How to Travel with only a Carry-On
You are on vacation and arrive at your destination ready to unwind and finally take that much needed deep breath. Your entire flight is flowing upstream like salmon to the baggage claim where it is guaranteed that your bag will be the last one to spit out of the center of the carousel. The smell of coconut sunscreen and the warmth of the sun is calling your name…you drift off into la-la-land only to snap out of it to an empty baggage claim. The conveyor belt is mocking you as it disappears into the depths of the airport innards. No bags left. Your entire vacation is now prefaced with panic and then an unplanned shopping trip to replace the items you need for the day. All your photos of the trip are highlighted by your tie dye “My mom went to Mexico and all I got was this T-shirt” shirt and your memories are of washing your underwear in the sink only hoping it would dry in time to wear to dinner the next day.
Back to School
With August just around the corner, Back to School isn’t far behind. If you have school-aged children, you most likely have already started thinking about it. Fretting about it even. Let’s not fret! With just a little time planning, we can turn back to school into the easy peasy transition it should be.
The End of School Pile
If you have school-aged children, you know about the dreaded pile of schoolwork that comes home that last week of school. The actual amount varies from year to year, usually a lot less as the child gets older, but it’s inevitable and bound to be on the receiving end of your side-eye as you put off tackling it for “a better time”.
10 Ways to Save your Summer
With school break just days ahead for us here in northwestern Vermont, it’s time to share some life-saving tips that I turn to year in and year out. From the most simple to some that require a little planning, I hope to help ease a little of the craziness so you can lean into the fun of a summer with those you love the most.
The Mom Effect
Have you ever done your holiday shopping only to realize when you are wrapping that you went way overboard? So much so that you put some items aside to gift during the next holiday or birthday? When you see it all in front of you at once, you can easily recognize that it’s…a lot! Well this is what happens when I’m sitting with clients after we’ve sorted the area we are working on. Not all the time, but many times, we end up with a lot of something (sometimes it’s toiletries, socks, or toys) that has been gifted to them over and over by a single family member. This family member clearly has a very big heart and loves this person a lot. But they don’t see the pile in front of them like we do. The full-sized bottle of body wash in that scent they know you like are great…when there is a need for a new bottle. The really nice thick wool socks are amazing…when you don’t already have 3 unopened packages stuffed in your sock drawer. Sending gifts on auto-ship might end up in taking away the beauty of the thoughtful gift in the first place and result in a pile of items that they can never ever get through even if they tried.
Teaching Kids the Art of Organizing
Before you assume that my kids’ rooms are perfectly organized, let me just say - they are definitely not! Our kids have a much higher threshold for disarray than my husband and I do, and we try our best to work with that. Just because it is what I do doesn’t mean that it translates into my entire life. If only, right? I try to let their rooms be theirs. That being said, being able to declutter and organize is a life skill that they will take with them as they grow up and live outside of this house. So how can we as parents guide, encourage, and teach our kids how to take it in their own hands and live in a space that they are proud of?
5 Ways to Make Spring Cleaning More Bearable
I know. It’s probably not the highlight of the season for most people. Not even on the top 3 list of what you are looking forward to - but also, it is what we make of it, right? Right. Spring cleaning can suck or it can be a way to refresh (reinvent?) your home for the new season. I choose to embrace it and if you do too, read on for some tips on how to make it more fun and productive!
Why Fewer Toys Can Inspire More Creativity
By paring down their toy collection and fostering a minimalist approach to play, you're giving your child the gift of imagination, resourcefulness, and creativity.