I don’t do it enough. When I do, I wish I did it more. It’s always fun and filled with laughter or sometimes tears. But it feels so good! Going out with the ladies for lunch is one thing I aim to do more this season. Nothing fancy, but a salad in an outside cafe. Good conversation overflows, life problems attempt to be solved, much-liked podcasts are shared, heartfelt stories about loved ones are honestly put on the table for all to support. We share dilemmas faced with aging family as caregiving shifts from the young to the old. We shed light on our faith, seeking God to continue to guide us and continuously grateful for our blessings. We sit for hours as time flies by, my heart overflowing for these women who grace my life. Ordinary moments that are often overlooked, and not done enough. No particular reason or specific milestone celebration causing us to schedule a lunch together yet our friendship should be the best reason of all! ❤︎
Yarmouth, Cape Cod (Note: my family did NOT build this one!!)
Inspiration abounds on the Yarmouth Sand Sculpture Trail. Move over brightly colored plastic sand toys and on your next trip to the beach bring metal shovels, rakes, gallon buckets and spray bottles. Creating sand sculptures is definitely a fun family challenge for all ages… stay tuned for pictures of ours!
My dad has Alzheimer’s. For those of you who love someone suffering from this terrible disease, you understand how sad it is. He hasn’t known me or his grandchildren for years yet times I get a glimpse of familiarity; his hug a little tighter, his smile a tad broader. In my last visit to the facility he’s in I brought my dog. My dad loved Marlton and when he saw him, his eyes twinkled and he chuckled. Did he really remember my dog? I’ll never know. But what my heart feels is that Marlton brought my dad a moment of happiness and unconditional love and that’s all I can hope for these days. 💜
When I realized my hydrangeas would finally bloom this year I was overjoyed. They’ve sat colorless for years and for whatever reason this season is different. I can’t help but smile every time I see them and simply admire their beauty as they are one of my favorite flowers.
I recently was in Martha’s Vineyard visiting a longtime friend and was in awe of her hydrangeas— at least twice the size of mine… stunning! When I came home to cut some of mine for a bouquet, I couldn’t help but notice how they were not as nice as my friend’s. They were still colorful, but stems were growing at odd angles, blooms were much smaller. I started to look at what was wrong with my hydrangeas, the very ones that brought me so much joy. How sad, right? It’s easy to compare what we have to others but it’s possible to just as quickly appreciate the beauty in what is uniquely, imperfectly ours.
Summer has always been a convenient time to get your home cleaned up, organized, and ready for the school year ahead. Marie Kondo’s, Spark Joy, really hit home as I value and take pride in the environment I create for my family. And it’s a fact…the more organized my home is, the better our family lives. We eat better when meals are planned ahead and there’s time left to prepare them! Our mornings are less rushed when lunches are prepacked, clothes laid out, and homework completed! We talk nicer to one another when there’s less stress too! And honestly, we have time to play and simply hang out together when life is organized, which means more happiness all around.
Don’t think Kondo’s only about folding clothes into small bundles that fit much better in your drawers. This book shows you how to organize your home and the rooms you live in rooms as well as your belongings so that you are happier. Less truly is more. Get those donation bins and trash bags out and spend some time figuring out what items you really can’t live without, the ones you truly use, and the ones that just make you smile.
Let’s get started! Put these 3 places on your MUST-DO list before school starts. Give yourself a day to tackle them all or space them out over a week. Whichever method you prefer or have time for, you’ll inevitably be more organized and less stressed before school starts.
Pantry
Time for a pantry overhaul!
*Get rid of expired items, almost empty boxes, and the snacks no one likes. Find a meal center to donate unopened food items.
*Empty the entire pantry and wipe down shelves.
*Collect baskets/bins from around your home or purchase matching baskets. Donate what you don’t need! Place specific snacks and food items together in the bins for easy retrieval. We keep a large snack bin stocked with prepackaged snacks for school lunches and afterschool activities. We also keep reusable water bottles as well as reusable mini-bags so that our pantry serves as a one-stop place for our kids to pack their own lunches. Maybe rethink where you store certain items in your kitchen to improve overall daily function. Having an organized,well-stocked pantry will help make mornings run smoother and happier!
2. Mudroom
I call the place where we store backpacks, jackets, shoes, etc. our mudroom. Ours is actually in the breezeway, which is a 3 season hallway that attaches to our garage (how I dream of a fully insulated, cubby-laden space, with slate floors, oh, and a doggy shower!), but it serves the purpose quite efficiently. Some people have a laundry room that serves as a mudroom space too.
*Try on shoes and coats and donate those that don’t fit or are not worn regularly. Season-specific garments can be placed in bins outside of the mudroom to make more room.
*Have designated hooks for each child as it makes it easier for them to hang up their coats/backpacks when they have a certain spot. Use large baskets or racks to keep shoes organized and in pairs!!
*Less is more, especially here. Only have available what you’ll use over the season.
3. Homework Area
An organized homework area with school-aged children benefits everyone! Some families have desks in each child’s room while others, like us, have a common space. We have an office that is used by all 5 of us. It only had one desk, however, we had a shelf built along one wall and voila, it became a desk space that fit two stools! It serves its purpose quite well and offers a quiet getaway when someone doesn’t want to do work at the kitchen table.
*Have a desk clean-out party! It feels so good to throw away old papers, stubs of pencils, and dried-out markers.
*Take inventory of what items are needed so you can start the year prepared.
*Gather small glasses, jars or vases to store writing implements, paperclips, and mini-post-it notes. Have bins for papers or file folders to keep the paper trail/assignments/projects in order.
*Hang a calendar! Even if your child uses a personal daily planner, I can’t urge enough the importance of having a clearly visible family calendar to record meetings, events, obligations, birthdays, extra-curriculas, etc. (I should do a separate post on this!). Color code it for each family member too!
*Make sure lighting is bright! Keep a few plants for better air quality!
This may seem like a lot but some work now will give your family huge benefits each day! And these 3 areas will typically motivate you to continue organizing other rooms…like the kids’ bedrooms!! Remember, less to clean, less to tidy, less to nag about, and much more JOY!
the Essentialist Family 