One of my blog followers wanted to know how I store my kids’ lunch boxes.  After years of consistent drilling and nagging, my kids have become pretty good at putting their school gear away.  They come home, unpack their lunch boxes, and put them away in a small hallway closet near the kitchen.  Only one thing started bothering me about the routine…although they put them away, they didn’t end up in a neat condition.   No likey!

I decided to install Command hooks on the inside of the closet door for the lunch boxes.  I assigned one hook to each kid and attached a little label to identify the owner.

Now, the kids will be hanging their lunch boxes, not tossing them into the closet.

THIS I like!  Oh, the little things that make me happy.

Hooks are a great way to add storage capacity in places where there are otherwise limited options.  Who else shares my fondness of hooks?

To this day, I am grateful to my mother for not only modeling, but also teaching me organization and cleanliness.  My mother ran one of the most organized and clean homes I have ever seen. She did so without any hired help and with a lot of discipline.  From a very young age, my brother and I were trained to take on responsibilities in the house.  I put the stress on “trained” because it is crucial to explain and demonstrate to our kids how to do something and not just lecture on the subject.

The other day, I decided it was time to teach my oldest how to clean a bathroom.  So, I did!  I prepared a caddy with basic cleaning supplies for him.  That caddy now lives in his bathroom.

I completed each cleaning task with my son watching exactly how it is expected to be done.  I also made up a little cheat sheet of tasks he should remember to perform.  The little list has been laminated and attached to the caddy with a binder clip.

Next Sunday, my boy and I will do bathroom duty together once again.  Everyone needs additional practice and some extra coaching, right? Otherwise, it won’t be much of a training.

Hopefully, my training will lead to my son developing a life-long commitment to keeping clean and organized surroundings.  What do you all think about training kids to do certain tasks around the house?  Do you?  Do you think it will make a difference in the kids’ future predisposition to cleanliness and order?

I am so excited to be a guest today at Savvima, a terrific resource for kosher recipes, housekeeping tips, great shopping deals and a place to connect with other like-minded women.  Hope you will check out my tips for organizing your kids for camp by clicking here.

AND to help you with your labeling needs, my readers and followers of Savvima can take advantage of a 15% discount on orders of Jumbo Dots, which are perfect for labeling for camp and year-round.  Discount is effective June 16-23, 2011; your discount code is organize4camp.

AND you can enter to win a super GIVEAWAY of this camp labeling kit:

Ready to enter?  Here is how:

- Like Order Matters on Facebook

- Like Stuck On You on Facebook

- Like Savvima on Facebook

- Comment here to let us know that you have done all of the above.

Giveaway ends Wednesday, June 22 at 11:59 am EST.

Thank you to Stuck On You – USA for sponsoring the discount and the giveaway!

Summer break is drawing near for my children.  In a couple of weeks, they will lug the entire contents of their school lockers, art, endless paper, and left-over school supplies home.  Camps, warm weather activities, vacations, and abundant free time swiftly follow.  Are you ready to rock and roll and deal with the whole new shabang for the summer months?

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DEAL WITH THE SCHOOL LEFTOVERS: Before the summer fun even begins, deal with the items your kids bring home on the last day of school.  In my house that means: emptying out the backpacks, reviewing the artwork they bring home, and editing and inventorying the school supplies.

~Be ruthless!  Edit! You cannot save all of your children’s artwork.  Save a couple of special items your children created.  Each of my children has a container in which they store their keepsakes.

~Take inventory for back to school shopping: Are the lunch boxes and backpacks in good condition for next year? This is a good time to take a look at all of the hardware and make notes on whether you will need to purchase new backpacks for next Fall.* In some cases, you can obtain a supplies shopping list from your children’s school in advance.  I got a copy so that I can check things off on the list as I review items that my kids brought home.  Things that are new or in good condition can be used again next year.

CAMPS: Have you received packing lists from camp and reviewed them?  Have you submitted all of the medical forms and other questionnaires to camps?  Is camp shopping done?  If your kids are going be attending day camp, do you need to arrange carpooling?  Who will be taking care of drop-offs and pick-ups?  Make sure to mark your calendar with the important camp dates:  first and last days, visiting days, sleepovers (common in day camps), field trips (requiring prep, special supplies or clothing), etc.

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IDS FOR TRAVEL: Often overlooked is the need for passports for your kids.  If you are planning a trip this summer, for which passports and/or visas might be needed, tackle this as soon as possible. Validity of passports is not to be taken lightly, especially if you are planning to travel overseas.  Some countries require for your passport to be valid for at least 6 months following the date of you arrival in that country.

ROUTINE: If your kids are not going to be in structured all-day activities every day, create a daily summer schedule.   You can either have a standard one for each day or plan one week at a time.  Things to keep in mind are carpools, play dates, snacks, chores, TV/Computer time, reading time, curfews, meals, time for you to prepare meals, etc.

SNACKS: Stock up on healthy snacks.

SUMMERIZE YOUR CAR: Great time to clean your vehicle and load it with items that will make your daily activities easier: sand toys, balls, beach towels, beach chairs, hats, etc.   Make sure to implement a weekly clean-up and review routines for this part of your life to run smoothly.

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UNEARTH SUMMER EQUIPMENT: Organize your garage to make your summer equipment (camping gear, bikes, and sporting goods) easily accessible.

ACTIVITIES POTENTIAL: Make a list of fun activities you want to do and engage your kids in the planning of the special things they have been looking forward to this summer.  I started looking for free or almost free activities as well as visited a listing of kids events on Kids Vancouver website.

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PLAN FOR GAPS: As a full-time working parent, I have to plan for my kids’ care for the gaps in their summer activities schedule.  There is always some time right before camp and in the last 2-3 weeks of summer, for which we need to arrange childcare. If you are in the same boat, look at your calendar now, identify gaps, and plan for them now to reduce stress later.

Happy summer!

*If you do not already have your grab-an-go kits made, please save backpacks that are still in decent condition, but not ideal for school use next year.  Coming soon is a post on creating grab-and-go kits, for which you can use old backpacks.

Home Alone

My almost 13-year old will soon be flying solo to New York for his close friend’s Bat Mitzvah.  He is super excited and a bit nervous.  Me?!  I am somewhat nervous, but also very excited for him.

Well, what I have figured is that I have a teaching opportunity on my hands.  In fact, we have been talking about this trip for months, but more intensely in the last few days.  Here are some of the issues we have discussed in preparation:

1.  Visualize the trip step-by-step. From the check-in till arrival on the other end (and pick-up by our lovely friends) “walk through” what will happen on the day of the trip. Encourage questions and note taking.

2.  Role-playing. Discuss potentially tricky, challenging, or dangerous situations and act out potential solutions.

3.  Hone in on 3 key principals. As my husband frequently reminds me, he can only remember three things without needing to write something down.  Thus, my son and I have focused in on three key things he needs to remember for and during the trip:

~SAFETY.  Child should never leave the airport or large public areas alone or with strangers.  Stress the importance of turning to a uniformed airline employee or airport police officer if he or she needs help or is feeling unsafe.  If anything or anyone makes the child feel uncomfortable during the flight, teach him or her to get attention of a flight attendant.

~PASSPORT.  Forgetting or losing a passport somewhere along the way would not be good.  Describe the ramifications of that and then come up with a tool to easily store the important travel documents.  We borrowed an over the neck pouch such as this one for our son to keep his passport in a designated place.

~LUGGAGE.  If possible, pack lightly and even avoid checking in luggage.  My son will be traveling with a carry-on bag so that he will not have to worry about finding the baggage claim and/or dealing with a possibility of lost luggage.  Also, stress that luggage cannot be left unattended at any time.

It is good to talk about these things over and over again so that they really sink in.  By doing the above, you are showing your child that important new steps in life require thought, planning, and preparation. I believe that this trip, as slightly nerve-wracking as it might be for my husband and me, is a critical lesson in independence and organization for our son.  I wish him a safe and fun trip.  May he be smart throughout his travels and a gracious guest at our friends’ home in NY.  May he behave like a mentch.  May he not lose his passport.  May he have a blast with his friends, whom I know he misses dearly.

P.S. There is a nice guide to preparing yourself and your child for unaccompanied travel.  Check out KidsAlone-1.