Preparing your home for the holidays when hosting involves a combination of cleaning, decorating, and planning to ensure a welcoming and festive atmosphere for your guests. Here are some tips to help you get started:​​

• Keep a stock of essentials like extra toiletries, tissues, and first aid supplies in case your guests need them.
• Ensure your home is safe for guests, especially if you have children or elderly visitors. Clear any tripping hazards and make sure the house is well-lit.

Remember to enjoy the process and the time spent with your loved ones. Flexibility is key, so be prepared to adapt plans if needed and focus on creating lasting memories.

This article may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through the provided links. This comes at no additional cost to you and helps support the content I create. Thank you for your support.
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Decluttering and organizing printed photos can be a rewarding process that helps preserve cherished memories and create a more organized living space. Here are some steps you can follow to effectively declutter and organize your printed photos:

• Gather all photos: Collect all of your printed photos from various locations in your home and place them in one central location to assess the scope of your photo collection. Remove the photos if they are in envelopes, and photo albums which may be in big bulky albums and take up more space in the home. 

• Sort photos: Choose a place in your home, like the dining table or a desk in your home office for a good space to sort your images, or even right on the floor. Begin by sorting the photos into categories such as events, dates, or themes to make the organization process more manageable.

 

• Create a system: Decide on a method for organizing your photos. This could include organizing by date, event, or individuals featured in the photos. Choose a system that makes the most sense for you and your collection. I have created photo categories for family members and periods of life and travel as categories.

 

• Remove duplicates: Discard any duplicate photos or those that are of poor quality or hold no significant sentimental value. This step will help reduce the overall volume of your photo collection.

 

• Remove photos of toxic people:  If you have photos of people who no longer come from a place of love or positive memories in your life, it is time to let go of those photos. If you once had a good relationship with someone and they no longer are in your life, but trigger negative memories, it is time to let the photo go for peace of mind. 

 

• Invest in storage supplies: Only once you have completed the photo declutter, you can think of storage solutions. Purchase small photo-safe storage boxes, small boxes with lids, small albums, or acid-free sleeves to protect your photos from damage over time. Consider using archival-quality materials to preserve the longevity of your photos. You can even get a fire proof case for your photos here for more protection in case something happens.

 

• Label your photo storage: Make sure to label your photo storage so that it is easy to find and search images.

 

• Then move on to digital photos to declutter: People now have so many photos on their smart phones and that process of decluttering images can take more time. If you spend some time everyday, like an hour while commuting or just at home relaxing, you can let go of a good amount of images over time. You will free up more space on your phone and room for more future photo taking.

 

• Create photo books for the digital images: To make sure you never lose the photos from your phone, if you ever lose your phone or accidentally delete your images, creating photo books will make the memories last in a printed version. I use Chatbooks for printing my digital photos and they are good quality and easy to create from their app and upload what you want. After you made your photo book, just pay through the app and have them delivered to your home. I really like Chatbooks small photo books for easy storing and viewing. They also make great gifts, which I have done for Christmas, Father's Day and birthdays, and you can do it for any occasion. 

I hope this helps with your photo declutter and organization and I will be sure to share a digital photo declutter in an upcoming blog post. Happy photo organizing and enjoy those memories forever!

This article may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through the provided links. This comes at no additional cost to you and helps support the content I create. Thank you for your support.



It’s back to school season and student and parents have to adjust again to daily routines, waking up early, preparing lunches and snacks (parents), getting to school on time, and making sure kids have balance with school and activities outside for happiness and wellbeing.

To try to stay on track, here are some organization hacks for parents to help their children stay organized when going back to school:

Set Up a Homework Station: Designate a quiet, well-lit space for your child to do homework and keep all necessary supplies within reach.

Morning Routine Chart: Create a visual morning routine chart to help your child stay on track with tasks like getting dressed, brushing teeth, and packing their backpack.

Meal Prep: Prepare lunches and snacks in advance to save time during busy mornings. Involve your child in selecting their meals. Using a bento box style lunch makes it fun and easy to store food in good portions, this bento box here is great for two sections of snacks and lunch.

Backpack Organization: Teach your children to clean out their backpacks regularly and only carry necessary items. Use compartments or pouches for organizing smaller items.

Label Everything: Label your child’s school supplies, clothing, and lunch containers to minimize the chances of items getting lost. This label maker is easy to use with bluetooth and app on your phone to print from.

Use a Command Center: Set up a central area in your home with hooks for backpacks, a bulletin board for important notices, and a file system for paperwork.

Digital Communication: Stay in touch with teachers and school staff through digital communication channels to receive updates and important information promptly.

Digital Learning Tools: Familiarize yourself with the digital tools and platforms your child’s school uses for virtual learning, if applicable.

Encourage Responsibility: Teach your child to take responsibility for their belongings and tasks, gradually giving them more independence as they grow.

Emergency Contact List: Keep a list of emergency contacts, including the school’s contact information, readily available either in your phone or written in your agenda/calendar.

Establish a Bedtime Routine: Set a consistent bedtime routine to ensure your child gets enough rest for productive school days.

Encourage Time Management: Teach your child time management skills and help them create a daily schedule to balance school, extracurriculars, and downtime.

Delegate Chores: Share household responsibilities with your child to teach them valuable life skills and free up more of your time.

Digital Parental Controls: Use parental control apps or features on devices to manage screen time and ensure your child stays focused on schoolwork.

Stay Flexible: Be prepared to adapt your organization strategies as your child’s needs and school requirements change.

Remember that every child is unique, so it’s important to tailor these organization hacks to suit your child’s personality and learning style. Consistency and open communication between parents and children are key to a successful back-to-school organization.

Begin by going through your home (starting with a small junk drawer for practice) and identifying items you no longer need or use. By following the KonMari Method you can go through items by categories so you can view everything that you have around the home. Categories are: clothing, books, paper, komono (miscellaneous) and sentimental items, be sure to follow that order. If that is too much of a long process, you can try room by room starting with the most overwhelming space but give yourself time. Donate, sell, or recycle these items to clear out unnecessary clutter. ​

Determine the level of minimalism you want to achieve. Everyone's level of minimalism is different, with the common goal of living with less, living with purpose and having more time to do what you love in life. Then you can also clarify your aesthetic preferences, colour palette, and overall design style. How much stuff do you want to live with and let go of? Visualize your home and get inspiration to motivate you to reach your goal.​

Incorporate smart storage solutions to keep your space organized. Utilize hidden storage, built-in shelving, and multi-purpose furniture to minimize visual clutter. The key is to not buy more storage items for organization, repurpose and try to avoid plastic and use more natural storage solutions like bamboo, or paper shoe boxes.​

Stick to a neutral colour schemes for walls, furniture, and larger decor elements. This creates a serene and cohesive backdrop for your minimalist design.   Add natural wood and materials for your space which will add to the peaceful environment you are seeking. Adding plants will also provide life and simple green touches to create another natural element.
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Embrace empty spaces as an essential part of minimalism. Allow areas of your home to remain unoccupied to promote a sense of tranquility. Rooms do not need to be filled with stuff, allow them to serve a purpose rather than a storage space. Whether it is an extra guest room, office space, or work/out meditation room these serve a purpose and don't require them to be all filled up with stuff.​

Use natural light whenever possible. Incorporate quality artificial lighting to create a well-lit and inviting atmosphere. Using table lamps and side lamps instead of pot lights will give a more calming effect.​

Regularly assess your belongings and declutter as needed to prevent accumulation of unnecessary items. Every day make it a habit to place items where they belong. Putting away dishes, folding clothes that were just put in the laundry and storing, hanging jackets and coats, putting already worn clothing in a proper place (laundry bin or hang/fold to wear again) and any items scattered around the home.​

When it comes to travel, we all want to go somewhere new for some relaxation, new adventures, discovering more and just to have fun and get away. The planning part can either be fun or stressful depending on how you think about it, but I like to get excited for a vacation and the planning part is part of the experience. When you plan and pack smart, you will alleviate some stress that can come when unexpected stuff happens out of your control. Here are some of my travel must haves for packing to make your life easier when you embark on that journey!

The right carry on-luggage is so important as this is basically your closet and essentials for everything you bring when you are away from home. I always recommend having a carry-on luggage that is light weight, and that has bigger wheels to roll along. If you are going from transportation and walking a lot to your accommodations and anywhere in your destination, you don't want to risk busting those wheels...trust me it has happened to me! I ended up buying a new carry-on luggage while I was away because of this.

I also just discovered this amazing carry-on luggage which is like a closet in your luggage, such a game changer! 
It's an award-winning Carry-On Closet® suitcase. Engineered with built-in shelving system, indestructible polycarbonate shell, and integrated USB charging port. The Carry-On Closet® will keep you organized anywhere your travel takes you. 

Packing clothes in packing cubes will make your clothing stay in place and organized within your luggage. Not only will it leave your luggage organized, when you unpack you can simply leave your clothes in the packing cubes and put them straight into drawers of your wardrobe/dresser at your accommodations. If you have no where to store them, you can also just have them sit on top of a dresser or table for easy access. No need to search for items within the luggage as it will be easily seen in your packing cubes.

When packing shoes, you want to also store them in a shoe travel bag to keep them clean, but also to keep the rest of your luggage clean. Ever since I used shoe travel bags it has been a must have to pack with, and especially in case of foot odours you have that contained and avoid any smells or dirt spreading. With these bags you can make sure your shoes have a home in the luggage.

A long passport wallet is so essential as it will store your boarding passes (if you have them printed) and foreign currencies and cards and of course your passport. I have been using my long passport wallet for years and it has been put to good use. I can also fold any travel letters like an affidavit or long birth certificate within. You just need to have the right travel purse or bag to store it in.

The electronics all need to live in one place and it is easy when they have a designated home to live in. This electronic organizer bag for travel can store all of your USB cables, chargers, headphones, and everything you would need for your devices. The electronic organizer bags are waterproof for peace of mind and have pockets and dividers within to separate and categorize all of the items inside. Make sure you keep this in your carry on bag so it is easy to bring out when you need it.

When you invest in a good luggage, you want to make sure you take care of it on it's journey through the airport and plane and back to you. We all know that luggages get tossed around and not properly cared for as there are many luggages travelling constantly. You want to protect the outside of it with a luggage cover fits it like a glove and it is easy to store away and laundry wash for next use.

Using the right bag for your travel toiletries will make your life easier when passing security at the airport. You want to use a clear travel toiletries bag so that all of the products and items you bring can be seen easily when it goes through that conveyor belt machine. You can also just bring it out from your carry on bag separately so it can be seen right away. When you just fill this bag up, you know that the liquids will be allowed on the plane as well as it is TSA approved and airport/airline compliant. I also love all of the toiletries bags and containers at Muji which I use all the time to store my skin care products in clear containers.

If you want to have peace of mind when it comes to your stuff or even the people you travel with, using these Apple Air Tags like a tracker will help you to locate them through an app within your phone. I have experienced losing my mom believe it or not when travelling, at the airport, and also in a foreign destination where english is not widely spoken. It was scary when it was happening and I had to act fast, I was lucky to meet someone who spoke english and she gave me the police phone number who could respond to text messaging in english. Thankfully I never had to contact the police and my mom suddenly appeared after an hour and a bit. Always have a meeting spot and don't assume someone will be where you think! If I had this it would have been easier at that time, I highly recommend!

The Apple Air Tags need a home and having it live in an Apple Air Tag watch is probably the easiest way to have them live on a person. If you travel with kids or elders who definitely need this in case, this is the best way to have them use it. If you already wear a watch and don't want another accessory to be worn on the wrist, using an Apple Air Tag ring is another option where you can have it on your bag, belt or your keys as well.

If you want to travel even lighter and with less, a travel backpack like this one above is amazing! Great for the backpacker who likes to travel on many adventures, the perfect backpack - convertible from everyday use to travel mode in seconds. Engineered with an award-winning closet system, durable Shore-Tex™ fabric, and drop-proof 16" laptop storage, the Endeavor will keep you organized wherever you explore next.

These items will make your travel experiences more easier and packing for travel is definitely the one thing you can control to avoid stresses that can come with your travels. I hope my tips have helped you, happy travelling everyone!

The season of summer is here! Parents will now have to figure out how their kids will be spending their free time. It can be challenging to keep kids stimulated and avoid too much screen time, but also schedules. It’s best to get activities organized for them to continue to learn and play, so that they have a summer filled with creative and fun experiences.

Here are some DIY hacks for kids summer organization:

DIY Summer Outdoor Fun Station

Kids need to be outside and enjoy the sun, even if it means being in their backyard, porch or balcony. Creating a summer outdoor fun station will get kids playing on their own and will keep everything organized and easy to put away.
●  You can repurpose a shelving unit you have or you can get some wooden crates and stack them on top of eachother.
​●  Inside the shelving/crates you will store larger plant pots or buckets and fill them with a variety of things from water guns, chalk, balls and frisbees, sand and water toys (if you have a sand table or box), and bubble makers, and bug catchers
●  You can have a large basket to gather any dirty or wet items to gather for cleaning and drying after water play.  
● If you don’t have a water or sand play space, you can also use two large empty plastic storage containers and fill one with water and the other with sand and place on a sturdy table or you can also make your own DIY table to place them in. 

I hope these tips help you have a fun filled and stress-free summer with your kids! I shared these tips on CTV Your Morning earlier this year that you can check out below.

Have a great summer and thanks for reading!

​​Disclaimer: This article includes affiliate links when you click through the links in this and I earn a small commission for my home organizing product recommendations.

I am all about using what you have already in the home to organize your stuff, but if you don't have items to elevate your space, then you can search for what to use to help your home function better. I wanted to share some of my home organization recommendations found on Amazon, and it makes it easier when you don't have to waste time looking for stuff in store.

The bathroom contains products that can expire and get bad, so it's best to check what is good and let go of what isn't so that you use what is healthy for your hair and body. Once you know what is staying in the bathroom, then you can use organizing items to contain your items with some of my recommended Amazon finds.

This under the sink two-tier storage bathroom cabinet organizer with a sliding basket is great for storing what you need in the bathroom. You can store cleaning products or all the toiletries from hair, skin care bottles and sprays to feminine products and anything you need stored away in the bathroom. You don't need to have everything at the bottom of the cabinet, things can be contained and the vertical space can be used even more.

If you have drawers in the bathroom for storage, but especially areas like the kitchen where the junk drawer exists or in your office desk drawers, these drawer inserts are perfect for all the little things that need a home. When organizing, be sure to remove everything from the drawer, then clean the bottom surface, then place the drawer inserts for your items. If you want to avoid them from shifting around, use this special museum gel or museum putty and place at the bottom of each insert. Then you are ready to organize things back and make sure you organize things into like items and create those categories.

Having your shower or makeup/skincare essentials in one place is easy with a caddy, where you can easily pick it all up and bring where you need it when getting ready. This shower caddy is stackable and modern looking it will look nice anywhere you decide to put it from the counter or under the sink, or even the shower. It comes with an adhesive if you plan to have on the wall.

The kitchen is a high frequent area used daily for preparing meals and storing food, drink and everything to cook and contain what we consume. It's important that we make it function well for everyone in the home so that you can spend less time searching or shopping for items you need, so you can prepare what to eat without wasting time, energy and money. Here are some of my favourite Amazon organizing items for the kitchen.

Do you need your spices out of the packages or in the same spice jars? It's so much more pleasing to the eye when they are all uniform and and you can open your drawers or cabinets with them displayed so beautifully. If you want to elevate the spice jars, my Amazon find includes 24 spice jars, 150 square labels and 150 round labels (white and minimalist looking), a funnel for filling spice jars with ease and a brush to clean the jars. It's easier to get everything you need in one package and this Amazon find definitely gives you what you need for that spice upgrade.

Water bottles topple and can get out of control when you have too many of them. There are bottles for cold drinks and hot drinks and sometimes every family member has more than one. It's good to go through all the bottles and make sure they are still what you want to use and working well. Then you can create a home for the bottles by using this cool bottle organizer to be placed in the cabinet and they are easy to get when they live in one spot. This set of 2 shelves can hold 3 containers in each shelf, and is designed to fit most pantry cabinets & refridgerators. Each shelf measures 11" ( 28cm ) × 7.9" ( 20cm ) × 3.8" ( 9.6cm ).

I use ziplock bags for my son's lunches and snacks, and I always clean and re-use them so that they are not ending up in landfill. I usually place all of the ziplock bags into one large freezer size ziplock bag and although that does work, when I found this on Amazon I thought wow it's a home just for the ziplock bags in all sizes. This lives in your drawer and you can lift the top and the bags go in easily. Just decant those ziplock boxes and recycle, and elevate those snack and sandwich bags with this special ziplock bag organizer.

Doing laundry should feel good when you have to do something tedious and that takes up a lot of time. Even though this area is not frequented by guests, you want to make it feel good for yourself so you don't mind doing laundry when you have to. 

Decant the laundry detergent, pods, and scent boosters and place them into large glass jars for the laundry detergent and use labels so they are visible and pleasing every time you have to re-fill and use. Use a wooden scooper for each jar to make it even more enjoyable to do your laundry. You can also place your fabric softner or liquid detergent into a nice large glass jar with a pump , which will match nicely with the other jars.

If you don't have a place in your laundry space to store the laundry jars either on secure shelving or anywhere stable, you can use these nice woven baskets to keep them contained. As you can see it is also great for storing toilet paper in the bathroom.

Adding labels to your laundry jars will make it easy for all family members to know what lives where, especially when doing the laundry re-fills. This set of labels for the laundry and bathroom and are white and minimalist and comes with 144 pre-printed glossy labels and are water resistant. 

Did you ever think that your dryer sheets could use a home? If you still use dryer sheets, then you can upgrade their home by decanting the box and they can live in this modern acrylic tissue box holder which is converted to be a dryer sheet box and use the dryer sheets instead. 

These are just some of my Amazon finds for the home, and if you want to see more of my recommendations you can check out my storefront for what you need. The links above are Amazon Canada links, but in my Amazon Storefront for USA they have alternatives for the similar items.

Amazon Storefront Canada

Amazon Storefront USA

Thanks for reading and happy organizing.

Wardrobe Hack
With warmer weather we can finally put away the heavy layers and focus on lighter clothing. Don’t hold on to clothing that is no longer your style, we grow and evolve and it’s ok to let go of items that don’t show the best version of ourselves now.​

• If you need to organize light scarves and hats, use plastic shower hooks and hang them off a hanger like carabiners for your closet. Slide the scarves through and hang the ball caps for easy reach and view. 
• If you have a lot of purses and clutches, use a wire organizer to file them in your closet.
• Organize items with “like” items, and store your clothing vertically in drawers so you can save space. Use drawer inserts like Ikea skubb boxes to divide them. 

The next major travel season is this March break and with many issues of lost luggage when travelling lately and influx of travellers post pandemic, it’s much easier to travel with a carry-on luggage no matter the time or distance of travel. This is especially easier when travelling in warmer climates to those all-inclusive vacations, where all you need are light summer clothing and swimwear. If you are travelling to a colder climate, it's also possible as well with these organizing tips for travel!

This allows you to keep your items separated by categories like all tops, bottoms, undergarments and socks to have their own home. Then simply bring them out into the hotel dresser drawers and keep items clean and organized when you settle into your hotel room.
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​I started to use soap bars more and just bring my own containers and it’s also less waste.

Healthy eating and healthy living are rising trends for many these days. People may have different reasons for pursuing a healthy life, but a common thread is that changing our dietary habits and choices can be better and more beneficial for our minds and bodies.

As such, market research has found that the weight loss industry is expected to be worth $295.3 billion by 2027, a gradual growth associated with an increase in the incidences of health problems such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. The bigger the threat of health problems, the more motivated we become to pursue good health. Today, we're discussing how organizing your pantry is one way you can achieve healthy eating.

Why is it essential to organize your pantry?

Clean and healthy eating is all about making choices. A cluttered pantry can look well-stocked at first, but it offers you too many choices at a time and increases the likelihood of you overlooking healthier options in favor of junk foods. If this has happened in the past, then you might have to embark on a weight loss program so that you start to prioritize more nutritious foods. This doesn't necessarily mean avoiding your favorite treats forever; nutritionists and behavioral scientists agree that restrictive diets rarely work long-term. Rather, a combination of consistent healthy habits such as getting adequate sleep and staying physically active on top of eating healthy is more likely to get you where you need to be.

Organizing your pantry may seem like a trivial chore at first, but you'll find it serves a functional purpose as much as it does an aesthetic purpose. A neat pantry can be the pillar of support you need to make little but significant behavioral changes regarding what you eat and when. Below are some tips for organizing your pantry:

Make use of a breakfast station

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, setting the tone for your following meals in the next few hours. However, breakfast can also be disorganized as everyone rushes to get something to eat before going to school or work. Part of our post on back-to-school organizational hacks is the importance of breakfast stations in making breakfast time quick and easy for everyone involved. Small changes such as keeping yogurts and juices at the bottom of the fridge or breakfast cart will make them easier to access. Clear canisters for cereals and having bowls nearby make breakfast feel like a self- serve area for hotel breakfasts. As much as this is about making healthy food options accessible to people in the house, it's also about making eating fun and non-stressful.

Keep the healthy food where you can see them

Sometimes, it's not enough to make good food accessible and easy to reach. Cognitively, we tend to eat whatever is closest to us or whatever we come across first in the pantry or kitchen. In psychology, this is known as availability bias, which is a normal human tendency to evaluate situations and make decisions based on information that comes readily to mind. In the case of a pantry, this information is the food that you immediately or easily see. The term comes with a negative connotation in other fields, as relying on availability bias could lead to bad financial investments, for example. But that doesn't mean we can't use our human instinct to rely on readily available information (or food!) and use it to our advantage. When reorganizing, it would be wise to keep the healthier stuff where everyone can see them and hide the junk foods or make them harder to find — out of sight, out of mind. We make food decisions based on what's available, and seeing that healthy foods are more accessible is a good first step to eating healthy.