Get Some Easy Planning Tips

There’s a system to everything and when cleaning out a closet you can use a simple system to accomplish your goal. Here are some tips to help you begin.

First, make a checklist of the things you want your family to get rid of, that will help everyone know exactly what their goal is. Completely empty the closet; the heavy winter coats; ski jackets; suits and pants outfits.

When that’s done, separate those items into two piles, the keepers and the rest of the stuff. The pile with the rest of the stuff are the things going to the church or Salvation Army so someone else can get some use out of them.

It is going to feel great to look at your half empty closet! Why? Because now you can go shopping at your favorite store and shop, shop, shop! When you’re done with your winter clothes you can use this same method with your summer clothes. Go through them and sort what you want to keep and add the other summer items to your donation bag.

 Make A List, Check It Twice

Make a list of the items you will need to add to your summer wardrobe when you are done with your closet. Make sure to include everything, such as foot ware, bathing suits, shorts, and any other accessories you will need for the summer days at the beach or at home.

Check your list one last time before you complete this task. Lastly, pack up and store your remaining winter clothing; bid them adieu until next fall. If you are out of storage space, you can bring that winter clothing to the local cleaners. Let them dry clean or wash all your winter gear and store them for a fee. If you don’t have the room, you might not have any other choice.

Make a shopping checklist. Add all the new items you need and get to the store! When you are finished with your shopping, bring that new wardrobe for the summer home (don’t forget to keep the hangers) and hang them up in your closet. You are now ready for any occasion the summer months bring your way. Don’t forget to add shoes and sneakers to your shopping checklist. Sandals are also a must have for the summer.

What Are You Waiting For?

What the heck are you waiting for? Go clean out those closets and go clothes shopping! Summer is the best time of year, don’t you agree?

Making camping checklists can be a great help with vacation planning for moms and dads. There are some great printable checklists available online for those moms who like to use them.

1. Tent, waterproof tarps, sleeping bags

2. Clothes that fit the season and the adventures you have planned

3. Camping stove or charcoal grill, charcoal and any cooking supplies needed

4. Plenty of food and drinking water, paper supplies including plates, cups, plastic or metal flatware, napkins

5. Any personal hygiene accessories

6. At least one flashlight and your Cell phone

7. A fully stocked first aid kit

Is this the first camping trip you ever put on your family calendar? If so, that means your kids must be very excited! I mean, taking a vacation where you can sleep under the stars; explore; have delicious meals cooked outdoors; sit around a campfire and toast marshmallows, and sing fun songs or tell scary ghost stories; and not have to be stuck in some hotel room – is just about as good as it gets!

Easy And Fun Ideas To Add To Your Camping Checklist

Additional things to add to your camping checklist include items such as a camera; board games, card games and other fun games for the kids, perhaps some fishing rods (you might be near a lake); and Mom, the planner, will want to bring all the necessary items needed for cooking and cleaning; and she will want some extra blankets and pillows too. Adding some additional matches and batteries to that camping checklist is another good idea.

Camping has become more popular than ever, and it’s no wonder! Communing with the great outdoors; chance upon new exciting sites and hearing some interesting sounds, but above all, spending quality time with your family without the everyday conveniences and electronic accessories which ultimately obstruct the quality time you spend with your children at home.

Besides Mom preparing your camping checklist, another great way to make sure you are ready for your camping trip would be to visit the local camping store and ask some questions about the supplies you will need to make certain you have everything you need to make this a rewarding and adventure-filled vacation.

Checking with an expert will make the planning for moms and dads simple as ABC. Who knows, this could be the start of some new and fun family vacation traditions! There are so many destinations you can plan to see and experience; wonders of the natural world which will fascinate your kids, and help them to comprehend and appreciate the wonderful world around them.

Make sure to encourage picture taking! Photographs will add a great deal to your family vacation scrapbook. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words. Last but not least, stay safe and enjoy this fantastic back to nature vacation!

Plan Early And Save Money On Your Summer Vacation

Save money by planning and booking your vacation as early as you can. You can book your travel reservations, your hotel rooms, excursion packages, or all of the above.

Decide early, plan your activities and don’t let procrastination delay your efforts. Years ago, all you had to do to plan your summer vacation was pick up the phone, and call your travel agent.

Today, make your own on line reservations. Write a checklist of the things you want to do while you are on vacation and have it handy when you go to your favorite online travel site. You can still call the local travel agent, but today planning your holiday right from your own computer has become the easiest way to go.

Once you know your destination, check the flight schedule of your favorite airline. You can pick up the phone and call them, or visit them online via one of the countless number of travel sites waiting 24/7 for you, or visit the airline’s site directly.

Try to save yourself some time by stopping at the local travel agency and picking up some brochures you find interesting. Start to research all the available packages so you can find which offers you the best rates.

Remember, if you are traveling out of the country, make sure you and your family all have updated passports and photo identification. If you are planning an exotic vacation, check with your doctor to see if you need vaccinations before you can travel there.

 You Can Use A Travel Agent

A travel agent can be a wonderful source of information about destinations and agents are chock full of travel advice and planning tips. It’s also free to use a travel agent to book your plane tickets and accommodations. The agency is paid a commission from the airlines and the hotels.

Your Vacation Checklist

If you are going to plan a summer vacation and make all the arrangements on our own, be sure to check the terms and conditions of your vacation planning site and hotels, be on the look out for hidden fees. When you book your flight reservations, check to see if there are penalties for cancellations. Look at the hotel or travel package to see if there are any cancellation fees for them too.

Another good vacation planning idea is checking trip insurance; just in case. Compare travel prices on different days of the week and you might save some money.

Now that your vacation planning is complete and your travel arrangements are made, look for a printable checklist to help with your packing. You can find them on many web sites . There’s just one more thing, Whether it’s a Disney resort, London, Paris, or exotic Tahiti – have a fabulous time!

There is a checklist of information you have to consider when planning your garden: what to plant; where to plant; how much sun; how much water; what kind of soil; insects and pest control; and any other queries you might have. Here are some ideas you may want to note down and use when you make that checklist.

Planning Which Flowers To Put In Your Garden

Perennials are popular flowering choice when planning your garden. Many garden experts offer the perennial as a helpful plant to use when you are planning a garden since they return year after year.

It’s like adding flowers to your garden’s blooming calendar for a return at the same time season after season. Although some only bloom for two weeks and others bloom for an entire season, depending on the variety of perennial you buy, these yearly bloomers make planning your flower garden easy.

The Annuals, or flowers that die after one growing season, make it necessary to plan your garden anew each year. Annuals generally bloom early in the spring season, and some may last a few months.

If money is the factor you are basing your garden planning on, the annuals are usually less expensive, but they do have to be replaced year after year. The perennials, on the other hand, grow year after year. The perennial saves money in your long term financial planning, if you are trying to save money in your garden.

There are some hardy annuals like the poppy and sweet pea that can stand up to just about any winter weather. These sturdy plants are also considered to be perennials because they do produce seeds. Include these plants on your early spring garden planting calendar.

Plants to include on your late spring planting calendar include the marigold, the zinnia elegan, and chrysanthemums. These plants don’t like the cold, so you must wait until the calendar says it’s late spring, or well into the month of May.

Last, but not the least of the flowers you should consider, are the petunia and the lovely snapdragon plants. Pretty and slow growing, these plants take quite a while to grow before you will see a bloom. These flowering plants should be planted in pots indoors in the early spring planting season.

Remember to add that to your gardening checklist or write it on your family calendar so you remember them. Make a note on the calendar to transplant these pretty flowers in the late spring when it’s warm outside.

How About Making Some Room For Roses?

Sunshine and Roses……ah, what smells sweeter than the rose? At least a half day of sun is required by a rose plant. Shade in the very hot afternoon helps to lengthen the life of this lovely flower. When you are planning your garden be sure to choose a place where the soil is well-drained since roses do not fair well in soil that is soggy.

Whatever plants you decide to put in your garden and where ever you decide to plant them, be sure to get advice from a garden expert in your area, create a gardening checklist to work with, and include the dates of planting in your family’s calendar to ensure everyone knows the dates they are needed to help out.

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Make a checklist of these necessary items you will need:

• Sturdy Rake
• Pair Of Garden Clippers Or Shears
• Garden Spade
• Gardening Gloves
• Mulching Materials

Here’s Your Garden Clean Up Checklist

Now you’re all set to begin:

• Remove branches, leaves or other debris.
• Cut back your perennials. Prune any foliage that is dead or damaged, cutting your plants to just about ground level.
• Clean the flower bed by raking it.
• Add the debris you’ve cleared to your compost pile.
• Off with the old mulch and on with the new. Replace your bed’s old mulch with a fresh layer of mulching material.
• Take your shovel or stirring rod and give the compost a turning.
• Spread the fresh compost over the garden bed using your rake.
• Add a new layer of fresh mulch.

Winter may not have been kind to us, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a wonderful garden if you use the tips and checklists we put here as a guide. Remember to add these gardening chores to your family’s weekly calendar and make some gardening checklists to ensure you have what you need, when you need it.

Cleaning up your old flower bed is a wonderfully enjoyable undertaking you can plan and share with your family. Hopefully, when the weather turns warm, mom will be busy planning events and scheduling some fun garden parties on that family calendar.

• When can I expect them to crawl?
• When can I expect them to be ready for solid foods?
• How much will I spend on formula, clothes and furniture?
• How much should I pay the babysitter?

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All kids are great at making a mess, and keeping a home clean and tidy is usually a struggle with small children around. Yet, even the smallest members of the household are capable of contributing a lot when it comes to household chores. And with a little planning, managing the home together can even be fun! How?

1. Engage everyone!

Even two-year olds can help with household chores like putting toys back in their bin, or taking dirty plates to the kitchen. Why not sit down as a family, and discuss how chores can be divided up? For some folks, giving each family member a specific job may work best. In other families (like mine!), planning to clean one room up and all doing it together is very effective. In either case, everyone does something, and the youngest members of the household may come to see cleaning and tidying as something that comes completely naturally. 

2. Keep at it

If your home is the center of most of your activities, there are always opportunities to sink into chaos. Keeping everything organized is easier if you keep on tidying in five or ten minute spurts throughout the day. FlyLady has a lot to teach, even to people who think her cleaning system is too rigid. “Five-minute room rescue” operations are highly effective for any family with small kids, or homeschooling families. Kids are much more likely to participate without complaining if they know they’ll be free to do other things in a matter of minutes. Planning one longer cleaning session once a week will take care of the big things. 

3. Make it fun

There are lots of ways to make cleaning and tidying fun for young children. Find some upbeat music and turn it on loudly — dance around while dusting! Turn tidying toys away into a competition by seeing who can put the most away before the song ends. Be creative, and the cleaning session will become fun. 

4. Enjoy your clean, clutter-free space

Don’t forget to thank children who do their best to keep your living space clean and without clutter! After having a cleaning session, sit down for tea and cakes, or whatever it is you like, and enjoy your freshly cleaned home. 

Guest Author:

Olivia, a homeschooling mom of two, writes about female healthy and fertility at Trying To Conceive. Women who are hoping to get pregnant can pinpoint their most fertile days with her free ovulation calendar. 

But, with a bit of planning, potty training could be a time you look back on with fond memories.

Here’s a checklist you can use to plan for successful potty training.

1. Decide on a plan

There are several approaches to potty training so do some research. Though you may not find one that works perfectly for your family, reading about plans that have yielded success will help you form the right approach for your family.

2. Talk it over

Make sure that you and your partner agree about your basic training plan. Talk about how you’ll handle accidents and how you’ll celebrate victories. Discuss as many details as possible before you begin.

3. Talk it up

Talk with your child about using the potty. Get them excited to be a ‘big girl’ or ‘big boy.’ Let them pick out their own big kid undies. This should be an exciting time for you and them.

4. Plan for accidents

Accidents happen. Stock up on extra mattress pads and put towels out on your couch, carpet, or bed. Plan ahead to make clean up as easy as possible.

5. Stock up on rewards

Pick out some inexpensive rewards for your child. A reward could be a sticker for each successful trip to the potty or a balloon to celebrate an accident-free morning. The smallest gestures will let your child know how proud you are of them.

6. Don’t forget: everyone you know uses the toilet.

It may take time but your child will get it. This time shall pass and your child be using the potty before you know it.

Guest Author:

Tricia is an account director by day, writer by night, and mom all the time. She lives in Arlington, VA with her husband and bubbly, two-year-old daughter. Read about her quest for balance and life with her family on her blog Raising Humans.

One-of-a-Kind Gifts

One of my favorite things to do is to create homemade gifts for loved ones. Whether they are for Christmas, birthdays, or other special events, I think hand-crafted presents are often more meaningful and appreciated. That doesn’t mean you should be handing out crocheted toilet paper holders and gaudy useless items to all your family and friends. The key is to decide on a unique gift for each individual; to find something that can be used and loved by the gift’s recipient. Last year for our anniversary, I took six of my favorite photos of my husband and I created a photo Rubik’s cube. It wasn’t anything super difficult or out of the ordinary. But it was cherished and remains on display in our family room. When I am stumped on gift ideas I like to browse trade shows, flea markets, and craft fairs. I look through all kinds of artwork from various mediums and often find inspiration in the most unlikely places. 

Around the House

Some of the most fun do-it-yourself projects are for the home. Creating your own home décor and doing your own renovations can save a ton of money. Plus, they are a great creative outlet that provides a sense of pride and accomplishment. After my husband and I purchased our house, we did a lot of home improvements ourselves to create exactly the look and feel we wanted and to save some green. I had loads of fun browsing through a wide variety of books, magazines, and websites to come up with ideas. We found much of our furniture and decorations at garage sales and thrift stores and refinished/repaired each item to fit the theme of each room. 

New Mediums

I thoroughly enjoy trying all kinds of crafting mediums. Even though I have my favorite, go-to mediums that I always return to, it’s fun to break away from the usual and attempt something new. Doing so renews my passion for crafting in general and often provides me with new inspiration and additional craft techniques. A great way to learn a fresh medium and create something unique and new is through taking art classes. Many community centers, art supply stores, colleges, and art schools offer various art classes to fit a wide range of budgets.

When crafters block hits, turn up your favorite music and hang out with some children. My son and daughter have imaginations like you wouldn’t believe and often provide me with new ideas to use in my crafting endeavors. 

Guest Author:

Andrea Boley is a writer for Storkie. In her spare time she crafts, takes photos, plays with her kids, and dances her heart out.