A New Look...

The fireplace is sizzling, dinner is cooking, mom is out until tomorrow, and the environment is almost idyllic for writing- Or so I thought. I’m listening to the sound of the fireplace crackle with a little background noise: light snoring from hubby, my favorite TV show, Devine Design by Candise Olson, and my son reading aloud. Perhaps this really isn’t the right time to write, but when will it be? To be honest, I’m not quite sure when… I’m just trying to muli-task and get a few items crossed off of my to-do list. The truth of the matter is that, I’d rather be the one snoring on the sofa; after all, I worked another six-day work week this week. Our school district is making up snow days so, for the first time in over eight years, I find myself working on a Saturday and, it’s kicking my butt. I’m not complaining, because in these tough economic times, I’m happy to be employed.

Okay, I’m getting a little side tracked here. The spring like weather last week and the forecast of 78 degree temperatures for the upcoming week has put me in the cleaning, spruce up, throw out, and get ready for the summer mode. Can you tell?  I’ve changed the look of my blog; new colors and a new format. What do you think?  I’m still not 100% set on it and I am still looking at other possibilities, because it usually takes me awhile to decide on décor. So please, if you could take a moment and share your opinion, I'd really appreicate it.

Anyway, I’m suppose to be writing a little something about getting organized, but with all the distractions, I’m not feeling very organized right now. In any case, below are a few ideas.

I think this is the perfect time of year to look around the home, tidy up a bit, and get your place in better order. Soon it will be time to bring out the spring and summer clothes and other spring and summer necessities. This is the ideal time to clean out the closet- you know- if you haven’t worn it in a year give it away, donate, throw out, or have a yard/garage sale. I like to get my son involved by asking him to help by picking out toys, books, etc… that he doesn’t use and get rid of them.

I cannot stand clutter and know that if everything in the home is assigned a space, then naturally, you will spend less time looking for things and can become better at managing your time. Look around your place; what aren’t you using? What’s broken? What’s ugly that you’ve been meaning to get rid of or replace? Those are just a few questions to get you going and usually help me to get moving. I also like to reflect back on the past season to think about what worked and what didn’t work and try to improve the space or contents of the space for next season.

Since it’s tax season (I know the deadline is very near), this is a great time to decide what to do with the previous years documents. File them away, scan them into a file on your computer, shred them, or whatever needs to be done with them. Just do something with then that doesn’t involve shoving them anywhere to get them out of site.

Winter coats, hats, sweaters, scarves, etc… that are outgrown, need cleaning, sewing, etc… should be immediately dealt with. Get items that need to be cleaned taken care of now, so you don’t have to do it when the season returns. The same goes for boots and shoes- take them to the shoe repair shop now, so they’ll be ready next season.

I don’t work in the summer and prefer not to, so now is the time that I take stock in my summer needs. I spend a great deal of time at the pool in the summer, so next week, I’ll be taking inventory of our swim gear, towels, and pool toys. I’m already looking for coupons and sales items on sun screen, benadryl, band aids, and other non perishable items. If you have other tips, please share; I am always looking for ideas to become more efficient and ways to save money. 

For now, I've gotta go figure out how to squeeze my workout in today, because the summer will be here before we know it and... Easter dinner is just around the corner.  Have a great day and remember to Think Forward!