to just chat and catch up with each other. Tackle the to-do list by going from room to room together.

One couple I know gets take-out dinner every Thursday. After they eat, they tackle the cleaning for the week. With both of them working on it, they are done in an hour or so. Now, they have a clean house for the weekend, and got to spend Thursday night together.

Manage your time

Sometimes, couples are just on different schedules, meaning chores might not get done when they should. This is an opportunity to practice compromise in your marriage.

Sit down with a list of household chores and discuss which things each of you can manage that week. For example, one partner can write the grocery list and the other can pick it up on the way home. Perhaps you can start the laundry and your spouse can dry and fold when he or she gets home. If you work together, you'll find a solution.

Create a checklist

Since newlyweds come from different households, they also come equipped with a different skill set as far as cleaning goes. Get on the same page (literally) by creating a master cleaning checklist to follow.

Now that you've tackled the cleaning schedule, work together to make cleaning the house as easy as possible. Here are a few things to make your chores easier:

Five Ways to Keep Your Home Clean

Assemble a cleaning caddy

Get your supplies into a tote or caddy so you don't need to make multiple trips to the kitchen sink while cleaning. Place glass cleaner, furniture polish, cleaning rags and everything you need into one tote and take it from room to room.

Wipe your feet

Buy good doormats for both inside and outside all of your exterior doors. The more you can stop sand and dirt from being tracked inside, the cleaner your house will stay.

Vacuum often

Some chores you can do weekly or bi-weekly, but vacuuming is not one of them. Keep dust, lint and pet hair under control with frequent vacuuming. If you are crunched for time, invest in a robot vacuum that can run when you are at work.

Stick to microfiber

When you dust, you don't want to spread the dust around to land on other surfaces. Use microfiber dusters or cloths so the dust actually sticks to the fibers. Toss them in the wash after using.

Get in a dishwasher habit

Get in a routine of turning on the dishwasher every morning as you head to work. This way, you'll have clean dishes in the evening and you can put them away as dinner is prepared. Now, there is room in the dishwasher for breakfast dishes. Leaving the house with a clean sink and clean dishes is a habit worth investing in.

While keeping a clean house with your spouse, remember that assumptions get couples in trouble. Don't assume that your level of cleanliness is the same as your partner's. Don't assume you both know how to clean a toilet. So, talk about chores, divide them up equally, and tweak your routine until it works for the both of you.

The post The newlywed guide to household chores appeared first on FamilyToday.