Wednesday, June 6, 2018

Today’s post is going to be a little different from a typical Wednesday “What I Wore” post.  If you want to check out previous What I Wore you can go here, here, here, and here.  

I thought this would be fun to write and it was inspired by a co-worker (Hi E!) who didn’t know what to wear to a concert recently.  I tried to think of my typical summer activities and what I would ideally wear to each one.  I hope this helps you, too.  

What should I wear this summer to a…

concert that is indoors?  jeans – maybe distressed – and a cute black top – maybe sleeveless with some cool details, clutch purse or crossbody – depending on if you will have a seat.  For shoes, wedges if you will be on your feet or a flat sandal would be fine, too, I think.

outdoor concert?  a romper (just don’t have to go to the potty too much!), a knit swing dress, a sundress, denim shorts and a knit top, crossbody purse, flat sandals like Birkenstocks or Chaco’s if you are a Chaco type of person.

girls night out? white jeans, floral blouse, clutch purse, wedges

date night?  white jeans and a black top or regular jeans and a black top, clutch purse, wedges

farmer’s market?  graphic tee and denim shorts with a kimono if it’s not too hot (see my post on graphic tees here), crossbody purse and a reusable tote or a cute straw tote, Birkenstocks. If you have a straw tote, lose the crossbody and put a pouch with your essentials down in the tote.

running errands?  cute shorts (Old Navy linen), knit top with details – Universal Thread flutter sleeve from Target?, Birkenstocks, crossbody purse (hands free is so nice – even if just going to the grocery).

back to school open house, church meeting, doctor’s appoitment?  White linen pants, sleeveless top or a floral blouse, wedges

Look how few pieces you could actually get by with:  (and you could narrow it down further and still have options)

one pair white linen pants

one pair white jeans

one pair normal jeans

one knit swing dress

one sundress

one romper

one pair denim shorts

one pair linen shorts

one graphic tee

one kimono

one crossbody purse

one clutch

cute straw tote for market and beach

one pair of Birkenstocks

one pair of wedges

one pair of cute flat sandals

a few knit tops with cute details 

a floral blouse

What do you think?  What did I forget?  If you are building a wardrobe from scratch this summer due to pregnancy, weight gain or loss, etc.  do you think you could use this to create a summer wardrobe? 

Shop smarter, not harder.  Do not go to the sale rack automatically and buy something just because it’s cheap.  (I’ve actually read a blogger who says NEVER shop the sale rack!)  Create a plan that fits your lifestyle and not some imaginary lifestyle or some aspirational lifestyle.  Actually write down the activities you participate in and what you would like to wear to help you feel comfortable and confident.  

Many of these items can be found on sale or at a consignment store, but I do caution you to make sure a sale is really a good fit for you.  

Also, have a limited color palette to help guide you.  My summer palette is navy, white, black, yellow, orange, pink, floral, and striped more or less.

I wrote about getting dressed with Pinterest recently and that is a big help to me.  Simply type in the event and you will be shocked by how many ideas you get.  Example:  “Girls night out outfit”.  Try it!

The reason I write about this is that there is nothing worse than feeling like you can’t attend something because you don’t know what to wear. Maybe worse is getting to an event and not enjoying it because you feel uncomfortable in what you wore.  I hope this helps!

Amy 

Tuesday, June 5, 2018

Here in the southern midwest, we have four distinct seasons.  I love living where we get all four seasons! After a long winter of cold and snow we can’t wait for spring and summer and all of the outdoor events that come with these seasons.  This year, I think we skipped the wonderful May and June temperatures of 70-80 degrees, though.  We hit the 90s and humidity and we stayed here.  

I’m like the Goldilocks of weather.  It has to be just right for me.  I have a joke with my husband that he only wants to go camping on the hottest night of the year or the coldest night of the year.  He has taken me camping when the temperature was still 100 when I went to sleep with a cold washrag on my forehead.  He has taken me camping in late September when my nose was so cold it was numb by morning.  I used to think I liked camping but now I know that I just liked the sitting around the fire in the evening and the morning part.  I’d prefer my bed at night, thankyouverymuch!

Anyway, I digress… I think that modern AC has spoiled us and made us less able to tolerate the heat.  I have said no to outdoor events if it’s been too hot.  I hate that and I’m going to try my own strategies so I can say “yes” this summer!  If I can, I love to head to Michigan in the summer because that’s the perfect climate for this Goldilocks!  Andrea of Living on Cloud Nine is the Michigan guru and gave me some great tips for last summer!

If you want to enjoy an outdoor concert, festival, flea market, farmer’s market, or the like and can’t be in a bathing suit near a body of water, here are some tips I’ve tried and recommend.  I’m sure you know most of these already!

* Take a shower before going and keep your hair wet or damp.  Sometimes I will fix my hair but dampen the underside before leaving.  Wear your hair up if you can.  I also take a spray bottle of water sometimes.  It’s amazing how much this helps.  Also, while at the event, you can take an ice cube from your drink and put it at the nape of your neck.

* Do not wear black or jeans.  Wear light colored clothing that fits loosely and preferably is made of natural materials.  My friend wore a cute black top with jeans to the concert we went to on Memorial Day weekend and I joked that she was my example of what not to wear in 90 degree heat.  *  Wear shorts, a skirt, or a flowy dress.  Pants stick to your legs and make you hotter.

*  Drink lots of water before you go and while you are there.  Avoid drinking too much alcohol or any alcohol if you can. 

*  Bring a cute old fashioned fan.  I have a collection of cute fans from Spain that I use in my classroom.  They really work. 

* Do not wear much jewelry.  When you sweat it makes you feel hotter I think.

 *Bring wipes to rub on your forehead or face.  Wear minimal makeup or none at all or this will be a mess.

*Eat cold things like watermelon, popsicles, and ice cream.  Ooookkkay, twist my arm!

*Wear sandals or something where your feet are free to breathe.  No socks, please!  They make me hot just looking at them! 

*Wear a wide brimmed hat.

*Find some shade or provide your own with a chair that has a sunshade or use an umbrella. 

*I can’t speak to this quite yet, but I just purchased this product at Bath and Body.  It feels very cool and refreshing and smells nice.  

What have I forgotten?  I’m sure the ladies in Texas like Shelly,  Melanie, and Shan, Louisiana like Laura, and Florida like Kellyann are laughing at me right now since I’m so far north in Kentucky!

Stay cool!

Amy 

Monday,  June 4, 2018

Hello Monday!  I’m linking up with My Glittery Heart, Lindsay’s Sweet World, and The Sirois Family today.  

Today is our last teacher work day and at the end of the day, one of my sons gets his braces off!  The other has had them off since January so this has been a long time coming!

We kind of started the weekend on Thursday, because that was the last day of school for students.  We ended the day with a big storm which knocked our power out until 10:45 that night as I said on my Friday Favorites post.  My Friday post got out of order with my Wednesday and Thursday post so go here to read if you want to.  This is above my blogging skills so I’m sorry!  I couldn’t cook, so we went to the Japanese restaurant up the street.  

I had to work Friday but my husband took off.  He had to get the boat trailer worked on so that meant putting the boat in the water temporarily at a slip at a nearby marina.  After work, we had a day date on the boat and celebrated me being almost finished.  I told him we should take advantage of having the boat in the water this week and try to do a weeknight.  Usually we keep the boat in a storage barn and have to hook the boat on the trailer to hub’s car and back it down the ramp (sometimes waiting on lots of people) and then do it all in reverse when finished.  I told him I could get used to having it in the water.  

None of these big boats is ours but it’s fun to look at them.

I think sailboats are so pretty.  I can’t wait to see the movie Adrift but I’m also a little nervous!

This is one of the restaurants where you can park your boat and eat. 

I’m all about the boat snacks.  If you can find this, it is fabulous with pretzel sticks.  

After our day date we ordered pizza and ate dinner with our boys who were enjoying a lazy day at home after final exams.  They declined the invitation to come on the boat, by the way.  

I was exhausted and went to bed at 9!  That meant I woke up very early Saturday morning ready to run my errands.  I did Trader’s, Kroger, Target, the library and got a Starbuck’s tall skinny vanilla latte.  

One of the things I got at Kroger was this dressing.  I use it for my strawberry salad that you will see below.  

I prepped some strawberries by chopping them and adding sugar.  This is for the salad and my husband loves these on vanilla ice cream.

We decided to go on another boat ride after lunch and I brought my Purple Rain drink which can also be a mocktail.  The recipe is coming soon.  

I finally wore my new coverup from my recent post.  

These are the books I had on order from the library.  The first is because of Joanne whose family loves Parks and Rec. 

This is my SIL’s strawberry salad.  It has romaine, strawberries, feta, sunflower seeds, and the dressing.  It’s so good!

After the boat ride I was ready to get in from the heat so I made the salad and this easy sheet pan supper.   I chopped up the potatoes first and mixed with EVOO, salt, pepper, and cajun seasoning.  I started those in the oven at 400 while I chopped up the rest because I knew the taters would take longer.  I used turkey sausage, zucchini, green pepper, onion and some more cajun, EVOO, salt and pepper and then added this for about 20 more minutes, broiling for the last 3 minutes. 

I watched the first episode of Breaking Bad with one son after dinner.  He wants to watch it with me and I’m curious to see what it’s all about.  

Finally on Sunday we had plans to take friends out on the boat and this time we did stop at one of the restaurants to order drinks, pork nachos, and spinach queso dip to supplement a few things I packed.  I was too busy to take food pictures (or any pictures) but it was fun to have a waiter bring menus and take our order and then just sit on the water and enjoy.  

It really felt like summer this weekend!  I can’t wait to read about your weekends!

Amy 

Thursday, May 31, 2018

This is the much anticipated day!  It is our last day of school with students!  Teachers still have to work Friday and Monday but the 2017-2018 and my 24th year of teaching are OVER!  I had a great year over all.  I will definitely miss my students over the summer.  I tried some new things and got some positive feedback.  You’ve got to love a job where you get a do over every year, right?  

I thought today would be perfect for sharing my summer bucket list.  I had never heard of this before other bloggers started sharing theirs a few years ago.  I liked this and started making my own each summer.  

Why have a bucket list?  I think it’s hard to remember what you want to accomplish and experience without a list to keep you on track.  This list makes things more intentional.  I actually try to do a bucket list for each season.  I do one for fall, one for winter, and usually by spring I forget about it, but I do one for summer.  I tend to have things that I want to do as a family, as a couple, and by myself.  I try to include decluttering projects, self – improvement items, learning about something, and just plain summer fun so that I feel that I get the most out of the season.  

I don’t usually check everything off.  In fact, by August I don’t care any more and I just want to meditate in the AC.  Ha!

-Go to lake with my sister’s family

-Have different people on our boat

-Learn to make a new recipe

-Read 20 books – some fiction and some non-fiction

-Go to the pool by myself once

-Walk up to eat dinner at nearby restaurant

-Do a boat brunch

-Eat lunch poolside

-Drink coffee on the patio

-Go for at least one bike ride, but hopefully more

-Go to outdoor concerts

-Go to farmer’s market

-Have a few dates with hub

-Celebrate hub’s birthday

-Celebrate Father’s Day

-Shop locally

-Sit in an independently owned coffee shop and drink from a real mug

-Call people I haven’t talked to in awhile

-Invite friends to take walks in diffrerent city parks

My list is not complete yet, but this is a good start!  Do you make a summer bucket list?  What did I forget?

Amy 

Wednesday, May 30, 2018

O.k. guys!  One more day of school for us after today!

My work/school outfits have just been about comfort lately, I think.  I haven’t put much thought into it and I tend to go with black and white when I just need to get dressed quickly.  

On Friday I wore these black patterned pants and my black tee with lace up detail that you can’t see along with my new shiny black Birkenstocks that were my Mother’s Day gift.

On Thursday I wore my other pair of black patterned pants with my new black Universal Thread flutter sleeve top (much more flattering than the black shirt in first photo I think) and my new shiny black Birkenstocks.  

Saturday night’s outdoor concert outfit. 

What’s Up Wednesday Link Up

What I’m eating:  I’m eating a few of Joanna Gaines Magnolia Table cookbook recipes and starting to enjoy more summery recipes and we grilled out Monday.

What I’m reminiscing:  I’m doing a lot of reflecting on this school year and thinking what I will do differently and the same for next year. 

What I’m loving:  I’m loving getting so much closer to summer break.

What I’m up to:  I’m finishing up grades for the year, cleaning, organizing, and packing up my classroom

What I’m dreading:  How quickly the summer will go by as I already have a two day workshop August 1 and 2 on my calendar.  Once I start getting back into things August 1 summer is OVER.

What I’m working on:  I need to start working on June birthday gifts and Father’s Day gifts soon.  

What I’m excited about: Summer!  I need to create my summer bucket list.

What I’m watching:  The Bachelorette, Bravo’s Below Deck and Southern Charm, and I need suggestions on what to start on Netflix and Amazon Instant Video now that I will have more time.

What I’m reading:  I’m still reading The Weekenders but I’m also starting my new stack of library books soon.

What I’m listening to:  Spotify 90s country

What I’m wearing:  On the weekends I’m wearing lots of shorts.  I need to improve the athleisure section of my closet for summer.  Any suggestions on stores or brands?  I don’t like tank tops so I need short sleeve lightweight material and athletic shorts.

What I’m looking forward to:  We just found out 2 weeks ago that our 17 year old German cousin is coming for a visit!  My husband was born in Germany and has 3 first cousins that live there.  This is the youngest daughter of one of his cousins.  We had a family vacay in Germany in 2016 (I need to do a blog post about it) and really got to know her then!  

Friday, June 1, 2018

My boys get to sleep in today!  I will start the summer chores list on Monday but today is their day. They are hoping to be called for jobs they applied for soon.  Then, each of them have a different camp to attend in about a month.  They have worked so hard and had a great sophomore year.  They have both grown so much and matured so much.  They are such good boys.  I don’t write much about them here because I want to respect their privacy, but I’m so utterly proud of them, which leads me to my first favorite.  

#1)  First and last day of school pictures.  My boys don’t smile big for photos in this stage of life.  They smile a lot when no one is taking a photo, though.  They are smart and funny!

#2)  These timehop photos are both a favorite and a least favorite.  This was last day of 4th grade.

#3)  I finished my 24th year of teaching and wore the same outfit on the first and last day.  The only difference – the bags under my eyes are bigger and I’m much more tired!  How have I been at this for 24 years?  I have a good friend retiring this year and she just doesn’t seem old enough!

#4)  Eating lunch at home and not packing my lunch for awhile!  I need good lunch suggestions that are healthy but delicious!  

#5)  Book club!  We had book club Wednesday night and we all agreed this was our least favorite Liane Moriarty,  Next book is “A Man Called Ove”.

#6) Electricity! This post is late because a storm hit yesterday right as we got out of school.  The wind was so bad that a light pole hit a girl’s car as she was leaving school.  I have heard she is o.k. and it only hit the car and not her.  Our power was out from 2:30-10:45.  I’m finishing this post this morning and I overslept until 6:55 and I’m supposed to be at work at 7:30.  This is not like me!  We have to work today and Monday tying up loose ends and meeting.  

#7) Greekfest – Hoping to eat dinner and watch some dancing at our local Greekfest tonight.  I love the Greek culture!  I have a very good friend who is Greek that will be there, too.  

#8) Hub off every Friday in June!  He just informed me that he has days he has to use before the end of June so he’s taking off each June Friday.  

Happy, happy weekend!

Amy 

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Today I’m going to talk about swimsuit cover ups and I will also recap my Monday.  If you want to see Friday through Sunday you can read here. 

O.k. I have a theory… as a woman of a certain age, more people will see your swim cover up than your swimsuit.  

The only year that I really thought I looked o.k. in a swimsuit was the summer I was pregnant with my twins.  I had a maternity tankini and I had an excuse – I was pregnant!  With twins! 

I know now that I was wrong and I looked just fine in a bathing suit before getting pregnant at age 30.  Now I try to remember that everyone is worried about their own body more than they are critiquing yours.  Please don’t let worry ruin the fun of summer for you.  

I’m partial to a black bathing suit. I have a couple of tankini tops and skirted bottoms that I mix and match.  I have seen some cute one piece suits out this year, but I’m not sure I can rock one.  I look for cover ups with black in them so they match my black suits.

This is my current favorite cover up below.  I bought it at Old Navy last year and the jungle print and small black pom pom trim spoke to me.  It’s made of a gauzy material.

This next one is around 6 years old from Kohl’s.  I loved the peacock looking print.  This is the same style as the first but it’s made of more of a silky material. 

Next is the one I purchased this season from Target.com.  This Target Merona was recommended by Sheaffer.  The jungle flowers and the vertical slimming line down the front were what I liked most.  This is also a silky material.  Problem:  It is not black – it is navy.  I broke my rule!  It will still be fine with my black suits, I think.

A current trend is to wear a kimono over your suit.  I bought this from Nordstrom.com back in February and have worn it a lot with a black knit dress.  I plan to try it as a cover up this season.  

I don’t love to run in a store in my cover up.  If I know I have to go in a store I will usually choose my black knit tank dress or another color that I have.  

For affordable choices, I suggest a look at Kohl’s, Old Navy, and Target.  You should be able to find one for $20 or under.  The big department stores have cute ones but the price point will be higher right now.  Don’t delay too long – remember that after the 4th of July the back to school stuff will be out and the summer wear will be picked over, especially swimwear and accessories. 

Monday we did some much needed house cleaning and my hub mowed and we both cleaned up the patio.  The boys chipped in but then had to start studying for finals.  We let them take a break to go to a friend’s house for a couple of hours and hub and I ran to the mall for an exchange for him – not me!  I checked out Macy’s Reef flip flop selection and added the black pair that I needed.  I loved these brown and gold  ones but I held back because I already have brown.  These are seriously the most comfortable and durable flip flops I’ve ever owned.  

These are the ones I picked.  They are pretty basic and now I’m wondering if I should have gotten the black ones with shiny straps. 

After all of the cleaning, I enjoyed my patio for a bit and read.  

Because we are still in school and this was a week night for us, we didn’t socialize Monday evening.  I made oven roasted potatoes with cajun seasoning.  

I cooked the Mojito Lime Chicken I marinated and used my grill pan for zucchini, mushrooms, onions, and green peppers.  So, just the four of us enjoyed a nice meal.  

This is the beloved marinade packet recommended by my sister.  

This is our forecast for the week.  It looks like we will get some of tropical storm Alberto.  We will be in school until Thursday at 2:20 and I will still have to work Friday and Monday.  

Let me know your thoughts on swim cover ups!  Any suggestions for me?  I hope you had a great long weekend!

Amy 

Monday, May 28, 2018

Thank you to all of our service men and women!

I think most bloggers will wait until Tuesday to do a long weekend recap, but I thought I would go ahead and talk about the weekend thus far.

As you know, I’m a high school teacher.  Friday was an emotional day at school.  We have a tradition where the freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, as well as the teachers, line the hallways while the seniors proceed down giving out flowers and little gifts to their underclassmen friends and teachers.  They play music on the intercom and it’s just a nice send off.  I taught some of the seniors for three years – sophomore, junior, and this year.  We spent a lot of time together and got to know each other really well.  Also, we have gone through a lot together – personal triumphs and losses, national tragedies, and this year was especially emotional as we lost a student to suicide.  

Below is my desk with my gifts.  I was overwhelmed with emotion.  There were some special gifts and letters that I will treasure always.  I was in tears.  

I will miss these kids terribly but I’m so excited for them to spread their wings.  

A sweet, sweet girl that I taught for 3 years gave me this beautiful necklace and earring set.  It is metal and really unique.  

A group of 4 senior girls gave me these cool sandals from Target along with a cute dishtowel from Target.  The sandals are by Universal Thread and the dishtowel is by Opal House.  Those are my two favorite new Target brands.  They know me so well!

Friday along with all of the emotions, I had a bad allergy attack.  My sinuses hurt, my nose was running, and my left eye was leaky.  Sorry for the graphic description!  Allergy sufferers unite!

Saturday I woke up with my left eyelid puffy.  I didn’t wear contacts Friday because I knew I would cry so I did without contacts again on Saturday and Sunday.  It is much better now you will be happy to know.  I had to put sunglasses on over my glasses and it was not a good look.  I’m one step away from those clip on sunglass lens!

So,  I still didn’t feel that well but I managed to vacuum out my car.  (I can’t stand a messy car!)  Then, I went to the bank, Starbucks, the car wash, the library, and Target.  I ordered a cold brew cold foam Cascara blend or something like that.  It was o.k.  I think it has too many words for me to order it again!  It was super humid so I wanted something cold. 

I had no books on order at the library so I just did a hunt for books that looked good.  I’m still reading The Weekenders and it’s just dragging for me.  I’m not sure why.  Maybe it’s because I haven’t had a chunk of time to devote to reading it lately.  May is the new December, am I right?

After lunch and some time at home, I met a friend to get a pedicure and it was not a great experience.  They had hardly any selection of OPI polish and we had to wait in the chair with feet soaking for about 45 minutes before someone came to check on us again.  We spent almost 2 hours there.  It was a good thing we had each other to talk to, but I was impatient because I didn’t feel that well and I wanted to take a nap.  

I wanted to nap because I had plans to go to this concert!  It was still pretty hot, but the music was great and I bought a lobster roll from a lobster roll food truck.   I forgot to take a picture.  Actually, I forgot to take many pictures at all – oops! My hub got a philly cheese steak and my boys got quesadillas.  Our friends met us there and they ordered a few different things from the food trucks, too.  We stayed until 10 p.m. and closed it down!

This is the outfit I wore.  This is my light denim Old Navy mini skirt, my Target Universal Thread shirt (tired of seeing it I’m sure!), my TB sandals (consignment 4 years ago), and bright yellow earrings. 

Sunday I woke up feeling better.  I cut up a watermelon and marinated chicken for dinner.  I also boiled some chicken in broth to use for nachos. 

Hub went to paddleboard on the river and I met him when he was finished.  We boated for about 3 hours while our boys studied for final exams. This is a little area where boats hang out.  It was just the two of us but we listened to music and had a little picnic lunch.

After we got done boating, all four of us went to see the new Star Wars Han Solo movie.  I’m not a big fan but I have a rule that I go see almost all of the boys movies with them because it’s something we like to do as a family.  

Come back Tuesday for a “Tuesday Tip” and a brief recap of Monday’s activities!

Hope you have had a wonderful weekend so far!

Amy 

Friday, May 25, 2018

Here are a few of my favorites for this week!  I’m linking up with Andrea, etc.  and can’t wait to read yours, too!

#1) Long Weekends!  And, even better when it is a chance to celebrate our great country and the best combo of colors out there – red, white, and blue.

Looking for an easy “dish” to take to a picnic or a cookout?  I love to make these and I must give credit to my Aunt who first made these for us.

Buy square/waffle pretzels, rolos (unwrapped ones are great if you can find), regular M & Ms and pick out all of the red and blue (or see if you can find patriotic M & Ms in red, white and blue).  Heat oven to 350 and put as many waffle pretzels on cookie sheet as you can fit topped with a rolo.  Put in oven for 5 minutes.  Remove and gently squash the M & M on top of the rolo.  Put in fridge until solid – about an hour. 

I have done green for St. Patrick’s Day, blue for a favorite sports team,  pastel for Easter, red and green for Christmas.  

These are always a big hit!  I plan to make these this weekend!

#2)  I love my plastic stemless wineglasses from Target! I get excited about patio tablewear.  I have a problem and need to donate my least fave of the bunch.  This is my Villa Alena peach moscato with a few strawberries I added.  This was a sunny day after school.  I really believe in taking some time for yourself every day and not just on the weekends.  Even 30 minutes can do good for the soul.  Don’t worry, I only had one glass.

#3)  Starbuck’s cold teas.  This was the peach citrus.  I prefer the peach green tea, though, so I won’t be ordering this again.   While I was there I treated myself to a resuable Starbuck’s cup with straw to make my own iced coffee or tea at home.  

#4). All of the outdoor concerts that are happening starting now!

Saturday night is the first of the season at our favorite venue. They are FREE.  They are at a beautiful outdoor amphitheater with grass and stone steps and you can bring chairs and a cooler. I think there are 6 this summer.  We made it to almost all of them last summer.  They also have food trucks available.  Last year there was a German food truck, a crab cake sandwich food truck, a pizza food truck, among others.   I usually pack some appetizers and drinks and then we buy something from a food truck, too.  We have gone as a family, as a couple, and with friends.  I’m hoping this weekend we will have several who want to meet us.  Our boys really enjoyed the British invasion band last summer.  

#5)  My hub started playing on a work sand volleyball team on Thursday nights.  Last night I got to go watch and the weather was gorgeous.  

Have a wonderful weekend!

Amy 

Thursday, May 24, 2018

My friends always tell me I’m organized.  I think being organized can free up time to spend with family and friends and lessen the stress in your life.  Nothing I will tell you today is rocket science.  Some of you out there are more organized than I am, too!  I’ve always loved organization, list making, journal writing, etc.  Some people feel boxed in by too much structure.  But, I think we can all agree that we want to live our best life and be our best selves.  Sometimes all that takes is a little prep time on the front end of your month or week.  

First of all, I think it’s good to question everything you are doing in your life.  Do you need to do everything?  Is there a way to out source some of this if it truly is necessary?  What can your kids or husband do?  MOMS, DO NOT BE A MARTYR AND DO EVERYTHING. Is there anything that you absolutely hate doing that you could afford to pay for?  Examples would be a house cleaner, lawn mower, online grocery shopper, dry cleaner to press shirts, etc.  

Here is one example that has made me happier and made our mornings easier.  This year our school district started providing free lunch to every student, not just those with financial need.  I was buying brown paper lunch bags (no lunch boxes anymore for my boys when they hit high school), baggies, big boxes of individually wrapped chips at Costco and making sandwiches to put in the freezer on Sunday evening.  Obviously, high schoolers can do this themselves and they did sometimes, but I liked having everything ready.  I think in March my boys said they didn’t mind eating the school lunch and that some days they were supplementing their bag lunch and getting the school lunch, too! So, they stopped bringing a lunch. I’m sure you can find an example of this in your life, too.  

I work over 40 hours a week and one thing I try to do is to keep my work life and my home life separate.  I come in early and stay late most days instead of bringing work home.  When I’m ready to leave work each day, I leave a post it note list of what I need to do the next morning.  I also empty out my email inbox each day unless it’s something I need to save.  I hate email inbox clutter!  I do this with my personal account, too.

I love my iphone and keep lists on it for all types of things – take out ideas, movies I want to see, things we need from Costco, birthday days, etc., but I use a paper calendar to stay organized.  When a new month is coming up, I look at the entire month and see what birthdays and holidays we are celebrating, and any other special things that month.  I start thinking of gift ideas, place orders, go to Dollar Tree for cards one Saturday when I can.  On Sundays, I look at the week ahead and meal plan and see what will be happening that week.

I try to keep the weekdays pretty free except for school.  We don’t plan much during the week because it’s just too hectic.  My boys have activities right after school and don’t have many evening activities right now.  Each night, I make a list for the next day.  I will write down the silliest little things because I truly don’t remember it if it’s not written down.

When I am going to an event I always plan to leave extra time.  If I’ve never been to a venue, I will mapquest it and see how long it takes to get there and add about 10 minutes.  I hate to be late and I am rarely late because I allow enough time.  I also try not to run errands at rush hour and just plan for easier times to do things if that makes sense.  I hate wasting time in traffic and I’m glad that is not part of my daily routine.  I try to combine errands and go places when I know I will be in a certain part of town.  

One of my sisters is super organized – maybe more so than me – and the other is still a work in progress.  I am trying to get her to get a paper agenda and to get up 15 minutes earlier in the morning.  I think this will make a big difference for her.  She needs more routine and needs to make things automatic.  She claims that no two days are the same and I say even more reason to be organized.

What are your best tips on staying organized?   Leave me a comment because I’m sure I can improve!  

Amy