School Lunch Box Packing System

There are a lot of pros and cons when beginning a new school year. Depends on who you ask too. Personally I'm ready as you may have read in my post about that. But, there is one big "con" if you ask me. Packing school lunches every night. It's one of those chores that my husband and I often forget about until the kitchen is cleaned up, the kids are in bed, and we've slumped down on the couch to relax. Then one of us looks at the other (with a pleading look) and says "lunches." Then it's the usual sigh and he or I will drag ourselves to the kitchen to piece together whatever we can.

The fact remains ... it's a necessity. Kids need to have lunch and they need to be packed. All the sighing and complaining won't change that fact. So this year we're trying something new. We're embracing this chore and attempting to put a system in place to avoid all the bellyaching. Maybe this will work for you too, that's why I'm blogging about it.

Back to School Prep!!!

It's the most wonderful time of the year .... Lol. Kidding! I do love the summer, but like any season, I'm ready for the next one when the end nears. School starts for us next week and the preparation that goes into getting us all ready is a layered process to say the least. So I'm sharing with you the check list of what we do to get ready in the event it is helpful to you.

By request - my meal planning schedule and most recent "must have" purchase.

Life has been super busy lately so I apologize for the less frequent posts. Just a girl trying to keep it all in balance over here. Work, family, and social plans (like all of us) has kept me from blogging! Also our big redecoration project at home. Thanks to a very generous Mother's Day gift (thanks Hubs), I have totally  jumped into accessorizing and updating our living room and dining room. We're married 15 years this year and our decor looked like it too! We change as we get older and our tastes do as well. I'm thrilled with the end result and enjoy being home even more now.

Today's Before and After Organizing Job

As a professional organizer I always enjoy seeing before and after pictures of projects. I find them inspiring and motivating. I have done many make overs through the years and only recently have I been taking before/after pictures. Not sure why I'm late to that game (maybe it's because I didn't have a blog). So if you're like me, this post might interest you (maybe even inspire you).

Pet Info Organization

Vet visits, groomer visits, vaccination records, medication schedule ... oy! How to keep it all straight!? We just entered into the pet world and with all the love and fun (along with work) comes so much to remember and keep track of! Anytime I feel like this, it sets off bells MUST CREATE A NEW SYSTEM! So that is what I recently did for our new puppy Andy. I want to make sure we never forget a heart worm pill or tick treatment. And I'm finding it's extremely important to have his vaccination records (specially rabies) easily available. If you have a pet(s), or plan to get one here is my suggestion for keeping that all balanced.

The Life Changing Google Drive

Dramatic post title I know. But seriously. It's amazing. Single handily is my #1 tip for keeping A Life in Balance. At least in the sense of being organized. It really can be used in so many ways. I literally run my life off it. What I like most is it's cloud based. Meaning I can access it in multiple locations and my documents are "stored" in a secure internet based location. So they are not taking up precious space on my devices. With that being said, I want to share some of the "outside the box" ways of using the drive and it's benefits.

My Top Home Organization Tips

A while back one of my besties asked me to write a guest spot on her awesome blog www.getitdonemommy.com  about being organized. So I wanted to share it here too. Here are my tips and thoughts about home organization. Hope maybe one of these will speak to you! 

2 Organizing Tips That Rocked My World

So let it be said  (in case it wasn't already crystal clear) I love to organize! I love to organize my own life and others. It's fun and rewarding for me. If this makes me a freak, then I will fly my freak flag high! I read a lot about the subject. Blogs, books, websites, magazines, you name it. From these sources I will occasionally pick up something new that I haven't already seen or done for myself or my clients. Particularly I love organizing solutions that are "outside the box". Using items traditionally intended for other purposes. So let me share with you 2 of these tips that not only fit this criteria, but also happen to be my 2 favorites (although I hate to play favorites with my tips, they're like children to me).

Full Proof Grocery Shopping Prep!

How often do you grocery shop? Do you just "wing it" when you get there hoping you'll get what you need (and likely a "few" extras)? Over the years I've tried a bunch of different systems to help our family in this department. Done the apps, the all purpose list on the fridge (which I often forgot at home), and many other concepts all which ultimately didn't work out. But I finally found what DOES work for us. So I'm going to share it with you and maybe it can work for you too.

I shop at 3 grocery stores each month. I visit Trader Joes and Costco once a month, and Stop and Shop weekly. But really, it doesn't matter ... this system will work for any schedule. It takes a little bit of work to get organized to start with, but I promise, once that work is done this is the easiest and quickest way to keep your pantry and fridge properly stocked.

Smart Phone Photo Organization!

Do you have hundreds or maybe thousands of photos on your smart phone? We hardly ever develop any of them either. So it can be so overwhelming when attempting to organize our precious memories. Or frustrating when we think about all the moments "stuck" in their virtual locations. I'm going to share what has worked for me and maybe it can for you too.

First off, when dealing with any challenge, step one is identifying why your current "system" (or lack there of) isn't working. Where does the ball get dropped? For many, it's waiting too long before uploading your camera roll to its alternate location of choice. So they sit there, taking up memory on your phone (or space in your cloud) to be forgotten. I'm a HUGE picture person. I take lots of them and out of everything I own, my pictures mean the most to me. So my "system" is important and a priority.