It’s summertime (maybe not technically, but in Texas: it's heeeeere! And cooler climates--it soon will be) and to keep the living easy, here are a few simple, 15-ish minute projects to get you organized and ready to live your best life by the pool or in the hammock with essentials nearby.
Project 1: End-of-School Paper and Garbage
Dump
It happens every last day of school and yet it’s a stunning surprise every time. Your little darling arrives home for summer with enough worksheets and art work to paper the Great Wall of China. And gnawed pencils and Hot Cheetos-dusted pencil pouches. You vow to carefully scrutinize these items for anything valuable and salvage priceless quotables from free-writing exercises…when you have time. Soon, school is starting again and you either 1) push it all aside into a storage area to further clutter your space or 2) get so frustrated you throw it all away anyway. Take back your power and your summer and instead, do it now.
Step 1: Prep and Setting Limits
Before you get started, determine how much, if any, of your kids’ school and/or artwork you’re willing to keep. You can choose a specific number (5-10) or designate a small folder and that’s your limit. Put on something enjoyable to listen to: music or a podcast or an audiobook, get a small snack or drink to keep you energized, and set a timer for 15-20 minutes. Acknowledge that when the timer goes off, you are out of time for this project and will honor the commitment to yourself and your space to let go of anything still "unprocessed."
Step 2: Do the thing!
Go through the schoolwork quickly and decisively, remembering your commitment to yourself, and do not keep more than you decided ahead of time (folder full or quantity reached? One must go out before another comes in). When the timer goes off, let go of anything you have not gone through yet. Recycle paper and trash the trash and move on with your life.
Step 3: Speaking to Your Exceptions
“But, but, but…” Imagine I am looking you lovingly in the eyes and holding your hands as I say this: it’s okay to put it in the trash. I used to be the mom to agonize over the art work and the worksheets, wondering if not examining every piece of preciousness from the hand of my children meant I didn’t love them or was not a good mom. “And I have to salvage the $0.47 crayons that will join the pile of 12,427 more in the bin!” We have got to stop this, okay? School papers are neutral and have nothing to do with your parenting. They just exist and yesterday, you didn’t even know or remember that they did. Now you do and you’re having thoughts that make them mean something about your value as a person. A magnificent mom might throw every single paper away or might be stockpiling them for the apocalypse—it could really go either way. Agonizing over this question of your value as a parent is not useful here. Maybe this (or similar) thoughts, which are probably well within your reach, will feel better to you. “If I take care of this pile of papers now, I have more time (and space) to spend doing things I actually care about, including time with my kids.” Isn’t that actually true? Now do it and be free!
Project 2: Summer Beach Bag Prep and/or Detox
I love to be able to go to the lake or pool or
on an outdoor adventure at a moment’s notice, so I keep my summer “beach” bag
stockpiled with essentials like: sun screen, bug spray, pool or waterpark
season passes, a small pouch for change or money, a wet bag for wet things, and
a dry bag to keep things like my phone dry and within reach. Then I can just
grab a few beach towels and we’re off! (I keep my picnic blanket in my car's trunk.) The thing is, beach bags get janky like
all things get janky. While I am a stickler about immediately unpacking wet
swimsuits, extra clothes, or used towels, and most especially any food
immediately upon arriving home, sand happens. Use-by dates happen. All the seasons happen. Life
happens. And before I know it, I go to apply sunscreen only to wonder why I am
slathering cottage cheese on my tender little feet. No thank you. Whether you
keep these items in a beach or pool bag or elsewhere in your home, let’s do a
summer gear round-up!
Step 1: Locate every bug spray and sunscreen and related item in your house.
Check dates on them. Sun screen actually has pretty good shelf life (considering that if you’re applying it as directed--about 1 oz, you might well use ¼ a bottle in a single go). Sunscreens are required by the FDA to be effective at their original strength for at least three (3) years. Don’t have any idea when you bought it? Check for discoloration or inconsistency in texture and dispose of any that are off. In future, consider writing the date of purchase on the container if you tend to keep them awhile (I know; will any of us really do this? Still though, I’m putting it out there optimistically! Maybe you're a 1%er!). The shelf life for bug sprays is about the same amount of time and while they do not become harmful after 3 years, they do become less effective at repelling, so keeping them indefinitely is pointless and potentially itchy. After tossing any empty or expired items, consider replacing with only a single, high-quality favorite of each thing. I highly recommend checking the EWG’s Sunscreen Site and the EWG Bug Repellent Guide to find the best non-toxic products that will be effective for your family.
Note about EWG (Environmental Working Group) research and non-toxic products: I am ultra-selective when it comes to sunscreens also and have tried many alternatives, but ultimately use a commercial one because sunburn is a real bummer. I also make my own bug repellent from DoTerra's TerraShield essential oils, a
carrier oil, and purified water. You can google a recipe--or 1000-- for
it if you want to try right now. Non-toxicity is something I take veeeery seriously because of my own
experiences and misadventures with my health. While I think non-toxic is
better for everyone and the Earth and therefore recommend at least some casual research and awareness, I know the extreme level of
importance I place on it is not necessarily everyone's journey. Don't let perfect be the enemy of good and better! You do you!
Step 2: Clean Out Your Summer Stuff’s Home
If your summer items don’t have a designated “home,” like your beach bag or a bin in the entry way or medicine cabinet, establish one now. You will always know where to find (and put back!) your sunscreen, bug spray, and lip balm (and related items). Ahh, home.
If your items already have a designated home (or once you establish one), give it a good wipe down. Shake out sand and wipe down surfaces (or launder, if applicable). Get it really clean! I like to put my liquid items in a gallon-sized plastic zipper bag to catch any leaks on the go, but a washable, lined wet-bag would work great, too. Any other items that need laundering? Coin pouches, beach towels, etc—run them through the wash, too. Throw in your pool or park passes or other regular use pool items and you’re set.
Step 3: Stay Gold (Maintenance)
To maintain your new, breezy summer bag, simply unpack and clean out right away after every trip. It takes two minutes and you’ll be golden all summer long! In the words of Will Smith “If you stay ready, you ain’t gotta get ready.”
Project 3+: Bonus Round Summer Edit Honor Roll
On a roll and want to keep going? Don’t forget these other seasonal items that could probably use a little attention, editing and love. Do them all this way:
Gather all the items in a single category together from wherever they may be.
Designate a “home” for them and establish limits for the items and set a timer to limit the time you spend on the decisions.
Choose your favorites and best first, then discard any items that are simply not useful or loved by you/don’t fit the space (donation) or that are beyond repair or no longer function (trash).
Carefully clean and mend all the favorites that remain and put them in their space.
Suggested Seasonal Categories
You can do each line all at once or break them up into separate 15 minute categories. Only you make the rules!
Sunglasses, sun hats, swim suits, cover-ups
Folding chairs, coolers, picnic blankets, and beach umbrellas
Pool floats and toys, including goggles
Outdoor furniture and rugs
Pots and planters
Gardening tools, watering cans, pitchers
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