Are You Ready for the Summer?

Many of our readers have kids, as do I, and we're about to have a big shift once again from school time to summertime. Are you ready for it? Here are some things to think about:

Getting Away from It All:

• Have you asked off time from work?
• Do you have travel arrangements made for flights and lodging?
• Do you have your passport if needed? (See previous post: Do You Know Where Your Passport Is?)
• Do you have someone to care for the house & pets while you're gone? (See our Bon Voyage trip planning checklists for more)

Kids Are Afoot:

• If you work outside the home (or work from home), have you finalized your plans for child care? If sharing custody, have you worked out plans for the kids spending extended time with dad or mom?
• Have you figured out the driving arrangements for getting all of this accomplished?
• Have you thought about a new summer routine for the household, accounting for a different pace and bedtimes? You want to stay open and fun, but have some structure too.
• Using up tons of drinking glasses? With everyone around and the summer heat and activities, your sink may pile up quickly with dirty glasses to wash. Read this previous post for our tip on reducing the glassware consumption!
• Are there rules you should think through about use of a neighborhood pool or park or how to interact with the neighbors and their kids and homes?
• Do you have a place figured out for the pool gear and other sports equipment that might be frequently used this season? Make it as simple as possible for the kids to use & put away these items by using hooks and open shelving whenever you can.

Packing for Summer Camp:

• Have you finished all of the required paperwork for camp, such as physicals, shot records, and permission waivers?
• Have you shopped for and gathered camping supplies and gear to send along? Have you labeled your child's camping gear? We had to label every sock and pair of underwear. Here is a good resource for iron-on labels, and you can also use a Rub-A-Dub® laundry marker.
• Read my previous post, Organize Your Happy Campers, for more tips on getting organized for camp. It's kind of an elaborate process but there is a big payoff for you in getting some kid-free time alone. Everyone appreciates each other more when it's over, believe me!

Dust Off the Welcome Mat:

• Are you ready for visitors to come to your home? What needs to be done for you to feel ready? Imminent guests are a GREAT motivator to declutter and get organized! Many of our Clutter Diet members are currently getting ready for summer guests and are getting a lot done.
• You can create a Tourist Binder to help your guests find fun activities to do and places to explore in your local area. See this previous post on creating one for your guests.

It's the middle of May, so you probably still have a nice amount of time to figure these things out. The key is to TAKE ACTION on something on this list TODAY. Is there one phone call you can make or one item you can pick up while shopping to get you on track?

What are your summer readiness tasks, and are you ready? Share in the comments!

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