Oh What Do You Do in the Summertime?

Just after the school let out my I participated in a get-together with my neighborhood lady-friends to discuss the art of summers.

As in,  how do you do bedtime, naps, wake-up, sports, activities, reading, meals, learning, snacks, play-dates, etc. in the summer?

We all want the summer to be a magical time for our kids, There's something beautiful about the structure-less time in which can be spent exploring, discovering, and spending both quality and quantity time together as a family with limited distractions.

At the same time, I think we've all reached the point (say, oh, about a week or 2 after school lets out) in which we need some structure or we all go batty. Balance is necessary.

For instance:
We want our children to enjoy not having to be at school all day. But we want them to continue learning.

We want our children to enjoy spending their free time playing with friends and cultivating those relationships. But we also need to draw the line when too much friend-time is too much friend-time and spend some quality family time. Or just plain quiet time!

We want our children to enjoy the freedom of some responsibilities that come with summer. But we also want them to develop a good work ethic and continue doing chores while also developing talents and learning new skills.

We want our children to enjoy the long days of summer and the cooler evenings. But we want them to get enough sleep, too, without forming the habit of sleeping in. ( Excuse me a minute here, but who can I pay to teach my kids the fine art of sleeping in?! I'm only sort of kidding there.)

We want to enjoy the impromptu stops at the snow cone shack, but we also want our children nourished by nutritious meals and snacks.

I was really impressed with all the ideas these women had. I soaked it all in, read some great articles concerning the matter, let summer "happen" for another week to see what needed attention and then I tailored a plan that fit us. {I highly recommend the Power of Mom's Web site and these articles here, here, here, here and here for  sound ideas on how to make the most of your summer.}

The kids and I got together and made a list of all the different things we wanted to learn about this summer on butcher paper and hung it in the playroom. When there is a free day (usually Fridays) we delve into one of the topics. I heart Google. I heart YouTube and I heart the library. There are so many resources at our fingertips!  


I also printed my older 2 children out a chart with a list of their daily Must-Do's (a power-of-mom's idea I loved):

*Morning Routine (Am I the only one who has to remind my children to eat breakfast and get dressed in the morning? They would seriously play until noon in their jammies and then begin to whine and complain due to starvation. Sometimes playing in jammies until noon is what summer is all about. Sometimes. Having their morning routine listed on their personalized chart helps them to remember all the little things like flossing and making their bed without me having to turn into the morning nag. I appreciate that.)
*Chores (each child has a few chores they do daily in addition to 2 chores I give them depending on the state of the house and yard)
* Reading (30 minutes minimum)
*Writing (Son has to write a page in his journal or a letter or a story. Daughter writes in her composition book each day. I write on one side and she copies what I've writtne and draws pictures at the top of each page.  This has been a lot of fun.
*Physical Activity (this is easy for them, but it's cute when they recognize they are working toward something good by going out at riding their bikes and scooters for 30 minutes or swimming in the pool. They always do plenty more than just 30 minutes of physical activity, but it is nice for them to have some of their wiggles out first thing in the morning)
*Extra  (Any sort of structured activity-- like painting, building a marble run, helping with a recipe in the kitchen or playing outside with Baby. )

I explained in order for them to have a play date, or other privilege each of these things has to be done. I was pleasantly surprised how well the kids took to this. I also gave them a reading incentive. Son just earned his incentive by reading 1,000 minutes and is well on his way to his second 1,000.

There are times when we get a little lax with the chart and sometimes often times, yes, we do fun things before all this other stuff is done. But this provides a routine and guideline, while being flexible to our days when we have other things planned.  I've appreciated having a reference point so Son and Daughter know exactly what to expect each day rather than waking up and wondering what they are going to do. There's always room for improvement and tweaking though and I could stand to be a little more consistent on some things, but over all, I've been really happy with this plan.

What thoughts do you have for making the most of summer?

Spice up Your Life

I would love to move out my spices to free up some space in my pantry and drawers.  I've been gathering ideas for months now that incorporate beauty and function with spices. Perhaps they will inspire a solution!

courtesy of ETSY:

Bedbathandbeyond.com

via Rev-a-shelf.com

via spicestack.com

via Kaboodle.com & etsy

via thenewkitchen.com

via Addicted2decorating.blogspot.com

via Pantry Organizers

via Alison Wonderland

 More pantry-esque organization ideas:

Wrap 'N Bag Organizers via Rubbermaid.com 

via Rubbermaid.com









Rubbermaid.com says: "The Under Shelf Basket creates a new storage space for your kitchen or bathroom. It slides on to fit most standard shelves. The slide-in, slide-out design makes for easy access to items stored in the basket. It is durable and easy to clean."





Slide N Stack Stacking Baskets via Rubbermaid says: "These baskets are ideal for base cabinet organization. Store everything from cereal to cleaning supplies. The stacking baskets provide additional storage in compact spaces. The baskets are quick and easy to install."

Preserving My Sanity (the pantry debuts again)

It's hard not to consume myself with all the things I'm not doing, should be doing, need doing but have absolutely no idea how or when they will get done.

Every once in a while, amidst the craziness of managing our home and the kids, I have to step away from the to-do list and do something for myself to preserve my sanity.

Sometimes it's indulging in a row of Oreos with milk.

Other times it's gulping down a chapter of a delicious novel.

But usually it's reclaiming some space in the house that I can call my own little sanctuary.

Sometimes it's just a drawer, a file or a single kitchen cabinet.  

Sometimes it's an entire room. 

I know, I know. So totally not exciting. 

But it's really nice when the rest of the house is a disaster...{you know, dishes piled high in the sink, dried applesauce covering the counters, Cheerios all over the floor, tooth paste splattered on the sink and mirror, toys, clothes, shoes and diapers littering the floors EVERY.WHERE!}....that I can walk to this door, open it, and say,

"Well, if nothing else, at least I've got my pantry."

You don't HAVE to put shoes in them you know...

I had 4 loads of laundry to fold, a dishwasher to un-load, a birthday party to plan for Daughter, some e-mails to reply to and phone calls to make but I could no longer endure the chaos. The pantry needed a serious re-takeover. The fridge was bulging with leftovers. Sometimes the need to bring order to those places we frequent multiple times a day overrides my desire to finish other things I am in the middle of.

Instead of doing all that other stuff, I began tossing out leftovers with fuzzy stuff growing on them, reorganizing the condiments shelf, stacking yogurts and divvying up the produce/meat/cheese in their appropriate drawers. And I was winning the battle over all those uneaten treats. You know the battle. That battle between "Oh, but it was so thoughtful of so-and-so to drop this by and I don't want to seem unappreciative. But looking at these sweets is giving me a headache and the kids REALLY don't any more of it."

You have my blessing. Take those goodies and toss them. Heavens, I was finding Halloween candy and tossing it. It felt so good. Is it wasteful? Yes. But sometimes you have to trash perfectly fine Tootsie Pops to accomplish the greater good. The greater goods actually. 1. You have space on your counter again and you can see what actual nutritious items you have in your pantry to make dinner (or what you are missing). 2. You are achieving the goal of eating more of the nutrient-rich foods and less of the junk. It's January, folks. We all resolute to eat healthier and cut out some sugar. Even I, the self-proclaimed Oreo-aholic and the believer that Chocolate Cake -- yes, it's a proper noun in my own personal stylebook-- can make almost anything better, sincerely desires to take better care and notice of what I am putting into my body.  Trashing the goodies helps.   I know it was so sweet of Phyllis to make that toffee. But it's been a while so that toffee is probably stale.  I'm sure there are lots of perfectly great things to do with junk food(compost even?!) but sometimes you just need to get it out of your life.

After tossing old Halloween candy and the like, I also needed to get real with some of the items I had in my pantry (expiration dates give wonderful guidance).  I have a husband who likes to go backpacking every year with his dad and brothers. Each year he over-purchases on food items he is going to bring. These food items are the ones that really only taste good if you're camping. Those needed to go. That food goes to the Food Bank and less guilt is involved.

I also had to take back over the back of my pantry door. I don't have a huge walk-in pantry, so the real estate in my pantry is precious. {I will acknowledge that this is a respectable size. I have lived in places and have survived on much smaller. I don't want to sound ungrateful. But, in my perfect world, I would have a walk-in pantry. } I have this wonderful contraption that has helped free up cabinet and pantry shelf space in a way I never before thought. No tools necessary. No trip to the hardware store. Just grab it during your next trip to your favorite (or un-favorite but you still go there) big-box store. The problem with this, however, is if you don't stay on top of it, the careless eyes and hands of Husbands, Sons, Daughters and Babies could un-do the organization of this contraption pretty easily in a matter of moments. I needed to re-organize this in a bad way.

Here she is, post-overhaul:



{Take note of the mini candy bars. I am sure many of you can relate to this: Daughter had a birthday and Grandpa's package came today. It was filled to the brim of goodies. I only got to enjoy the period of "no junk food within eye-or-hand-reach for the children" for about a week when I re-organized the pantry and dumped it of a lot of the junk. 1 step forward, 8 steps back! Some things never last!}

I don't take credit for this idea. My friend Carrie, mother of six, inspired me with her use of this in her own kitchen. She mostly uses hers to house snacks for the kids (granola bars, crackers, etc) and uses another shoe holder in a different closet for crafting and art supplies.  In any case, it's a great place to put all that awkward-sized  food you have without cluttering up your cabinets and pantry.  I recommend the clear shoe organizers simply because you can see what's in them.  I think I may go the extra mile and label these to help the others in my family know what goes where. Not everyone is lucky enough to be able to read my mind.

Would I prefer to have this? Yes. I think so.


courtesy of Bed Bath and Beyond



But the shoe organizer works for me now. {Bed Bath and Beyond has a selection of these great pantry door racks ranging in price from $19.99 to $34.99}

Here are some other helpful solutions to maximize your pantry, and keep your food fresher, longer....

Love, love love these containers from Ikea. Every time I go I want to buy them out of all their clear plastic food storage. Not only do they maximize pantry space (if used correctly), I just think it makes food look so much more attractive. I really should get to labeling these. But for now I think I can differentiate my basmati and brown rice from the pine nuts.

Clearly, I need to beef up my short-term food storage. I have a funny story about that I'll have to share with you sometime.  I do love my Shelf Reliance cansolidators! I highly recommend Shelf Reliance for not only your shelving needs, but also your actual food storage. The stuff is delish, it's easy to order, and super friendly on your pocket book. 

Why we didn't use these tiered racks in all the tiny apartments we lived in (that had NO food pantry in them) I will never know. I am just so thrilled I have them now. Expandable. Bed Bath and Beyond and Wal-mart sell them.

Cereal stays much fresher when I keep it in these babies. And you can buy your cereal in bulk and throw away that annoying bag it comes in. I think I got these at Ikea...but maybe Wal-Mart. Either place carries them.

Here she is. I would really like to maximize the space I have on the floor of my pantry. I'm thinking a basket for the chips and perhaps some stackable open-front crates like these... 

Courtesy of allthingsgd.com,  angelohomeblog.com, & jdorganizer.blogspot.com, 

I welcome your ideas! When I come up with something brilliant, or even mediocre, I'll be sure to share. 

This is not in my pantry-- but I thought I would share with you part of my "baking station."  This is just one little shelf in a cabinet just above the counter where I keep my Kitchen Aid. All of these containers  (minus the butter and sugar dishes) were purchased at Ikea. I keep the refills for these ingredients in an upper shelf. This pictured shelf is very accessible, a key thing to remember when laying out where supplies and ingredients will go in your kitchen. 

 Take back your pantry, your fridge and your cabinets!  You will be better equipped to meal-plan, and waste less food when you can actually see the food you do have.

Happy Organizing!