Seattle Mom Blogs

One of my all time favorite organizing rules is, “Touch it once.”

I guarantee that abiding by this rule will save you time … and your sanity. After all, every time you put off putting something away until later, you are touching it at least twice when it could have been touched only once.

Even though you think you are saving a few precious seconds today, in the long run you will be wasting several minutes tomorrow as you attempt to declutter piles, find things you have lost, and clean up dirty dishes that have food caked on them to the point where you don’t even recognize what it was you ate.

Don’t let this rule overwhelm you, though, start out small. Baby steps are the best. For example:

1. You bring the mail into the house, immediately throw away the junk mail.

2. You eat a bowl of cereal, put the dirty dish in the dishwasher. Why leave it on the table, only to touch it later to take to the kitchen to put on the counter, only to touch it yet again later to rinse off and then put in the dishwasher?

3. You kick your shoes off after a long day at work, put them away.

Even kids can learn this vital household rule and trust me, it will make parents everywhere more than thrilled.

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Read more of Lucy’s writing at An Ordinary Mom. If you have questions or suggestions for “At Home in the Emerald City,” please email her at anordinarymom {at} gmail {dot} com.

Jacket weather has arrived. Pull out the rain boots and bring on the simmering cups of hot cocoa laced with caramel and hazelnut and topped with a dollop of whipped cream. Give me a good book, some quiet time and a quilt to cover up with and I will be in heaven sort of.

With the arrival of Autumn also comes the arrival of craziness. New schedules are being hammered out as kids begin school and other activities. Throw into the mix Fall carnivals, Halloween, Thanksgiving, the Festival of Lights and Christmas. Dont blink, you very well might miss them all.

Although Autumn is my absolute favorite season, one of the things I detest the most about this time of year is being so harried, frazzled and over booked that I always feel rushed. As a result, I find I dont get to truly appreciate the spirit of the season unless I plan ahead, stay organized and learn to simplify my life.

Since the holiday season will be here in full swing in a couple months, I thought I would share some tips I have picked up over the years that have helped me to dispel some of the franticness of the season. These things definitely help me feel more relaxed and not quite as rushed.

1. Write on the calendar. Rule #1 – you dont have to say yes to every, single invitation do I need to repeat that? In fact, hold a family council and decide together which activities to attend and which ones can be skipped. Plan ahead for annual events you know always happen and try now to figure out the dates of those things. The Christmas dinner your husbands boss always throws? I am sure it is planned more in advance than the night before it occurs, which is sometimes when your significant other first tells you about it.

Furthermore, make sure to literally write on the calendar, in pen, some days where you will Stay Home. Plan nothing these nights, or use these days to bake those sugar cookies with the kids you have been saying you are going to make for the last three years.

2. Christmas letters/emails. Start those letters soon. Since we are on tight budget while my husband is in grad school, we send out a Christmas/Holiday email to save money on stamps, cards and address labels. Emails also save a lot of time.

3. Convenient family photo. I always like to send out a current family photo with our email, but trying to find a time to get a nice picture taken sometimes seems impossible. Since we get dressed up to attend church every Sunday, I just take our digital camera to Church, arrive a few minutes early, and have a family friend who is handy with a camera snap a few shots. The kids behave remarkably well because they are excited to go to their respective kids classes.

4. Finish your gift shopping before Thanksgiving. Some people might argue with me on this one saying you will miss all the good sales, but frankly, I dont mind spending a few extra dollars when my time and sanity are on the line. And this is coming from a very frugal minded person who is extremely budget oriented. To wreak less havoc on our budget, I also purchase things throughout the entire year and keep a birthday and Christmas stash hidden in my house.

Once you have the gifts, dont forget to mail them off early. Remember any overseas packages need to be mailed by mid November. If you want to save money on shipping costs, give any gifts to family you might see at Thanksgiving time.

5. Keep a list of the gifts you have purchased. This helps ensure that equal money is spent on all the kids. It also helps to prevent overspending.

6. Keep a few extra, simple gifts on hand. Every year it seems like there is always someone you forget to buy a gift for – your daughters school teacher, your sons soccer coach, the mail carrier, etc. To help you out in a pinch, always keep a few generic presents on hand – a scented candle, a mug full of treats, or a small box of stationary.

7. Purge now to make more room for new items. Before the holiday rush hits in full swing, take some time to help your kids sort through their things. Put away clothes that are too small, pack up toys that arent being used any longer, throw broken things in the trash and donate any unwanted items to charity. Dont forget to purge your own things as well. If space is an issue, when out shopping, think small. Its hard to find a new home in your house for large items.

8. Dont be ashamed to buy a dessert. Many of us can bake fancy and gourmet treats, but the real question is do we have the time to do so? If you signed up to bring a sweet to the winter party at school, dont stress yourself out about making something homemade. Costco cookies can be quite delicious.

9. Buy those black shoes now. If you know you will have a fancy holiday party to attend in the month of December, purchase those black dressy shoes and any other necessary accessories you have been meaning to get sooner rather than later. The last thing you need to be doing is picking over the leftovers on a display table in the mall the afternoon of the big event.

10. Enjoy all the Fall holidays. Sometimes all we seem to focus on is December 25th. Every other day is just a means to arrive at this date. Take some time to celebrate the beginning of Autumn, Halloween and Thanksgiving. However, remember to keep things simple.

11. Think outside the box. A successful holiday season isnt measured by the amount of money one spends or the number of presents one purchases. Instead of buying big ticket items, get creative. Make homemade gifts if possible or write a thoughtful letter instead of spending money. If time is more the issue, utilize gift cards given with a sweet note.

12. Enjoy family time. In a few years time no one is going to remember if you cooked five different soups for the Fall potluck. However, your kids will always cherish the fun memories you created together.

13. Dont sacrifice your alone time. It is so hard to give to and serve others when your own cup is completely empty. Take the time to adequately rest, exercise, read some good books and enjoy your hobbies.

What helps you to stay calm during the mad rush of the holiday season?

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Read more of Lucy’s writing at An Ordinary Mom. If you have questions or suggestions for “At Home in the Emerald City,” please email her at anordinarymom {at} gmail {dot} com.

Here are a few tips and suggestions I have to hopefully prevent boredom from even becoming a factor. Part of the reason kids get so bored in the summer is because there is no apparent structure to their day. They are used to being in school where they were accustomed to plans and routines. Half the battle in fighting boredom is providing a general and loose schedule for the children, especially younger ones. For example, this summer I am going to make sure to do the following things every day with my kids, preferably around the same time each day. Of course we will also keep flexibility and spontaneity in mind:

• Quiet time (playing, coloring, reading, etc.)
• Educational time (practice math skills, write reports, practice handwriting, cook, arts and crafts, science and nature, etc.)
• Spend time outside to help them get exercise and to prevent them from going stir crazy (nature walks, wading pools, going to the zoo, playing at the park, riding bikes, etc.)

I also want to plan a few big outings as well. We will probably schedule these at the beginning of summer and then make a paper chain to countdown to them.

Finally, at the beginning of summer break, and with the help of your children, brainstorm a list of fun activities for them to do. Involving them in this step is critical because it will help give them ownership of their supposed boredom and it will teach them how to solve their own problems, an essential life skill to have. They will soon realize boredom is a state of mind, something my mother continually reminded me when I was younger.

When your child proclaims their boredom, simply direct them to choose an item from their ready made list. To add a little variety to life they can even write their activities on slips of paper and then randomly choose an item from a container. You could also have the activities broken down into a few different sections, a section for things they can do on their own at home, a section for places to go as a family and a section for things to do at home with help.

Even though Keri still has a few weeks left of school, we have already started talking about some things she would like to do:

• Go to the wading pool
• Write an animal report on zebras
• Write and illustrate a book
• Visit the library
• Draw and color
• Have a playdate
• Read a book
• Play board games
• Go to the park
• Play with dress-up
• Paint toe and finger nails
• Ride bikes
• Fly kites
• Have a picnic (outside or inside)
• Watch a movie and eat popcorn
• Play with play-doh
• Go on a short hike
• Make homemade lemonade
• Bake a cake
• Visit local museums and city centers
• Go to the Farmers Market
• Make necklaces
• Play educational games on the computer

If you have any suggestions on how to beat summertime boredom, please share your ideas. I am sure many of us would benefit from your thoughts on the matter .

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