Washington Post: Get Organized for Your Vacation

  
Hope you had a great 4th! We had a wonderful time entertaining friends and relaxing. Love a four-day weekend!

Here's some great vacation organizing advice from Nicole Anzia featured in the Washington Post.

"Summer is here, and so are the vacations we’ve been anticipating for months. But before the fun can begin, we have to conquer packing and get out of our houses without having a nervous breakdown.

Before you leave

Don’t wait until the last minute to start packing. It sounds obvious, but there is always so much to do before a trip — tying up loose ends at work, boarding pets, clearing out the refrigerator — that sometimes we end up just tossing a bunch of stuff into a bag at the last minute.

Start preparing early by making a detailed list of what you need to bring and buy. Then as you’re running errands in the days before you depart, you’ll know exactly what you need. Make your list thorough and include everything from underwear to sunglasses. A week before you leave, take clothes to the dry cleaners. Wash the rest of the clothes you’re packing at least two days in advance.

Write your packing list on a piece of paper or buy a packing list template like Knock Knock’s Pack This! Pad ($6.50, www.knockknockstuff.com) that requires only that you check off the pertinent items for your trip. For people who prefer a paperless method, Packing Pro is a well-regarded app that allows you to update your list on the go ($2.99, available for iPhone, iPod and iPad, www.itunes.com).

Tell family and trusted neighbors where you are going, how long you’ll be gone and how to reach you. Arrange for someone to collect your mail and newspapers or put a hold on them while you’re away.

Smart packing

Remember when we didn’t have to worry about bag fees, long security lines and three-ounce bottles? Although those rules and restrictions have made traveling more of a hassle, they also have the benefit of requiring us to pack more thoughtfully.

The maximum size for a carry-on at most airlines is 45 linear inches (height plus width plus depth), and the maximum weight is 40 pounds. Don’t pack the kitchen sink. Contact your hotel or host to ask whether they provide things like a hair dryer, iron or beach towels. Think through the outfits you’ll need and choose a central color to pack around. Brown, black and tan are good options that can be easily accessorized with brightly colored items. Bring items that can be repurposed or layered to create different outfits. And remember, in many places you can do laundry while you’re away, so pack individual detergent packets and a travel stain-treatment stick. A compact laundry bag will keep your dirty items separate from the clean ones (Reisenthel travel laundry bag, $3.99-$4.99, www.containerstore.com).

Wear your bulkiest shoes, sweater and jacket to save space. Pack any other shoes on the bottom of your bag and put smaller items inside them to save space and keep their shape.

Roll T-shirts, shorts, pants and undergarments. And if you want to be extra-organized, further compact and categorize your clothes with travel organizers like Eagle Creek’s Packing Cubes ($8.50-$42, www.eaglecreek.com). If you’re bringing pressed shirts, skirts, dresses or trousers, place plastic dry cleaning bags between each item to prevent wrinkling or use “packing folders” that allow you to compress many items at once while also keeping them wrinkle-free ($24-$40, www.eaglecreek.com).

Carrying liquids

Put your liquid toiletries in a clear, sealed, quart-size bag near the top of your suitcase so you can quickly remove it when you go through security. Many stores sell “airport-ready” clear travel kits with TSA-approved bottles for you to fill. Or use a regular resealable plastic bag and purchase travel-size products that are three ounces or less. Human Gear has created the GoToob, a “squeezable tube for traveling,” that is food safe, BPA-free and approved for carry-on luggage ($6.99-$9.49, www.humangear.
com).

Space savers

Carriers like Stella & Dot’s Bring It jewelry roll allow you to pack your jewelry securely in one place without taking up a lot of space ($39, www.stelladot.com). Buy a lightweight sleeve for your laptop, tablet or e-reader. And a multi-port USB hub allows you to charge several devices at once.

Essentials and valuables

Make sure you’re not packing important or valuable items in the bags you’re checking. Again, this seems obvious, but in the whirlwind of getting out the door, items that should remain with you at all times can end up in the wrong bag. You don’t want to be caught without passports, itineraries or medical papers. And when a child has an accident on a long flight, that change of clothing won’t do any good in the belly of the plane."

More on vacations:
Peace-of-Mind Vacation Check List - What to Do Before You Leave
Helping Your Child Organize Vacation Packing
Organize Your Family Vacation

 

Peace-of-Mind Vacation Check List - What to Do Before You Leave

   
Here's an updated blast from the past:

In order to insure that your time away on vacation is relaxing and refreshing, make sure to take care of a few things before you leave.

- Make arrangements for your mail and packages. One option is to stop your mail through the post office. If you do this, you may want to ask a neighbor to watch for packages, as well. If you have one of those weekly papers that is delivered whether you want it or not - it's a sure sign that you're not home if it's sitting on your front porch for days.

If you don't stop your mail, get a neighbor or friend to pick up your mail and watch for packages. Sometimes we hire a neighbor kid to pick up the mail and walk around the house to look for packages. UPS sometimes delivers to our front porch and sometimes to our back porch!

- Put your lights on timers. We have some that are programmable to go on at different times each night. It makes it look like you are home and there is activity in different parts of the house. We actually leave them on all the time, so if we're out for the evening, it doesn't look like it.

- Stop your newspapers. Most newspapers give you the option to donate your unused days to schools, etc. It's still helpful to have someone watch, though, as we've had newspapers delivered even when we've requested a stop.

- Make arrangements for your pets - a kennel, someone to come over and feed and play with your cat, feed your fish or birds, etc. There are all sorts of pet-sitting services these days, too.

- Make arrangements for your plants - either have someone water them or use a long-term watering system.

- Make arrangements for your lawn. A shaggy yard with yellow newspapers sitting around is an invitation to thieves.

- Pay your bills that will be due while you are gone and soon after you arrive home. You don't want to have to face bills as soon as you come home!

- Remove perishable items from your fridge and pantry. You may want to make a list of items you'll need when you return while it's fresh on your mind, so you don't have to think about it when you come home. Both milk and bread are freezable - just remember to buy milk with the screw-on lids and empty a little so it doesn't explode all over your freezer!

- Adjust your thermostats to save energy while you're away. If you have a programmable thermostat, set it to reflect your absence.

- Give a neighbor your cell phone number or contact number - just in case they notice water pouring out of your house, or some other such emergency!

- Have a key made for someone to get into your house in an emergency.

- Look back at your house as you leave. We almost left our front door open once. And you certainly don't want to be wondering if you left your garage door open!

- While you're away, you may want to pick up a souvenir or gift for anyone watching your house, pets, or plants.

With all these details taken care of, you'll have peace of mind while you're away and can enjoy being refreshed and rejuvenated!

More on vacations:
Helping Your Child Organize Vacation Packing
Organize Your Family Vacation
Organizing a Family Reunion

Helping Your Child Organize Packing for Vacation

  
Can you believe it's vacation time already? If you help your child get organized beforehand, things are more likely to go smoothly without trauma and drama.

Before you start packing for vacation, do some preliminaries first:

1. If you are flying, check with your airline for current luggage allowance/weight and carry-on restrictions.

2. Count how many days you are going to be gone (including traveling days).

3. Knowing how often each child is likely to spill something or get dirty, add an appropriate number of outfits.

4. Consider where you are going. Check the weather ahead of time so you know if it will blazing hot, rainy, or have some cool temps. My first trip to Montana in May required me to buy a coat, closed shoes and long pants for the snow!

5. Make a list for each child and for yourself or a generic list which can be used by everyone. Whichever you choose, each person should have a list. Create your list on your computer, so you won't have to reinvent your list for every trip - just update it, if needed. We used to travel quite a lot, and having a packing list kept us from forgetting important items.

With list in hand, each child can put together the appropriate number of outfits, including socks, underwear, hair accessoriies, and jewelry as needed. Have your children stack each outfit on their beds so you can check to see if they match and don't have holes or stains.

Armed with gallon ziplocks, place each outfit, socks, underwear, and accessories in one bag. Squeeze all the air out to save room in the suitcase, and mark the bag with the child's name on it. Sure makes it easy when it's time to get dressed - the entire suitcase doesn't need to be rifled through to find an outfit for each child! And you don't end up at the end of the week with non-matching outfits.

Make sure you leave one outfit out for the day you begin your vacation. :-)

For those with children still in diapers, you can toss an extra set of clothes in the diaper bag and use the ziplock for soiled clothes if needed.

Have a backpack for each child in which they can pack items to entertain themselves. Make sure they realize they must carry their own backpacks so they don't overload them and make them too heavy. I always tried to purchase some small toys, games or activity books - one for each child for each day - so they would have a surprise to look forward to and reduce the boredom factor, especially on long car trips.

Bring along some Dramamine just in case someone might have a tendency to get carsick.

I aslo tried to have some car games in mind to make time go faster - alphabet/sign game (look for letters of the alphabet on road signs), 20 questions, etc. One summer my brother and I made a list of all the Dairy Queen, Dairy Marts, Dairy Kings, Dairy-ettes, etc. on our vacation. We could rattle them all off for years afterward!

Audio children's books are a lifesaver! We listened to many children's classics on our long trips - Tom Sawyer, Gulliver's Travels, etc. Children's music is also fun. And if you have a DVD player in the car, it makes time fly. Just don't overdo it - you want to have some quality time as you travel with your family.

If your children are old enough, buy a small scrapbook for them to fill with postcards and mementos of their trip. Provide them with a means to take pictures, whether it's a phone, camera or disposable camera. Bring along crayons or markers so they can draw pictures of their activities each day.

Helping your children get organized before vacation empowers them, reduces your workload, and makes for a more pleasant trip!

Happy traveling!

More on organizing fun:
Three Steps to Planning Your Child's Parties
Organizing Spring Break - Planning in Some Refill Time
Organizing Spring Break Fun

Planning an Intentional Summer for Your Child

  
I like to repost this blog post each year because I think summertime is such a valuable time to build into our children. Here ya go ...

It's about time to think about summer camps and other activities to keep your children occupied over the summer. But why just keep them occupied?

Rather than enduring through the summer, make it intentional! If your children are old enough, have them think through some goals for themselves over the summer. These could includes the following categories: physical, social, financial, vocational, spiritual, educational, mental, artistic, musical, and life skills.

If you have grade school children, you may need to talk about this with them. If your children are younger, think through the areas that would apply to your small children and come up with ways you'd like to see them grow over the summer.

Some ideas for each category:

- Physical: eating nutritionally, running a mile in a certain time, learning a new sport, swimming lessons, care of hair and skin, an athletic camp, honing athletic skills, riding a bicycle/tricycle, fine motor skills, etc.

- Social: table manners, fun ideas for dates, sharing, please and thank you, not interrupting, telephone etiquette, how to be a good conversationalist, how to be a good friend, how to protect yourself on a date, what to do if your friends want you to do something you shouldn't, etc.

- Financial: saving, tithing, budgeting, opening a checking or savings account, investments, generosity, etc.

- Vocational: shadowing someone in a field of interest, researching a profession, field trip, internship, volunteer work, getting a job, how to interview, how to write a resume, how to fill out a job application, etc.

- Spiritual: vacation Bible school, memory verses, prayer, how to study the Bible, seeing God in nature, how to know God, restoring your relationship with God when you've blown it, finding a church you like, joining a youth group, etc.

- Educational: brushing up on needy subjects, summer school, work sheets, college visits, thinking through a major, keyboarding or computer skills, how to study, how to take a test, how to take notes, learning the alphabet or numbers or colors, learning how to read, etc.

- Mental: learning more about an interest, field trips, logic exercises, games, challenge programs, learning skills, memory techniques, time management, etc.

- Artistic: art lessons or classes, art time for drawing, etc., crafts, woodworking, sewing, jewelry, cartoons, knit, crochet, etc.

- Musical: lessons, learning a new instrument, concerts, symphonies, outdoor music programs, voice lessons, choir, band, camp, etc.

- Life Skills: changing a tire, setting the table, ironing, mending, tying shoes, folding clothes, laundry, how to plan balanced meals, cooking, how to use household appliances, cleaning up toys, how to make a bed, etc.

You may want to include a family event each week and one-on-one time with each child regularly.

When goals and interests were chosen, I tried to sprinkle those into our weekly schedules so we could do as much as possible. Time slips away so quickly if we are not intentional!

Hope I gave you some food for thought. Tell me about your intentional plans for the summer!

Other summertime ideas:
Organize a Fun Activity List
Organizing Spring Break Fun
Three Steps to Planning Your Child's Parties

Beat the Heat and Organize an Indoor Decathlon for Your Kids

      
Here's a great idea when you've run out of ideas for summer fun, especially when it's hot outside. I'm recycling a blog post from previous summers ...

An indoor decathlon is similar to the outdoor decathlon, but you do it indoors. It’s great for a snow day or a day when it’s 100 degrees!  

I like to alternate short and long games so people don't get bored. 

Examples of games: 
boggle
uno
skip-bo
bubble gum blowing
clothes pins in a bottle
pin the _____ on the _____
visible scavenger hunt 
pass the pigs
paper airplane flying contest
elimination jenga
paper balls into a waste basket
etc.

I keep the list of games a secret. Then it's a series of surprises.

Gather all the supplies needed for each game.

Create a box or bag of prizes.

Create a score sheet chart with each person listed and each game listed.

After each game, record the scores. If you have five people playing, the person who comes in first gets five points, 2nd place gets 4 points, etc.

After all 10 events are played, the person with the most points is first, etc. #1 gets to choose a prize first, #2 second, etc.


More organized fun:

Organizing Summer Fun When Everyone is Bored: Treasure Hunt Dinner

Organizing Summer Fun When Everyone is Bored: Guess the Theme Day

Organizing Summer Fun When Everyone is Bored: Water Spoons

 

Get Organized for Your Vacation with Trip Doc App

           
My daughter, granddaughter and I will be traveling next month to celebrate my mom's 80th birthday! Four generations together - priceless! Speaking of traveling, here's a post to help you get organized for your vacation this summer.  
     

The following review by Jen Leo published in the LA Times describes an app that can store travel recommendations which can be viewed on a map or list. 

"This app offers a simple, no-frills way to store, sort and map places you want to visit on your next trip.

Name: Trip Doc

Available for: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

What it does: Gives you a place to store travel recommendations for restaurants, hotels, activities, airports, museum, bus, train locations, information and more. Views as a map and a list, with directions and easy access to sharing via email.

Cost: $2.99

What's hot: This app was just what I needed, as family members and friends were emailing me suggestions for our upcoming family reunion in Oahu, Hawaii. I usually use Travel Muse for a day-by-day itinerary, but in this case, we weren't going to decide what to do until after we arrived. I found the quickest and easiest way to load our sightseeing and restaurant suggestions was to add them into Trip Doc on the website (after a free signup). Then, I could sign in to the app on my smartphone or iPad to view our options on the map and get directions. There was even a feature to keep notes so I could jot down who gave us the travel tip so I could thank them later.

What's not: As I was loading the suggestions via the website (and using the restaurant, activity and other categories), they showed up on the map as the same red pin. It would be nice if each category had its own color or themed icon. I got around this by adding a description, such as 'Boots & Kimo's Homestyle Kitchen | Breakfast.'

Worth it: I'll use this one again. It's great for planning must-see spots."

More on organizing for your vacation:

Peace-of-Mind Vacation Check List - What to Do Before You Leave

Organize Your Family Vacation

Helping Your Kids Pack for Vacation

 

Organize Inexpensive Summer Activities for Your Kids

  
Summer is looming! I know for many of you, school is already out. We have another week or so here in Montana, and others have almost a month to go. To help you get organized for summer activities with your kids, here's a blog post I'm recycling from last summer:

What to do when money is scarce and time is long? Trisha Navotny over at 24/7 Moms was kind enough to let me use some of her ideas for summer fun on a budget. I've added some of my own ideas, as well.

- "Movies  at Regal and AMC.  Be sure to check your  local movie theatres to see if they have summer special s going on.

- Free Reading programs – Chuck e Cheese, Barnes and Noble, Half Price books." Libraries also offer reading programs, competitions, and story times.
 

- "Go to a fast food restaurant ... for an Ice Cream or French Fries or other dollar menu treats.

- Make your own playdoh.

- Factory tours - You can find local factory tours in your area by visiting Factory Tours USA.

- Lowe's offers monthly free grow and build workshops for kids.  Click here for more information.

- Target FREE Museum Days.  Click here for Museums near you.

- Free Tours of local places like your Radio station, TV stations,  Newspaper or Fire station.

- Free Vacation Bible Schools.  Call your local church for dates and times.

- Kids Bowl Free pay for shoes only - Sign up at Kids Bowl Free 

- Kids Eat FREE - Find local restaurants where your kids can eat free when you purchase an adult meal. Theses two websites are a great resource: My Kids Eat Free and Kids Meal Deals."

- Memberships are a bit costly at first, but provide free trips for a year. Check out memberships at the zoo, historical societies, science museums, children's museums and more. Most of these memberships have reciprocal members across the country. So you can use these memberships to get into the zoo near where you vacation, for example. 

More on fun in the summertime:

Organizing Summer Fun When Everyone is Bored: Outdoor Decathlon

Organizing Summer Fun When Everyone is Bored: Treasure Hunt Dinner

Organizing Summer Fun When Everyone is Bored: A Random Act of Kindness

 

Small Business Owners - Plan Vacations Strategically Around Business Trends

 
According to a new survey from American Express OPEN (small business division of American Express) only 46 percent of small business owners will take a week's vacation this summer. Thirty-seven percent said they are too busy and 29 percent said they couldn't afford it.

Earlier in the year, American Express OPEN reported that thirty-four percent of small business owners take time off when they’re stressed or have had enough, up 10% from spring 2007. 

As a small business owner, your busiest time may be in the summer. Unless you have top-notch employees, this may not be the best time for you to take a break. 

As you follow the trends of your business, you will notice times during the year when your clients are busier and times when your clients may require your products or services less. For example, between Christmas and New Years may be a dead time for your business. Why not plan vacation time then? Or the month of January may be a slow month for your business - a great time to get away.

Just because much of the country may be vacationing during the summer doesn't mean you need to sacrifice your peak business time to take a vacation. Plan vacations when you have slow times. You may need to make special arrangements if you need to take your kids out of school, etc., but it's worth the extra effort.

Whatever you do, make sure you have time away from your work. You will return energized and invigorated from stepping away from your business. An essential time management tool!


More on vacations: 

Why Time Off Is Well Spent

Get Organized Month - Declutter Your Schedule - Take Some Time Off!

Helping Your Kids Pack for Vacation

Peace-of-Mind Vacation Check List

   
It's summertime and that means it's vacation time, too! Whether it's a weekend jaunt or a longer trip, you'll want to feel comfortable leaving your home alone. Here's a blog post I have done for the past couple of summers about what to do before you go away.

Peace-of-Mind Vacation Check List - What to Do Before You Leave

In order to insure that your time away on vacation is relaxing and refreshing, make sure to take care of a few things before you leave. 

- Make arrangements for your mail and packages. One option is to stop your mail through the post office. If you do this, you may want to ask a neighbor to watch for packages, as well. We have a weekly paper that is delivered whether we want it or not - it's a sure sign that we're not home if it's sitting on our front porch for days.

Another option is to get a neighbor or friend to pick up your mail and watch for packages. Sometimes we hire a neighbor kid to pick up the mail and walk around the house to look for packages. UPS sometimes delivers to our front porch and sometimes to our back porch!

- Put your lights on timers. We have some that are programmable to go on at different times each night. It makes it look like you are home and there is activity in different parts of the house. We actually leave them on all the time, so if we're out for the evening, it doesn't look like it.

- Stop your newspapers. Most newspapers give you the option to donate your unused days to schools, etc. It's still helpful to have someone watch, though, as we've had newspapers delivered even when we've requested a stop.

- Make arrangements for your pets - a kennel, someone to come over and feed and play with your cat, feed your fish or birds, etc. There are all sorts of pet-sitting services these days, too.

- Don't forget your plants and/or garden- either have someone water them or use a long-term watering system.

- Make arrangements for your lawn. A shaggy yard with yellow newspapers sitting around is an invitation to thieves.

- Pay your bills that will be due while you are gone and soon after you arrive home. You don't want to have to face bills as soon as you come home!

- Remove perishable items from your fridge and pantry. You may want to make a list of items you'll need when you return while it's fresh on your mind, so you don't have to think about it when you come home. Both milk and bread are freezable - just remember to buy milk with the screw-on lids and empty a little so it doesn't explode all over your freezer!

- Adjust your thermostats to save energy while you're away. If you have a programmable thermostat, set it to reflect your absence.

- Give a neighbor your cell phone number or contact number - just in case they notice water pouring out of your house, or some other such emergency!

- Look back at your house as you leave. We almost left our front door open once. And you certainly don't want to be wondering if you left your garage door open!

- While you're away, you may want to pick up a souvenir or gift for anyone watching your house, pets, or plants. 

With all these details taken care of, you'll have peace of mind while you're away and can enjoy being refreshed and rejuvenated!

More on vacations:

Christmas in July

Organize an Emergency Kit for Your Car

Organize Your Family Vacation

 

Destressing Christmas, Part 2, 2009 - Thinking Through the Needs of Your Family and Friends

As I mentioned last week, I'm going to be updating my Destressing Christmas series this year. If I calculate correctly, we are 78 days away from Christmas. So let's look at another way to destress Christmas: thinking about the needs of your family and friends. By using this as a filter, you can reduce some holiday stress. Here are some ideas:

- Choose whom you want to spend time with over the holidays - friends or family who refresh, encourage, and cheer you. Take the initiative to make that happen.

Do you have friends who might be alone whom you could include in your holiday plans? Have you included a healthy amount of giving to others who might otherwise be neglected? Your heart will overflow with joy as you reach out to others! It doesn't need to be expensive, just something that says you're thinking about them.

This makes me think of girls who have left our Shelter Care program but may not have anyone with whom to spend Christmas Day. I'll invite them this week for both Thanksgiving and Christmas.

If getting together with your relatives is too painful or unhealthy, give yourself permission not to attend. If you, your spouse, or your children might be subjected to verbal, emotional or physical abuse, don't put yourselves in this unsafe place. Even if it hurts others' feelings, you cannot condone unhealthy or painful treatment by attending.

- Consider family problems when planning gatherings. Be proactive in order to minimize Uncle John's drinking problem by having a brunch rather than a dinner. If Cousin Sally's conversation is predominantly negative or a never-ending flow, plan some conversation starters or games to reduce her dominance.

- If it's just too difficult for you to travel during the holidays, don't let others guilt-trip you into travelling anyway. Be honest and stick to your guns for your own benefit and that of your family. Invite your relatives to visit you (if that is better for you) or suggest another time of year for a visit when life is less hectic.

- Consider the needs of your nuclear family. If you have small children who need naps and a consistent bedtime (who doesn’t qualify for that one?!!), don’t overschedule. Make sure the events you plan to attend are age appropriate for your children. Don’t have an unrealistic idea of what they can grasp and endure.

- Study your family. Know what delights each one and what stresses each one, including yourself. Plan accordingly. When our girls were small, one of our daughters would respond to an overplanned schedule by vomiting - a pretty clear message! (Sorry to be graphic.) So I had to be careful not to pack our schedule too tightly.

One of our daughters loved to help my husband get the tree in the stand and put the lights on. The other one did not! So we did not include it as a family event, but chose other things they both liked.

By anticipating your needs and those of your family and friends, you can be intentional about your holidays. You’ll be able to weed out those items that don’t fit, plan around potential hazards, and create memorable experiences for those you love.

What are your family's delights and stresses?

More on Christmas:
Destressing Christmas, Part I, 2009 - Thinking Through Your Expectations
Tackle the Clutter before Christmas
Three Steps to Clever Cleaning

Organizing Back-to-School Shopping

If we took our cues from the stores, we would think summer is over, even though it seems like it just began! After the 4th of July, all summer clothes are on sale and winter clothes will soon be on the racks, even though we are sweltering! Great time to beef up your summer wardrobe, if need be.

If you need to shop for back-to-school clothes or if you have children who need to do so, here are a few tips:

1. Take inventory of what you have. If you have children, tackle this job one child at a time. Make a list of all tops, categorizing them separately - short sleeve, long sleeve, t-shirts, dressy, dressy casual, etc. Do the same with bottoms - shorts, capris, jeans, skirts, dress pants, etc.

2. While going through the closet, start a donation pile and a throwaway/rag pile and a giveaway pile for clothing you want to pass on to specific people.

3. Make a list of all the possible outfits, both summer and winter.

4. It will become obvious which articles of clothing have no matches or matching accessories - shoes, socks, jewelry, belts, etc.. Make a shopping list.

5. NOW it's time to shop! If you are shopping for your children, make back-to-school shopping a fun event. If you can, take one child at a time, have lunch together, and make it a special day.

Even though this process takes a while, it is far more productive. You may discover outfits you never considered, you'll clear the closet of unwanted items, and your shopping will be intentional rather than haphazard, which will likely save you money. And you and/or your child will have a list of outfits to wear - especially helpful on those days when choosing an outfit seems overwhelming!

Comments? Subscribers click here to comment on the original blog.

Similar topics:
Get Oranized Month 2009 - Organizing Your Clothes Closet
Get Organized for School - Clothing Inventory
Getting Organized for School - Learning Style

Summertime Tips

I found these summertime tips while browsing through magazines recently and thought you might enjoy them.


"I slice up lemons and limes and freeze them in ice cube trays along with some water. When it's time to serve refreshments, they're a festive addition to drinks." Fina Guido, Haledon,NJ family circle june 09 p. 18

"When I travel with my family I make portable pillows out of 2-gallon resealable plastic bags. I blow into them to inflate and then slide them into a t-shirt or pillowcase. They're perfectly comfy for the car or plane and don't take up space in our suitcases."
Laura Roscoe, Patrick, SC family circle june 09 p. 18

"I keep a cooler in the trunk of my car to store cold or frozen items that I buy at the grocery store. It allows me to continue running errands without worrying that my perishables will spoil." Denise Ehret, Collingswood, NJ family circle june 09 p. 18

"Cold compost - "I keep a plastic container in my freezer at all times. When I cut fruit and vegetables or crack eggs, I add all my scraps to it.The compost bin is handy, out of sight and doesn't smell up the kitchen. Carrie Elsass, Conway, AR Family Circle, June 2009, p. 101.

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Similar topics:
A Dozen Helpful Hints to Simplify Your Life
Cooler Safety 101

Peace-of-Mind Vacation Check List - What to Do Before You Leave

Good Morning! It has been crazy busy at our house. Last night we had a celebration dinner for our high school graduate! I made her a college survival kit with a bunch of items she'll need for college (first aid kit, sewing kit, super glue, glue sticks, laundry bag, scissors, screwdriver sets, and lots more) plus my Hassle Free Dinners, Three Steps to Time Management for the college student, and My Favorite Recipes. She seems to think she is going to do a lot of cooking while living in a dorm. :)

I'm reposting a blog I did last summer ...

Peace-of-Mind Vacation Check List - What to Do Before You Leave

In order to insure that your time away on vacation is relaxing and refreshing, make sure to take care of a few things before you leave.

- Make arrangements for your mail and packages. One option is to stop your mail through the post office (you can do it online at www.usps.com). If you do this, you may want to ask a neighbor to watch for packages, as well. We have a weekly paper that is delivered whether we want it or not - it's a sure sign that we're not home if it's sitting on our front porch for days.

Another option is to get a neighbor or friend to pick up your mail and watch for packages. Sometimes we hire a neighbor kid to pick up the mail and walk around the house to look for packages. UPS sometimes delivers to our front porch and sometimes to our back porch!

- Put your lights on timers. We have some that are programmable to go on at different times each night. It makes it look like you are home and there is activity in different parts of the house. We actually leave them on all the time, so if we're out for the evening, it doesn't look like it.

- Stop your newspapers. Most newspapers give you the option to donate your unused days to schools, etc. It's still helpful to have someone watch, though, as we've had newspapers delivered even when we've requested a stop.

- Make arrangements for your pets - a kennel, someone to come over and feed and play with your cat, feed your fish or birds, etc. There are all sorts of pet-sitting services these days, too.

- Make arrangements for your plants - either have someone water them or use a long-term watering system.

- Make arrangements for your lawn. A shaggy yard with yellow newspapers sitting around is an invitation to thieves.

- Pay your bills that will be due while you are gone and soon after you arrive home. You don't want to have to face bills as soon as you come home!

- Remove perishable items from your fridge and pantry. You may want to make a list of items you'll need when you return while it's fresh on your mind, so you don't have to think about it when you come home. Both milk and bread are freezable - just remember to buy milk with the screw-on lids and empty a little so it doesn't explode all over your freezer!

- Adjust your thermostats to save energy while you're away. If you have a programmable thermostat, set it to reflect your absence.

- Give a neighbor your cell phone number or contact number - just in case they notice water pouring out of your house, or some other such emergency!

- Look back at your house as you leave. We almost left our front door open once. And you certainly don't want to be wondering if you left your garage door open!

- While you're away, you may want to pick up a souvenir or gift for anyone watching your house, pets, or plants.

With all these details taken care of, you'll have peace of mind while you're away and can enjoy being refreshed and rejuvenated!

If you'd like to comment on the original blog and you receive this via email, click here.

Similar topics:
Why Time Off Is Well Spent
Christmas in July
Redeeming Your Travel Time

Mouthwash and Mosquitoes

Happy Friday!. We received a house of girls yesterday - what a crazy schedule - one is a senior and out of school already, another is taking finals and has an erratic schedule, and the other is in middle school and wants one of us to go on a field trip with her next week! It didn't occur to me that it was finals week and I scheduled an organizing appointment today! I think I've figured out how we can cover all the bases, though. :) On to our unusual blog ...

Mouthwash and Mosquitoes

I recently received this information about Listerine and mosquitoes. I haven't tried it, and the source was not given. But I thought it sounded interesting and worth a try if it makes spending time outdoors mosquito-proof! Here are two comments on the subject:

"I was at a deck party awhile back, and the bugs were having a ball biting everyone. A man at the party sprayed the lawn and deck floor with Listerine, and the little demons disappeared. The next year I filled a 4-ounce spray bottle and used it around my seat whenever I saw mosquitoes. And voila! That worked as well. It worked at a picnic where we sprayed the area around the food table, the children's swing area, and the standing water nearby. During the summer, I don't leave home without it."

"I tried this on my deck and around all of my doors. It works - in fact, it killed them instantly. ... It will last a couple of days. Don't spray directly on a wood door (like your front door), but spray around the frame. Spray around the window frames, and even inside the dog house."

Have any of you tried this? Email subscribers click here to comment on the original blog.

More Outdoor Tips:
Cooler Safety 101
A Dozen Helpful Hints to Simplify Your Life
Foil - A Griller's Friend

Planning Your Family Reunion

If you're planning a family reunion, here's a very detailed article by Susan Glaser with everything you need to know. Just planning a family vacation for my parents and my siblings and our children last year took many hours. If your event is very large, Susan says start yesterday!

"You can't choose your family, as the saying goes. But you can choose your family reunion.

 And plenty of families are: From long weekends in centrally located cities to elaborate week-long vacations at the beach, the family reunion has become big business, spawning books and Web sites and professional planners who help families organize their special events.



"I am utterly amazed at how many families really go all out," said Edith Wagner, editor of Reunions Magazine and the author of "The Family Reunion Sourcebook." "For a lot of families, the reunion is the vacation."

 Theme parks and cruises are popular for multi-generational family gatherings, as are trips to ancestral homelands, including Ireland, Italy and Africa.



More than a third of U.S. adults - nearly 72 million Americans - traveled to a family reunion in the past three years, according to a recent survey by the Travel Industry Association.

 Despite the trend toward exotic locales, the most popular reunion location is still a centrally situated hometown of one (or more) family member.



The downside of having the reunion close by? The closest relatives frequently are recruited to plan the whole thing.

 Shari Chavis of South Euclid, Ohio, inherited the role of reunion organizer a year and a half ago in Prattville, Ala., at her family's biannual family gathering. This summer, it will be held in Cleveland, and she has been busy planning the three-day event for more than a year.



More than 300 family members, from across the country, will gather in mid-July at the Homewood Suites in Solon, Ohio, for food, fun and - most of all - family. "My aunt volunteered me," said Chavis. "So I put her to work."

 Top on her list of advice for other reunion planners: Start early and delegate.

 With input from veteran reunion organizers, both professional and amateur, here are suggestions for planning the perfect family reunion.

- Start planning yesterday. Travel agent Linda Herron, owner of Tempo Travel in Parma, Ohio, recommends starting nine months to one year ahead, which gives family members time to coordinate schedules and make reservations.

 The bigger the reunion, the earlier you'll need to start. Picnic pavilions in the Cleveland Metroparks, for example, can be reserved a year ahead of time, and many of them are.



- Create a committee. You can't do this alone - and even if you can, you shouldn't, because you'll end up resentful and unhappy when the time comes to enjoy your hard work. When Chavis agreed to plan her family's reunion, she recruited not only her aunt, Deborah Ledyard, who volunteered her but all her aunts and cousins in Greater Cleveland to help. Involve several generations to provide different perspectives on everything from where to hold the reunion to what kind of music to play at the main event.



- Once you've chosen the date, stick with it. No matter what date you choose, someone will be unable to attend, said Wagner. And that's probably the first person you'll hear from after the invitations go out. Hold your ground, or you'll feel obligated to adjust the date for everyone who wants to come but can't.

 Many reunions are tagged to a milestone, Wagner said. If you don't have a date in mind, consider July 4, she said. "It's the biggest reunion day of the year."



- Settle on a location. After agreeing on a date, tackle the second most difficult decision: where the reunion will be held. Some families go to the same location year after year: a beach resort, a lake house. 

Family budgets probably will play an important role in the location decision. A cruise may be out of reach for many families, but keep in mind the price is all-inclusive, said Wagner.



- Decide whom to invite. Will it be a small group (grandparents, their children and grandchildren) or "everybody who descended from great-grandparents born in 1848?" asks Wagner. The larger the group, the more time you'll need to locate far-flung relatives.

 Once you decide the parameters of the group, you have to include everyone who falls in the circle, said Wagner, "even uncle so-and-so," whom nobody really wants to come. "Chances are he doesn't want to come either," said Wagner. Invite him anyway, so your conscience is clear.



- Communication is key. Send out a questionnaire, before you set a date and choose a site, asking for people's input: How much time can they spare? How far are they willing to go? What time of year is best? 

While you're making plans, keep family members informed by setting up a family reunion Web site, where attendees can RSVP, link to hotels and (hopefully) offer to volunteer. Family members may be more likely to commit when they see who else is attending, said Wagner.



- Contact the tourism bureau in the community you'll be visiting. Employees there are paid to help you.



- Settle on a budget. This will vary greatly, depending on the type of reunion and the economic means of your extended family. Frequently, families will hold fundraisers to reduce the cost of the event for all attendees.

 Clevelander Katherine Evans, who is hosting her father's family reunion over Labor Day weekend, is planning a silent auction, with items donated by guests, to offset the cost of the event. Up for bid: three photo quilts made with heirloom family photos.



- Plan activities for everyone, especially the kids. Yes, having a swimming pool at the hotel is important, said Wagner, but it's not enough to keep kids engaged for three days.

 The most common reason reunions eventually fizzle, said Wagner, is because there isn't enough to keep the younger generations interested.

"For some people, sitting on a folding chair under a tree and talking to their cousins is a great thing," said Wagner. Others need more.

 Wagner, a frequent speaker at reunion-planning seminars, promotes a mixture of down time for relaxed visiting coupled with more structured events, like banquets and tours. Optional activities - like golf, museum outings and sporting events - should be planned with a variety of ages and interests in mind.



- Finally, don't forget the family. It may seem obvious, but sometimes you need to be reminded about the real reason you've spent so much time and money to get together.

 On the first night of their reunion, Evans' group plays Human Bingo, a twist on the well-known game in which family trivia takes the place of numbers on the board ("someone who was born in Tennessee," "someone who is an only child").

 Assign family members to record oral histories, put together a memory book and take photos. Kids can get involved by re-enacting events in the family's history."

Any tips you've used to planning a successful family reunion? If you receive this by email, comment here.

Similar topics:
Peace-of-Mind Vacation Check List - What to Do Before You Leave
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Home Again, Home Again ...

We arrived home today after twelve wonderful days on a mountain top in Montana with our daughters and son-in-law.

We had such a fabulous family time:
- having a Settlers of Catan marathon
- star-gazing in -12 degree weather
- cooking together and enjoying our son-in-law's gourmet feasts
- having wonderful discussions
- celebrating Christmas
- eating at delightful restaurants
- worshipping together
- photographing beautiful scenery, including breath-taking sunrises and sunsets
- putting together a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle
- watching sports
- celebrating birthdays
- playing Mexican train
- spotting wildlife - moose, bald eagle, deer
- catching up on hugs
- seeing the movie Mall Cop
- helping our daughters do some work
- watching the Super Bowl
- creating websites, blogs and other random stuff

I'll get back to organizing blogs tomorrow. Talk to you then!

Redeeming Your Travel Time

Sorry I didn't get to blog yesterday. Our DSL modem decided to die and I got the flu! I'll write this blog and then go back to bed. :-)

If you have some trips coming up, use the time in the car or plane to catch up on some projects, reading, or such. We travelled a bit over the Thanksgiving weekend, so I took along our receipts for the year, and categorized them for tax purposes.

I know, I know – I’m a professional organizer. I should be filing all the time, right? I always tell my clients that the best filing system is the best filing system for them. I HATE to file. So I use baskets for the few categories I use consistently (banking, receipts, bills, my business). I would much rather take a few hours and categorize once a year than file all the time.

I labeled 5 x 7 envelopes and stood them up in a small box, which allowed me to slip receipts into them. I’ll later transfer them to a larger crate with hanging files, which was too unwieldy to use in the car. I use the crate while I’m in the process of doing my taxes. Then it goes in the file cabinet, with a copy in the safe.

If life has been hectic, use your travel time to replenish yourself – read a magazine, or that book you’ve been dying to start, or play games, or sleep! If you’re sleep deprived, sleep is a good investment. My husband and I often use travel time to talk over ideas.

Keep a balance - know when to work and when to relax.

What do you do to occupy yourself while travelling?

Organizing for College - or Just Having Fun

If you're taking your child to college or just trying to squeeze in some fun - Expedia is offering a fabulous deal - 50% off hotels through the end of September. Even they say this is one of the best deals they've ever had. Just had to pass this along to you. Click this link to save some bucks (http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-2537020-10489996?GOTO=DAILY&page=/promos/deals/50_percent_off/default.asp&afflid=aff.wd.promo.50%_off.20080804)!

Why Time Off Is Well Spent

Did you see the article in yesterday's USA Today about how important taking vacation time is? You usually sleep more, exercise more, watch TV less, and talk to each other more. Other studies show how important having rest is to health and productivity. Check out the entire article by clicking the title above.

Christmas in July

You thought I was planning early yesterday - today it's Christmas!

We are on vacation in Branson, Missouri with my parents, my sibilings and their families. Yesterday we went outlet shopping - usually a tradition when we have these vacations.

Even though Bob and I didn't need much, we took the opportunity to do some Christmas shopping. So we picked up some gifts for our foster daughters and our own daughters. My sister-in-law Debbie was the Christmas shopping queen, blasting through her Christmas list.

To ease your Christmas stress, sit down soon and make a list of all the people to whom you want to give Christmas gifts. If you have gift ideas for people on your list, jot that down, too. Put your list in your wallet or purse and refer to it before you head out on a shopping trip.

Then, as you shop on vacation, do school shopping or other shopping, you may run across gifts for those on your list. How nice to get your Christmas shopping done while you go about life, rather than having to take out extra time to do your Christmas shopping! You will not have to "settle" for gifts because you've waited until the last minute and the selection is sparse and expensive.

What are your Chistmas shopping secrets?