1. Revive your mornings: Getting up at the same time every day and repeating the same tasks can feel monotonous. Try changing up your wake up routines to help give you a new lease on life.
* Give yourself enough time to fit in a workout or eat a full breakfast at least a few mornings a week.
* The next time you wake up feeling out of sorts, say ‘no’ to the sweats and mix things up with a dressy outfit. You’ll likely feel great about how you look and get your day off to a better start.
* If you always do certain household tasks in the morning like folding laundry or emptying the dishwasher, try changing up the time of day or give yourself a morning off now and then.
* If you tend to start the day with a cup of coffee, try adding tea into the mix. Coffee is great when you need an instant jolt of caffeine to get you going, and tea has an almost “extended-release” effect, giving you an even dose of caffeine throughout your morning.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Home-Made Simple
Imagine being able to walk through your family room without tripping over toys. Or having a place to put shoes so the morning rush out the door runs a little more smoothly. Sound like an impossible dream? It's not. Baskets are great ways to keep essentials handy without having them underfoot, and they still look nice and organized. Here are some room-by-room ideas for using baskets to help organize your life.
The Entryway/Foyer/Mudroom
No matter what you call it, or even if you don't have a name for where you walk in the door, you know too many things end up on the floor. Use baskets to:
* Collect shoes. You'll also collect dirt, and everyone in the family will be able to find their shoes in the morning rush. Remember this when you have tripped over little (or big) shoes one too many times.
* Collect mittens and scarves in the cold weather and umbrellas in the warmer weather.
The Bathroom
Use baskets in the bathroom to keep the place neater—and save you the embarrassment of running out of toilet tissue.
The Bathroom
* Roll guest or hand towels in the bathroom and put them in a basket. Even kids can roll a towel. It will keep the bathroom neater for guests too.
* A small basket on the back of the toilet tank is a great place to keep an extra roll or two of toilet tissue. A quick glance and you'll never be surprised to find the tissue is empty. This is also a great chore for a little helper.
* Arrange reading material. Someone always seems to leave a magazine or ten in the bathroom, and a basket will keep it looking neat.
The Kitchen
Our kitchen counters seem to be magnets for everything. Baskets are a great way to keep essentials neat and make healthy snacks immediately available and appealing.The Kitchen
* Use baskets to neatly arrange fruit or other healthy snacks on the kitchen counter or table. It will look great and keep healthy snacks a focal point.
* Use baskets for bread, snacks, mail, homework papers—just look at what usually ends up on your counter to see what might be a good candidate.
Family Room
* If you have kids, you probably have toys. Especially with younger kids, you want the toys to be accessible, and you also want to reinforce the little ones' ability to start picking up after themselves. Baskets are a great way to make all of these things happen.
* Liven up a room with plants in baskets. This will make your potted plants look neater too.
* Use a large basket to hold blankets. Family RoomThey're perfect for snuggling on the couch, but you can't expect little ones to fold something that's bigger than they are. Putting them in a basket keeps them where they belong and neat.
* If, like in most households, a new week brings a new remote, then designate a small basket just for the remotes. Anyone caught not putting them back where they belong has to listen to the story about "way back when, before we had remote controls and had to get up to change the channel..."
* Magazines and newspapers can threaten to take over a room, but a basket (recycled weekly) is a good way to keep them accessible without feeling like every living space or tabletop is buried.
* FlowersYou name it. Use baskets to make seasonal accents. For spring and summer, potted bulbs and flowers are often on sale and add so much to the room. Use a basket to cover up the inexpensive plastic pots and group a few containers together for a delightful room pick-me-up.
The Entryway/Foyer/Mudroom
No matter what you call it, or even if you don't have a name for where you walk in the door, you know too many things end up on the floor. Use baskets to:
* Collect shoes. You'll also collect dirt, and everyone in the family will be able to find their shoes in the morning rush. Remember this when you have tripped over little (or big) shoes one too many times.
* Collect mittens and scarves in the cold weather and umbrellas in the warmer weather.
The Bathroom
Use baskets in the bathroom to keep the place neater—and save you the embarrassment of running out of toilet tissue.
The Bathroom
* Roll guest or hand towels in the bathroom and put them in a basket. Even kids can roll a towel. It will keep the bathroom neater for guests too.
* A small basket on the back of the toilet tank is a great place to keep an extra roll or two of toilet tissue. A quick glance and you'll never be surprised to find the tissue is empty. This is also a great chore for a little helper.
* Arrange reading material. Someone always seems to leave a magazine or ten in the bathroom, and a basket will keep it looking neat.
The Kitchen
Our kitchen counters seem to be magnets for everything. Baskets are a great way to keep essentials neat and make healthy snacks immediately available and appealing.The Kitchen
* Use baskets to neatly arrange fruit or other healthy snacks on the kitchen counter or table. It will look great and keep healthy snacks a focal point.
* Use baskets for bread, snacks, mail, homework papers—just look at what usually ends up on your counter to see what might be a good candidate.
Family Room
* If you have kids, you probably have toys. Especially with younger kids, you want the toys to be accessible, and you also want to reinforce the little ones' ability to start picking up after themselves. Baskets are a great way to make all of these things happen.
* Liven up a room with plants in baskets. This will make your potted plants look neater too.
* Use a large basket to hold blankets. Family RoomThey're perfect for snuggling on the couch, but you can't expect little ones to fold something that's bigger than they are. Putting them in a basket keeps them where they belong and neat.
* If, like in most households, a new week brings a new remote, then designate a small basket just for the remotes. Anyone caught not putting them back where they belong has to listen to the story about "way back when, before we had remote controls and had to get up to change the channel..."
* Magazines and newspapers can threaten to take over a room, but a basket (recycled weekly) is a good way to keep them accessible without feeling like every living space or tabletop is buried.
* FlowersYou name it. Use baskets to make seasonal accents. For spring and summer, potted bulbs and flowers are often on sale and add so much to the room. Use a basket to cover up the inexpensive plastic pots and group a few containers together for a delightful room pick-me-up.
Home-Made Simple
Your child's bedroom. With limited space, a child's room is even more likely to need creative storage solutions. Try these suggestions for added storage in unexpected places:
13. Consider a captain's bed, with drawers in the wood cabinetry beneath the mattress, for additional storage.
Your child's bedroom14. Sort toys by category (action figures, doll clothes, and so on) and place them in plastic stackable storage bins on the closet floor. This will give those little hands easy access. Because children usually don't have much need for hanging clothes, use an old dresser, a bookcase, or stacked plastic crates in the closet for additional storage.
15. Think vertically and hang anything you can throughout the room. Hang lower shelves to stow frequently used books, toys, stuffed animals, and games. Install higher shelves for your child's display items and pictures. Put an inexpensive closet organizer over the door to store colouring books, crayons, stuffed animals, and other small items.
16. For storage solutions that are smart and festive, think beyond traditional home décor. If your kids participate in sports, try to acquire old lockers from a local school, then repaint them in your child’s favourite colours as a one-of-a-kind closet. With plenty of hooks and shelves, they’re perfect for keeping all of your child’s clutter in place.
13. Consider a captain's bed, with drawers in the wood cabinetry beneath the mattress, for additional storage.
Your child's bedroom14. Sort toys by category (action figures, doll clothes, and so on) and place them in plastic stackable storage bins on the closet floor. This will give those little hands easy access. Because children usually don't have much need for hanging clothes, use an old dresser, a bookcase, or stacked plastic crates in the closet for additional storage.
15. Think vertically and hang anything you can throughout the room. Hang lower shelves to stow frequently used books, toys, stuffed animals, and games. Install higher shelves for your child's display items and pictures. Put an inexpensive closet organizer over the door to store colouring books, crayons, stuffed animals, and other small items.
16. For storage solutions that are smart and festive, think beyond traditional home décor. If your kids participate in sports, try to acquire old lockers from a local school, then repaint them in your child’s favourite colours as a one-of-a-kind closet. With plenty of hooks and shelves, they’re perfect for keeping all of your child’s clutter in place.
Home-Made Simple
Trays: They’re not just for serving! Collect and contain items all over your home with trays of all shapes and sizes. Organize loose items on a coffee table such as remotes, magazines or catalogs and keep small items like keys and change together in an entryway or on a bedside table. You can even use a large four-sided tray for collecting wet shoes or rain boots by the door or in a mudroom.
Home-Made Simple
Paint or Coffee Can Cubbies: Unused silver paint cans are easy to find at home improvement stores for a small cost or you can easily clean out used coffee cans with Dawn® dish liquid. Recover or paint your cans for a brand new look and add decorative labels or chalkboard paint so you always know what’s inside.
* What can it hold? Turn your cans on their sides and use them as holders for mail, catalogs and paperwork. They also make great organizers for craft supplies.
* Where can it go? Some desks have built in shelving that offer the perfect place for your cubbies or just install simple shelving over your workspace.
Home-Made Simple
Pocket Shoe Organizers: Not just for shoes, these handy, over-the-door organizers are perfect for more than just the bedroom closet.
* What can it hold? Try stashing plastic shopping bags, garbage bags, oven mitts or potholders—each in its own pocket! It also makes a convenient holder for toilet paper rolls, hand towels and washcloths.
* Where can it go? The pantry door is a perfect spot to keep all kinds of useful items at your fingertips. You can also put it to use organizing items in a bathroom linen closet or over the bathroom door.
* What can it hold? Try stashing plastic shopping bags, garbage bags, oven mitts or potholders—each in its own pocket! It also makes a convenient holder for toilet paper rolls, hand towels and washcloths.
* Where can it go? The pantry door is a perfect spot to keep all kinds of useful items at your fingertips. You can also put it to use organizing items in a bathroom linen closet or over the bathroom door.
Home-Made Simple
Suitcases: If you don’t travel on a regular basis, don’t let all that empty space inside your suitcases go to waste! They’re perfect for storing out-of-season clothes, shoes and accessories and can often fit easily at the bottom of a closet or under the bed. If you have some nice, old leather cases you can use them as storage out in the open at the end of the bed or as a side table. They could even become a stylish way to store a collection of books or magazines.
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