Jayne's studio was so fun to work on. Who wouldn't love to be amongst beautiful fabrics, beads, trims and creative company!
Jayne is the creative handbag designer behind www.designsbyjayne.com . She is also a wonderful mother + wife. Her story brings tears to my eyes and I'm proud to be a part of her life. (Look for her story in a future post)
Jayne gave me a ring when she was ready to take her biz to the next level... take a look, I think she's got it going on! Take a look at the BEFORE + AFTER PHOTOS yourself...
My blog has recently been added to www.personalblogs.org, which is part of one of the largest networks of blog directories on the Web. Please visit my blog's personal page to vote for my blog and comment to other blog users.
Seriously, who really has a room completely dedicated to the occasional guest? Unless you still own your McMansion... you may be like the 99% (couldn't resist that timely political pun) that have to put grandma and grandpa up in the kid's room for Christmas or occupy the den/office.
You needn't completely stress out... nor should your guests feel like second fiddle. When you say "Make yourself at home" that doesn't mean fend for yourself ;) Take a peek at my AM Northwest segment on creating a Guest Room... it will help you work with the space you've got.
PS I hope you find my tips helpful...I can't take full credit... several of the tips were new ideas given to me by my facebook page fans and twitter followers. #muchappreciated ... and if you have some ideas we missed, please add a comment!
I'm a HUGE believer that we can do almost ANYTHING for 5 minutes...
On AMNW today I shared 5 different spaces in your life that you can tackle in 5 minutes. I promise you'll feel more in control and it will take the 'edge' off [almost like a good glass of wine]!
Check out my new timer.. it's quite coolio. Ironically as I was prepping for my segment I couldn't find my timer. I'm not saying I lost it... I'm merely going to go with the story that my kids jacked it so that I couldn't make them do any more '5 minute pick up/clean up' sessions! #maybemaybenot
1) Your Handbag... take 5 to clear out the receipts, trash, and randomness that settles at the bottom of your handbag. You can easily find 5 minutes while you're waiting at the gas pump or stuck in traffic. *note my cute Bagmate available in Camas at The Uncommon Gift.
2) Your Clothes Closet... I dare you to set the timer for 5 minutes and see how many items you can say adios to. *extra points if you have your spouse + kidlets do the same
3) The Mudroom... oh just do it. It's only 5 minutes and you'll feel SO much better. I'm sure the summer items are ready for storage and you can bust out the scarves + mittens for the cold months ahead. *consider adding a "Donation" and "Return Items" bin to this area. It's nice to give those kind of bins their own home.
4) The Drop Spot.... aka My Laundry Room. Grab a couple of bins- 1 for each family member. Place their 'stuff' in their bin and 'force, bribe, dangle a carrot' in front of them to put their belongings away.
5) The Junk Drawer... c'mon do it. It's only junk. Wipe down the drawer while you have it empty.
The kidlets are fully capable of getting ready for school and out the door on time. They just need some guidance. So sit back have a cup of joe and watch the kidlets run out the door...
Ok, who am I kidding. It takes practice+ you to guide them. My segment has some helpful tips but you'll need to bring the bull horn ;)
Here's my worksheet for creating Kid's Routines: Download KIDSROUTINES.SCHOOLAGE The small message board can be placed in their room or on their bathroom mirror as a reminder of what to do + when to do it.
The Kidlets are also FULLY CAPABLE of helping piece together their lunch...
LUNCH THOUGHTS:
Have your child identify which days they want school lunch... Our school sends home a monthly printout. I have my daughter circles the meals she likes.
Kids don't mind eating the SAME lunch everyday... I think we put all sorts of unnecessary pressure on ourselves to create clever + cute meals. Get over it sister...
Have the kids prep their lunch... Grapes can be washed + placed in the containers + stored in the lowest refrigerator drawer. I also place cheese sticks + their snacks in this 'kid drawer'.
Goldfish/Ritz/Raisins etc can be sorted into the reusable containers or snack bags for the entire week. These can be stored together in a 'for school lunch' container.
I make Peanut Butter + Honey/Jelly sandwiches for the week and freeze them in the plastic containers shown in the above pic.
Puttin' it all together... Lunches can be pieced together by the kidlets- just tell them to do it, but spend a week guiding them through the process. "hey kidlet.. grab a sandwich, juice box, grape container + cracker container, place them in your lunch box... have a great day!"
I was caught off-guard by the fact that my kidlets actually wanted chores + haven't complained 'yet' about doing them. Together we brainstormed what they could do to help around the house. I like the word "Contribute" so I used that a lot during our chat- meaning no money will be attached to their chores.
We visited the craft store... Because I know that 'people tend to support what they help to create' so the kidlet's picked out the paper used to cover their magnet board. They helped glue the DO and DONE onto the clear stones. Then they wanted to show their friends what they made :) 1. Frame, Magnetic 12x12 square, scrap book paper, magnets. Remove glass,place paper, magnetic board in the frame. Add magnets + chores!
Management... I decided to switch out their chores monthly because I don't want to try to remember who's day it is to do what. #paininthea$$
Chore items... I wanted the children to learn how to fully complete a task- for example if they are responsible for taking out the trash cans they are also the person to gather all the trash within the house and place it in the big trash can. They load and unload the dishwasher. The American Picker boys would call this bundling ;)
Cheers to a wonderful + less chaotic school year! Krista
I LOVE back-to-school shopping when I get to pick out the supplies! I've chosen a few of my favorites to share with you... I think you'll find that if you knock out these simple projects you'll be ready for the onslaught of paperwork + the hustle bustle of September.
Back to School Supplies for Mom
Fresh set of matching pencils... mine are from Target.
Tape + other tools
Notepad
Portfolio for each student's school paperwork
Binder with pocket dividers for other misc. paper/forms... as shown, both are from Target.
Your Class Schedule
Weekly Routine Board from www.Mead.com available at Target.
Plan some She-time... schedule massage, coffee dates for September etc... found this lil' white board in the Target $1 bin!
I believe in keepin' it simple... and fabulous. And it can be done... pinky promise.
With one trip to the local grocery store and few minutes online... you can whip up a party in no time! Jars and ribbons are from my crafty stash... food + checkered table cloth etc are from the grocery store.
AM Northwest segment showing all these ideas! view it here
Patriotic Pretzels... Dip pretzel sticks in canned whipped frosting then cover in sprinkles. Place in the fridge for a bit before serving. TIP stir frosting well, when dipping pretzel use a swirl method to get just the right amount of frosting. The kids love making these!
Red... The candy aisle is full of red treats! A bowl full of Swedish Fish or use skewers to make 'fishing poles' like my daughter Annie created. She placed a piece of licorice over the skewer then caught a swedish fish. #clever Wrap up pieces of licorice with ribbon scraps.
The kids LOVE making this festive drink.... remember to use ice and pour in this order 1. cranberry juice 2. grape gatorade 3. diet 7-up [the magic is in the amount of sugar]
5 things you can do in 5 minutes [give or take ;) ] to get your Summer organized! Take a peek at my AM Northwest segment... Check out the photos + tips aaaaand at the bottom of the post I included some BONUS Summer Tips!
The Summer Tote Have tote in the trunk ready to go! Make one for you and another one for the kids!
Towel
Sunglasses
Sunscreen
Reading material
Be Prepared Gather up items related to Summer + keep them in a handy location.
Gift Cards + Coupons [ice cream + yogurt coupons, museum discounts]
Event Dates- summer concert series etc.
Get Tech Ready Get your camera + video camera primed for Summer memories.
Download all your Winter/Spring photos
Charge your batteries
Summer Clothes It's always a struggle to get the kids to try on their clothes, place a donation bag in their closet so they can toss the small clothes in the bag and not on the floor!
Donation Bags in all clothes closets
Buy items early for best selection
Create a Summer Toy Box Tame the Summer chaos with a seasonal bin, store it in the garage or on the back deck.
I believe the key to being organized is staying organized! Not as difficult as it sounds if you do 9 simple items each month... Take a peek at my segment on AM Northwest showing you how! click here to view segment
Here's what you'll need to Maintain the Shebang: click here for the "maintain the shebang" list. You'll also find some fabulous free printouts to help you get started!
Today for my lifestyle segment on Portland's morning show AM Northwest, I shared some of my favorite 'outside-of-the-box' organizing solutions. I love perusing the antique store for clever ways to make function... fabulous!
I'm also a big fan of using kitchen items in unique ways... take a peek! click here to view the segment
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