Are you ready for back to school?

Some of us have already gone through back to school and the rest are coming up to it quickly.  I'm on my fifth year of back to school and I thought I'd share a few thoughts.  Please add any other ideas and tips to the comments below!

Clothing

• What still fits?  We go through a fashion show and get all the kids to try on all their clothing and depending on the kid, clothing gets moved to their younger sibling, or it gets put into donation or consignment piles (the older the kids get, the smaller the consignment pile gets ;)  It's a great time to purge all the stuff that doesn't fit any more or that has been destroyed.
• When possible, I try to get my kids' clothing used.  There are lots of great ways to do that in Ottawa, including great consignment sales (the Hot Tots is September 6 and the MBFA sale is on September 13) and there are all kinds of Facebook groups where people sell clothing, toys, etc, not to mention sites like Used Ottawa.  Leave a comment telling us what your favourite place to get used clothing is!
• Another great option is to have a clothing swap with your friends.  Kids go through clothing so quickly as kids and they play so hard in them, I'm all for keeping it as affordable as possible!

Making memories

I'm not always a super organized mom but the one thing I've always done is take first day of school photos.  I love seeing how the kids change over the years!  Make a point to take a shot on the first day of school.  We take ours in the same spot every year outside our front door.  The bricks really show how much they've grown from year to year.  Unfortunately this means we can't move until they're all done school now ;)  If you're worried your skills aren't going to capture the moment as well as you'd like, there are lots of photographers now offering back to school sessions too :)

Being mentally prepared

A lot of the hardest part of back to school is being mentally prepared.  Just remember:

• Breathe.  :)
• Don't sweat the small stuff.   (For all the planning I tried to do with clothing my daughter wore one of the most ridiculous outfits ever on the 3rd day of school.  If it isn't inappropriate weather wise, I just go with the flow )

Extra stuff

I asked people to share their back to school tips with us on Facebook.  Come add yours (or put them in the comments here!)

Want to share your back to school photos with us?  Do that on this Facebook post!

Bit of Momsense shares so great tips on back to school shopping and lunch ideas.

Happy back to school everyone!!

Keeping Your Kids' Closets Organized

It always amazes parents that the littlest people in our lives can often take up the most space. Kids’ closets can be a challenge to organize, but some simple strategies can make it a little easier. Here are a few ideas to keep in mind as you set up and maintain your children’s closets.

1. Keep the organizing flexible

The demands on an infant’s bedroom closet are very different from those of a teenager’s, so make sure your set up is flexible. Some closet organizer systems cannot be rearranged once installed, but a product like Rubbermaid’s Configurations closet systems will allow you to add/move shelves, rods and drawers as your children's needs change. If you are looking for a more inexpensive option, free-standing bookcases or shelving units that you may already have in your home can provide extra shelving in a builders' basic rod-and-shelf closet.

2. Keep the organizing easy

Putting clothes away on hangers can be a challenge for full-grown adults – forget kids! Hooks are a great way to help young children take some ownership of their closet organization. Robes, belts, and other items can be quickly and easily hung on a hook. I like the 3M options because the hooks can be moved as time goes on, without a lot of damage to walls.

Open bins on shelves make it easy for children to pop items into their closets. Socks, underwear, small toys, etc., can all be tucked away but are still super-accessible. Part of keeping it easy is keeping it identifiable. Labelling bins and shelves (using photos for your little ones, words for older ones) will help keep like with like.

3. Keep the items within reach

One of the best ways to get your child to participate in organizing their own closet is to make sure they can access it. Keep the day-to-day items down low and the less frequently required items higher up.

A rod extension (the one pictured below is from Bed, Bath &Beyond) can double a closet’s hanging space in a kid’s closet AND make it more manageable for some children to reach their clothes.

4. Keep track of the inventory

Kids outgrow their clothes so fast, it’s important to keep track of what fits and what does not. If you have the space, keep a donation basket or box in their closet so any too-small clothes can be moved out of the regular line up. If the clothes are being kept for a younger sibling, use a plastic storage bin and pre-mark the bin with a label to designate the sex, size and season of the clothes to come. For example, you might write “Girls/Summer/18 months to 24 months” on the label before moving the box to your storage room. It will make is super easy later to pull out the correct clothes at the correct time.

Leave a comment and let us know what kind organizing challenges you face!

Heather Cameron is an Ottawa organizer with Edited Interiors. Contact her to learn more about how you can benefit from her real-life organizing solutions for your home.

Product review: Peekaboo Beans

by Lara I started putting Kiernan in Peekaboo Beans when he was one.  My friend Vicky and I had opened an online clothing store and of all the lines we brought in to sell we both fell most in love with that one.

Now, five years later we've gone through a LOT of Peekaboo Beans and I keep on buying it.  Here are my top five reasons for loving these clothes:

1)  They are easy to put on - no buttons or ties means that kids can get themselves dressed without needing a lot of help.

2) They are comfortable. SO comfortable - I never worry about them being cinched in the waist or having buttons or zippers digging in.

3) They have resale value!  I resell my Peekaboo Beans regularly, often for 1/3-1/2 of what I paid for it.  There's a huge market for used Beans.

4) The line is fun.  Kids love the thumbholes and the hoods and the fun patterns.

5) It's cute and stylish and every new season there is something I just can't resist!

The Fall line launches today and they even have a new Tween line this year!

Vicky and I no longer run our online store but she does still sell Peekaboo Beans (she's one of our lovely sponsors!)

If you're interested in finding out more about Peekaboo Beans like her Facebook page and sign up for her newsletter.  You can buy the line from her or host a Soiree and invite your friends over and earn free product. Soirees are nice casual home parties that you can bring your kids to.

It's a great time to order or host a party with back to school around the corner and Vicky is offering free shipping for Kids in the Capital readers in September - just mention code KICshipping. Go check it out!

Peekaboo Beans is one of our sponsors but the thoughts on the line are all my own ~ Lara