Joan Lunden shares her Home Organization Tips in this Interview by Make Life Special.

Home organization tips are really not complicated.

On getting your kids involved in the kitchen…..

Joan: I have a set of twins who are seven and a set of twins who are nine years old. Every night one of them gets to be the sous-chef and they love it! They fight to get their night. We involve them a lot. They help go to the store and buy the products. They participate in really most every step of food preparation. You know, you have to realize how old your child is….My 9 year old daughter Kate is going on 16 and I can have her do any step of a recipe. Whereas my 7 year old Jack – not so much. Ha Ha. I don’t know if I’d give him a sharp knife … Ha Ha. But, according to their age, get them involved.

On getting your kids to try new foods….

Joan: I’m not one of these parents who think their kids should only eat chicken fingers. I think it’s our job to train them to eat a wide variety of foods and to have a good palate for a lot of different foods. Otherwise, you’re always strapped when you go out to dinner…..and what are they going to eat? I’ve actually had people come over to my house for dinner and they bring their little box of the certain kind of Cosco chicken fingers because that’s the only thing their kid will eat. And I look at them and say, “Really?”.

My kids will eat Chinese, Japanese, ..you name it! Fresh fish with mango Salsa….Teach them to eat a variety of foods when they are little. Sometimes I have found that if you get one of them involved and they then come to the table and they are telling the other kids about it then the other kids are way more inclined to eat that food than if I was telling them about it. I think one of their peers kind of making that presentation sometimes will open their minds to trying a new food.

Vickie: Do you have any other time management tips you would like to share?

Joan: Sure, I have other time management tips! I had to learn them for survival over the years!

First, have a family calendar in the kitchen. Everything goes on it! Every doctor’s appointment, every birthday party, every soccer lesson, everything! School pictures….everything that you’re going to have to have something for – have it on the calendar and at the beginning of the week – anticipate it. It makes it a lot easier if you plan out a week and you plan ahead of time.

We let the kids have input into what’s for dinner during the week. It’s much easier to let them vote for their favorite foods instead of going to battle with them every meal. I also don’t believe in a short order kitchen. Dinner is what we make.

Another time saving tip – Think about me, I’ve got two sets of twins, that’s four different classrooms. There are at least 20 kids in each classroom so that’s a lot of birthday parties! And a lot of Moms have this issue that when you are working, there’s nothing worse than coming home and all of a sudden, its Saturday morning and there is a birthday party and you need a card, and you need a gift… and you are rushing out to try and do this. These are those stress points for Moms. So, I say when you go to the toy store to buy a birthday gift, buy a whole bunch of them , preferably right after Christmas – again, look for the sales! Buy a bunch of them, have them wrapped, and put stickies on them .

And, whatever day you are going to the drug store, if you have a little extra time, spend 20 minutes in the card isle – buy 50 cards! I have a card file. I can go right thru may card file…you want a birthday card?…a Christmas card?…a Thank you card?….a Get Well card?….they are all there! And, every now and then, I refill it. But I never get sent into a tizzy when I’ve got to walk out of the door to go to someone’s party because I know I’ve got a card ready to go.

So again, its just certain things —- and everyone knows what stresses them out — To me, it’s that last minute OMG….what am I going to do… when I have to go to a party and I don’t have a card or I don’t have a gift.

So, again, it’s just anticipating what you know is going to stress you out in life. I think that’s the best way to manage all of the things in life we have to do.

Vickie: I’m just curious, how old is your oldest?

Joan: My older girls are 25, 29 and 32. We had two weddings during the past 6 months…..Just to throw in there! And they are wonderful sisters to my little ones…. They are around a lot. We cook for a lot of people at our house!

Vickie: Did any of your older daughters follow in your footsteps with a career in broadcasting or news?

Joan: Well, my 25 year old daughter is the assistant to the president of Bravo TV. She came right out of college, went into the NBC page program and then went into television production. My 29 year old daughter works with my company , travels all around the country with me . she has really seen firsthand how I have this very unique platform by virtue of being in everyone’s bedrooms and kitchens every morning for almost two decades….I can go out and inspire and motivate. I have that opportunity…it’s a great opportunity. She works hard with me to try to make a difference in the lives of women everywhere. It’s been wonderful having her really be a part of my passion. My oldest daughter, who is 32, is in the PR end of it. She works with companies to help them figure out how they can get the media bites.