Get Organized - Growing Up in Santa Cruz

Organized Family Car

growingupsc — Fri, 30 Apr 2021 21:34:13 +0000

The Organized Family Car By Jhoneé Fillmore Our family car is one of the main vessels in which we seek fun, errands, work, school and many adventures. Within our spontaneous adventures my sons’ often get soaked and muddy. Bless this vehicle’s heart as it endures countless crumbs, spilled drinks, sticky handprints, wrappers, dirt and mud galore, sticks, rocks, seashells and random toys that have found their way here. Our family car is one of the main vessels in which we seek fun, errands, work, school and many adventures. Within our spontaneous adventures my sons’ often get soaked and muddy. Bless this vehicle’s heart as it endures countless crumbs, spilled drinks, sticky handprints, wrappers, dirt and mud galore, sticks, rocks, seashells and random toys that have found their way here. Whew… and those aren’t even the necessities that “I” put in the car. Trying to balance family life and a car that is prepared for anything, yet minimal, is work but here are some simple ideas. When keeping to these basics and having designated homes for all of these items it allows me some peace when we need to pack specifically for biking, hiking, fishing, camping, swimming, school and sporting events. It also allows me to have more spontaneous moments with my family because we really have what we need at any given moment. I try to eliminate any other items floating around and do so by bringing items back to the house after each use. Here is my car… KIDS ROW:I make sure that the kids have a somewhat large trash can placed between them. Somehow I still find wrappers and empty drink containers scattered about but the majority of the sticky unidentified rubbish (parents….you know what I mean) is contained. Also between the kids I have an art caddy that is useful for holding water bottles, snacks, drawing supplies, sunglasses, books and flashlights for dark drives… and some room to spare. Clipboards with plain drawing paper are placed in the backs of the seat in front of them for an easy grab. On the floor tucked under the seat are rain boots and a second pair of tennis shoes always. My boys never miss an opportunity to get into puddles, streams, ponds or lakes. FRONT ROW:We all know that our sweetest of peas like to ask for many items while out and about. I keep a small bin on the floor of the passenger side. In this you will find a few children’s audiobooks, a bag of individual sized snack bags, gum, scissors, spoons, two kid size bowls and cups, wipes, sanitizer and bandaids. This oddly tackles most jobs. In the glovebox I always keep a small medicine bag with thermometer so that if we have an ill person and we are far from home we have what we need. I also have emergency information stored in a ziplock bag. BACK OF THE CAR:I have a medium sized crate that keeps for each of us: a sweatshirt, beanie, gloves, ball cap, socks, sunscreen, trash bags (mostly for our wet and muddy attire), toilet paper, wipes, umbrella, flashlight, extra water and shopping bags.Tucked under the back row I keep a picnic blanket and two small blankets. Also, a backpack with a full set of warm and cool weather clothes for each of my kids. I cannot tell you how often I use this. We have a game bag that consists of some cards games, small travel games, very basic board games and some books to read. These are great to play with my younger son as my older son gets picked up from school 50 minutes later leaving us not enough time to go home but a great amount of time in the car. We also will pull these out during other long waits, at the park or when we stay the night somewhere other than home. Of course we have the basic car emergency kit with jumper cables, etc… YOUR FAMILY:Families vary depending on the number of children, the ages of the children, and the varying ideas of adventure. Design your vehicle around your lifestyle and make simple every day routes, road trips and spontaneous adventures enjoyable and dependable. Happy travels! Need a more specific suggestion? Email me at hello@thedavenportcompany.com Jhoneé Fillmore Owner, Missplaced Organizing / The Davenport Company thedavenportcompany.com/missplaced Read More Get Organized Articles

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Lego My LEGO

growingupsc — Wed, 27 Jan 2021 21:06:13 +0000

Lego my LEGO LEGOs on the Floor are Torture. What can we do? By Jhoneé Fillmore Man, LEGO building sure is awesome. My two young boys absolutely love them and I must confess I love building with them. We love to build from kits as well as freely. A LEGO is always on a wish list for gifts or a trip down the toy aisle. They are great for the minds of our young ones, fine motor skills and creativity. They are a blast! Let’s be honest though about the other side of these awesome toys…… they are tiny, they are sharp (our feet know this) and they roll and creep into every crevice of our house. No doubt it is hard to keep these bricks contained. Here are some ways that our family attempts to make sense of the LEGO world and how we best enjoy them. SORTING: When we are building from a LEGO kit we like to presort the bags. We use a serving platter, silverware organizer or drawer organizer that has compartments to sort the different colors and/or shaped bricks. Bowls or food storage containers will work great as well. KEEPING THEM FROM ROLLING: If building at our dinner table or the floor we like to build on a cookie sheet with lip to prevent the bricks from rolling away and getting lost. USE A TRAIN TABLE: In our playroom we have repurposed our train table for LEGO building. We normally do free build here. The train table is awesome because it has a lip around the edges so that the bricks stay on the table. Also, when it is time to clean up we simply open the drawers and slide the bricks right into the drawers. BUILD YOUR OWN TABLE: You can purchase a roll or squares of LEGO base to stick on top of any surface or table. TRANSPORTING AN ASSEMBLED LEGO: You can place the entire creation or a part of the creation in a Ziplock bag. Seal the bag about ninety percent and then blow into the bag filling it completely full. Seal the bag. You now have a safety bubble. QUICK CLEANUP: We have also been known to lay a sheet on the ground and build on top. When we are done we lift the sheet and can easily dump the bricks into a tub. You can also grab a book and send them directly into a dustpan. BROKEN LEGO KITS: When we have built a LEGO from a kit and it becomes broken into many chunks (surprise that these break easily), we normally capture all of the pieces into a Ziplock bag along with the manual. Sometimes we just repair the chunks if we can and sometimes we will break it all the way down and start fresh for fun. If we are not interested in repairing right away we save this for another day. A great rainy day project. MANUALS: We have vowed to never toss a manual. We save them all. These can be organized by type of LEGO such as City, Creator, Star Wars, Harry Potter, etc. 3 IN 1 LEGO SETS: Some sets come with three manuals and you choose which of the three creations to build. Not all of the LEGO bricks will be used for the one creation you choose. We store the remaining bricks and all three manuals in the same Ziploc bag. CATEGORIES: We have organized our LEGO creations into categories such as: in progress, to be repaired, LEGO figurines, etc. We keep the sets to be repaired in Ziploc bags with their manual so that we can repair with all parts and ease. LEGO STORAGE CONTAINERS: Find what works best for your family. Some prefer to have items separated by color in compartments while others don’t seem to mind a mix. Many ways are useful for storing bricks such as drawers, containers or a clear, plastic shoe holder for the back of your door. (LEGO actually makes a stand that holds a handful of removable plastic sealing containers that come with a fun LEGO head on them.) Some folks prefer to have clear containers so that they can see what is inside while others choose a solid tub so they don’t have to see. Just remember to label! However you choose to LEGO, enjoy! Need a more specific suggestion? Email me at hello@thedavenportcompany.com Jhoneé Fillmore | Owner, Missplaced Organizing | The Davenport Company | TheDavenportCompany.com/missplaced

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Your Gift Giving Organization

growingupsc — Tue, 01 Dec 2020 17:17:39 +0000

Your Gift Giving Organization By Jhoneé Fillmore The holiday season is filled with so much love, joy, gratitude and giving. However, the planning of many meaningful gifts, family gatherings, donations and travel can feel a bit overwhelming. Here are some things we can organize during the holiday season to make the time more enjoyable and less chaotic. KEEP AN EYE OUT:Begin thinking of good gifts to give all year long. When spending time with someone that you usually gift during the holidays (or birthday), pay extra attention to what they need, what they have, their style or jot down an item that you have heard in a conversation. People often don’t gift themselves some of the most needed or desired items. The key piece is to write this information down somewhere you will find during gift giving time. TIMELINE:So that everything doesn’t pile up on your plate all at once, create a timeline that is reasonable for you to work with. Decide a date that you want to have your gift lists made by, purchases made by, handmade items completed by, gifts wrapped by and shipped by. GIFT LISTS:Making precise lists for each person you will be giving gifts to will help you make a clear game plan. This will help you know when you need to begin shopping, shipping and help you plan financially. These lists also allow you to shop thoughtfully. When you allow yourself time to think, shop, make and ship…you are able to give meaningful gifts that may require more time. Rushing may limit your gift giving options. GIFTS LOGGED:Keep a log of what each person will be gifted. Make a checkmark next to items that have been purchased. If the item is being shipped to you, jot down that expected date to keep track of the item. Once the item has arrived, marked it arrived on your list. Guess what, once you have shipped the gift, mark it on your list. I would personally create a chart to manage these checkmarks. A handwritten chart will do just fine. KEEP IT TIDY:As the gifts arrive or you have your handmade gifts completed, keep them in tidy groups. Keep your gifts in categories such as: gifts to be shipped, gifts staying in this house or gifts to take to a certain event. WRAP AS YOU GO:Wrap your presents as you go so that you don’t have to do a marathon of wrapping. We all have been there. SHIP EARLY:Avoid the stress of your gifts arriving late to your loved ones. Set a date for yourself in much advance so that not only will your gifts definitely arrive in time but so that you are not in a crunch to stand in a long line at the post office. Need a more specific suggestion? Email me at hello@thedavenportcompany.com Happiest holidays and stay well. Best, Jhoneé

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Organize Your Holiday Decorations

growingupsc — Wed, 30 Sep 2020 23:02:16 +0000

Organize Your Holiday Decorations by Jhoneé Fillmore It is that time of the year that we listen to the holiday spirit within us, put on our game faces and prepare to transform our homes both inside and outside with decorations of all kinds. Decorating can be so much fun for the family but lets also mention that it takes some work. Game Plan Make a list of any supplies that you need to purchase or maybe something you need to rearrange or prepare ahead of time. Prepare The Space For me, I like to have a clean and tidy space before upheaving the many items from storage. Any items in my house or yard that need to be temporarily removed get placed together. Once my decoration containers are empty, I put these items inside to store for the season. Labels Labeling is the most crucial part of organizing your holiday decorations. Putting a label on every bin you store your items in is key to finding what you need. You can put a label as simple as “Halloween” or you can get more specific like “Halloween Lights”. Folks, sticks a label on it! Choosing The Right Container You have options when it comes to storage containers; however, I always encourage an airtight bin to keep the dust and critters out. You can choose to use the same color containers for all of your decorations or you can color code the holidays. For example, Halloween = orange, Thanksgiving = green, Christmas = red. Beyond that, you can choose to go with a clear or colored transparent container so that you can get a visual of what is inside of your labeled bin. Others will choose a solid container, as that is more visually pleasing. Lists On Containers Another method to get organized in addition to labeling the containers is the list. The list gets created when items are put away for the season. While you are neatly putting away decorations into a bin, you jot down on a list exactly what is going into the bin. You can put items of the same theme in the same bin or maybe you want all breakables together, etc. The point is that when next season comes, you don’t have to open a container to know what is inside. You can simply look at the list that you have taped to the bin. You will really appreciate the extra minute you took when packing up. Wreath, Bulb & Wrapping Paper Containers There are some awesome containers out there for awkward shaped items such as wreaths, wrapping paper, bulbs, etc. These are not only efficient storage means but they really keep your items safe and in good shape. Rotating Storage Store your containers for each holiday together. When you are finished with a holiday, scoot the next holidays to easier access and place the just finished holiday toward the back. Hacks No more tangled cords!!! When taking down lights, wrap them neatly around a rubber banded newspaper or a paper towel roll. Label the ends of your cords so you know what you are plugging in and which cord goes to whom. As you are taking down decorations, make a list of any items that need replaced for next season. Then record these items in your planner a couple months in advance of next year’s holiday so you can purchase them before you need them and before they are sold out. You might even be able to find them on sale after the season. Never pack up lights or items that don’t work anymore. Save yourself the frustration next year. If you like things exactly where you like them and nobody can convince you otherwise…. consider making a container of items that you are willing to let others help you with. This is a great idea for kids who like to help decorate. Maybe the kids have their own tree and their own decorations that they can decorate exactly as they wish. It’s a win-win. Put It Back Tidy Impress yourself the next time you open a holiday bin. Even when you are rushed and wanting to just cram decorations back into a container, try so hard to place them neatly. Neatly includes wrapping breakables carefully, wrapping cords neatly, placing similar items together, removing items no longer wanted or working, etc. Enjoy! Need a more specific suggestion? Email me at hello@thedavenportcompany.com Be well. Best, Jhoneé Jhoneé Fillmore, Owner, Missplaced Organizing | It is that time of the year that we listen to the holiday spirit within us, put on our game faces and prepare to transform our homes both inside and outside with decorations of all kinds. Decorating can be so much fun for the family but lets also mention that it takes some work. Game Plan Make a list of any supplies that you need to purchase or maybe something you need to rearrange or prepare ahead of time. Prepare The Space For me, I like to have a clean and tidy space before upheaving the many items from storage. Any items in my house or yard that need to be temporarily removed get placed together. Once my decoration containers are empty, I put these items inside to store for the season. Labels Labeling is the most crucial part of organizing your holiday decorations. Putting a label on every bin you store your items in is key to finding what you need. You can put a label as simple as “Halloween” or you can get more specific like “Halloween Lights”. Folks, sticks a label on it! Choosing The Right Container You have options when it comes to storage containers; however, I always encourage an airtight bin to keep the dust and critters out. You can choose to use the same color containers for all of your decorations or you can color code the holidays. For example, Halloween = orange, Thanksgiving = green, Christmas = red. Beyond that, you can choose to go with a clear or colored transparent container so that you can get a visual of what is inside of your labeled bin. Others will choose a solid container, as that is more visually pleasing. Lists On Containers Another method to get organized in addition to labeling the containers is the list. The list gets created when items are put away for the season. While you are neatly putting away decorations into a bin, you jot down on a list exactly what is going into the bin. You can put items of the same theme in the same bin or maybe you want all breakables together, etc. The point is that when next season comes, you don’t have to open a container to know what is inside. You can simply look at the list that you have taped to the bin. You will really appreciate the extra minute you took when packing up. Wreath, Bulb & Wrapping Paper Containers There are some awesome containers out there for awkward shaped items such as wreaths, wrapping paper, bulbs, etc. These are not only efficient storage means but they really keep your items safe and in good shape. Rotating Storage Store your containers for each holiday together. When you are finished with a holiday, scoot the next holidays to easier access and place the just finished holiday toward the back. Hacks No more tangled cords!!! When taking down lights, wrap them neatly around a rubber banded newspaper or a paper towel roll. Label the ends of your cords so you know what you are plugging in and which cord goes to whom. As you are taking down decorations, make a list of any items that need replaced for next season. Then record these items in your planner a couple months in advance of next year’s holiday so you can purchase them before you need them and before they are sold out. You might even be able to find them on sale after the season. Never pack up lights or items that don’t work anymore. Save yourself the frustration next year. If you like things exactly where you like them and nobody can convince you otherwise…. consider making a container of items that you are willing to let others help you with. This is a great idea for kids who like to help decorate. Maybe the kids have their own tree and their own decorations that they can decorate exactly as they wish. It’s a win-win. Put It Back Tidy Impress yourself the next time you open a holiday bin. Even when you are rushed and wanting to just cram decorations back into a container, try so hard to place them neatly. Neatly includes wrapping breakables carefully, wrapping cords neatly, placing similar items together, removing items no longer wanted or working, etc. Enjoy! Need a more specific suggestion? Email me at hello@thedavenportcompany.com Be well. Best, Jhoneé Jhoneé Fillmore, Owner, Missplaced Organizing | thedavenportcompany.com/missplaced

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Build Your Classroom

growingupsc — Wed, 02 Sep 2020 00:37:04 +0000

Build Your Home Classroom BY Jhoneé Fillmore As we enter another school year, we may need to be prepared for full or partial distance learning. Do you need some ideas on how to physically set up your “home classroom” in order to make it a feel-good and efficient learning environment, even if this is a temporary setup? You know your child and home best so mix and match ideas that will best suit you and don’t forget that if something isn’t working… mix it up again. Set Up BaseWith some experience from the end of the school year, I suggest setting up a base location for your students. This is where you can begin each day and students can feel as if they are officially stepping into the classroom. This is a good transition from “home” life to “school” life under the same roof. Once you have achieved this mindset, your family can choose each day to stay in the base location or mix it up. Mix Up Your LocationDon’t get stuck in the same spot everyday. Try to rotate spaces in which your kids are working to keep the ENERGY FRESH! Even if you are space limited, you likely have access to a few spots you may not have considered. You don’t always need a table either as clipboards are awesome portable surfaces. Luckily, my house has enough space for my two boys to travel around in. Some of our favorite spots: dining room table, front porch steps, backyard table, garage, train/LEGO table, individual small desks in playroom, reading on the couch, finding a tree to lean against or any soothing nook. You may also have various spots being utilized at once by different children. After working together in a group space for some time, I am able to let my kids have this freedom for parts of their schooling. If I plan to give one child a project that he can complete with little or no help, I can join my other child in a different space whereas I am very active in his learning. Visa Versa. Separate spaces also work well when one child needs silence while the other is working out loud. Tidy & Visually PleasingKeep your whole family motivated by two factors:One, aim to create a space that is tidy for your students to work in regardless of the size or location. A tidy space reduces frustration and anxiousness and promotes creativity and clear thinking. Two, get creative in your space and have it feel fun and/or educational. You could create a circle time wall, hang some art, letters of the alphabet, chalkboard, dry erase board, etc. Have your kids help make the space feel invited and inspirational. Designate a Teacher HubMost families need an adult to administer the learning game plan. I mentioned that the learning area itself be mixed up to keep us all refreshed, but what about the place we pull from and store our items? Designate one spot that is accessible and efficient. Create a space within this space that is child specific. Give each child a binder, separate folders or separated bins that contain a spot for: academic calendar, class expectations, assignments, workbooks, book, logins/passwords, completed work, reference materials (site words, multiplication table, tracing sheets), flash cards, scratch paper and their necessary electronics. Within this space, hang a calendar for you (or older children) to reference weekly or monthly agendas including online engagements, deadlines, and planned activities for each child. Portable SuppliesI quickly discovered that though our home already had a system for supplies, it wasn’t cutting it for our classroom needs. Gathering and returning these supplies daily from their usual areas wasn’t an effective way to spend my time as a teacher. I decided to create a classroom tote that is easily taken to a new space. Example items: pens, pencils, markers, crayons, erasers, dry erase markers, rulers, tape, glue, scissors, etc. Reuse & Waste LessAny opportunity I get I will insert paperwork into a plastic sleeve and use a dry erase marker so that we get multiple uses from a worksheet. Also, in a folder, I save all papers in our house that are no longer needed and only have print on one side. The backsides are awesome for solving math problems, cutting, drawing and creating our own worksheets. Saving paper and ink is worthwhile. RefuelingBe creative! Make sure that you pause work to get some fresh air or move around. Since we have the flexibility to get silly, we sure do. My older son does circles on his bike and answers a math flashcard every time around while my younger son does laps around the garage once he completes a worksheet. Now my kids are just stalling on their next school task, but it gets them moving. Remember to feed the brain by offering snacks. My favorite non-messy items include smoothies, cut up fruit, bananas, cheese sticks, pretzels and goldfish. Need a more specific suggestion? Email me at hello@thedavenportcompany.com Be well. Best, Jhoneé Jhoneé Fillmore, Owner, Missplaced Organizing visit her blog thedavenportcompany.com/missplace

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Keeping Kids Busy and Organized in the Car

growingupsc — Sun, 01 Mar 2020 10:31:00 +0000

Keeping Kids Busy and Organized in the Car Kids like to keep busy and during a car ride is no exception. I like to keep these questions and comments to a minimum: “Are we there yet?” “I’m bored.” “I am hungry.” “I can’t reach this.” “I dropped that”. Here are a few ideas that keep my kids happy and busy during short or long car trips. Keeping It In Reach When kids are buckled in the car there is not much that they can reach. While I adore the organizers that are placed on the back of the seat in front of them, kids in a car seat are not able to reach them while buckled. My kids use to ask me constantly to hand them items and get the items that slid to the floor, which we know is not ideal while driving. The things that my children like to access most are their: water, snacks, gum, books, paper, markers, colored pencils, coloring books, clipboards for a drawing surface, reading lights, small games, random toys and last but not least… the trash can. In my vehicle we have two car seats in the same row of the car and a gap of space between them. After measuring the gap I set off to the dollar store to find some bins that could contain their items of interest that still had dividers to stay organized. I found that if I squeezed the two white caddies next to each other and one side of each caddy into the small green bin snugly that I had a nice setup for the user on either side. The green bin used for height. On the backside I attached a vertical file bin to hold their clipboards and extra paper. I then used zip ties to secure it all together. See my extremely simple yet effective finds in my photo. For trash, I have a small container to wedge under the headrest of the empty seat between kids and above my dollar store invention. To sum it up, the gap cost me $6 to organize. Everyone can reach everything! All vehicles will have different car seat setups so be creative. It doesn’t need to cost much to get organized. You don’t have to have a kid in a car seat either to create an organized, contained system as this will work for kids of all ages and even adults. “Find It” Games A big hit in my car is when my children or the family as a whole plays a game where you locate items on your drive. For example you are looking for items such as: tree, street sign, barn, sidewalks, flag, bridge, fire truck, horse, etc. You can take turns guessing from each other or you can find actual games to make or purchase. We own a few versions of this hunt with those icons such as travel bingo boards, dry erase boards and a card set that you can shuffle and deal. The dollar store rotates these items. Audio Books I rented a children’s audiobook on a whim from the library and I was much surprised to find that my kids LOVED it! Our hectic sounding vehicle went to complete silence while everyone focused on the storyline. I keep a small selection in the car to switch out and keep interesting. The kids sometimes just still and listen while other times they are drawing or looking at books. Pack Snacks Keep your drive smooth and quick by planning ahead and packing snacks. This helps to eliminate the stops to grab a snack and saves you some money. Now, you just have those restrooms breaks to tackle. Happy driving.

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Passwords, Logins, Accounts…. Oh My! Get Organized February 2020

growingupsc — Sat, 01 Feb 2020 19:42:00 +0000

Passwords, Logins, Accounts…. Oh My! Get Organized: February 2020 By Jhonee Fillmore It can be really overwhelming to keep track of all of your accounts. So many accounts must be created for various areas of your life or on behalf of your family members. Just when you get use to using the same few passwords for everything and feeling pretty sane, a couple of new accounts require you to have passwords with “their” requirements. Therefore, more passwords are born in your life. And let’s not forget to mention the logins for your accounts. Some logins are your email address, but wait… which email address? Or was this the account that has the custom login? And which login goes with which password? Wait; was there a PIN number too? And where on the site do you login? And darn, who was it that I spoke with when I was having an issue? Where is my reference number? Ahh!!! Am I speaking your language? Let’s get this simple for you and start 2020 with a bang. Keeping accounts, logins and passwords organized We all have our preferences and feelings of security when it comes to the topic of where to store your passwords. I am not going to advise on whether you should store your password digitally or handwritten and tucked away. I just want wherever you keep them, to be organized. Whenever you create a new account, IMMEDIATELY make sure you record the following information (if applicable) and write tidy: Company name, login, password, PIN, account number, email address, website, security questions/answers and date created. Photo by Randi Dukes of Dukes & Duchesses Sometimes when you setup your security questions you are made to choose questions and answers that aren’t exactly accurate for yourself. You are not likely in the future going to remember your on the spot thinking so do yourself a huge favor and record these. In the future if you are changing a password, make sure you update the password on your record and make a note of the date it changed. I like to keep one big list of accounts that I have between work, family, fun, banking, utilities, investments, etc.. I keep this list at home. Some of these accounts I need to access on the go and feel safe for them to travel with me. For example, I often renew my library books on my phone while waiting for appointments so I keep that information tucked inside of my phone for quick access and a quick check off of my to-do list. Keeping disputes organized We have all been there when you have a problem with a company and call in. You speak to one representative and then get transferred to another department and so on. Then on another day you speak to an employee who informs you of the exact opposite of the previous employee whereas both have clearly informed you that they alone are correct. Sound familiar? I have learned through much experience to document everything. DOCUMENT EVERYTHING! When placing a phone call, email or letter to resolve a problem for yourself, include these items in your documentation: Date, phone number dialed, representative name, representative direct line if possible, reference number and make notes of everything they discuss with you. If they say they are going to transfer you, ask them for the department name and the direct phone number to that department for when you get disconnected or need to reach that direct department in the future. Keep track of any and all communication in one spot such as phone conversations, emails and/or letters. When you collect all of this information and misinformation from a company you are more likely to win the frustrating battle as you can present the chain of communication you have experienced. I have personally had some great outcomes arise from extremely frustrating situations when having my documentation on my side. Your chances of a great outcome are so much better if you are organized and oriented while moving through the process. Don’t let 2020 get the best of you. Get your accounts organized today. Jhonee Fillmore is the owner of Missplaced Organizing / www.thedavenportcompany.com/missplaced.

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Organization=Family Peace During Board Games: Get Organized December 2019

growingupsc — Sun, 01 Dec 2019 12:04:00 +0000

Organization=Family Peace During Board Games Get Organized: December 2019 By Jhoneé Fillmore Keep Attention My family LOVES to play board games. Our family consists of a seven-year-old boy and a four-year-old boy. I noticed that the amount of time it took to merely setup a board game was using up their attention span and focus needed to play the game. I decided to create a system that allowed a quick setup. At the conclusion of every game, my family and I take an extra minute to cleanup and the whole family is involved. We have small Ziplocs bags to separate all items in the game such as: character pieces, money, cards, property, tiles, buildings, etc. When you open a tidy box such as this, players can more easily setup the game, including the kids, and in way less time. Another bonus is that pieces are entirely contained and not as easily lost. By simply putting a game away using this system gives children the practice of sorting and grouping. You may be pleasantly surprised to find your kids organizing similarly in other areas of your house without you asking. What an awesome skill for them. Lower Frustration Board games are an amazing way to connect as a family while learning skills from the game itself. When my family is playing a board game and my two sons are wiggling around as kids do, the board itself gets wiggled. You know the story… game pieces get moved from where they are suppose to be and family members get a little grumpy with the wigglers. To avoid the disagreement of where items should be on the board, Velcro them down. Yes, I said Velcro. Thanks to this awesome suggestion by my mother, we purchased the small Velcro circles and stuck one side to the board and one side to all game pieces. For example, Junior Monopoly utilizes character tiles to denote who owns the property such as the cat, dog, ship or car. Junior Scrabble is a game that is very tricky to keep going with small children as one bump of the elbow sends a whole game to shambles. Keep game pieces from wiggling about by using Velcrow circles and keep the family enjoying the game longer. Photo by Jhoneé Fillmore. It is so helpful to have all of the letters in the words you are building stuck to the board. This trick significantly improves the enjoyment of the game by all. Seal the Deal After you have neatly finished packing up the board game, place a large rubber band around the box. This way when boxes get tattered and also dropped by little hands, all of your contents remain inside. Encourage Play To encourage children to play board games more often, store them in a visible and easily accessible place. Keeping the games easily accessible also allows your family to access the game boxes without damaging them. Also, store the games for older children and adults in a spot that smaller children cannot easily access to avoid damaging the game and losing pieces.

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Breakfast Time Savers & Hacks: Get Organized November 2019

growingupsc — Fri, 01 Nov 2019 14:15:23 +0000

Breakfast Time Savers & Hacks Get Organized: November 2019 By Jhoneé Fillmore School Day vs. Weekend The typical school morning is face paced. Many tasks must be done by the kiddos and adults for a successful school arrival. Let the family know in advance which breakfast items are available for school mornings versus weekend mornings. At our house, weekend mornings are for making french toast, baking muffins, making waffles or pancakes from scratch or something as simple as cooking bacon. School mornings however need to happen much more quickly so I limit the menu to: scrambled or fried eggs, frozen waffles, frozen pancakes, cereal, toast, instant oatmeal, yogurt, hard-boiled eggs, smoothies, bagels or fruit. Freeze It Waffles and Pancakes Did you notice that I put frozen waffles and frozen pancakes in my school day approved breakfast list? Well, these are items that I have cooked in advance from scratch. I make a few batches of these on the weekends and stick them in the freezer. On school mornings, the kids like to pull them from the freezer and pop them into the toaster. In a quick minute they have homemade items to eat. And yes, they are still delicious. A further time saver that I use is that I keep on hand a container of the dry portion of the waffle and pancake mix. By Jhoneé Fillmore. Delicious waffles made from scratch on the weekends and frozen, which are then popped into the toaster on school day mornings. Notice the mini agave containers for portioning of the sweetener. Yogurt Sticks We love to freeze our yogurt sticks! The two ways that we eat them are: One, we pull a yogurt stick from the freezer in the morning when we are placing lunch containers into lunch boxes. By lunch time the yogurt is still very cold and completely thawed. Two, my kids enjoy eating the yogurt sticks straight from the freezer as a frozen treat when we are at home. A great way to cool off. Edamame Another favorite treat with a couple different scenarios is edamame. One, we place them right from the freezer into the children or adult’s lunch containers. By lunchtime they are thawed completely but cold. Two, snack on this halfway frozen treat while at home or driving in the car. No need to thaw completely as eating them halfway frozen is part of the excitement. Blueberries The frozen blueberries my kids will snack on right from the freezer. We also like to put the blueberries directly from the freezer into a bowl and pour plain yogurt on top. In about a minute the yogurt freezes onto the blueberries to create a healthy dessert with an awesome balance of sweet and tart. This qualifies as a great mid day snack or an after dinner treat. Lessen the Sweetener My children are huge fans of items like french toast, waffles and pancakes. They are equally big on covering them in agave to jazz them up. I am not a huge fan of a lot of sweetening so I portion how much agave my kids can use. I love the tiny containers that are designed for salad dressing and condiments to use for this task. (See the photograph of waffles and mini agave containers). My boys think having their own agave container is pretty cool. Another way to lessen the amount of agave they use is to mix in a little water into their agave containers. This trick not only lessens the amount of sweetener consumed but also stretches the life of your agave bottle.

The post Breakfast Time Savers & Hacks: Get Organized November 2019 first appeared on Growing Up in Santa Cruz.

School Lunch Time Savers: Get Organized September 2019

growingupsc — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 11:23:49 +0000

School Lunch Time Savers Get Organized September 2019 Jhoneé Fillmore, Owner PACK IT When to Pack: Every family likes to pack school lunches differently. Some like to do the morning of and some prefer the day before. I personally am a night before lunch packer, usually right after dinner. I like to wash all lunch containers prior to eating dinner so that if there are any leftovers from dinner that sound good for the next day’s lunch, I can put it directly into the lunch containers. This saves me time putting away leftovers and then pulling those back out to put into lunch containers. Containers: My sons have the same food containers with the only difference being the color of the snap. These colors are important when accommodating food preferences and smaller child food safety. This ensures that I don’t send my younger son to school with grapes and my older son to school with mustard on his sandwich. Whatever containers you choose, make sure it easy to know which is which if that is a factor for your family. Keep your eye out when purchasing containers that have multiple compartments as some of these containers do not seal between compartments leaving the foods mixed. Prep: Anytime you can prep a lunch item in advance is a time saver later on. Maybe you are making yourself lunch with sliced carrots or celery. Take a few extra seconds to slice some additional veggies for school lunches. Some families choose to do most of the prep work at the beginning of the week so that they can just pull from a ready to go supply. Kid Participation: Want your kids to participate in packing lunches? You can designate the types and quantities of food you wish your children to have. For example you may say to: Choose 1 vegetable, 1 fruit, 1 main course and 1 snack item. Kids then have the freedom to make choices for themselves while remaining in your comfort zone. Want to get more detailed? This is an especially easy system to set up if you have prepped the food in advance. You can placed bins inside of your refrigerator or dry storage area that are clearly marked with the food category and how many items they may pick from each bin. One bin might say for example “Dry Snack: Choose 1”. Give your kids the freedom to make lunch choices themselves while remaining in your comfort zone. Reuse: If you have some delicious food leftover from dinner or a previous lunch and it is in great condition, I say reuse these items for another lunch. School Made Lunch: Have you ever sent your child to school with a lunch from home on a day they like what the school is serving? Eliminate this dilemma by going through the monthly school menu with your child when it comes out. Mark down the days on your family calendar that your child will be having lunch made by the school and enjoy those extra minutes to yourself. ICE PACKS Same yourself some time and unnecessary frustration digging around in your freezer to find your children’s ice packs. Pick out a small plastic bin that fits the size(s) of your children’s ice packs as well as fits conveniently into your freezer. This is also helpful when you are trying to locate food as you can easily move all of the ice packs quickly out of your way in one grab. This is a double winner. Eliminate digging around in your freezer for ice packs and save time. Ice Cubes: Like to put ice cubes in your children’s water bottles? Quickly have access to ice cubes even if your refrigerator does not produce ice. Save yourself a few minutes of breaking ice cubes from trays and refilling them by keeping a supply of ready to go ice cubes in a large Ziploc bag. This way you always have a reserve in the trays as well. You won’t have to make time in the busy moment to refill trays to avoid being iceless later on in the day. UNPACK IT When your children come home from school it is an easy routine to have them assist in unpacking their lunches. My children are in the routine of bringing their lunch boxes in from the car and going right to the kitchen. If their food containers have any leftover food, they place them inside of the refrigerator. If the food containers are empty, they place them in the sink. Water bottles go next to the sink, ice packs are put into the freezer and lunch boxes hung on hooks in the kitchen. The act of placing any leftover food into the refrigerator ensures that the food remains cold and if I am able to reuse it the next day’s lunch I can. Missplaced Organizing was started in 2005. Missplaced focuses on organizing physical clutter, developing systems and setting up events for residential and business clients. Visit www.missplaced.com

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