“I'm single…… and have a 3 three old son who in impossible to keep up with (his messes at least!!)...what can I do to get more organized?”
You have certainly come to the right place! Here are some suggestions to help you create a cleaner, more organized home for you and your son.
Organize contents
Purge items that you no longer need or use, such as:
Clothing that no longer fits- keep an empty box in his closet and as soon as you realize something no longer fits, toss it in! When the box is full, donate it or pass it on to a friend! At the end of each season, do the same!
Toys that your son has outgrown- we as parents hate to see our kids outgrow the baby toys because then we must admit we too are growing older! It also makes us feel better to see tons of toys surrounding our kids because we need to feel like we are giving them everything! The truth be told, most kids only play with a few favorites while the rest just clutter up their bedrooms or playroom collecting dust! Pay attention over the course of a week or two to what your son is playing with, and slowly pack up the toys he overlooks. Less stuff means less to clean or organize, so donate the extras to a local homeless shelter or other charity. You can usually get a tax deduction too!
File or shred accumulated paper/ documents- most homes have stacks and stacks of paper in various locations! Gather them all up into one big pile and start sorting. The only things that you really need to keep a hardcopy of are tax related documents, important documents such as birth certificates, titles or deeds, and perhaps “to-dos” such as forms to complete and return, bills to be paid, etc. Everything else should be shredded! With your supervision, your son could help with the latter and may actually find it quite fun!
Finding a “permanent” place for everything in your home- putting things away and out of sight actually brings less stress into your environment, and knowing where to find things when you need them can save a lot of time and energy better spent on your son!
Create workable systems for both you and your son to maintain organization.
Yes! A 3-year old can be taught organizational skills!
Include Picture Labels to help guide him as to where things belong. You can cut them from catalogs and magazines or print them from a computer.
Make picture mini-schedule charts for morning and evening routines, including clean-up, which work well with small daily rewards such as Bedtime Stories (or an extra if you already do this) or weekly rewards depending on you and your child.
Identify hindering habits and develop routines to create helpful habits.
Simple steps like using a self-cleaning tub spray after showering or pre-moistened anti-bacterial wipes on the sink or toilet take less than a minute per day, but save the hour to hour one would normally have to spend scrubbing weekly accumulations of bathroom type “dirt”.
Need a kick start? We can do all or some of it for you! Just let us know how we can help?
“We are having a party. The only alcohol we are serving is beer and wine, but we have no idea how much to buy. What do you suggest?”
Such a dilemma. You don’t want to buy too much and be stuck with cases of wine and beer that you won’t use, nor do you want to run out. The best way to figure out the amount to purchase is to start by considering your guest list. Are they light, average or heavy drinkers? If you don’t know, stick in the middle. Light drinkers will average about 1/2 a drink per hour, with average drinkers at 1 1/4 per hour and heavy drinkers averaging 2.5. A cocktail party with light hors d’ourves expected to last under three hours will typically increase drinking by drink per guest. When you are uncertain about the drinking preferences of your guests, your best bet is to split the total number of drinks per the above calculation in half and buy the wine and beer accordingly. One can or bottle of beer is equal to one drink, while your typical 750ml bottle of wine will yield 5 glasses. Depending on the time of year and type of food you are serving, you may want to offer a choice in wines as well.
For example: Dinner party expected duration 7:00-12:00pm
Winter- Menu, Filet Mignon w/ herb roasted potato
30 Guests- Average Drinkers of unknown preference
30 guests(5 hours x 1.25 drink per hour)=188 drinks
188 drinks/2 types of drink= roughly 94 beers and 94 glasses of wine
I would recommend eight 12-packs of beer and a case and a half of wine. (It is usually less expensive to buy wine by the case or case) I would suggest a full case of red and a half case of white.
Be sure to always have plenty of soft drinks and bottled water to offer those who choose not to drink. A punch makes a nice alternative as well.
“My daughter is turning 14. She is really too old for the usual birthday party, and we are not open to hosting a boy/girl house party or large sweet 16 type bash. Any suggestions?”
Absolutely! The pre-teen to young teenage years can be the hardest time to plan a birthday celebration that both daughter and parents will agree on! She wants to be treated like the adult she thinks she has become, and you want to treat her like the kid you know she still is! Try to meet her somewhere in the middle. Here are a few suggestions to help you get started. Depending on your budget, her interests and the time of year, if you sit down and brainstorm a few ideas, you are bound to find a memorable way to celebrate that you both can agree on!
Spa Party: Everyone is instructed to bring a robe and slippers. Decorate with scented candles, an electric waterfall, lots of pillows and throws. Put on some soothing music by Andreas Vollenweider or Steven Halpern. You can borrow a cd from your local library to save a few bucks! Pick up a foot bath or hire a (female) masseuse, if your budget allows, to do mini-massages! Set up several areas for different treatments such as manicures, pedicures, facials and leave-in hair conditioners. Serve light finger foods such as tea sandwiches, crudits and fresh fruit. Offer spa water with slices of lemon, lime or peaches. Make a light punch by mixing lemon-lime soda with a peach blend juice! Finish off the night with hot chocolate, chocolate truffles or bon-bons. A good chick-flick can keep the girls calm and entertained late into the night, or they can lay around by candle light telling romance stories or asking questions you can pre-compose, such as “if you were stranded on a desert island who would you want to be stranded with?” or “when was the last time you cried and why?” Pack-up party favors in make-up bags like small bottles of lotion, nail files, polish and a candle! A fantastic theme for the young woman!
Make-over Party: Have everyone bring their best outfit, but instruct them to dress down to the party wearing a t-shirt they won’t mind potentially getting make-up on and flip flops! Decorate with brightly colored scarves, mirrors, powder puffs and feather boas to create a starlet dressing room feel. Provide costume jewelry, opera gloves and other accessories as well as an assortment of magazines to help inspire their transitions! Put on a mix of fun party music that the girls can dance around to, or even their favorite radio station (and encourage them to call it up). Set up a place for mani/pedicures with vibrant colors and stick-on jewels. The make-up station should have lots of applicators and separate black eyeliners for each. Be sure to instruct the girls on proper application for sanitary reasons, or hire a make-up artist for the party. The same can be done for hairstyling! If you would rather have a do-it-yourself party, buy each girl her own brush and write her name on it before the party begins. The “goody-bag”, which can include the brush, black eyeliner, make-up applicators, etc. can be handed out as the girls arrive. Be sure to have lots of bobby pins, elastics, gel, hairspray, a curling iron and straightener on hand to help them do their dos! After everyone is made over, break out the digital camera for a modeling session. Let each girl pick out the picture she likes best and send it to her with a Thank you note. Serve a cheese fondue with bread, veggies and meats for dipping. Fun foods like bite sized quesadillas, chicken nuggets and baked fries are easy to eat and won’t mess up the make-up! Mocktails like virgin cosmopolitans, margaritas or Shirley Temples will give you a festive, fun atmosphere. After the pictures are taken, pass around the pre-moistened facial cleansers and have everyone change into their jammies. Put out a chocolate fondue with fruits, shortbread cookies and poundcake and pop in a favorite movie like Mean Girls, John Tucker Must Die or A Cinderella Story. Late into the night the girls can have a truth session with pre-prepared questions like: “What was your most embarrassing moment?”, “If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be?”, “When was your first kiss and who was it with?” Sorry to break it to you parents- this is 2007- at 14 she most certainly has been kissed!
Limo Party: At this age, there is not much cooler than a ride in a limo, especially if you can show it off in front of your classmates! Have your daughter invite a few of her closest friends and plan for the limo to pick them up at school right at dismissal on a Friday afternoon. Be sure that her guests’ parents write a permission slip to the school if they normally ride the bus. Nothing gets more attention and admiration from kids than a flashy limo! Let them ride around for a few hours to their favorite hot spots, like the local mall, basketball courts or other popular hang-outs and treat them all to dinner at their favorite fast-food joint. There is nothing more exciting than Taco Bell or McDonald’s in a limo! Be sure they have their favorite music for the ride! Stock it up with candy and soda to keep the sugar running high and they won’t need anything else to keep them entertained!
Special Interests: If your daughter has a special interest in something, embrace it! Perhaps you can treat her and her best friend to a concert. Maybe you can bring a group of her friends rock climbing or camping. If she insists on having boys and girls to her party, set-up a boys vs. girls basketball game at the local park and pack a picnic lunch to avoid a nighttime make-out session in your living room. Talk to her about what you are and are not comfortable with and help her find a creative way to celebrate with her friends.
Still stuck? Our event planning department will come up with something you both will love!