Staff Writer

An Arroyo Grande woman believes there is hope for the organizationally challenged. Carla Hofstee knows what it feels like to try to maintain control and avoid stress when your household is chaotic.

At 54 years old, Hofstee has raised 12 children, including eight who were adopted over six years, and figured out a way to keep her home and her household from slipping into the chaos she remembers so well.

When her third and fourth children - her twins - were born, she thought there was no hope of getting her life put together.

But over the years, she figured out a plan that worked for her and now will be leading workshops through the Arroyo Grande Parks and Recreation Department on how people can find organization and order in their lives.

“It's great to be able to take all that I've learned and give it away to help parents manage their time and enjoy their children,” Hofstee said.

On Thursday, she will teach “Back to School Organization,” a workshop she developed as she realized that the mornings before school were barely-controlled chaos.

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Her goal is to help parents appreciate the time with their children by teaching them to be prepared, how to de-cluttered rooms, prepare meals and keep schedules.

The importance of having stress-free time with her children in the morning came about when a friend's child died on a school-related field trip.

“I realized that it could be my last goodbye each morning and I really had to get it together first, if I wanted my kids to get it together,” Hofstee said.

She made it a priority to have a “positive goodbye” with her children before they headed off to school and now she has a plethora of heartwarming morning memories.

The most important thing a parent can do is plan and prepare ahead of schedule, that way interferences are minimal and stress is minimized, Hofstee said.

Although her children are now 21 to 31 years old, she continues to prepare a priorities list each night before bed, where she writes down what needs to be accomplished the following day.

“I live my life on purpose instead of waiting for life to happen,” she said. “And I wouldn't live any other way.”

Although it is difficult, discipline must be the first priority for those looking to get organized, otherwise chaos will reign once more, Hofstee said.

One easy tip she shared was to color code a calendar or bulletin with yours and your children's often busy schedules.

“From what I've learned, most children do better with a color system,” she said, adding that this system also can be applied to toys and games; for example, dolls go in the blue bin and books go in the green bin.

Her second and final class of the summer, “Put your house in order ... before 8 a.m.” on

Aug. 25, aims to help parents manage and maintain their household with ease.

Hofstee will offer life changes and simple tips such as placing a handheld vacuum at the front and back door or any place that gets a lot of foot traffic. And, to prevent missing socks on laundry day, have each person place their socks in a washable laundry bag and throw the entire bag in the washer and dryer.

Because of the overwhelming popularity of Hofstee's previous summer workshops, she has agreed to lead a few more workshops in the fall, said Arroyo Grande Parks and Recreation Department Supervisor John Rogers.

Details on the schedule can be found in the Parks and Recreation Fall Activity Guide.

“She's very experienced and she genuinely wants to pass on help so people can have less stress and enjoy their families,” Rogers said. “We're very lucky to have her as a resource in the area.”

Hofstee self-published her own book, “Organization with Ease,” a few years ago and made sure to include the checklists and charts that kept her household running smoothly. It can only be ordered on her Web site at www.organizeasy.com.

August 17, 2008