Back-to-School Essentials: Organizers for Mom and Dad

Editor's note: This article is part of a series about must-have items and must-know tips for helping your kids transition from summer fun to the new school year. The resumes classes Sept. 6 and starts Aug. 29.

Students are not the only ones who need to be organized. Busy parents know the volume of papers that come home with their students can be exasperating.

Don't fear the paper load, embrace it by creating a regime to keep you organized.

Some experienced moms have provided their advice on how they manage multiple students, at multiple grade levels.

• Two ways: 1. A cork board with things that need my attention in the next month, on the wall going to the basement where I have to see it all the time. 2. A roller cabinet (plastic type), with a drawer for each kid.  Cathie Mozal, Berkley

• I have a four-slotted metal wall mounted organizer that I randomly shove papers in, thereby ensuring that I will forget about them and can live on in blissful ignorance. Janice Terry, Berkley

• Folders for each child and dates on the calendar immediately when received. Linda Finkelberg, Huntington Woods

• With six kids, I use ice cream buckets with the kids' names on them and one for me. If the papers need my attention, they go in my bucket. If it is homework or something for the child, it goes in theirs. Buckets get cleaned out once a week, if not more when needed. It works for us! Holly Boburka, Marquette

Although no method is perfect and, at times, parents will live on in blissful ignorance, establishing a regime just might help turn the flurry of papers into a manageable mess.