Schedule the chores for more adventure time

Summer vacation is a time for fun -- but before we abandon all order and embark on three months of Where the Wild Things Are, think about the chaos you are purposefully creating.

Oh my God. Scary.

Yes, summer's all about leaving behind the dreary chores and routine but just the *tiniest* bit of planning and prep can make you happy without having to start at Square 1 come September. Plus, there are things that need to be done or your whole family will be bare and starving.

The key to summer freedom is simplicity. And nothing is simpler than sticking to a routine. You can turn off your brain and still get it together.

Set days (or evenings) to do the major tasks of grocery shopping and laundry and stick to it. If you accomplish these tasks on the same day every week, you won't have any conflicts, you'll stay well-stocked and the beach towels will always be clean.

There's a huge difference between falling into a rut and choosing to keep order. If you stay on a slightly modified plan, you'll have more time to enjoy the spontaneous moments. Try it for yourself and see.

LT

Organize like a kindergarten graduate

Here's a question I get often: How do you maintain a space after it's been sorted and purged and perfectly organized?

The answer takes its roots from what my soon-to-be kindergarten graduate learned this year, "If you take it out, put it away. Clean up, clean up, everybody clean up."

The organizing philosophy: Respect the work you've done.

If you add an item to your space, don't forget to subtract a similar, older item. Take 15 minutes a day to tidy up, toss the junk and plan for tomorrow. Make your list of 5 so you can relax and start tomorrow prepared and polished.

It seems simple but in the midst of life, it's a lot harder to put into practice, isn't it?

Maybe this will help: When you put it in perspective, what's more important -- the tiny hassle of putting stuff back or the immense relief of having full-time control?

If you have order in your house, if you can put your hands on everything you need, then you rule your schedule, your environment, your life. That's how you get the life you want, the perfect goal for summer.

By fall (just in time for first grade in my house), who knows what changes you will have affected!

LT

Bring Back That New Car Smell

Keeping the car clean during the school year is enough of a challenge -- but how about when school lets out? There are beach days, excursions to the water park, spontaneous rides to the ice cream stand.

Blink and your car is a landfill.

So here's how you head it all off at the vacation pass:

1. Take everything out of the car, including any car seats or boosters, even anything in your arm rest, door pockets and glove box. Sort through the detritus and toss all the junk. Getting rid of the crummy hair elastics, sticky candy wrappers and broken crayons feels good! Then only put back what you need, making sure to safely stow your registration and insurance papers. Put your ice scraper in the garage. When you're considering what to keep in the car, think about what you often need but can't find. Do you scramble for a pen? Digging for tissues or change for the toll? Keep these close at hand. Make a point not to store anything on the floor. Once that starts to disappear from view, it's all downhill from there.

2. Gather your supplies and detail your car. Take it to the car wash, vaccuum the carpeting and upholstery within a shred of its fabric, freshen up all the surfaces and make it sparkle. Spring for the mega-wash on the outside and a little "new car smell" tree, too. Why not?

3. Put a small plastic egg crate or cargo organizer in your backseat or trunk that contains a roll of garbage bags, handiwipes, paper towels, leather or upholstery wipes and swiffer pads. That way, when spills happen (and who hasn't watched in horror as an entire slushie tips over, emptying onto the backseat?), you'll actually be able to do something about it. At least at the next pitstop.

4. Be conscientous about what gets left behind -- even if you're the one doing the leaving. Anything you bring into the car has to exit with you, too. And kindly request the same from your passengers. The payoff comes when your boss says, "Hey, can you give me a ride?" and you don't feel like cringing.

Don't forget that Americans spend about as much time in their cars as they do in their living rooms -- and yet we hardly ever clean up. Cars cost a lot of money ... our big investments deserve to shine. It will feel nice to have a clean car when you set out on your summer adventures. Roadtrip!!

xoxox

LT

Countdown to Summer Vacation

Once that last bell rings, we all want to forget the school year ever existed and plop our butts on the beach, right? Here are some quick tips to get you ready for summer fun.

Classroom cleanup:

Teachers, do you wish it were like the old days, when child labor laws weren't so tough? I remember the last week of school was devoted to wiping down desks, washing blackboards and packing away bulletin board and games. But then again, I went to Catholic school, so who knows.

When you're sorting and organizing this year, make "future use" your most important criteria. If your supplies are tired, retire them. If they will do the trick come fall, pack them away with simple labels and keep them with other materials from the same zone in your room. Don't forget to take an inventory of what's packed (also useful throughout the course of the year to keep track of quantities used and what you need to reorder).

Organize the trunk:

Get your fun supplies in order. Put folding beach chairs and a collapsible umbrellla on the bottom of your trunk, and top with your favorite beach blanket and clean towels. Make a kit (a simple mesh drawstring laundry bag will work) that contains sand toys, floaties, kites, frisbees, sunblock, bug spray, roasting sticks for s'mores, and sparklers and glowsticks for evenings on the sand. (Don't forget a small first-aid kit, just in case.) Then all you have to do is throw on your flip-flops and go.

Welcome your guests:

Everyone has company over the summer. Make yours feel more comfortable with a small basket in your guest room. It's really easy to put together ahead of time and kicks off their stay with a nice touch. Fill a basket with bottles of sunblock, bugspray, lotion, plus a toothbrush, soap, and even a disposable camera. Just don't be annoyed if they ask to stay a little longer.

Clean out your freezer:

Be prepared for some great grilling with your garden-fresh produce and a trip to the butchery -- but first ditch all the unidentifiables in your freezer. (You know, toss the fish sticks from Lent and the burned and sticky popsicles.) Then stock up on great cuts of meat, bag them for protection and label them. When your garden starts to overflow, freeze what you can't use right away. Don't forget to date each bag so you know what's what and when it got there. It will cut your grocery bill, the time you spend in the store, and nothing will go to waste.

And here are my best tips of all: Take advantage of all the time you have with the family and friends you love. Go barefoot as often as possible. Eat too much. Wear sunblock and don't ruin your skin -- you don't want to look like a handbag when you're old.