School's Out for Summer...Almost

Here in Charlotte, our school year doesn’t end until the first week in June, but now’s the time to get yourself together so you’re not scrambling that last week before summer break.

Teachers’ Gifts: Make a list in your Notes app of all the people you want to buy gifts for, and get on it, yes…now!  Amazon and Target gift cards are always a win, and ordering smaller denominations ($5 or $10) in larger quantities is a great idea for inevitable last minute forgotten, but important recipients. If more personal gifts are your thing, find all your kids’ teachers “Favorites” lists that were emailed out at the beginning of the year (or, if you need to, email the Room Mom).

Kids Memory Boxes: If you don’t already have one, create or purchase a plastic file box for each child that stores and organizes important and/or memorable school work. For oversize projects, if they aren’t frame- or portfolio-worthy, snap a picture on your phone as the keepsake, and throw it out. We promise, the bad parenting police won’t come after you!

Summer Schedule: If summer enrichment is your thing, now’s the time to make a trip to Barnes & Noble or Target to stock up on some workbooks while you’ve got ample options. And aim to post a daily schedule now to keep the kids occupied. You can always change it on the fly, but having a default agenda for days when everyone’s home will make expectations, across the board, clear! Finally, make sure you familiarize yourself with your home’s internet connectivity, because it’s never a bad idea to hold the WiFi password as ransom for proof of morning productivity!

Seasonal Switch-Up

With a seasonal switch-up in full bloom (see what we did there?), now’s the time to ready your closets and drawers for spring and summer. It’s hard enough to find the perfect outfit that fits AND makes us feel good, so what we definitely don’t want to do is waste time simply trying to find what’s right for the season.

Bring your sandals, wedges, and flip-flops to the front, while pushing your boots, mules, and Uggs to the back.

While we love a good ROYGBIV color system, make sure you’ve sectioned it — tanks, short-sleeves and shells, longsleeves, cardigans and sweaters, etc. These sections should work for your lifestyle, but at least you know when you go to grab a white tee, you’re not having to weed through a wool sweater to get it.

In the midst of shifting, sectioning, and ROYGBIV-ING, this is the perfect time to purge and donate. If you haven’t worn it in 2 years, it’s lost its shape because of frequent washes, or it just doesn’t speak to you anymore, let that shit go!

What's So Great About File Folding?

Let us tell you…

I’ll be honest, I didn’t always used to be a file folder. I used to be a “stacker” — neatly folded clothes, stacked on top of one another in the drawer. The problem with that is you can’t see what you have without lifting/moving/tossing what’s on top to see what’s below. It very quickly becomes a big mess and defeats the whole point of folding to begin with.

With file folding, you never have to wonder what’s clean or what’s actually in the drawer, because you can see it all in one glance.

Another benefit to file folding is it takes up considerably less space. Your drawers and baskets will be much better optimized, and don’t even get us started on the optimization of suitcase space (stay tuned for our upcoming spring break packing post)!

File folding can be done almost anywhere — dresser drawers, linen closets, kitchen linen drawers, suitcases, the list goes on. And if you don’t have drawers, baskets and bins can still make great showcases for all that fabulous file folding you’re about to embark upon.

Still not convinced? Head over to @roomreset to see some of our tutorials!