4 Tips to Starting the School Year Right

Summer is over, and the school year is here. Practice with and teach organizing to your kids by starting a routine. Kids mimic the environment they’re in, so if it’s chaotic then they feel crazy. Create order and stability with these easy tips.

1.     Plan lunches. You can either do this the night before, or plan out the whole week on Sunday night. Depending on if it’s grab-and-go types of food or if that sandwich will be soggy by Tuesday, this will be what fits your schedule and lifestyle best.

2.     Plan outfits. Make it a habit to check the weather the night before. Dress them accordingly, and teach them what is appropriate in certain kinds of weather. Especially with the moody Chicago weather, it is better to have an extra layer you don’t need, than need it and not have it.

3.     Pack their backpack the night before. You might have seen a trend so far here! Many things can be done the night before. Their backpack is no exception. Have everything tidied up so they aren’t rushing in the morning and slowing you down for work!

4.     A designated place for schoolwork at home. Rid yourself of that dreaded feeling when you realize there was paperwork you needed to sign or a project your kid waited to do last minute. Having a place where your child can put all their schoolwork will teach them organization and time management. Plus, you can see their progress and prevent a habit of procrastination.

End of Summer

The end of summer is nigh, but the chaos of it lingers. In order to start the school year and fall season right, you’ll need to go through that chaos. Here are some tips for what to do with that summer clutter.

1.    Swimsuit you never wore. Get rid of something that you never used. That slightly ill-fitting swimsuit needs to go since you never wore it. There’s no point in having it hang around if you never really got to enjoy it.

2.    Beach toys you never used. Donate beach toys you never played with. Your kids may have had fun with them in the past, but if they didn’t use them this past summer, then they should go.

3.    Tons of tubes of expired sunscreen. Throw away expired sunscreen. Even if it’s near full, it doesn’t have the same protective properties once it’s expired.

4.    Outdoor toys the kids never played with. Sometimes even if a toy is brand new, the kids don’t play with it for whatever reason (even if you thought it was really cool). Toss the toys if they’re broken, and donate them if they’re perfectly fine.

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Tips for Managing Mayhem

This week is National Simplify Your Life Week. There are several areas we can all make a little less complicated. Below are some tips to simplify different areas of your life.
        Things you can completely discard. Decide what things you can get rid of. Go through desktops, drawers, bookshelves, and cabinets. If you haven’t used something in the last 12 months, and don’t plan on using it during a different season, then get rid of it. Throw it away, recycle it, or donate it.

        Volunteer position you don’t enjoy. Volunteering should be for causes you care about with people you enjoy spending your time with. If it’s not everything you want it to be, then don’t feel bad for not volunteering anymore. Replace that time with somewhere else you can volunteer or a hobby you enjoy. Your free time should be spent doing things you love.

        Eating takeout. Do you feel like you need to make dinner from scratch every night? Make it easier for yourself by having takeout one night a week.

        Limitations on someone that’s draining. Sometimes it’s people that make life a little messy. Communicate to them that your time and energy needs to be limited. Trying to help someone out is not wrong by any means, but unless they start taking initiative, it’s not helping anymore, but enabling.

        Asking for help. You don’t have to do everything on your own. Know your own limitations. If you’re starting to feel stressed, don’t be afraid to ask for help. For your personal life it could be as simple as hiring a babysitter or a pet sitter. And, if you need extra help with work, consider hiring an assistant or intern.

3 Tips for Shopping for the Dorms

Finally getting some freedom from your parents and you want to show them you can adult? Being prepared to live in the dorms is a mental as well as a physical feat. Everything is officially up to you to finish and follow through. Here are some ways to shop, and get your dorm ready:


1.    First, talk to your roommate. You’ll want to make sure you’re not bringing doubles of anything, and find out how much they are willing to share. Be honest with your lifestyle, and how you usually keep your room. You should both be prepared for the frustration that comes with sharing a room, but try not to judge on the way they organize; there is no right or wrong (unless there’s leftover pizza boxes that are starting to stink).

2.    Prepare a budget. Based off what you and your roommate decide to get for the dorm, you should next plan your budges stress on your (parent’s) wallet. Any budget is reasonable and based on your search skills, you can find items that fit within it.

3.    Resale shops are your new best friends. It’s fun shopping for your own place but in all reality, that stuff doesn’t need to be brand new. Dorms are a transition. You’ll be helping the environment by reusing items. And there may be family things you can use, which is a connection to home, like the cupcake pans you used to use while baking with your Grandma.
t. You don’t need to worry about getting really high quality, long lasting items. This puts les

4.    Bring a list. Once you’ve decided what you need to get, write it all down. Put the list in your wallet so you always have it with you.  Then when you’re out and you see a good deal on something, you’ll know if you really need it. It’s easy to go overboard when shopping for your dorm, but stick to that list and you’ll have a great room.

Other Storage Areas

I’ve talked a lot about how to organize and maintain storage areas, like a closet. You’re in and out of it more often than other areas where you store belongings. Now I want to focus on the areas that you don’t frequent as much, but have just as much, if not more storage.

The garage, attic, basement, crawl space and linen closet can all be go-to places to store seasonal, old and extra stuff. It can be difficult to remember where something is when you haven’t seen or used it in months, even years.
Make the most of your storage space by organizing it so you don’t dread having to search for something. Bins can be a lifesaver, and they are stackable, too. Label them in detail about what the contents are inside. If they’re in a damp place, make sure to put a lid on it to keep out the mold.

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