Summer Organizing Tips

Top 3 Tips To Get Organized For Summer Vacations

By Helena Alkhas
Filed Under: Living, Moves, Travels & Vacations, Summer

Simple Steps For Great Summer Vacations

Ah, summer vacations.

It’s the one time of the year most people look forward to. Whether you’re planning a major trip to another country or city, heading to the beach or going on a road trip, taking a vacation is one of the most important things we can do for our family and ourselves.

Summer vacations require planning and organization. Surely you wouldn’t want to go and realize in the middle of the trip that you forgot to bring a few things! For a stress-free, fun-filled trip, you need to plan and get organized.

Follow these suggestions and have the much-deserved break you need!

1. Do Some Planning For Your Summer Vacation

Jot travel plans in an old school travel notebook or a nice app, like Evernote, depending on whether you prefer to take notes digitally or with a pen and paper. Getting everything you are thinking about written down or recorded in some way will let you see all of the things you and your family would like to do on your trip. From here you can see what you will need to pack, how long you will be away, and get a better idea for any arrangements you need to make for lodging, or house care while you are out of town.
Start with your ideas and inspirations for your summer vacation. Where do you want to go and what do you want to do? How many people are traveling and where will you stay? These are just a few questions you need to answer when you start planning your trip. You don’t necessarily have to make a strict schedule of your travel plans, but it helps to have a good idea of all the things you would like to do so you can be sure to make time for them while you are at your destination.
Research your destination. Ask your friends and family for suggestions. Purchasing a travel book and/or a foreign language dictionary may also be helpful as you prepare for your trip. Travel websites are a great opportunity to check out locations as well as snag a great deal of two on travel, places to stay, dining, activities, and more. A few hours of planning are worth the effort if everything runs smoothly!

2.Gather And Organize Your Documents

From plane tickets to passports and other documentary requirements, you will need to prepare these beforehand. Depending on where you are traveling to and how you are traveling, you will need different documents and paperwork. A little efficient research will save you hours of headache later if you find you have forgotten a document you or a family member cannot travel without.

Be sure to check your passport . Is it about to expire? If it is, have it renewed as soon as possible.

Are you traveling with minor children? They need to express written permission from parents or guardians if you are not the parent.

Once you have done your research and gathered updated and current versions of all the travel documents you need, put all the paperwork in an envelope or folder, and label it clearly.

If it’s going to be a family vacation, assign everyone their own folders for a hassle-free trip. Giving everyone their own information makes for a lot less shuffling around of papers and a lot less time looking for lost items. Even if you’re going on a break with friends, this applies as well, as this method will help keep things organized.

You wouldn’t want to panic during the trip because you couldn’t find your important documents!

RFID Safe Document Organizer

RFID Safe Ticket Organizer

Ticket Organizer

3. Get Packing for your Summer Vacation

Once you have decided on your travel destination, research the weather conditions for the time of year that you will be there.

Will you need light clothes, or will you be doing a lot of layering? Dual-purpose items, such as pants that turn into shorts or a jacket that turns into a travel pillow are wise choices. Choosing pieces that can be layered or worn for different occasions will save you major space in your luggage. Learn how to pack light, as this will save you costs in airline baggage fees. Grab the packing list here to make sure you have what you need.
There are some basics you should check and have in tow when you leave for your trip. Be sure to check the amounts of certain toiletry products you can fly with if it is applicable. Check to see if you need an AC/DC adapter for electrical items, bright light reading material, and bring travel games if you are traveling with kids. In the event of delays, these activities will keep them busy!

Conclusion

Traveling should be a fun and relaxing time to make memories with your family. By using these travel preparation steps, you will be on your way to creating a smooth ride for the whole family this Summer!

7 Steps To A Summer Yard Sale

By Helena Alkhas
Filed Under: Garage, Organizing, Summer

Put Together A Yard Sale to Declutter & Organize Your Home

Summer break may have just started, but before you know it, you will be back to school shopping. After such a long break, our homes usually beg for a big decluttering and organizing session.

Mid or late summer is a great time to check what can go and what can stay, replenish the drawers and rotate the warmer clothes out of storage areas.

Having a summer yard sale is a great way to declutter and to generate some extra cash for those “special” items the kids may be asking for.

Here are some tips to help you organize a summer yard sale and in the process, declutter your home in preparation for the new season ahead.

Where To Start

Begin the process by making lists– by going from room to room in the house and quickly listing the items you don’t want anymore. Think about clothing items that don’t fit or that you don’t like. Household goods like that extra set of dishes or those pots and pans that Aunt Tilly gave you that you didn’t want might sell quickly for reasonable prices in a yard sale.

Next, visit your kids’ rooms. Do they have clothing they’ve outgrown that are still in decent shape? Maybe they’ve got toys they don’t play with anymore. Items like toys, games, and clothing that are in good shape but kids have grown out of can be great candidates for yard sales. Children’s clothing and toys tend to sell well, so you’ll make a few extra dollars for school shopping on those items.

Next stop – the garage. Have you been placing boxes of stuff out there that you don’t know what to do with? An upcoming yard sale is a great time to go through the boxes and do a quick sort to get rid of the items you can live without.

Next, getting ready– A yard sale has almost no cost to it, just a bit of labor. Launder all clothing and make sure you wash any household items or knick-knacks. If you want to sell your items quickly, plus get top dollar for your back to school purchases, avoid displaying broken or dusty objects. You might want to pay a few dollars for stick-on pricing tags or group items by price in different tables. If not, use a roll of masking tape to write the prices and place on the objects to be sold.

Getting The Word Out

If you advertise your yard sale in the local newspaper, you’ll most likely pay a small fee. Advertising can pay off, though, as avid “yard-sale shoppers” devote their weekends to driving from yard sale to yard sale advertised in the newspaper. Put it on Craigslist, too.

In a well-trafficked area, you only need to put out a couple of signs directing people to your residence.

Plan on having your yard sale over two days – Friday and Saturday are ideal since most people are off from work and driving around for errands and can see your street signs.

7 steps to organize a summer yard sale to declutter and organize your home for back to school time! Organize a summer yard sale to clean out your rooms and garage and earn you dollars for those back to school supplies and clothing that your kids need as you prepare your kids to return to school! — Free Download – Click to Access

7 Steps To Having A Summer Yard Sale

1. Do a walk-through of your home and list items you want to sell. Bring a laundry basket or bags to help you start collecting.

2. Check the garage. Sort through boxes, separating the items to put in your yard sale.

3. Wash clothing and clean items to be sold.

4. Buy stick-on price tags or a roll of masking tape and price your items.

5. Advertise in your local paper and online at Craigslist if you like.

6. Put up signs in your neighborhood, directing potential buyers to your home.

7. Use the profits from your yard sale for back to school purchases.

Having a summer yard sale will not only clean out your rooms and garage, but it’ll also earn you dollars for those back to school supplies and clothing that your kids need. Who knows, your yard sale profits may be all the money you need to prepare your kids to return to school!

Traveling With Kids: Tips To Make Summer Travel Simple

By Helena Alkhas
Filed Under: Moves, Travels & Vacations, Organizing, Summer

Summer is here and we are all gearing up for vacation season. While traveling with kids can seem overwhelming at times, don’t let it stop you. With some pre-planning and preparation, you will be ready to travel with your kids in no time.

Car travel and plane travel will have a few different requirements and mean slightly different preparations for your family, but these tips cover general good practices for either and will have you ready for fun Summer adventures.

A month before you travel

The month leading up to your vacation, you’ll want to start thinking about a broad plan. Here are the things you will want to have squared away the month before you travel with kids:

Lodging-where will you stay? Will you be renting a hotel, home or apartment, or staying with friends or family? Each of these types of lodging options requires different preparations. Tie up all of these ends well in advance of your trip so you don’t have to worry about them as the trip gets close.

Itinerary- Some people are super planners on vacation and want to map out and schedule every minute of the day, while others like to simply go with the flow. Like all other things that involve kids, you will want to keep to some type of routine while you are traveling. You don’t need to make a strict schedule down to the hour, but try to keep bedtimes and mealtimes consistent, as well as map out activities you know you will definitely be doing.

Car or flight preparations- If you are flying, you will want to make sure you have all of your necessary documents and passports for each family member. Keep this all together with your tickets so they don’t get misplaced. If you are driving, schedule routine maintenance and check up on your vehicle so you are ready to hit the road without any unexpected auto issues.

Two weeks before you travel

In the two weeks before you travel with kids, make a packing list for each family member. Put together everything you already have and then make a shopping list for the things you need. Depending on the ages and needs of your kids the things you need to pack will differ, but here’s a list to get you started: ( link to checklist or blog post (s)) ***

Tip for traveling with babies or younger kids: Packing a few items that are their favorites will make them feel more at home while they are traveling and sleeping in an unfamiliar place. Also, try to keep their natural or regular routine in mind when it comes to sleep and eating.

Secure the home front- Two weeks before you are set to leave finalize any plans you have made for who will be taking care of your house and your pets, if you have any, while you are away. Make sure they have important numbers and any special instructions before you leave.

A week before you travel

The week prior to traveling you will want to start packing.

Pack for each person- Take your list and start packing for each person who is traveling. If you have older kids, they can use their own list to pack. If you tend to be an over packer, here’s where you will want to use some restraint. Stick to your lists and avoid throwing in extra things for each family member. Before you know it you will have more suitcases and bags than you know what to do with.

Stick to the list- Another negative to overpacking is that you have to unpack it all when you get back. Do yourself a favor and pack only what you need. Unless you are going deep into no man’s land you can always pick up something you need on the road or when you get to your destination.

The night before you travel

The night before you travel try to have all the last odds and ends wrapped up.

Final check-ins- Check in earlier in the day with house sitters to finalize plans. If you are traveling by car fill the gas tank and check your tire air pressure. Pack up the car. Prepare any road snacks as well as a bag of things you might need while driving, such as any tech gear, music, hand wipes, ect.

Get some sleep- Don’t forget to plan to go to bed early the night before you travel. You’ll want to hit the road early and rested to get the trip off on the right foot. You will also want to have the energy you need to deal with any last minute mishaps. You are a parent, you know these are inevitable.

Hitting the Road!

The big day is here and you are ready to hit the family and travel with the kids. Because you are so well prepared, there shouldn’t be very much you need to do the day you are traveling. Double check your packing list, check that keys are left in the right places for house and pet sitters, make sure all bags are packed and safety kits, tech for traveling, including chargers for all devices and phones and snacks are on hand. Now all you have to do is pile everyone in the car and hit the road!

Conclusion:

Traveling with your kids has so many benefits for them and for you. These tips will have you ready to hit the road this Summer. Remember the best travel trip of all: Plan ahead as much as you can, and then be prepared for anything!

Want more tips on traveling and packing? Check out posts here and here.

Summer Routine For Kids At Home

By Helena Alkhas
Filed Under: Kids, Organizing, Routines & Time, Summer

How To Organize And Create A Summer Routine For Kids At Home

Summer break is almost here, and we are all preparing for longer days, more outside time and having our kiddos home. Even though we all love the ease of Summer, it can quickly turn into a household of chaos. From disorganized mealtimes to scheduling conflicts, a lack of a Summer routine can throw the best of us off balance in a cinch if we don’t prepare. Here are some great tips on how to create a Summer routine for kids at home.

When you start to think about preparing for Summer with kids at home, you’ll want to take a look at how certain areas of your home are organized and then rearrange some things to fit the function they will have in your Summer routine. You’ll also want to check in on your daily routine and see how this will change, make a note of changes, and adjust.

Let’s start with organizing your homes hot zones for a Summer routine with kids at home.

1. Entryways and Mudrooms

In the colder months, our entryway closets and mudrooms are stacked with winter coats, scarves, hats, gloves, and heavy boots. Now that it’s warming up, you’ll want to switch out what you keep in these high-traffic areas.

Put away everything you don’t need and store it for next Winter. A few good ideas for what to keep in your Summer entryway and mudrooms for Summer are: flip flops, light jackets, hats, sunblock, bug spray, outdoor toys, tote bags.

2. The Kitchen

Start by clearing out your pantry, fridge, and freezer. Make room in your refrigerator or more fresh veggies and fruits from those farmer’s market trips. Create a space or a bin where you can keep some pre-cut fruits and veggies for grab and go snacks.

Making your kitchen kid-friendly during the Summer months will save you hours in a hot kitchen. To continue your kitchen refresh, check out my top 10 kitchen organizing tips.

3. Your Car

As the weather warms up, everyone gears up for day trips, weekend getaways, and Summer vacation. Your car collects Winter items as well, so take this time to remove snow scrapers, hats, and gloves, etc. If you don’t have one, pick up a trunk organizer.

Keep items like sunblock, bug spray, a first aid kit, sun hats, towels, bottles of water, a blanket for those impromptu picnics, and a change of clothes for each child. Here are my tips for getting your car ready for the Summer.

4. Your Garage

In your garage, you will want to move large Winter items, like snow blowers and winter sports gear to the back and move Summer items, like lawnmowers, weed whackers, and other yard care items, as well as outdoor sports and play equipment to a more easily accessible area.

Complete your garage refresh with my 5 best garage organizing tips.

Now let’s look at your routine for your Summer with kids at home. Here is a step-by-step method for re-assessing your calendar for the Summer months.

Look at what holidays, birthdays, events, camps, trips you have planned and mark these onto your schedule for June, July, and August.
Assess how much time you have left each week after these commitments are all planned out.
Remember not to overschedule! Always leave more time than you think you will need to guarantee free days to relax and enjoy being home with your family. You will also want to leave space for impromptu items.
Look at your daily routine. Here, you’ll want to make any adjustments to mealtimes, bedtimes, and downtime during the day.
Summer days are longer, which means if you have little ones at home, you will need to have a plan for an extra activity or two throughout the days.

Summer daily routines can be looser in structure, but a few “touch points” during the day will keep everyone feeling better.

Mealtimes are a great thing to keep on a schedule to create a nice rhythm to your days and avoid meltdowns.

Keeping a chore chart is also an excellent way to keep your home humming along in the Summer.

As we welcome the carefree days that the Summer brings, having a routine in place will help us avoid a slow slide into disorder and stress. All humans, especially children, need a little bit of structure or rhythm to our days to keep us balanced, healthy, and happy.

What are your Summer plans? Share them in the comments with me!

Grammarly proofread this post.

7 Things To Take To The Beach This Summer

By Helena Alkhas
Filed Under: Living, Summer

The Smart Mama Beach Bag Packing List

Ahh, summer.

The idea of heading to the beach for some sea, sand, and sun is exciting, but to have a stress-free trip, start with planning what to take to the beach with you.

When planning on a family beach trip, for example, you’ll want to make sure that your beach bag is organized and fully stocked. And I’m not just talking about sunglasses, swimwear, your favorite summer hat, beach towel and sunscreen.

I’m talking about some special items you should include in your list especially if you’re traveling with the family. ( I wrote a full post about going to the beach with kids here)

Here are seven things to take to the beach with you. Let me know if you have other recommendations!

Seven things to take to the beach this summer.

1. SPF Hair Spray Or Hair Oil

When heading to the beach, most people think about protecting the skin and completely forget about protecting the hair from the elements!

A hairspray with SPF is a great product, especially if you have processed or colored hair. You wouldn’t want to leave yours or your family’s hair dry and scorched!

Here is a great list of the best hair products with SPF.

2. Protective, Waterproof Phone Cases

While beach trips are a great way to relax and unplug, unfortunately for some of us, our phones still have to be with us.

Make sure everyone has a protective phone case to protect their precious cellphones from water and sand, or to store valuables like money and small jewelry.

I had an accident with an uncommon big wave that came all the way to our towel once, and it soaked absolutely everything we had on the sand. Lesson learned, and since then I keep everything in ziplock bags inside my beach bag.

3. Snacks To Go

Pack some snacks in the case you or the kids feel like the munchies. When hunger strikes, be it on the way back home or after a long swim, you and your family will have something to munch on.

It’s a great idea to pack light snacks such as trail mix or a nut bars for you and your family.

I always bring a small cooler bag with ice packets with something fresh for after the beach. The sun, ocean and all the activity makes us super hungry and is great to have a sandwich or something like that to eat before we get home.

4. Small Beachy Wristlet

You don’t have to lug your beach tote around if you need to need to go to the bathroom quickly, or if you need to buy something.

So keep a small beach wristlet that can hold your money, phone, keys and other small items. This way you don’t have to carry that large beach bag around!

5. A Lightweight Water Bottle

Stay hydrated while out in the sun. As much as we love summers at the beach, we wouldn’t want to end up feeling dehydrated.

Always bring a trusty, lightweight water bottle with you in your beach bag and remember to drink as much water as you can and enjoy your day at the beach.

6. Waterproof Earphones

Yes, there are plenty of cool waterproof earphones out there now. If you’re not into books or e-readers, you may want to listen to your favorite tunes while soaking up in the sun.

Your kids and husband might want to enjoy their music at the beach too, so make sure your earphones are protected, just like your mobile phones.

7. Summer Reads

I always like to bring something to read with me. The beach is one of the perfect places to relax and have a good read!

If you’re currently not reading anything, you may check out the New York Times’ list of recommended summer reads. While the kids play and swim, you can always lounge on your beach mat under the shade with a good book.

And there you have it! Seven things to take to the beach this summer that I am sure will help you have a much more enjoyable time!

So go ahead and spend some quality time soaking up vitamin D, hanging out with family members at the shore, and sipping drinks by the water.

Surely you will make fun summer memories together!

PS: I will love to know what you take to the beach. Leave me your insider tips below!

Summer Months Slump? Here is How To Stay Productive!

By Helena Alkhas
Filed Under: Living, Summer

Organizing Strategies For Summertime Productivity

Summer may mean slower days, lots of sunshine and fun vacation time for the kids, but for us adults, all the new activities the season brings can get us overwhelmed.

It can be a challenging time, trying to stay on top of your responsibilities while at the same time fitting in fun things to do for you and the kids.

Of course, every family will have different schedules, needs, and priorities. If you’re a work-at-home mom like me, summertime requires a lot of planning and flexibility.

My three sons play sports and have daily practices and weekend tournaments and swim meets. This means lots of car drives, time spent out of my office but mostly that I need to be organized to make the most of any free time I get.

To stay productive I establish a “new” routine when vacations start and plan my days around the pockets of time the kid’s activities create. The biggest difference is that if during the school year I have a block of full 6 hours, now I have multiple blocks of 90 minutes up to 3 hours, throughout the day.

If you’re in the same predicament here are my summertime organizing tips to help you make the most of your time while keeping your household running smoothly.

How to Organize Yourself and Your Routines to Work During the Summer Months

Create a Routine and Keep a Calendar

Routines get a bad reputation even more if you like to keep life spontaneous but having routines actually create time in your life to be creative and yes, spontaneous.

Routines are also a cornerstone of efficiency. Knowing when things will be done will help you open white space in your mind and make you more productive.

Since summer schedules can make your days feel “choppy” the first thing to do is to write down all the activities for the months ahead on a calendar.

For each day of the month, write down what is already planned. This may include:

holidays,
guests from out of town,
family events,
trips,
camps,
practices,
kids’ yearly dental and physicals for school
any other appointments you may need for each member of the family

With these pages filled out and laying down side-by-side, you will immediately have a full picture of the months ahead. Some months may be busier than others and that alone will help you plan your work accordingly.

Establish a morning routine, an afternoon routine, and an evening routine. By breaking up your day into these three main blocks of time, you can then start listing down routines for each of them. Knowing when each activity/task will get done will help you stay on top of things and make you feel in control of things.

Organizing Home Tasks

There are things you’ll need to do, no matter the season.

Laundry, cleaning and grocery shopping and cooking are just some of them.

But creating blocks of time will allow you to schedule your home chores in a way that won’t overwhelm you.

Keep It Simple

Try to keep your summer calendar simple – don’t cram too many things as this might add to your stress and confusion! Be realistic as to what can be finished during the summer months.

Here are some other specific things you can do to get organized during summer vacation:

Batch Tasks

Batching is a great way to boost productivity and it’s especially helpful during summer vacation!

Batching simply means doing similar activities and do them all at the same time. To batch tasks, you can start looking at them as the t-shirts in your closet. Just like you would keep long-sleeves, short-sleeves and sleeveless ones in groups in a drawer, you will group similar activities in batches of time and place.

For instance, you could batch all computer related task, like paying the bills and enrolling the kids for next school year or all household chores, for example. This way, you get similar tasks out of the way and don’t have to deal with going back and forth, switching from one task to another. A great read on the benefits of batching can be found here.

Take Advantage of Waiting Time

If I am waiting for one of the kids, for example, I can work on something, take a class or read a book.

While waiting for the kids at soccer or ballet practice, why not make those phone calls that you’ve been meaning to do, or plan next week’s menu and write down your grocery list? By taking advantage of idle waiting times, you can get more things done!

Syncronize Everything Online

As a parent on the go juggling work tasks and family responsibilities, it’s always helpful to have a simple, easy to use to-do list. If you’re not the pen and paper type, there are some great digital apps you can download and use on your phone like Dropbox, Todoist and Evernote. (affiliate links)

Being able to open your phone or laptop from anywhere and finding what you need to get something off your list will help you immensely!

Finally, despite your busy schedule, always plan some downtime within your day, after all, it’s summertime.

Here are some great summer fun ideas for you and your kids! For organization tips to help make your summer vacations easy breezy, you can also check out this post.

Once you’ve set up your summer routine and summer calendar, the rest of your summer days should go smoothly and productive!