Gearing up for back to school? While you’re busy browsing all your local office supply stores for the best deals on pencils and notebooks, don’t forget one of the most important parts of the school day–lunch!
The Container Store and Whole Foods have teamed up to bring you this video, entitled ‘Creating and Packing Healthy and Delicious School Lunches’. Check it out for some great packed lunch ideas.
If you or anyone you know is a teacher looking to get organized for the new school year, you’re in luck! The Container Store is offering a 15% discount card that can be used in store or online for any purchases made before the end of the year. All you have to do is present the discount card and a valid school ID or teaching certificate.
Sign up for the teacher discount card here at the Container Store website.
Can you believe we are just a few days away from September? This year has gone by so fast. I was meeting with a client the other day who expressed a similar feeling. She told me that at the beginning of the year she had made a resolution to get organized. When she realized it was August she told herself “I am not going to get to January and still not be organized”. That’s when she called me.
Was organizing on your resolution list this year? Did you reach your goal? If you have not fully committed to organizing like you intended to the good news is there is still time. There are still four months left in this year which is plenty of time to tackle an organizing project or two. You can start the New Year off on the right foot. Here are three things you can do to get your project going.
1. Choose one area to concentrate on. Even if you want your entire house or office organized, the reality is that you can’t do it all at one time. Choose one area or space to concentrate on. During your project you may have to walk to another room to put something away, but don’t get distracted and start working in that space. That is a sure fire recipe for disappointment.
2. Time and project size. Before you start a project try to estimate how many hours it might take, and then increase it by at least a quarter. When you schedule time to work on the project consider how many hours you have available verses how many hours you think the project might take. This may seem elementary, but it’s better to begin the project with an idea of how far along you will get rather than thinking you will finish it and then being disappointed when you run out of time.
When estimating how long a project will take, take these two things into account: first consider how large the space is. Is it a small linen closet which can take an hour or two or an entire kitchen which can take 7 hours or more depending on the size. The second thing to consider is how much stuff is in the space. Using the closet example, is the pantry overflowing? Are the counters covered with piles of dishes, mail, or random stuff? Again, this will all effect how long the project will take.
3. Stay focused. Set a timer to keep you focused and working. It will give you a goal. You can even try to “beat the clock” if you are motivated by racing. Don’t read old letters or magazines as they will only slow you down. When your space is organized you will be able to find the letters or you can set them aside to read later when you are not “working” on your space. Don’t take phone calls or check e-mail. If you have children, consider scheduling a play date for the kid so you can keep focus and utilize the entire time you have set aside.
Again, there is still time to get your space organized this year, it just takes a little focus and discipline, or you can call the POSH Space team and we will be happy to help you.
Was organization one of your New Year’s resolutions this year? If so, did you get organized or not?
I challenge you to get one space organized between now and December 31st? Who’s in?
Angela
Copyright (C) 2010 Angela Ploetz, POSH Space www.theposhspace.com.
Although school is back in session for many students. I was recently interviewed by KXAN News, Austin’s NBC affiliate, offering tips for what parents could do the night before school starts to make it a stress free morning. Click here is the link to the article and the video in case you missed it.
Also, the fabulous POSH Space team is working on getting POSH Space on You Tube. More to come on that soon! One last thing, did you know you can find us on Facebook? Visit http://www.facebook.com/poshspace and “like” us. We will have discussions on organizing, home/work life balance, kids, paper, and more ways to help make your life a little bit easier. We would love to hear from you!
Have a fantastic day!
Angela
Copyright (C) 2010 Angela Ploetz, POSH Space www.theposhspace.com.
The excitement is building, it’s almost here! The first day of school! Here are a few things you can do to get ready the night before school starts.
1. Clothes. Have your child’s clothes laid out the night before school. This will avoid decision making in the morning.
2. Lunch. If you are packing a lunch for your child or children get as much done the night before. Have the lunchbox on the counter and the water bottle or thermos filled up and in the refrigerator. As for food, have your containers or ziptop baggies on the counter too. Any non-perishable items can be packed in the lunch box the night before including granola bars, fruit snacks, raisins, chips, even a spoon if you will be packing a yogurt in the morning.
3. Backpack. Have your student’s backpack ready to go with any school supplies you still need to bring and any forms you need to return to the teacher. Place the backpack near the door and use this location throughout the school year. Start the habit now so your child learns to put his or her backpack in the same place. Start working on the habit of getting everything in the backpack the night before school so homework and forms are always in the backpack before bedtime.
Don’t forget to talk to your children about how they will be getting home on the first day of school as mentioned in Part 5 of this series called Know Your Times. You may also want to read Part 1 of the Back to School Success Series, Clothes and Part 4 of the series Lunch to get more tips you can use as you prepare this evening.
Don’t forget to catch Angela on KXAN, Austin’s NBC affiliate tonight at 10 p.m. with a sampling of back to school tips! Here’s the link to the article on KXAN’s site.
Have a great first day!
Angela
Copyright (C) 2010 Angela Ploetz, POSH Space www.theposhspace.com.
Take some time today or over the weekend to relax and enjoy the last bit of summer with your children.
We all know that time goes by so fast, so take the kids out to eat at your favorite restaurant or go to a nearby water park or theme park. In Texas, this weekend is “tax free” shopping weekend, which means all the malls and retail shops are extremely busy. But if you’re savvy you can use that to your advantage. I had some friends who went to Sea World a few years back on the tax free weekend and they said it was great because there were so few people there.
Find a way to stop thinking about back to school and spend it doing something fun and special with your kids.
Enjoy the last few days of summer!
Angela
Copyright (C) 2010 Angela Ploetz, POSH Space www.theposhspace.com.
