Organizing Medicine

Here's a great little tip for organizing medicine. I came up with this while packing for our March trip to Atlanta and ever since have been asking myself why I didn't think of this sooner.

My favorite organizing product, has to be zipper bags like the quart size one shown at right. I only buy two sizes: quart and gallon, thus eliminating baggie clutter.

The bag in the photo was put together as a travel kit and went in our carry on. I have since kept it together at home. This basic kit of pain/fever reducers contains:

• A note card with my children's names, weight and dosage on each side.



• Ibuprofen and acetaminophen for my children.



• Marked syringes to measure and administer the children's medicine.



• An ear thermometer.



• Ibuprofen for myself and my husband.

The note card has been really helpful in not confusing the kids' dosages in a moment of worry over a sick child. In addition, I have everything I need in one place when I need it.

For more organizing tips, sign up for my monthly e-newsletter "Your Simply Organized Life" and "Like" Simply Organized Life on Facebook.

Tips for Sick Kids

As the parent of two young kids, I am both terrified of the H1N1 virus and know firsthand how easy kids can get sick. When illness strikes, the last thing I want to be doing is running out to a drugstore in the middle of the night. Here are some simple tips for being organized for sick kids:

• Make time in your schedule to get your kids and yourself vaccinated. Avoiding illness in the first place is the ideal scenario.

• Teaching kids good hygiene can be difficult, especially if you have toddlers. I recently read about a product called Germy Wormy to teach kids to cough into their sleeve. I made my own reusable one by cutting off the top of an old sock. My child left the thing on for about 10 minutes but usually does cough into the sleeve, so I am glad I didn't buy the Germy Wormy product.

• Have basic medicine (i.e. Tylenol/Motrin) on hand. I like to keep one bottle upstairs and one downstairs for convenience. When I see one is low, I just add it to my shopping list. I use the notes function in Microsoft Outlook for various lists.

• Keep a bottle of Pedialyte or Gatorade in your pantry. Just be sure to watch the expiration dates for safety and to avoid waste.

• Have the telephone number for the doctor's office nearby. I keep these numbers in Outlook, but also in a binder in the kitchen for babysitters and when I cannot get to my computer quickly.