Organizing
Do you have a closet that needs organized and maybe a little refresh? This Closet refresh was done in 2 days. Cost was a can of paint and $175 worth of container cubbies from Bed Bath and Beyond.
This was my own master closet that was my own personal nemesis lol. I have wanted to redo it for years but the plans were elaborate and expensive so never happened. So I decided we could do it ourselves on a small budget...my hubby thought I was crazy and fought me all the way but he loves me and went along with it anyway. There was no way I felt I could show my home to people with that embarrassment haha.
First Step - Clear It All Out
First off we cleared out the closet. This step was the reason I never took on this project before. It seemed daunting even to me to take everything out and I did not want to do it more than once. Hence the procrastination and not wanting to do it until I could do it perfectly. Well perfect does not exist in my life, so good enough was the goal.
Wow Look At All That Stuff
You never really know how much stuff you have until it all spread out in front of you. WOW, we have a lot of stuff in that one closet. I will be honest, I did not donate a substancial amount of stuff as I am pretty good at getting rid of what I don't use on a regular basis, but I did manage to get one bag of donated clothes gone, a set of plastic drawers that I hated got replaced by these cute cubes and I did get rid of a bunch of dust gathering under things that had not moved in a long time hehe.
Fresh Paint Makes Everything Better
Once it was all out, my hubby got to work painting and I got to work sorting and organizing all that stuff. A little shopping trip to Bed Bath and Beyond where I scored some great cubby containers - some big some small to put all those loose items. Full disclosure...I had to go back again to get more as I did not get enough the first time around.
It was so exciting to see the closet painted...I still can't beleive we lived with that red closet for 12 years.
Putting It All Back Together
Once it was dry it was time to put everything back in, this is one of my favourite parts. All the loose clothing that was on the old shelves found a home in the containers. Things we use all the time like jammies, yoga pants, tshirts and sweats shirts went into the cubes on the lower shelves. Seasonal clothing and things that aren't used as often were put in the cubes on top. All nicely organized, although it did take me a few days to figure out what was in each basket lol.
I am so happy with the end results. It might not be the 'new' modern fully custom closet of my dreams but it is clean, functional and pretty. Just goes to show that home organizing or staging does not have cost a fortune or even take weeks! A little elbow grease, some paint and containers is sometimes all it takes.
Happy Organizing,
Kim
It is that time of year again when we are planning for our kids to return to school. Some of you dread this time of year knowing that routines and that dreaded lunch preparation time is at hand. Some of you, of course, are jumping for joy knowing the kids are getting the heck out of your house!
I always found getting teens ready for back to school is a much different process than when they were younger. High School is a different baby all around than middle school from my experience. Mornings in our house were much harder because as teens they stay up too late and getting up in the morning was not their favourite thing to do...especially for ugg school!
Here are my top 5 tips to preparing yourself and your teens for back to school:
#1 Don't overstress about school supplies. I found that they did not need nearly as much as when they were younger especially those first days. some basic supplies of loose leaf paper, a binder, pens, pencil and eraser. Wait until they are a few days in and have been to class a few times, then they will know what they actually need for each class.
#2 Organize your kitchen so they can easily prepare their lunches and snacks for the day. Have all the lunch supplies together in a cupboard or drawer. As well, have a basket in fridge with the regularly used lunch and snack supplies. This not only makes it easy for them to prepare their own lunches (and by preparing I mean for them to throw something together as they run out of the house) but it also makes it easy for you to see what you need when grocery shopping...when the basket is empty you need to refill!
#3 Talk to your teens and include them in decision making...I cannot tell you how often I went ahead and bought stuff or made decisions for my teens only to find out they did not like what I bought, did not need it or resented me not asking their opinion. So we have learned the art of talking to each other, me asking them what they need/want and discussing what is possible and what is not. Sorry no big back to school Iphones in this house even thought they thought that was on the mandatory supply list for survival at school haha, that is something they have had to buy on their own. My youngest had very definite tastes and likes for backpack and clothes, so I would give her a budget and she had to get what she needed with that or add her own funds to it. I am happy to say she is now a high school graduate with exceptional financial skills.
#4 Teach them time management skills. I think this is one of the most important skills we can teach our kids. How to prioritize their time, break things down into manageable bites, How to use a calendar to manage their school, extracurricular time, play time and get themselves organized.
#5 Try to understand the craziness that is going on in their brain. The teenage brain is a fascinating thing, it can feel like they are aliens invading your home. Watch this documentary on Surviving the teenage brain to get a good understanding of why they are so crazy and do the things they do. This helped us survive these years, I am not saying it is easy but at least understanding why helped us to be logical in our guidance and support as they navigated these years. Hold on to your hats and pray! YOU CAN DO THIS! Surviving The Teenage Brain: https://vimeopro.com/user13599767/docs/video/154086074
My theory on parenting has always been that my job was to teach my kids how to live without me ,because I don't want them to live with me forever lol. High school is the time to help them learn adulting skills , give them some independence, let them learn to look after themselves and start making decisions for themselves (and sometimes make mistakes too - that is part of life). Talk to them, respect them for where they are in their life right now and help them adapt to the adult world by training them to think and do for themselves with the guidance of you as their 'coach' in this crazy world we live in!
Wishing you all a great school year...may you all survive the teenage brain days!
Is your desk, counter top or kitchen table the dumping ground for lots of junk, paper and stuff? Do you or others comes in and throw things on the pile because you don’t know what else to do with it?
Lots of homes have these dumping grounds, it is a common problem. In our house that dumping ground is my husband’s desk. Not a working desk, he actually NEVER sits at the desk. It is really just a place to dump crap as he comes in. it drives me crazy as it is in the middle of our main floor and can be seen from pretty much all areas of the main floor.
Today, I came up with a solution to save my sanity and maybe my relationship hehe…after 26 years I think I finally figured out how we can both win.
Here are my tips and what I have done:
Get the right furniture- I finally realized I needed a space he could dump stuff but I did not have to look at it. So a small desk with a hidden compartment and not much flat surface is what I am using. Look for something that you can close up when you don’t want to look at junk.
Containerize – I now have 3 drawers that some of his other crap can go in if he needs the space. If you don’t have room for a new desk, then think about getting containers for people to use to hid the stuff. It may not be perfect but at least it will contain some of the chaos so it is not spreading over all the counters and desk top.
Relax and stop trying to control others…or make them change – change the environment not the person, it is really hard to ‘make’ someone care about being organized or care if things are clear. But most people will respect you for trying to accommodate them and you will feel less stressed when you let go of the control. Trying to create a system that works for both of you is the idea here, not perfection!
I know that blank spaces always fill up with junk, eliminate the blank space by giving it a purpose. Remove the desk if that is not working and use containers…if there is a place to put things most people will try to use it.
If you are struggling with paper chaos and are ready to take action, I have great news for you. I have a new online program that starts March 15th called Calm the Paper Chaos. Check it out here: www.CalmThePaperChaos.com and sign up today.
Happy Decluttering,
Kim
Get your car in your garage this year!
Did you know that your garage was meant for you to put your car in it?
Do you have a garage that is so full of clutter and chaos that there is no way your car would ever fit in it? Is your garage a dumping ground for stuff?
Imagine actually driving you car into your garage this winter. Imagine getting into a nice warm frost free vehicle during a cold winter day. Imagine using your garage to actually put your car in it!
I have one of the smallest garages around. Our car barely fits into it even with next to nothing it in, which is not a reality in my life. We have stuff in our garage including our deepfreeze and my husband’s tools. That is the only place in the house those will fit. We spent several years in this house without even trying to fit a car in there, but one year I decided that I was going to do it. I measured my car and measured the garage and determined it was physically possible but changes had to be made…but I was determined. I ripped out some built in counters that just piled up with junk and were too big for the space and I cleared out the junk. After some sweat, tears and determination I did get my car in the garage for the winter. I do have to reclaim it each fall from the bikes and junk that gathers, but I can tell you the pleasure of getting into a warm car on a cold winter morning is well worth the effort!
So here are the steps you can use to finally get your car IN the garage this year:
1. Decide you want it – The decision is one of the most important steps you will take. Decide you are going to put your car in the garage (provided it physically will fit) and move forward from there. Nothing can replace determination!
2. Declutter – okay you knew that one was coming right. To make room for your vehicle you will have to get rid of the junk that you don’t need or use. You must be ruthless and determined!
3. Build Up – maximize your space by building up, adding high vertical shelving to store the things that live in your garage will get them off the floor leaving room for the car.
4. Find alternative storage – Where can you put that stuff you don’t want to get rid of but does not need to be in the garage. Cold rooms, sheds or even possibly offsite – our off season tires get stored at the garage that changes our tires for us.
5. Drive your car in!
The myth you just don’t have space is bogus. If your car physically fits into your garage, then you just have to decide you are going to get it in there and you make it happen.
If you need some help getting it done, contact me and my team and we can coach you through the process! CONTACT ME
Kids toys can sometimes take over a space and you can feel that you live in a toy store after a hurricane goes through it. The important thing to remember when deciding on storage solutions for kids’ toys is that it has to be easy for the kids to put their things away. As a former preschool teacher I can tell you that having a dedicated spot for everything and making it easy for the kids to know where that spot is can reduce frustration, time and tears.
Cubbies and containers work well as long as they are well labelled and the containers are large enough to ‘throw’ things into. If the kids have to put all their stuff away in a secret order, like putting a puzzle together in order to get the lid to fit, they are doomed to fail. Look at any reputable daycare center and they are an Organizers DREAM- EVERYTHING has a place of its own and EVERYTHING is labelled, even the scissors have a special stand to go in. there is a reason for this, kids want and need easy to follow directions, they are empowered when they can do things on their own and by creating a space that makes this easy for them you give them power and self confidence. Much better than the constant nagging and occasional loud voices saying ‘this place is a pigsty, clean up your toys’
I am partial to large Rubbermaid containers with the raise lids, they allow the kids to throw their stuff in and the lid will still go on, they also stack nicely. I had several of these containers when the kids were young, for Barbie stuff, for dress up clothes, for blocks, for Hot wheels, for…well you get my drift. I encouraged my kids to only have one of these out at a time. If they were playing Barbies then the Barbie one is out. If they went on to another activity they were expected to clean up the Barbies, cleaning takes about 2 minutes as all they had to do it put it all in one big container, they did have a few smaller containers to hold the tiny little items like Barbie shoes and accessories but those never actually worked as it was too complicated to maintain.
Small cubbies work great as well as long as they are labelled or at least the containers on the cubbies are labelled. We had one that houses all my budding artists creative ‘stuff’. There are lots of different types of cubbies, ours is a metal mesh one that can be reconfigured as our needs change. We got that one at Costco. IKEA has some great ones as well and one of the best kept secrets to buying great kids toy storage solutions is any School Supply stores like Scholars Choice, they have fantastic stuff, as that is their business.
Remember to not be too hard on yourself or your kids, mess happens when they play and we should all embrace the mess DURING play time. By empowering them to be actively involved in the clean up phase you can make it fun and easy so it becomes a natural part of play. Go visit a daycare center and when it is time to clean up you will hear laughter, singing and cooperation. The kids love it almost as much as the playing itself.
