Reset the house
How long does it take you to unpack after a trip? I’m halfway through my own Clean the Chaos course and highly motivated to keep my rooms clean and reset the house. (Yes, I’m taking my OWN course!) We recently came home from a beach trip and would have normally had time to unpack, do laundry, grocery shop, etc. But instead, we went to the airport to pick up international friends whose flight was delayed 2 days. Unexpected houseguest on top of regular house guests and unpacking from a trip was delightful chaos, of which we are quite accustomed to. We survived pretty easily on pantry supplies, popsicles, air mattresses, and board games. However, once everyone left I was itching to get my closet back together. I had emptied my suitcase on the floor, piled in some clean laundry, and tried to sort out travel supplies in one corner. My previously clean closet motivated me to not wait very long before taking the time to return it to order after my trip. Same with the rest of my house. Now that my linen closet and guest rooms have been decluttered, it makes me want to quickly do laundry and reset…
10 Tasks to Clean Your Digital Spaces
How full is your email inbox? When I teach my course “Clean the Chaos,” I not only want my clients to clean their physical spaces but also their digital spaces, too. Here’s a short segment right out of a recent email to my clients on cleaning out home office spaces. These 10 tasks will help you clean the chaos in your digital life and lighten the junk mail and unnecessary files that burden your devices. Set aside some time this month and work through these 10 tasks. You will be so glad you did! Delete junk emails Unsubscribe to email lists Create folders or filters for important emails Create folders on your device for important files with names that work for you (home, personal, health, auto, receipts/orders, pet, manuals, etc.) including a folder for each person in your household Delete unnecessary photos and files Delete apps and subscriptions you do not use Delete trash files periodically Use digital bookkeeping and bill pay to manage bills and minimize paper use Use a financial app to monitor your credit scores, find and manage subscriptions, and cancel recurring charges Back up your files Bonus tip? Delete junk mail once a day to keep…
Best Back to School Traditions
What are your back to school traditions? The start of a new school year can be a hard transition from the freedom of summer break for some parents and kids. Having some back-to-school traditions can ease this transition. Ice cream night was our favorite and best back-to-school tradition. On the first day of school (and the last) we went out to ice cream for dinner. We asked good questions and the kids actually gave answers between bites. It was casual but meaningful. Other families have a special breakfast on the first day of school or a school supply shopping day. Some families prioritize the first day of school photo shoot on the front porch. It all comes down to being intentional and building traditions. Maybe it did not start out at first as something that would become a tradition or ease the transition, but eventually, families repeat special moments, and traditions are begun. As a teacher and tutor, I have the opportunity to talk with students at the start of the school year. One of my traditions is asking students to tell me what they character traits hope their new teacher will see in them. With some praise and encouragement…
Quick Cleaning Tips
What do you clean if you just have 10 minutes? Here are a few easy tips from my Clean the Chaos workshop for doing some quick cleaning or organizing if you just have a few minutes. For most of us, we have some extra minutes during the summer where we can actually do a quick project indoors to avoid the outside heat or to get ourselves off the couch. Got a few extra minutes? Choose a room and a task from the quick cleaning suggestions below. Bedrooms: 2 min Tidy: pick up dirty clothes, set out tomorrow’s outfit, spot treat a garment 5 min Freshen: start a load of laundry, fold a load of laundry 10 min Tackle: declutter a dresser drawer, mend clothes Bathrooms: 2 min Tidy: tidy up a drawer or counter, wipe the toilet seat, wipe the mirror, take stock of the supplies 5 min Freshen: wipe down all the surfaces and polish the faucets, clean shower curtain or door, dust the fan 10 min Tackle: clean the faucets and shower heads, dust or wash the light fixtures, use one of those beauty masks then hop in the shower and scrub down the tile while you wait…
6 Marriage Check Up Questions
What makes a marriage thrive? One of the best things you can do to help your marriage thrive is to have good communication. A marriage check up can be a good catalyst for communication. Medical or business check ups are preventative and diagnostic tools to check the health of a person or company. Marriage check ups work the same way. Here are 6 tips and 6 questions to help you communicate how things are going in your relationship. After reading this, consider setting aside time to discuss your relationship with your spouse. You can modify these questions to work for relationships with roommates and others, too. Questions 4 and 5 are great questions for any relationship. 6 Tips for a Marriage Check Up: Set up a regular time (start weekly) and time limit (30-60 min to start) Start with the good stuff (question 1) Take turns answering questions and listening If time is short or answers are long: start with question 1, choose any middle question, and end with question 6 Choose an action item to work on (usually something that has come up during your talk) that will strengthen or improve your marriage and communication Finish well…
10 ideas for indoor fun on hot or rainy days
Do you approach rainy days with dread or joy? Your mood will match the weather if you dread being inside (with or without kids) on rainy or hot days. Instead, think about it as a mini staycation! Catch up on projects, play forgotten games, stay in your pjs and read books, invite friends over for a dance party, or take an online class. There are so many ways to have indoor fun on hot or rainy days! Here are 10 suggestions to get you started having fun indoors. Clean out your game shelf and play a few forgotten games. Make up your own cooking show in your kitchen. Watch a documentary on a country you wish to visit or a topic of interest Invite friends over for a potluck meal with a specific country theme and stream some traditional music or cultural videos. Sign up to take an online class such as one of these from airbnb experiences including cooking classes, arts and crafts, virtual safaris and magic shows.https://www.airbnb.com/s/experiences/online Put on some quiet music, find a comfy spot and catch up on a book you’ve been meaning to read Do some yoga or put on a workout video for the…
A nose for organizing
Which scent makes you smile – springtime lilacs, ocean breezes, Kimpton hotels, or your mom’s perfume? Let me share with you something I learned recently while trying to find a new perfume and how it got me thinking about my business and my nose for organizing. Perfumes have 3 fragrance notes or 3 different scent layers that make a perfume unique and appealing. Top notes you smell first. Heart notes are the foundation and influence the base, and base notes deepen the complexity and create a lasting impression. That got me thinking about how my love for organizational systems helped me start my business and blog, Tailor Joy. The opening notes of my business are my tips and tools for your everyday life delivered in my slightly zany, outside the box manner that brings a smile to your face when you discover them. The heart notes are my systems of organization for approaching life’s curves with confidence such as my resources for tutoring or starting your own business, or my private tutoring and coaching services. The base notes are my background as a teacher, wife, and mom that provides years of experience problem-solving in everyday life and the desire…
Free easy way to improve reading achievement
What is one free and easy way to improve student reading achievement? Many parents want a quick fix and seek tutoring for students who are below reading level. While tutoring is a great option and I can remediate phonic, teach syllable patterns, practice oral reading fluency, and evaluate comprehension, what students also need is daily reading practice to improve student reading achievement. It’s free and easy and yet many parents do not see the value of it. Daily reading of 15-30 minutes can help improve reading achievement significantly. Check out this report for some shocking statistics. According to studies by Renaissance Learning on K-12 reading, “the majority of students spend fewer than 15 minutes per day reading, but increasing their daily reading time to 30 minutes can improve comprehension and boost student achievement.” Summer is a good time to set aside daily reading time where families read a variety of material and model good reading habits. Do not miss out on the benefits of daily reading to improve student reading achievement. Reading should not be confined to fiction! Read an instruction booklet with your child or a travel guide. Read online reviews for a restaurant or a menu. Read…
Backyard Book Clubs
Want to encourage reading, practice speaking and listening skills, and have fun with your kids? Host a Backyard Book Club! Backyard Book Club Kit has all you need – just add books and kids! Don’t worry! There isn’t one right way to run a book club and you don’t need a backyard. All you need is some enthusiasm, a kid, a book, and this kit. Book clubs and reading help kids develop empathy, relate to characters, practice speaking and listening skills, and learn about the world around them. This 16-page customizable book club kit makes it easy to get started. You know your kids and their reading levels the best so the books here are just a recommendation to get you started. The suggested plans are aimed at grades 3-8 but are easily customizable for other ages. This kit is great for parents, teachers, tutors, grandparents, camps, backyards or Zoom meetings, and club leaders. The kit is an instant download upon purchase once your order goes through. I’ve been so excited to take my classroom experiences and turn it into an easy to use product that families can use at home this summer, whether they have reluctant readers or advanced…
Summer Tutoring Openings 2023
How can you help fill in the gaps in academic development that have widened over the past few years? Summer is a great time to work on basic skills of reading, writing, math, problem-solving, and critical thinking. Summer tutoring clients will participate virtually in real-world project-based learning activities, complete summer reading, or practice for standardized tests. Tutoring is virtual via Zoom so no need to live locally! Below are the summer tutoring options for 2023. National Park ELA Project (Reading/Writing/Research/Problem Solving for grades 4-9) No homework, once a week sessions Mini Golf Course Math Project (Math/Problem Solving with some ELA for grades 4-6) No homework, once a week sessions Preread next year’s reading texts or required summer school reading (grades 4-12) Parents provide the book lists and books. Reading homework, once a week session ACT/SAT Test Prep – mainly Reading, Language, Writing and test taking tips (grades 10-12) Take practice tests as homework, once a week sessions Virtual private tutoring sessions will be on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays June 12 – August 24. Registration is open and only a few spots are left. Feel free to pass along my website or this email if you have friends or relatives…