Missplaced Helps You Get Organized
By Jhoneé Fillmore
Still not too late for summer supplies!
The summer days in Santa Cruz can lead us into many spontaneous family activities. Be prepared by keeping summer adventure supplies ready.
Spontaneous Family Fun Supplies
Be sure to include:
Backpack, sunscreen, dry snacks, water bottle, picnic blanket, towels, umbrella, trash bags and a change of clothes. With this assortment of items you are prepared for any adventure including a stop at one of the many Santa Cruz beaches, a picnic at Wilder Ranch State Park, a hike in Niscene Marks or an outing to a local playground.
Keeping these items in a backpack is efficient and comfortable. You can remove from the bag what doesn’t seem appropriate for the activity. Remember; always refresh your summer bag. If you are not one for remembering, send yourself a text or email as soon as you return with a diminished supply.
Summer Calendar Success
As children are not in their regular school routine, summer is a huge shift in the family’s schedule. And if you are like most families, each week of the summer is different with sports, camps, summer school, daycare, vacations and parties. What is even more challenging is that each of these come with registration
paperwork, permission slips, crucial dates, snack schedules, photo dates, etc.… Whew! I know you’ve been there and it can get downright overwhelming.
Keep control by setting yourself up successfully with a family command center. This should live in a spot of your home that is highly visible to you. Here are the supplies you will need:
(1) Yearly calendar to hang on the wall or refrigerator (paper calendar is great)
(2) Dry Erase Weekly Calendar with Bulletin Strip (corkboard)
(1) Folder
(1) Pack of Multi-Colored Ultra Fine Tip Dry Erase Markers (fine tip is crucial for small, tidy writing)
Yearly Calendar
On this calendar you can see the month as a whole at a glance. Every time an event or deadline arrives, place it on this yearly calendar. If any paperwork is given to you for any event or deadline that is further out than two weeks, place it in the folder next to this calendar.
Dry Erase Weekly Calendar with Bulletin Strip
Hang two separate Dry Erase Weekly Calendars. Allow enough space for a letter size paper to hang off each corkboard. One will be used as the current week and the other as the upcoming week.
Every new week that approaches, pull the agenda from the monthly calendar and place on the weekly calendar. You can also apply more daily tasks that need to be accomplished to the weekly calendar. Then attach any paperwork that is applicable for that week from the folder to the corkboard. You now can very visibly see the paperwork due and can actively plug away at it at least two weeks in advance.
Get extremely organized by maintaining a certain color of marker for a certain program. Or, within each day vary the colors so that each task stands out to you. Our goal here is to catch your attention.
Not only will this system get you through the summer, it is also a gem to utilize throughout the school year.
Reoccurring Summer Checklists
Do you find yourself trying to remember all of the items you need to take to repeat events such as camps, sports, classes, daycare, etc?
Free up some brain space! Create a specific checklist for each event that you regular this summer. When you are trying to get kids out the door on time with all of their gear, such lists can be a foolproof way to a successful day.
Make a list of all the items you need to gather for each event. An example for baseball practice or game might be: bag, water bottle, sunscreen, uniform, hat, ball, bat, helmet, glove, cleats, towel, snack and paperwork. Adding “paperwork” to your list is an opportunity to remind you if there were any forms that were due. This list is particularly useful if some of the same objects venture to and from multiple events and also when these items are used outside of practice and games.
Laminate these lists or simply place them inside of clear sleeve protectors using a dry erase marker to check items off and reuse for next time. Include your kids by having them use these lists. Photos or clipart can be added next to the text for younger children.
Enjoy your organized summer self!
Jhoneé Fillmore
Missplaced Organizing
