Monday, August 17, 2009
“Fall Cleaning” Helps Transition into New School Year
My daughter starts 1st grade today and I'm sad to see summer coming to an end! But after summer vacations, camping and endless barbecues you might be ready to get back on a routine - I know I am. We always hear about “spring” cleaning, but going from summer to fall is a big transition that requires some planning and organization.If your kids are heading back to school, you’ve probably already thought about getting them ready, but what about your house? Along with school, comes backpacks, sports equipment, flyers, permission slips, lunch bags, library books etc. Take the time over the next few weeks to prepare your house and the transition back to the school year will be much smoother.
For starters, there are probably areas of your house could use a little tidying up. I’ve been focusing on purging and streamlining all year and the end of summer is no exception. Go through your kids’ summer clothes and remove any items that won’t fit next year – which is probably most of them! If there are a few things that you think will still work next summer (or you’re going to save them for a younger child), pack them up in clearly marked boxes and store them away in the attic or another storage space.
Then you need to decide what to do with the rest of the clothes and summer gear you’ve decided not to keep. One option is to sell them on consignment at a store like the Kidz Shoppe in San Jose. In return you’ll get money or credit that you can use to buy things because after all, how long do kids really wear something before they stain/outgrow/decide they don't like it? Another great option, especially if you’re short on time, is to just give everything away. It can be fun keeping your kids' old things in your sphere of family and friends, or donate them to a worthy cause.
You probably have an assortment of other items that can be stored until next summer. Chances are you won’t be using inflatable water toys, beach towels or wearing your flip-flops that are in a big pile by the door. Go through everything and decide what to store, toss, sell or give-away.
After you’ve cleared out everything you don’t need, it’s time to get organized on how you want to manage school-related items. I’ll share some great suggestions I discovered in my next blog post.
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