Back To School Organizing Part 1: Wardrobe Wrangling

Since my kids head back to school this week on Wednesday & Thursday, I thought I would write a little series on my take on organizing for back to school in your home.
So please...come organize with me! It won't be too painful...I promise!

I am so excited to share with you these topics as I work through BACK TO SCHOOL ORGANIZING this week:

Monday-Wardrobe Wrangling

Tuesday-Sorting Out School Supplies & Study Spaces

Wednesday-5 Easy Steps To Packing School Lunches

Thursday-Creating A School Launching & Landing Pad

Friday-Tackling Backpack Mayhem

Back-to School Organizing for me always starts with my kids' wardrobes. A thorough cleaning out of the wardrobe is completed before we even buy anything new.

This gives me a clear pictures of what each child needs and saves us money as we resist impulse buys by staying focused on needs vs. wants.

Here's how we start:

The kids' and I go through each item and decide if it's a toss or keep.

And here is my advice on this task....BE RUTHLESS!

If it's stained, too small, ripped, or your child doesn't love it...get rid of it!

Free up valuable space in their drawers & closet.
During the summer, I was asked to look at 7 bedrooms for friends & family. And the 1 thing that I noticed...space is never the issue. Too*Much*Stuff is always the issue!

So here's what we did for my 10 yr. old's wardrobe today:

Today Tyler & I worked together to clean out his drawers.

{And no, he wasn't thrilled about this task, but I insisted}

At the end of the day, we have all his favourite shirts:

This tells me that we don't need to buy him any shirts for back to school.

He has more shirts than Italy has pizza!

Next we tackled his pants drawer:

After we visited this drawer, I realized that this monkey has only 2 prs. of jeans that fit.

Obviously, he and I are going to be doing some shopping for 2-3 prs. of jeans in the next week or two.

He has 4 prs. of shorts he can wear to school in the next week as the days are still like summer.

And here's the pile that I took to Goodwill today:

Shorts & jeans & shirts that are too small. A few items he just doesn't like anymore.

I also took a pile to Goodwill last week.

Here's what we did for my 15 yr. old daughter today:

Well. Actually....SHE did this herself:

{I am a proud Mama!}

She sorted & purged herself.

Her clothes are perfectly organized with all her favourite things hung or folded & organized.

And I must say her room has a serious ZEN-like feel happening right now!

She has done such a great job with keeping only those things she likes/uses.

She has things just the way SHE likes them.

Obviously, watching me over the last 15 yrs....she has learned a thing or two.

She got rid of a huge bag of clothes, which we gave to family friends who have 3 girls.

I think that she is even more ruthless than me when it comes to purging.

So there you have it....take an hour or two and get that wardrobe wrangled into shape!

Your Back To School Budget will thank you!

If you would like to read another excellent post on 'wardrobe wrangling', please go visit my friend Laura at "I'm An Organizing Junkie" and read a post she wrote called, "11 Excellent Reasons To Get Rid Of Your Clothes".   It really inspired me!

Join me here tomorrow as I tackle schools supplies & study spaces!

I will have some eye candy for you!

This post is linked to these great parties:

Sundae Scoop @ I Heart Naptime

Family Rules....

When I was browsing in Homesense looking for things for Tyler's new bedroom plan, I unfortunately walked by this subway art canvas.

I tried to ignore it. I really did.

{Must. Stay. Out. Of. Homesense.}

But a strange magnetic force pulled me back.

Then I made a mistake..and read it.

 And it came home with me.

I don't have a ton of wall space left to hang things.

It found it's new home on the pantry door in the kitchen.

For now.

Have You Tried 'Maritime Brown Bread'? It's Heaven On Earth.

I would have to say without question that the favourite bread of Maritimers is brown bread.

Made with molasses and rolled oats... it has a slightly sweet taste.

It has been traditionally served with baked beans for a Saturday night or Sunday supper.

My Grandmother Ada, who was born in 1915, remembers her mother soaking beans and making brown bread on Saturday night so that Sunday could be a day of rest.

And when I was a child, the call of fresh brown bread from the oven would cause a stampede to the kitchen by my brother & I. And my father would always have a slice with butter with his supper at the end of the work day.

It also makes the best toast on planet earth.

When I met an old high school friend for a beer this summer in Nova Scotia, he told me that takes brown bread from Nova Scotia back to Alberta{his home for the last 20+ years} with him when he visits in the summer.

And another old high school friend told me that she takes this bread back to Texas with her too.

For Maritimers, brown bread is a part of us...a comfort food and a taste that we long for, no matter what part of the world we live in.

The hallmark of this bread is a texture with large holes which provides its tenderness and wonderful mouth feel.

And you must have it with salted butter. That's just the rule!

***

The recipe I most often use for brown bread is a recipe for the breadmaker.

I like that it takes 5 minutes to dump in the ingredients, and then I walk away until the loaf is done a few hours later.

The downside of the breakmaker recipes is that it only makes one loaf.

And my kids have been know to fight over the slices and who has eaten how many!

Put ingredients in the order listed in the breakmaker:

1.5 cups water, 1 tablespoon less if rainy day

3/4 cup rolled oats

1/3 cup molasses {Crosby's Fancy Molasses}

2 Tablespoons shortening

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cupes flour

2 teaspoons yeast

I set my breakmaker on the wholewheat setting which takes 4 hours and 10 minutes.
Do not be discouraged if the bread doesn't turn out on the first try.
Try changing the bread setting or check the yeast.
I have had 'fails' before and I keep trying!

I am learning more and more of facebook friends who are reading my blog.

This really surprises me!

I want to say thank you so much to all of you!
Thank you from the bottom to the top of my heart!

I am humbled, and flattered beyond measure.

I often question why I blog. Some days I am not sure.

It has become a creative outlet for me as it combines so many things that I love...but most of all sharing.

I love sharing ideas, recipes, photos, crafts and projects.

And I find that the blogging world has helped to inspire me in so many ways.

I try new recipes.

I take on new projects.

For me, it adds to the fun of creating a house & home for my family!

This post is linked to these terrific parties:

A Beautiful Sewing Studio...

I had the wonderful pleasure of helping to put together this wonderful sewing studio for a very good friend of mine.

She is a very busy mom of 4 children who works full-time and also takes on a full slate of volunteer commitments.

She is truly an amazing mother, wife & friend...always with a smile to greet you.

This sewing studio initally started out with a hodge podge of furniture with the sewing tables being 2 foldable banquet tables....like the kind you buy at Costco.

But a flood in the basement of the home required the room to have new flooring,paint & furniture.

My friend showed me the room when it looked like this....just a coat of pretty blue on the walls.

She asked for some help for this room.

As soon as I saw this room, my mind immediately recalled the beautiful blue studio of Donna Downey as shown below.

This became our "Inspiration Picture" for the room.

And here is the "After".

It is so much better than 2 folding banquet tables!

It is a space that is happy and bright.

A wonderful space for this Mom to relax and quilt and craft to her heart's content.

The trusty Pfaff sewing machine has it's own space with a clipboard above for hanging quilting patterns.

A comfortable chair  and a great light complete the sewing area.

A cheerful collection of artwork & vases with flowers add just the right amount of happy.

A little tea corner for a break from sewing sits here.

A ladder for displaying quilts makes this area interesting & fun.

And the workhouse for storage in this room is an IKEA expidite piece.

It holds books and fabric for future projects.

The IKEA island acts as a cutting surface for quilting projects.

Previously, Mom had been going upstairs to the kitchen to do cutting, but it was my suggestion to add this island to the room so she didn't have to trod upstairs anymore.

Isn't this a beautiful room?

I am so happy that my friend has this little haven for herself.

I think as busy Moms... we all need a happy space for ourselves.

This post is linked to these great parties:

Food Rut: Getting Back to Menu Plan Monday...

I am in a bit of a food rut.
Remember that old Dunkin' Donuts commercial.. "Time to make the donuts".
That's me right now..."Time to make supper." {sigh} {double sigh}

Everyday I honestly don't know what to cook for my family.

That's not good!

I think I am still on post-vacation hangover....I was away for 5 weeks staying with my parents and my Mom did all the meal planning.

She is so awesome like that....so good at taking care of other people!

In an attempt to get my mo-jo back, I am going to try new recipes this week.

I am not going to check the freezer to see what I have. {Gasp}

I am going to simply pick 5 'Lookin Good' recipes and go from there.

Anyone else in a food rut?

Monday

Pork & Green Bean Stir-Fry from Martha Stewart.

Tuesday

Cheese Tortellini Soup from Edie at Life in Grace & Crusty Bread

Wednesday

Tangy Potato Salad with Ham & Coleslaw

Thursday

 Cobb Salad & Fresh Baguette

Friday

 Grilled New England Seafood Bake from Martha Stewart
{except I will use sausage, shrimp, potato & corn on the cob}

Saturday

Grilled Steak & Vegetable Salad from Martha Stewart

And tomorrow I will be visiting one of my favorite blogs, "I'm An Organizing Junkie" to see all the links

for Menu Plan Monday for more inspiration!