Oh, sure, YOU may be ready for some barbeque, long Saturdays by the pool, and the never ending glare of the sun: but how about your house? When it’s time for that first trip to the beach, how fast can you dig out your buckets, water shoes, and shovels?
In my household, summer means three kids, ranging in age from four to thirteen, going to three different camps yet still seemingly occupying much more face time than they did during the school year- and a husband that’s playing the endless parade of music festivals here and abroad. Here are my best tips for keeping on top of the chaos, and looking as cool as a mint julep. (You, not me. I get it done, but don’t look cool. I’m OK with that.)
1. Have a home base for gear: We use a 4x4 Ikea Expedit in the entryway, equipped with bins for everyone’s stuff and labeled meticulously. (More on that later.)
2. Whoops! It's later! Use as many bins as necessary to tame your life: Color/pattern code them by kid, if possible. I’m a huge fan of Scout by Bungalow, (see incredibly cute Main Photo above) and seriously own over 40, from the dainty Couldah Bin to the ginormous Junque Trunque, which we use for toys and out of season gear. I keep one in the back of my minivan, as well, for bringing in all the groceries in one fell swoop.
3. Label, Label, Label- I can’t stress this enough. It’s almost as important as No Wire Hangers. Order must be understood and replicated by babysitters, husbands, grandmoms, and the UPS man if he wanders in to drop something off. If he sees a bin that says “Mom’s Shoes”- well, he’ll know where to put that Zappo’s box, won’t he, Missy? I use Mabel’s Labels for every kid and every bin- makes summer camp so much easier.
4. Gather your gear in spurts- make a list of what you and the kids will need new this summer. Who outgrew their watershoes? Whose summer pants are just FALLING off after that long winter? (Hey, a girl can dream.) Keep a master list of who needs what, and what errands need to be done, and do them one or two a week. This prevents a HUGE all at once stocking up cost, but can be added as a line item budget for May, June, and July- “Summer Prep.”
5. Spend twenty minutes a day going through your closet, and the kids- if it’s too little, ditch it. (Keep one or two super-special things if you must- I have a wee sailor suit or two tucked away.:) But other than that, no sentimentality- take it to the consignment shop or Goodwill. I keep two bins handy while doing this: “Outgrown”, and “Will Fit in Fall”. I put the “Will Fit In Fall” bin in the top of the kid’s closet in June, and in September, the clothes switch is easy peasy.
6. Have your air conditioning unit serviced, if you have one. Had I heeded my own advice, I would have paid $248 to get the Freon topped off, with our service plan. Because I did not, we had a service and parts total of close to $800. Need I say more?
7. Keep a shared calendar on the fridge, and/or on 30boxes.com. What with all the swim lessons and longer daytime hours, there’s just more to keep track of.
8. Menu Plan!!! It’s cool if it’s just hot dogs/BBQ Chicken/ and Watermelon rotating all summer, just keep a running list of who’s eating what when- it takes one of the biggest daily stressors on a Mum off, and makes it much easier to order delivery groceries through a service like Peapod.com (Sorry, Hubs, but no way am I taking all three kids shopping AND hauling in groceries in 90+heat- It’s worth $5.95 to me!)
9. Ask your husband and kids what they want to do this summer, and plan accordingly- it’s all too easy for three months to go by in a blur of rush rush, but set priorities for this rare increased time together. What rituals can you create? What matters to them? What matters to you? Find out. And ENJOY!
If you have tips for the warmer months I’m all ears!
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