With summer vacations nearing an end for many Valley families, it’s likely the home is in a bit of disarray. A summer with a child-filled home, vacations, adventures, half-completed art projects, somewhat started home projects, and more loads of laundry and dishes than you care to count may be coming to an end.
So now, how do you go about putting everything back in order – or at least a sense or order – before school begins?
Start in the most-lived areas of the home. See what needs to go back in “it’s place.” Are there games that you know will not be played with on a regular basis once school begins, create a cupboard or drawer space for them. Gather up all the library books and return them. Send favorite books up to bedrooms. If you don’t already have an end table or space on a dresser for those, pick one up at a garage sale or ask friends if they have an unused one.
Speaking of the bedrooms, now is a good time to go through the children’s drawers. If you’ve purchased a few new items, go through and purge at least that may from the closets or drawers. See what still fits, what’s still a favorite to wear, and what’s wearable – then donate the rest.
Does last year’s backpack still have those last-day-of-school items in them? Save any favorite writings and projects in a folder and keep folders in a file box – one for each child. The rest can be disposed of (photograph anything you think your child will want to have in the future if it’s too large for the file box).
What about shoes? Kids grow out of them fairly quickly, and while it might have been worth keeping a well worn pair over the summer for creek hikes or summer camp, it’s time to bid them “farewell.” It’s also possible those flip-flops you’ve held on to for a summer or more have seen better days. Check out “shoe recycling” online.
Be sure you’ve designated a spot for children to do homework once school starts. If that spot needs to be spruced up with a new light or chair, now is a good time to take care of that.
Once the children return to school, give us a call to get those carpets and tile floors cleaned from all the wear-and-tear of summer.
Best wishes as students start the new year!