How often do you think about giving us a call to organize your space? What keeps you from doing it? If you’re reticent to commit to our soups-to-nuts organizing services, did you know we provide virtual plans so you can do it yourself? This service offering is perfect whether you’re local to Charlotte or follow us from afar.
Read MoreSo often, it’s a mental game of not being able/wanting to commit the time; or your stress and anxiety is too high to let you make any headway. Getting fresh eyes on the space, and eyes trained to see all the potential, can make all the difference.
Read MoreI don’t care how organized you are (and believe me, I am), changing out the kids’ clothing for a new season is never fun! However, with some foresight, a little preparation, and the following tips, you can make it as seamless and painless as possible.
Declutter Regularly. Stay with me here…I’m not saying take everything out from all the drawers and closets on a weekly basis. Rather, if you can see the outline of your child’s belly button in a t-shirt, or your kid’s athletic pants are looking like high-waters, simply add those pieces to a “Sort Later” or “Donate” bin. Or if their pants have a rip, go ahead and toss in the trash. One less item to worry about later and wonder if it’ll pass for another season. News flash: It won’t!
Sort Smartly. If you’ve got multiple kids, designate a bin/shelf in each’s closet for pieces that are outgrown. Then, when you go to change-out for the season, you’ll know that everything in that bin is the same size — that is, the most recent one your child was wearing.
Involve Kids. I’d never say this when we’re talking about toys, but with clothes, kids like what they like, and are usually more than ready to part with things they aren’t wearing, be it for reasons of comfort, style, or “just because”. In this way, kids are effectively decluttering for you.
Label Everything. No matter how many times I swear I will remember what a bin has in it…six months later is a long time and I never do. It’s for this reason that we recommend labeling everything! Instead of your kid’s name, label it with the size. Got multiple genders and sizes, specify “Boy 5T” and “Girl 5T”. The more specific you can get in the label, the easier it will be to change things up and out.
Clothes storage is an ever-evolving, necessary evil of having kids, but it also means our households are growing and thriving, which ultimately, is our highest priority. These four tips are designed to make the seasonal switch-up for clothing decluttering, hand-me-downs and storage as seamless as possible. But if it still feels too overwhelming to tackle amidst all your other "to-dos”, give us a call!
The lazy days of summer are no more, as school and extracurricular activities have begun, or are about to! And we all know it’s a lot to keep track of, so we’ve rounded up some best practices for making it all work seamlessly.
Then there’s the wall whiteboard calendar. As we suggested earlier this week in our social media posts, color-coded pens associated with each family member make for easy identification of commitments and quick viewing at a glance by the entire fam.
Smart digital calendars are another great option. These tablet-looking devices hang on your most frequented wall, and can not only display the family’s real-time calendar, but also the week’s weather report, a shuffling family photo album, and you can even stream your favorite show while you’re cooking dinner.
There’s “Old Faithful” as we like to call it — your phone’s calendar. Always on-hand, easily updated, and automatically shared with the rest of your family (if you’ve done your settings right).
As all well-oiled machines (er, families) know, communication is key! And with work, kids, and our own commitments, that is no small order! Case in point, I was just talking to my cousin who recently instilled “MMC - Morning Marriage Connection”, a half-hour block each morning at the same time where she and her husband touch base to review their daily plans/conflicts.
So whether you use MMCs, digital calendars, spiral planners, or Post-Its, there’s SOMETHING out there for everyone, we promise! And if you need help finding one that works for you, give us a call!
We’re not quite sure whether it’s a buyer or seller’s market, but ‘tis the season for moving all the same! And from first-hand mastery when I had to pack up and move with a 2-week-old in tow, YOU CAN DO THIS! Check out our 7-steps to get you there.
7 tips for an organized move
Collect all your “tools” in one place at the onset — scissors, tape, permanent marker, color-coded stickers and inventory sheet (strongly recommended, but not required)
Create a schedule. If you see it written down, you’re more likely to stick to it, particularly when those overwhelming thoughts start to encroach. Even if you have to pull out the stops to finish “Playroom by Monday”, you’re more motivated to do it to keep Tuesday’s agenda on track.
Work one room at a time. It’s easy to get overwhelmed, staring down the barrel of the whole house, so block it out by room. It will force you to keep your focus and give you a real sense of accomplishment.
Keep a Donate, Toss, and Sell zone in each room. Get rid of the things you don’t use or need on the front end, so you don’t have to deal with it on the back end. Yes, it might making packing more involved, but we promise, it’ll make the unpacking and “living” run so much smoother!
Shut the door when it’s done. Dovetailing on #3, shutting the door to a packed and finished room will keep reminding your flustered “move brain” that “'ok, that room is DONE, I don’t need to bother going in there anymore”.
Get the kids out. Kids are awesome, but they can be a real drag on productivity. And they ALWAYS have something to say about ALL the things. Packing and moving is stressful enough, considering your own thoughts and goals. This isn’t the time to give them a voice (unless you have Julie’s magical unicorn child that file folds and ROYGBIVs her books on her own accord).
Consider hiring a professional. If all else fails, or if you just know yourself well enough to know you don’t have the time or energy to make this bold change on your own, outsource. We loooooove to do this stuff, for real! And recognizing your own strengths/limitations is, frankly, just good business!
Getting it all done in a day’s work is pretty darn near impossible in the best of times, but when we add in an extra layer, of say, an impending family trip where packing “all the things” is required, it can be daunting, if not damn near paralyzing! Avoid the last-minute, late-night scurry to get it all done with our easy-to-manage schedule for packing it all in, pun intended!
3 weeks prior to trip: Go through yours and the kids’ drawers and closets and see what you’ve got and what still fits. Use this week to hit up your favorite spots (in-person or online) and get what you need. With three boys with zero interest in shopping, it’s easier for me to Target and Amazon (yep, I’m using those words as verbs) their stuff, have them try it on at home, and then I’ll keep/return what works/doesn’t. But you do you!
2 weeks prior to trip: Keep a running list in your Notes app, so it’s always with you, and jot down things you know you’ll be needing as you think of them — sunglasses, goggles, sunscreen, pool bag, wine opener, chargers, swim shoes, Tums, magnetic hooks, retainer cleaning supplies, visor, vitamins, et. al). Yes, this list will be long and random AF, but it’ll be a huge help to have it altogether when packing time comes.
1 week prior to trip: Be on top of the laundry so you’re not wondering where things are; and where possible, stage what you’re going to bring for easy transfer to a suitcase. When you lay it all out on a dresser, you’re able to see what you’ve amassed and decide over the course of that week, what you’re missing or aren’t actually going to need (the latter more likely, in my case). This is also the time to make sure everyone’s prescriptions are filled.
3 days prior to trip: Check the weather of your destination and make sure you’re prepared with ponchos, scarves or sandals. Assess your toiletry and travel meds situation — replace what’s running low or expired and always, always, always bring one of these. Pull together all your identification papers (passports, birth certificates, Covid negative test results, etc.) and place in your carry-on bag.
1 day prior to trip: Load up the suitcases with all the stuff that’s been laid out on your dresser, and, again with the Notes App, make a list of the last minute things you need to remember to throw in the morning of departure (contacts lenses case/glasses, daily serums, watch chargers, snacks, etc.).
Did we miss anything? What’s on your to-do list that didn’t make ours?
