It is the end of the school year and the children or grandchildren
will be around so now is the time to prepare for the summer months ahead.
This month we will tackle keepsakes, children’s rooms,
travel and more.
Too many of anything means none of them are special. This includes collections such as china,
dolls, salt and pepper shakers, stamps, etc.
If space is limited and many of these items are stored in the attic or
closets, consider saving only those that have special meaning and letting the
remainder go to someone who will appreciate them and has room for them. Put those that you keep in a place where they
can be enjoyed and given the honor and respect they deserve. If you cannot let any go, then consider
rotating those on display.
Photographs are another source of keepsake clutter. Save only the best from each activity. No one needs 100 pictures of the beach
vacation. A few special pictures are all
that is needed to capture that special time.
There are lots of ways to sort and save them in colorful scrapbooks and
online. Each Christmas I receive a
calendar with pictures of my grandchildren taken each month the year
before. They are a mini scrapbook of 12
pages and all I need to remember those special occasions for that year.
An avalanche of school papers may be arriving for you to
handle this month. My best advice is to
let the child decide which to keep. Keepsake
boxes or binders can be used for these. Give
one to each child and let it be the only place for special items to save. If it gets too full, let the child decide
what to keep and what can go. Resist the
urge to get more or bigger boxes. Think
about how many things you really need from your childhood to remember the good
times. (We don’t want to relive those
not so good times!)
Children now have time to go through their rooms and
eliminate items they have not used or no longer want or like. Clothing that no longer fits can be sorted
for sale or donation. Children grow
quickly and by fall most of what they wore during the past year will not fit. Thankfully not much variety in clothing is
need for the summer months
Make a point of enjoying the outdoors while the weather is
nice. Keep outdoor umbrellas closed when
not in use. It will extend their
usefulness and prevent damage during high winds or thunderstorms. I have personal experience with this one.
And speaking of storms, this is the beginning of hurricane
season. If you live in an area affected
by hurricanes, high winds or rising waters, you should review the list of
necessary emergency items and secure those now.
Be sure to update your household inventory. More information on it can be found on a
previous Blog I posted: http://organizingtipsfromorderlyplaces.blogspot.com/2009/06/pictures-for-inventory.html
If you will be traveling this summer, create a permanent
travel kit with activities for yourself and family. If it is only used for travel, the items will
appear to be almost new and more interesting.
If you travel often and if you have storage space, create a
permanent supply box or bag with items you always need. Some of these may be duplicates of items you
use everyday at home but you will not need to disturb those.
A permanent travel checklist that you keep on your computer
or in a convenient notebook is a great strategy to prevent forgetting items you
always need. I keep one just for quilt
retreats, my favorite travel experience!
For information on organizing your suitcase, check out this
article I posted:
The days will be hot and humid for the next few months but I
am thankful. I was too cold for too long
last winter and I vowed not to complain about the summer heat when it arrived. Even with the mosquitoes, I go outside
everyday and appreciate seeing green trees and flowers. I also appreciate returning to air
conditioning!
