That's right! I'm back! We survived the packing, staying with my in-laws for a month, and moving to a town we've never been to. Boxes are put away and finally we have somewhat of a routine down! Would it come across as disingenuous if I said being organized was truly helpful?!?
We are now residents of Wellington, Florida! Just west of West Palm Beach and while all our friends and family are complaining of frigid temps in the ATL we sit back and laugh as we grill out shrimp kebabs on a beautiful Wednesday night with temps in the mid 70's! HA!
I am back! And what better way to get into the swing of things than to tell you about some great ways to stay ahead during the holidays? Stay tuned...the "Countdown to Thanksgiving" begins tomorrow....
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Thirty-One Gifts
Soooo....yes I know...I know.. It's been over a month again and I'm just now getting around to my next Post! Let me fill you in-My daughter started Pre-School, my husband announced a promotion that requires a move to Florida, AND I've decided to become a consultant for Thirty-One Gifts.
Busy? YES! But~my daughter LOVES her school! I am thrilled about our impending move to West Palm Beach FL, and am loving helping my friends and family get organized with some affordable stylish products!
Which leads me to...I am hosting an online party beginning Friday September 13 to give my followers and friends a chance to view the Fall Catalog and place an order without having to host a party! The September special is spend $35 and get an Organizing Utility Tote for $15 or a Super Organizing Utility Tote for $25.
These products are multi-functional and the catalog gives some great tips on how to use the products to organize your life.
I am so excited about the opportunity to bring affordable and stylish products to you all!
Follow the link for more info:
https://www.mythirtyone.com/JTorrence/
Busy? YES! But~my daughter LOVES her school! I am thrilled about our impending move to West Palm Beach FL, and am loving helping my friends and family get organized with some affordable stylish products!
Which leads me to...I am hosting an online party beginning Friday September 13 to give my followers and friends a chance to view the Fall Catalog and place an order without having to host a party! The September special is spend $35 and get an Organizing Utility Tote for $15 or a Super Organizing Utility Tote for $25.
These products are multi-functional and the catalog gives some great tips on how to use the products to organize your life.
I am so excited about the opportunity to bring affordable and stylish products to you all!
Follow the link for more info:
https://www.mythirtyone.com/JTorrence/
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Simplify Your LIfe Week
First of all, I can't believe that two months has passed since my last post! Summer has flown by and I 've stayed quite busy with this active toddler. But I'm ready as we approach "back to school" time to share with you all my crazy little organized life!
Did you know that the first week of August is "Simply Your Life" week? Me either! Who knew someone out there has a job to declare special days, weeks, and months of the year for us organizing junkies?
So...in the spirit of "Simplify Your Life" week I am unveiling my top 5 ways to round up your summer fun and get the kids back on track to start the daunting schedule school has to offer.
Drum Roll Please......
1) Have everyone in the family write down one fun thing they would like to do the last week of summer break and put them in jar. That last week someone draws a piece of paper and that is the activity for the day! Everyone gets to fulfill their last summer fun wish! (Keeping it reasonable of course, which could get tricky, but you can set the rules first, ok moving on...)
2)Everyone needs to go through their closets and get rid of all the worn out and out-grown clothing. Purge! Purge! Purge! Once completed, make a list of the most needed items for each child and only those items need to be purchased during back to school shopping. Also, make sure you know when your state offers their "tax free" shopping days on certain items. For a list click the link below:
http://www.taxadmin.org/fta/rate/sales_holiday.html
3) Backpack and Lunch Bag checks: Make sure each child's previous year back pack has been washed and is in good sturdy shape for a whole new year of lugging around heavy books. If not, add it to the shopping list for each child as needed. Same goes for your lunch box. Don't forget! Check out your Tupperware too! Do you have enough for everyone to bring a lunch? What about utensils? Thermos? Prepare now, stress-free later!
4)Laundry Basket Assignments: This is one of the best ideas I've seen out there for getting and staying organized with your laundry! If you aren't the crafty person who has any interest in making this little "laundry dresser" you could always keep a colored laundry basket in the laundry room where everyone drops their colored clothes and a white basket for their whites. There are a ton of ideas out there...try Pinterest! This is will be a huge help during the school year with all the extra curricular activities. I am a believer that if they CAN they SHOULD be helpers around the house. Color code, label, number whatever works best for your family but make the kids be responsible for putting their dirty clothes where you have assigned. You can read more about this awesome idea over at Ana White's blog:
http://ana-white.com/2010/11/laundry-basket-dresser?page=1
5) and Finally..MEAL PLAN! I know this may seem an impossibly overwhelming task as first BUT wait...it can and will make life so much easier! Get the family around the table and ask each person to pick their favorite two meals you serve. For a family of four you will have one "extra" special meal you can rotate each week but this will give you a full week's meals and you haven't even had to think yet! Next step, make a list of the meals you tend to make and what your family tends to enjoy the most. Once you've done this evaluate how many meals you have and create as many weeks of meals as you can from this list. Once you've used all your meal ideas up repeat the first week of meals and voila! You are done for the month!!! Finally, make a list of staple items to keep on hand at all times and a separate grocery shopping list for the items needed to make the meals for each week of recipes. Put the time in now before school gets underway and I PROMISE your life will be much simpler!
A little bit of thought, planning, and implementing now can make for a much smoother transition for the whole family! Good luck and thanks for reading!
Did you know that the first week of August is "Simply Your Life" week? Me either! Who knew someone out there has a job to declare special days, weeks, and months of the year for us organizing junkies?
So...in the spirit of "Simplify Your Life" week I am unveiling my top 5 ways to round up your summer fun and get the kids back on track to start the daunting schedule school has to offer.
Drum Roll Please......
1) Have everyone in the family write down one fun thing they would like to do the last week of summer break and put them in jar. That last week someone draws a piece of paper and that is the activity for the day! Everyone gets to fulfill their last summer fun wish! (Keeping it reasonable of course, which could get tricky, but you can set the rules first, ok moving on...)
2)Everyone needs to go through their closets and get rid of all the worn out and out-grown clothing. Purge! Purge! Purge! Once completed, make a list of the most needed items for each child and only those items need to be purchased during back to school shopping. Also, make sure you know when your state offers their "tax free" shopping days on certain items. For a list click the link below:
http://www.taxadmin.org/fta/rate/sales_holiday.html
3) Backpack and Lunch Bag checks: Make sure each child's previous year back pack has been washed and is in good sturdy shape for a whole new year of lugging around heavy books. If not, add it to the shopping list for each child as needed. Same goes for your lunch box. Don't forget! Check out your Tupperware too! Do you have enough for everyone to bring a lunch? What about utensils? Thermos? Prepare now, stress-free later!
4)Laundry Basket Assignments: This is one of the best ideas I've seen out there for getting and staying organized with your laundry! If you aren't the crafty person who has any interest in making this little "laundry dresser" you could always keep a colored laundry basket in the laundry room where everyone drops their colored clothes and a white basket for their whites. There are a ton of ideas out there...try Pinterest! This is will be a huge help during the school year with all the extra curricular activities. I am a believer that if they CAN they SHOULD be helpers around the house. Color code, label, number whatever works best for your family but make the kids be responsible for putting their dirty clothes where you have assigned. You can read more about this awesome idea over at Ana White's blog:
http://ana-white.com/2010/11/laundry-basket-dresser?page=1
5) and Finally..MEAL PLAN! I know this may seem an impossibly overwhelming task as first BUT wait...it can and will make life so much easier! Get the family around the table and ask each person to pick their favorite two meals you serve. For a family of four you will have one "extra" special meal you can rotate each week but this will give you a full week's meals and you haven't even had to think yet! Next step, make a list of the meals you tend to make and what your family tends to enjoy the most. Once you've done this evaluate how many meals you have and create as many weeks of meals as you can from this list. Once you've used all your meal ideas up repeat the first week of meals and voila! You are done for the month!!! Finally, make a list of staple items to keep on hand at all times and a separate grocery shopping list for the items needed to make the meals for each week of recipes. Put the time in now before school gets underway and I PROMISE your life will be much simpler!
A little bit of thought, planning, and implementing now can make for a much smoother transition for the whole family! Good luck and thanks for reading!
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Summer Organizing Projects
So you're at home with kids and we're only into the first 3 weeks of summer vacation. Hmmm..you've done the pool (to death I'm sure!), the library for story time, maybe even a trip to the beach! What to do with the rest of the summer you ask?? Get the kids involved in some organizing projects with you! From cleaning out the garage to organizing your garden supplies there are lots of great outdoor organizing projects you and your helpful kids could tackle together! "No way! (you say...) Not my kids!" ...solution: turn on a hose, hand them a bucket and let them play in the water while washing your lawn furniture or car! Meanwhile, you are at peace (hopefully!) to begin getting things put away the way you've always wanted them to be.
The garage is the first place of business! Here is an entryway perfect for summer and that can easily transition with the seasons:
You can find some great tips from Martha Stewart here:
http://www.marthastewart.com/275766/summer-organizing-tips/@center/276989/organizing#275766/272856
From getting your garage, entryway, even picnic baskets organized and ready to grab and go for the summer.
You'll love these!
The garage is the first place of business! Here is an entryway perfect for summer and that can easily transition with the seasons:
You can find some great tips from Martha Stewart here:
http://www.marthastewart.com/275766/summer-organizing-tips/@center/276989/organizing#275766/272856
From getting your garage, entryway, even picnic baskets organized and ready to grab and go for the summer.
You'll love these!
Friday, May 31, 2013
Vacation Travel the Organized way!
Before you pack the bags, load the car, or rush to the airport STOP! Take a breath! And get organized!
Some simple ways to get started before you leave your house and to ensure a relaxing vacation from start to finish begin with this...MAKE A LIST!
1) Make a list for each child separately. If Johnny wants to bring his Ipod and Susie wants to bring her collection of Babysitter Club books (yes I'm an 80's child!) this is the time to list it all. Give the lists to the kids once they are completed and begin the great lesson of personal responsibility!
2) Make a list for you (and hubby if he doesn't pack for himself).
3) Make a list for the household. This is where you would find sunscreen, beach towels, chargers for Iphones, etc.
Ideally, each family member would have his/her own bag to be responsible for. Of course, you'll need to check and double check the kids things before heading out but this is a great way to teach personal responsibility and taking care of their things.
A little bit of thought, time, and effort before leaving will ensure a more relaxing and stress free time while traveling!
For more great tips on traveling this summer you can check out this Good Housekeeping article:
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/design/organizing-tips-for-summer-travel
Hope this adds to less stress and more fun for the whole family this summer!
Some simple ways to get started before you leave your house and to ensure a relaxing vacation from start to finish begin with this...MAKE A LIST!
1) Make a list for each child separately. If Johnny wants to bring his Ipod and Susie wants to bring her collection of Babysitter Club books (yes I'm an 80's child!) this is the time to list it all. Give the lists to the kids once they are completed and begin the great lesson of personal responsibility!
2) Make a list for you (and hubby if he doesn't pack for himself).
3) Make a list for the household. This is where you would find sunscreen, beach towels, chargers for Iphones, etc.
Ideally, each family member would have his/her own bag to be responsible for. Of course, you'll need to check and double check the kids things before heading out but this is a great way to teach personal responsibility and taking care of their things.
A little bit of thought, time, and effort before leaving will ensure a more relaxing and stress free time while traveling!
For more great tips on traveling this summer you can check out this Good Housekeeping article:
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/design/organizing-tips-for-summer-travel
Hope this adds to less stress and more fun for the whole family this summer!
Catching the organizing bug?
If the itch is happening to get organized and you just don't know where to begin head over to my
Home Organizing Pinterest board for some great ideas to inspire you!
http://pinterest.com/jenn_torrence/home-organization/
Home Organizing Pinterest board for some great ideas to inspire you!
http://pinterest.com/jenn_torrence/home-organization/
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Car Organization Ideas
After sharing my car kit at a recent Moms Club meeting I was thrilled to hear so much enthusiasm about it! I thought I would share some other ideas with you that will come in handy during your summer travels.
The blog Defrump Me has a great post about summer traveling! Here is one of many great ideas for road trip traveling. You can find all their tips by visiting the blog here:
Another great blogger (and the name pretty much rocks!) is Dirt and Boogers! Yep that's right and she has a ton of great posts on her blog about getting organized with kids! Click on the link below for her awesome tips for organizing your car.
And if you're feeling especially motivated this summer and are ready to tackle some home projects here is a great place to start. Tired of seeing all the toys, balls, sports equipment, etc. thrown in the garage? Make it easier for the kids to put things back by putting together a designated area for each group of items.
More tips from one of my favorite blogger Dirt and Boogers:
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