7 Cheats to Help You Clear Clutter - Guest Post

As much as I don't want to be a hoarder, I do tend to accumulate things. Diana has written a great guest post on how to declutter and clear away to give you that organised feeling we crave in the home. Enjoy!

Before you decide to bring something home to keep, ask yourself if you’ll eventually consider it as just another knickknack in your haystack of orphaned stuff. Yes, hoarding can be a rewarding compulsion, but living space is best reserved for the essentials. This is arguable if you have money to burn, but like novelty souvenirs, clutter is often something you can do without. As far as mementos go, a picture can paint a thousand words and will also occupy just a few megabytes of space.

Here are 7 tips to help you declutter your home and reclaim lost territory.

1. Define What Qualifies as Clutter

This is the hardest part, because recognizing something as clutter is accepting it doesn’t belong in your house. Decluttering is like spring cleaning, but often involves items with sentimental value.

You have to think of it as shedding skin--something has to go and make room for better things. If you can group stuff in piles of wants and needs, it can help you visualize how much room you’ll regain in the aftermath. Having clutter is like having an unassembled mess of IKEA furniture--you need to know when it’s time to move on and let it go.

2. Divide and Conquer

Decluttering the entire house can be overwhelming, so it’s best if you sort in sections, such as one cabinet or room at a time. Years of hoarded stuff blur the lines between what’s necessary, trivial, or disposable, and you may not have time to sort everything in one sweep.

3. Make the Most out of Reclaimed Space

Once you’ve regained space to spare, you need to organize things. It’s time to compartmentalize.

You’ll be amazed to see the space you’ll recover with proper storage. If you take pride in cramming stuff into a suitcase, then you can apply the same principle in decluttering. Who would’ve thought there’s plenty of storage space underneath the bed? This is also opportunity to think in terms of shelves and stacking boxes.

4. Have an “Undecided Bin” for Stuff You Might Need

If you’re undecided regarding the usefulness of some items, it’ll help if you dedicate space for these. This will ease the transition.

Don’t let your recycling bin exceed maximum capacity, though. For example, you’ll get around to using that exercise ball, as you can and should exercise. In the meantime, let it sit in limbo while you muster up the courage to get off your bum.

5. Focus on the Task at Hand

When you’re decluttering, it’s best to have an honest assessment of your belongings. But you can’t declutter with a preoccupied mind. It impairs judgment and you may dispose stuff you need.

If a cluttered desk is evidence of a cluttered mind, then decluttering is a task you’ll botch with a distracted mind.

6. Keep the Fire Burning

Give yourself credit if you did great with the task, but realize that clutter will stack up if you’re not deliberate with future acquisitions. It’s a perpetual effort.

Learn from mistakes, and be ruthless when it comes to sorting out your stuff. You didn’t expect to receive two coffeemakers for your birthday? Re-gift one of them, preferably to an astronomically distant relative (re-gifting is a necessary evil when you receive unnecessary gifts).

You should also think things through before making each purchase. Do you want it or need it? Can you afford it?

7. Find Your Middle Ground

In your epic struggle against clutter, it’s possible you’ll end up becoming the hoarder’s worst nightmare: the minimalist. While this is in many ways a good thing, hoarding stuff has its fun side, when it’s done in a controlled and calibrated manner.

You’re justified in buying clothes and shoes for special occasions, in the same way anyone has the right to spend hours watching cat videos online. Just make sure you declutter often, or in the case of watching cat videos, close all those browser tabs when you’re finished.

Staying on top of clutter comes with a learning curve. Give yourself slack whenever you slide back to your hoarding habit. It takes time, but everything you decide to lose will be rewarded with roomier living space and a calmer spirit.

About the writer: Diana is a content writer for Zero Commission, an Australian real estate company that helps homeowners sell their houses while keeping the commission all to themselves. Their customers save on average $14,000. Learn more on their site.

Zero Commission’s blog is filled with how-to guides to help Australian homeowners sell their house fast. Check out articles like 5 Signs Your Home is Overpriced, 5 Feng Shui Tips to Sell Your House and How to Show Your House to Impress Buyers. 

Visit their real estate blog here.

What Does Your Ideal Life Look Like and Are You Living It?

 Are you living your ideal life? We all imagine what our lives will look like. Notice that I said "Ideal", not perfect .... be realistic. This is not the time to say "No, my prince charming did not come on a horse and swoop me off to his Castle". We are not living in a fairytale! So, when you look at the aspects of your life, right now, would you say that it is ideal?

Your definition of ideal should not involve comparing yourself or your life to others'. Ideal should involve your feelings and what you rate as important for you. An ideal life should be about all the pieces of the puzzle fitting neatly together. Ideal should feel like everything is balanced, because you have worked out what is most important to you and you have let go of things you don't rate. 

If we were to break down the areas of our lives they may include our home, our schedule, our job, our friends, our financial situation, our kids, how we parent, our attitude, our relationships, our fitness, our health, the way we deal with situations, our contribution to our community and the world ... The list could be quite long, but what matters for one may not even appear on someone else's list.

Life moves fast and we don't always have control over the way things go, but we often have choices. As we grow, our ways of looking at things often change, as our idea of ideal can change too. 

That's OK. 

What we think is an ideal life as a child, or teen, or young adult, may be very different to our idea of ideal when we have experienced life and have some knowledge of the world. Definitions change!

When you look at all of the aspects of your life, right now, how does reality compare to your ideal, imagined life?

Which bits are close? 

Which bits are vastly different?

Why are there differences? 

Do you want to reach your ideal?

What do you have to do to make that happen?

Have you sacrificed some areas of your life to build another? 

For me?

           I know that there are some aspects of my life that aren't necessarily ideal, yet they are reasonable. I can cope with the stage they are at. 

          There are a few areas that I have pondered over and toyed with most of my life. Trying to get them to a stage of "reasonable" is a struggle, with the changes within life, myself and the world always tilting the table one way or another. These areas will probably be a work in progress for years to come. 

          There are a couple of areas that have just fallen into place over time, with little effort, and continue to be easy. I dare not mess with these, and ask no questions and count my blessings.

           Mostly, I have a tendency to plod along, being swept down the stream of life and doing the best to not hit my head on the boulders on the way. Occasionally I stand back to look things over, like I am doing right now. I believe that nearly anything can be improved, so of course, there are always a few things that I note are not, in fact, ideal in my life, and that its time to get to work and change them.

I think that having an ideal(not prefect!) image of our lives is healthy. Like dreams, it gives us something to aim for. As long as the the image is realistic and achievable, why should our lives be less than ideal?

Huon Aquaculture Open For Fun

We love to get out as a family and explore and experience our wonderful Tasmania. We are always discovering more great things, and if its an event that is great value, for money and entertainment, then even better.

We headed down to Port Huon last weekend, just over an hour south of Hobart.

Huon Aquaculture were having an open day which promised to be fun, educational and yummy.

There were wonderful displays and very helpful staff to share the history and technology involved in producing their wonderful Salmon.

 We learned much about the way the fish are fed and housed, how they are transported and cared for. Needless to say, it is a little more involved than sprinkling fish food into a tank daily.

With all of this knowledge, we had worked up an appetite. Luckily, there were wonderful Salmon products on offer. We feasted on beautiful Salmon Burgers, and if had not been so full, we would have been tempted with a Salmon Sausage or Taco.

At 1.15pm we excitedly stood in line for our free boat cruise. Luckily, I had pre-booked our seat aboard the Peppermint Bay II, as they were many envious people wishing they had done the same. 

The boat tour took about 1.5 hours and was totally free!

We were treated to gorgeous views of the Channel, and saw first hand the huge fish farms at Hideaway Bay. We saw the cheeky seals trying to discover a way to break in to the fish farms and discovered more about the fish farming industry from our tour guide who happily answered everyone's questions.

What a great day it was. I am thankful for the opportunity to do things like this as a family.

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post!

Aboard the Peppermint Bay II

My fabulous Salmon Burger

Entrance to the Huon Aquaculture Open Day

Enjoying the gorgeous scenery of the Channel

Salmon up close

Coming back into port

Awesome car - awesome advertising!


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Things I Know .. About Back To School

My children are so different in their approach to life, and their likes and dislikes. This was glaringly apparent over the Summer holidays, and the imminent return to school once the New Year rolled around.
We had one pining for school and the other dreading it. Isn't it always the way?

As they returned back to school for their first day of Grade One and Grade Four, I learned quite a few things as I caught up with them at the end of the day. Some were surprising and some were quite expected.

Leading Up To The Day

• If you want all items ready to go for the first morning, either find them yourself or give children weeks of advance notice. Children can not justify looking for school items during holidays, even if they are "dying to go back"
• If there is anything that needs to be done or "should" be done before school returns, like haircuts, shopping, altering uniform, etc, then it needs to be scheduled into your agenda as soon as you think of it. Otherwise these items will be done at the last minute or not done at all.
• Buying new supplies can be exciting, but try to be practical about the choices
• Let your child have say on their choice of supplies, like lunchboxes, but they need to be guided
• Try on uniform items a week or so before school. This allows you to check the fit just in case your child has had a growth spurt
• Take advantage of the "Back to school" Sales. There are good bargains to be found, and the selection is often better during this time.
• Your school will often be able to supply items of uniform, book and stationery, but savings may be made by buying things from outside sources

On The Day

• Having the same teacher as the previous year eliminates the "getting to know you" nerves
• Having the same teacher as last year can either be a joyous thing, or a terrible thing
• No matter whether you are looking forward to the first day or dreading it, getting to sleep can be tricky
• Children are often early to get ready on the first day, with everything prepared the night before
•  Being prepared the night before, and being early to rise and get ready may not continue after the first day
• Taking your children to school for the first day (at least) can be very important, for both you and the children. You can meet the teacher, learn where the class is located, make sure they get to school on time and safely,  and gauge both yours and your child's mental and emotional state
• Don't expect the first day to be a quick drop off, as there is a huge fluster of activity, confusion and excitement
• Younger children don't talk to each other about what they have been doing over the holidays
• Teachers don't talk about what they have been doing over the holidays
• It is great to catch up with friends you haven't seen much over the holidays
• It does not take long for friends to slip back into their routine
• Children are keen to help pack their lunch for the first day
• Children are not so keen to help pack their lunch AFTER the first day
• Even if children help pack their lunch, there will be something they are not happy with
• There is always something else needed, like a hat, a pencil case, or socks, even when you have made it your mission to be prepared
• Children get sick of answering your questions about their first day quickly
• If you are anything like me, you have many questions
• The first day is often taken up with organisation, getting to know people, games and settling in, but the children are usually tired at the end of the day

The Tooth Fairy Scam

Miss 9 is quite practiced at the procedure involved when one of her teeth fall out. She has been building her skills since she was five.

She has a silky blue pouch that the tooth usually goes into, and she pops it on top of her blackboard easel with a big arrow pointing to where the tooth has been placed.

This time she didn't use the pouch, but placed the tooth on a tissue.

This is where problems began.

Being the very diligent, but awfully busy Tooth Fairy, money was left as usual sometime through the night, or certainly just before Miss 9 woke.

Miss 9 was ecstatic to see the fairy had remembered to come, since in her hectic schedule, she has in the past needed extra time to complete her obligations. Miss 9 also noted that she had left the tooth behind. Whoops!

As she lifted the tooth, the tissue came with it, so I was quick to explain that obviously the tooth had stuck to the tissue, which was a problem when transporting for the Tooth Fairy.

This was a satisfactory explanation for Miss 9, but it left her wondering what to do now.

"If I was to leave the tooth out again tonight, would the Tooth Fairy come again and leave more money?" she wondered out loud.

This suggestion was enough to send her brother into a whirlwind of possible opportunity.

"Yep, put it back out tonight and see if you can get some money for me" he encouraged excitedly. Master 5 is yet to lose his first tooth, so the thought that he could get some money for himself without even going through losing a tooth was too much.

"I'm sure it doesn't work like that. The Tooth Fairy keeps very good records of her visits and which teeth she has paid out on" I explained.

Regardless, the tooth was left out on it's tissue for several more nights.

I can't blame them for trying.

Things I Know About Being Late For School

I have been so happy that we have found a good rhythm this year. 

The kids have been mostly co-operative in the mornings. Hubby and I make lunches the night before and I usually get the uniforms out ready to go. This morning was BUCKING THE TREND!

Everything was going to plan, until Master 5 decided he wanted to style his hair.

Most mornings, he could NOT care less about his hair, or any presentation at all.

I thought he was doing well, as I could hear him in the bathroom, and the gush of the bathroom tap. 

I should have known better, when it took a while for him to reappear.

And reappear he did, with quite a smug look on his face.

"Like my hair Mum?"

I turned around to find Master 5 with a very good looking Mohawk.

Now, if he had achieved this look with just water, it would have been fine.

Master 5 does nothing in halves though.

He had delved into my NEW pot of Hair Sculpting Paste, with his little hand, and grabbed quite a handful by the looks of the hole that was left. He had applied so much paste, in fact, that his hair was plastered up nicely, AND it was completely white!

Being the scrooge that I am, I got out as much as I could, using a fine tooth comb.

This stuff is not cheap!

I kept going until his hair was no longer plastered in white paste.

Being the good Mum that I am, I then styled it the way he wanted.

By this time, the school bus had well and truly gone past. Miss 9 had the sense to avoid the commotion at home and catch the bus solo.

Master 5 was jumping around with his back-pack next to the car.

"Hurry Mum, we're gonna be late."

No kidding - I wonder how that happened?

I was left to rush around and hurriedly don my clothes for work, gulp a mouthful of tea and grab my bag and keys.

Little scenes like this have a way of getting much bigger, as they usually cause a domino effect. I thought I should warn unsuspecting parents of the little bumps in the morning that can go on to cause mountains.

We were now arriving at school late.

We get to the classroom ... which is vacant.

Master 5 has no idea where his classmates could be.

Luckily, the teacher walks in to inform us everyone is up at Music.

We trudge to the other end side of the school, where Master 5 happily plonks himself down, whilst his classmates admire his hair-do.

I then make my way along to the canteen to deposit his late order for lunch.

My next stop is the office at the front of the school, to inform the ladies that Master 5 has arrived late, and the class attendance form needs to be amended.

Lastly, I bolt past the kids already into their outside class activities to my car .... because now I am running late for work!

I can happily report, that once in my car and on my way, the trip to work was good. 

I was slightly late, but nobody seemed to care.

Work today, has followed the trend of every other Friday.

Organised Mum, happy school kids

How many things are on at your school each month that you need to remember? How do you remember all of these, or more likely, how many times have you forgotten something? With only two kiddies, I struggle to keep on top of their school and social agendas.

I have been guilty of dropping my daughter at school in full uniform, to find all the others children in free dress. I have also felt that dread, to see the library bag still hanging from a chair on library day. Or feeling I have forgotten something important, to realise it was the cut-off to return a permission slip.

So how does an organised parent keep their sanity and their "great parent" status?

My approach is attack the situation from all angles.

We have a family calendar where we write each month's appointments, special days, events, etc.

I cross-reference this with my diary, which has a permanent home in the kitchen.

I also have my trusty Android phone, which alerts me when I get up if the day involves an event at school which needs money or particular clothing.

Our school has Free dress day, raffles to be returned, cupcake day, carnivals, presentation assemblies, parent/teacher meetings, mini-concerts, excursions, annual fair, NOT TO MENTION library day, sports day, show and tell, choir, after-school sports; these are written on a magnetic planner which lives on the fridge........ O M G!

So I would love to know what your tips and tricks are to staying organised and remembering everything through the week.

Weddings Are Many Things

Weddings can be such wonderful events. The idea is very personal and romantic; two people, so in love, that they want to declare their commitment to each other, joined and celebrated with their most loved friends and family.

I know the joys, time, effort, expense and stress of organising a wedding. Ours was way back in 2002.

We started planning our wedding, seriously, twelve months in advance. Alas, there was nothing like Pinterest then to get inspiration and ideas.

We recently attended the wedding of my gorgeous cousin and her husband.

I am trying to think of a word to sum it up ... but I can not choose. It was beautiful, elegant, fun, romantic, merry .....

The bride was none other than Sim, the lovely lady who writes at Hakuna Matata. If you wish to pop over and visit,there are posts about the proposal and the planning of the wedding.

Sim and her hubby-to-be

The wedding was held at the gorgeous Villa Howden, located at Howden, Tasmania.
It really set the scene for the type of wedding Sim and Alex were wanting. Villa Howden is romantic, beautiful and luxurious.

One of the gorgeous rooms - this one was taken by the bride's parents

Villa Howden-the staircase is ideal for photos

The setting for the nuptials.

A cheeky shot of shoes

Sim and Alex, now married.

The elegant table setting

The Bridal Waltz - just beautiful to watch

The Lolly Buffet where guests lined up to fill their take home box.

Me and Sim

Sim and Alex wanted the guests to know that each one was there, on their special day, not because they had felt obligated to invite them, but because each guest had played an important part in their lives so far. Such a wonderful, thoughtful statement.

The day and the event was gorgeous from start to finish. Everything was as it should be and there were so many lovely, and thoughtful personal touches. It flowed and came together so well, that it would have been easy, as a guest, to not give thought to the many, many hours Sim and Alex, their wedding party, as well as their parents and families had put into every decision and detail.

The steps to a successful kids party?

We have attended a few kids parties and also held a few parties. With the help of Pinterest and our past experience, I planned Master 5's Birthday Party to be enjoyable, simple and fun.

My first instinct was to pay outrageous prices and throw the party at a venue that organised everything, including food, cake, entertainment, party bags and decorations. This idea is so appealing as it lowers the stress factor considerably, not to mention the cleanup efforts.
We opted for the more personal and cheaper option in the end. Why? It meant that Master 5 could invite all of his friends instead of limiting the number to 10. Also there are so many discount stores now where you can buy party supplies at great prices, like your plates, cups, balloons, party bag bits and pieces, etc. We also wanted a local venue for the convenience of all guests.

So this is how the party panned out, and the parts that made it a success.

Cake 
I like to make the cake myself, unless the kids request something totally beyond my skills (which are quite limited). Again, there are many things on the market now to help you do this. I am a huge fan of the Cake Toppers available in different themes, ready to add to the top of your cake. I get mine from The Cheesecake Shop. I went in ready to get something around the theme of Fireman Sam or Lightening McQueen, neither of which were available. I then spied a very cool (by 5 year old standards) A4 Super Mario Bros. Cake Topper. SOLD!

We bought a large cake tin a couple of years ago, which proved to be a good investment. It was the perfect size for the A4 Cake Topper, which I positioned off-center to leave room for some candles. I used Betty Crockers Super Moist Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix x 4 and added green food colouring to the Frosting (included with the cake mix) to decorate the cake, along with some large coloured choc balls. I wrapped a board in some colourful wrapping paper to place the cake on, and my job was done.

Venue
We wanted a local park with BBQ facilities, shelter and play equipment. We chose not to go with the larger park, complete with bike track, play equipment, swings, etc. WHY? The park we did choose was smaller and less popular, which meant that we could monitor the children better. We didn't want to be searching across a sea of little heads trying to pick which kids belonged to our party. The smaller park meant we had exclusive use of the play equipment, park grounds and toilets, allowing us free reign on what activities we did and how noisy we could be. We also reserved the BBQ area through our local council for a small fee to ensure it was available.

Time
On the invitation I specifically wrote 11am - 1.30pm. WHY? People like to be able to plan their day. If a parent is staying at the party, they like to know how much of their day it is going to take up, so they can then plan accordingly. If the parent is not staying, this gives a clear indication of when they should return to collect their child. Also, giving a time allows the parent to prepare their child for the duration of the party, sometimes by giving a rest time beforehand, or by informing the child that the party will be about as long as Playgroup, so that get some indication of timing.

Supervision
Regardless of the age of the children, supervision is important. Accidents happen, children have disagreements, not every venue is 100% child-proof and children are inquisitive.
I encouraged parents to stay if they wanted to and/or thought their child would prefer. The majority of the children at the party were 4-5 years old, and while some are confident, can tend to their own needs and communicate well, not all fall into these categories, especially when in the company of strangers, in a large space, surrounded by a noisy group, and distracted with excitement. It is also a good idea to stand in front of the group and introduce yourself so the children know that if they have a question, need something or are upset, that they know your name and that you are the parent they can come to.

What comes next?
Children, particularly younger ones, benefit from clear instruction and knowing what is coming. It is good practise with children, so they can prepare and get a sense of time, to keep them informed what they will be doing, for how long, and what comes next. So, for example, you might let the children know that they will play Duck, duck, goose until everyone gets a turn and then have something to eat.

Games
The games we played were not based around a reward or a winner. A great range of Party games can be found on our Pinterest Board - Party Games. We chose games that were age appropriate and fun for a group.

Doggy, Where's Your Bone?
The person in the middle (The Doggy), hides their eyes while a person from the circle grabs the bone. The circle then sings
Doggy, Doggy, where's your bone?
Somebody stole it from your home.
Guess who!  Maybe you...
Maybe the monkeys from the zoo.
Wake up doggy, find your bone.

The Doggy then has 3 guesses which of the people sitting around the circle may have the bone, all of whom have their hands behind their backs. With each guess, the person shows their hands. The person who had the bone then is the next Doggy.

Duck, Duck, Goose
The group sits in a circle facing the centre with one person walking around the outside. This person walks around the circle tapping each person on the head lightly, saying Duck to each one, meaning that this person remains seated. The person must chose one in the circle to chase them, to whom they say Goose. The Goose then chases around the circle until they reach their original spot in the circle. The last of the two to sit in the Goose's spot, now becomes the person on the outside of the circle.

Sack Races
Sacks can be anything of suitable size and durability. We used Wheat Bags. Each child puts their legs into a sack and stands at the line. At the command of "Go" the people in the sacks jump toward the finish line. This game always gets a laugh and kids love to race again and again.






Follow The Leader
The person at the front of the line is The Leader. The rest of the people in the line must go where The Leader goes, and to make it more fun they can also move like The Leader.








Food
Wanting to keep it simple we opted for some old favourites.
We chose to have sausages and cocktails in bread, which were great to warm the belly on the windy day. We also provided colourful biscuits, bananas coated in chocolate and decorated, cake in ice cream cones, caramel slice, chocolate crackles, mini cupcakes, top hats, chips and sandwiches.

All of these and more can be found on our Pinterest Board - Party food

Lastly, remember that this is a kids party!
It is easy to get caught up in being organised, being responsible and keeping events on track. Remember that schedules need to be a little flexible and there should be a fun atmosphere. I am sure that if I had told the children at our party that they couldn't keep playing Duck, duck, goose for over 20 minutes, because I had so many others things on my list for them to do, I may have ruined the atmosphere and been a little unpopular.

Maybe I should lower my expectations?

As if exercise comes naturally for everyone. As if I want to venture out on a cold night. Wouldn't you think that if a group of people are going to sign up for something, they would make an effort to know what time to turn up?

Having organised our dinner earlier than usual so I could digest before going out, I dressed in my netball gear that I had put on the airer in front of the heat pump to make sure it was dry in time. I checked the time once again and made sure that my bag was by the door, money ready, and drink bottle full.

I received a message from a team player on Facebook, letting us all know that, beyond her control, she was too sick to play. These things happen. It is team policy that players let others know if they can not play. Luckily, we had recruited more players than needed for a team for the Winter Roster, knowing that people get sick, as well as having work and family commitments.

The time had come to leave, so I psyched myself up to firstly, go outside in the cold to the car, and then, drive to the Sports Centre to play an hour of Netball in a t-shirt and skirt. This is the commitment I have made. A commitment to my health and fitness, to my team-mates, and to the group of ladies that make up the Winter Roster, including the umpires, the girls scoring, and the Vice-president who opened the Centre and set-up.

Imagine not only our disappointment, but also our frustration that only 3 members of the opposing team had turned up.

To me, this is inexcusable!
Sure we all make mistakes from time to time.
It is quite easy to mix up times.
We have all been there.
But when everyone else goes out of their way to make sure that rosters are distributed, that team members are kept up to date, that Social Media is used wisely, that baby sitters are arranged for children, that time is allowed for travel, that uniforms are ready to wear .... it is hard to smile nicely and forgive a team who have done this several times now.

Am I expecting too much? Do I need to lower my expectations of people? Do you notice more and more disrespect for others lately?

Slave for a day or just pushed for time?

Do you get your kids to do everything themselves? I believe in teaching responsibility, pride and confidence, and getting them to try something, even if they need a little help. This morning, though when the Kindergarten teacher commented that I was being the slave for my 4 year old, I had to take a moment to assess the situation.

I am not the most patient person and sometimes a little soft, and that is often where my problem lies. I also have to remind myself to slow down when I have time up my sleeve, as I tend to move at one pace through the day. I also believe, though, that children are children and need to learn age appropriate things. I think that this learning is best done at a time that is suitable to them and you.

When I am rushing around in the morning trying to make sure 3 people are ready to go out the door, I would rather do a task myself than pull a child away from the bathroom to do it. I often start loading up the car while the kids finish getting ready. I know time is crucial when I have to stop off at two separate schools, and then make it to work on time. When I know that my son is having a shaky week coping in his first semester ever at school, I will carry his bag over to his hook and hang his hat above it. This was exactly the scenario from this morning.

Image source

Sometimes it is quicker and easier to do a task myself. I also get peace of mind knowing that something is done and in it's place.

It's not that I don't see the value of children doing things themselves. I do! And we practice and encourage this at home often. At home, we are not pushed for time and there is room to try things several times to get it right. If time permits, then I encourage the children to do as much as they can. I am such a believer in having a go.

So, while I did stop and assess this morning, I came to the conclusion that things were as they should be.

How do you manage your children and their learning?

Linking up with Singular Insanity

Things to do NOW for the next school year

I try to be organised. Often, though I just can't think past this week. Well, I'm grabbing onto this by the horns before it takes off down the road. I am planning NOW for the next school year. My God! I'm gunna be super organised.

These are my recommendations:

Take stock Check what you already have, what needs replacing and what you still need. I'm talking essentials like lunch box, drink bottles, socks.

Labels Everything needs to be labelled. This is not a new thing. These days, though, there are so many tools and companies around to help you with this. Online stores are my favourites.

Clothing and shoes Shoe stores usually have a pre-school sale period. If your school provides uniform, then you may want to check if they are making any changes to the range, and what they have now. Otherwise they may have a pre-arranged day for uniform sales in the new year. Department stores and speciality uniform stores are also good sources.

Accessories   Don't forget all the little bits and pieces. I'm talking hair bands, ties, ribbons, as well as tools that will help get things done at home, like a new computer.

Paperwork  Have you completed all of that nasty paperwork the schools require, and even updated the details they already have. There are also things to consider like a Bus pass or student ID, which can often be arranged wither through the school or online at the appropriate department.

Extras  There are always extra things you need to consider. Things you need to have on hand just in case. Coats and umbrellas are usually only available seasonally, so depending where you live, they may or may not be available.

Organisers In my house this means a diary for me, a family Calendar, and a weekly schedule Board. This way, no-one can say they didn't know about an event or activity.

Activities plus What extra things do you need through the year? If this is your child's first year of school then you might not know. Things that spring to mind are Book Week costume, Halloween attire, swimmers, sports attire, sports equipment, or anything for the added activities that your child may enrol in.

Contacts I'm not a parent who knows all of the other parents and children in the class. So, should my children wish to meet up with any of their friends over the holiday period, then phone numbers of friends, and addresses could come in handy.

What other things can you think of that you could do now?

Linking up with Bassgiraffe's Thoughts

 

and Life with Two Boys

Desire to be organised

image source

I think it's my feeling of being so disorganised lately that has me being pulled towards blogs that promote the skill. Here are some of most recent favourites. Enjoy!

Something Gorgeous These 2 ladies from New South Wales love anything renovating, design, and household. There are some inspiring, beautiful pictures to be found here.

The House That A-M Built A lovely woman from Brisbane who knows what she likes in design, interiors and stuff.

Salvation Jane belongs to actress Jane Hall, recently of Neighbours, but originally from the comedy All Together Now. Jane loves colours, loves homewares and has her own style

Jen from I Heart Organizing is the organizing queen. She is the go to lady on storage, lists, and solutions for that troubled spot in your house.

Beautifully Organised is a peaceful site full of tips and better ways to organise your life.



Linking up for a hop with bassgiraffe's Thoughts