 Hot dogs and hamburgers, family by the pool, games in the front yard, there is so much left to squeeze in before the end of the heat—don’t you just love summer?
As summer comes to a close, enjoy special time with your family, but be sure that your celebrations don’t turn your home into a clutter pit for the weeks to follow, especially with back to school right around the corner. With single-use party decorations and all the extra food, plus hordes of family members coming in and out of your home, the last thing you want is to head into a new work week spent cleaning up after your weekend mess.
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 This summer, my family will be entering entirely new territory—Boy Scout and Girl Scouts’ sleep away camp! You could say the excitement and nerves are taking over my home for my 9 and 12-year-old.
The Girl Scouts sent over a packing list which was tremendously helpful for a new sleep away camp mom. Fortunately, we were also able to ask a friend who went last year, what were the top items we should be bringing? So for the past month, I have researched and ordered large roll away duffel bags for each of the kids. The cheapest bags I could find were the big plastic footlockers. But in my mind, all I kept thinking about was where I was going to store these huge pieces, so instead, we bought the “body bags” as my kids like to call it.  What’s worse, doing the laundry or hanging it up? Oy!
Laundry day can be a real challenge in most households, mostly because it’s just so time-consuming. If you’re already feeling overwhelmed with the clutter in your home, laundry day can magnify that feeling X 100. I don’t want you to feel consumed with all the clothes, the crayons your little one left in his pocket, or the socks—all those missing stocks. Snag a few of these hacks and make laundry day more enjoyable for you and your family! Where do we start with making laundry day a breeze? Yep, you guessed it, organization!  We all dream about the day we can turn our lives into an endless vacation. But scientists have actually proven that as much as this fantasy lives in our mind, we probably wouldn’t enjoy it too much if it became a reality.
Why? Because having the freedom to do nothing all day doesn’t bring us joy. Purpose does—a reason to get up in the morning, a goal we’re working towards, challenging ourselves to become better than we are today. That’s what drives us  School’s Out Tips
• It is never too late to start a new tradition! Have each child pick out their favorite piece of artwork (roughly 10 pieces to start). Take their #1 art piece and have it framed and displayed in your home. Consider mailing one or two art pieces to family and friends near or far. Store the remaining artwork in an art portfolio or a sealable container that slides under their bed. Each year, have them go through the container, edit the contents, and pick out that year’s 10 art pieces. Check out THIS art portfolio for the kiddos!  From documentaries and news articles to hashtags and Youtube videos, the word “minimalist” is just about everywhere these days! Sure, trends come and go, but people who follow this lifestyle seem to be onto something.
So, what is minimalism? It’s doing more with less! Adopting a minimalist approach can transform the world around you—helping you save money, become more productive, protect the planet, enjoy the little things, and live simpler. While some people actually limit the number of belongings they own, you don’t have to be so rigid! To start, try tweaking simple parts of your daily routine and watch how the rest falls into place.  What happens when you love to shop but hate to organize? Have you ever faced that dreadful feeling when you don’t have the time or energy to deal with what you buy?
All those “great deals” become clutter when we bring the pieces into our homes and don’t have a place to put them away. What usually happens is the new items stay hidden in a bag, and we continue to let it pile up! When you have too much stuff with no place to put it, it leads to clutter and chaos. This does not allow you to enjoy the stress-free, organized home you deserve.  I don’t know about you, but I am pretty much over winter! Along with many others, we lost power for four days in one of the recent storms. Luckily, we have our emergency supply box all set up and ready just in case. However, it wasn’t fun!
Tackling Your Spring Cleaning With the arrival of warmer temperatures and that fresh smell that makes you want to open all the windows, spring motivates us to dust off the cobwebs, get rid of the clutter, and re-energize for the exciting seasons ahead.  “I know a girl. She puts the color inside of my world.”Sometimes the sweetest moments are the most unexpected. And any parent out there knows that when you’re raising children, these moments come swiftly, and they should be treasured because you never know when they’ll slip through your fingertips.
My daughter and I were together one afternoon, and I thought this would be the perfect time to help her straighten her room and organize her toys. Naturally, we started with her American Girls collection, and if you know anything about these dolls, you know that they come with outfits upon outfits and loads of accessories! Needless to say, we had our work cut out for us.  When you’re at a restaurant, in the car, or are on your way to the beach, do your kids drive you crazy when they’re fighting in the backseat or complaining about boredom every ten minutes?
I’ve got the perfect solution for you. I found several variations of “busy bags” on Pinterest, and I decided to create my own! My bags have adapted over the years to accommodate my kids and their changing tastes. |
AuthorAnnie Kilbride is the CEO of Life Simplified, LLC a professional organizing business. Visit www.lifesimplifiedpo.com for more information. Categories
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215-908-2869 • anniekilbride@lifesimplifiedpo.com
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