Cynthia Ewer's Blog, page 38

Build a Budget for Back-to-School

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on July 31, 2018

Getting ready for back-to-school with the Organized Home Back-to-School Countdown? It's Day 2 ... and time to hang on to your wallet!

Printables:  Back-To-School Budget

Print the Ultimate Back-to-School Checklist

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on July 30, 2018

Welcome to Day 1 of the Organized Home Back-to-School Countdown!

In spite of long and lazy summer days, a new school year is on the horizon. To be ready for the first day of school, there are lists to make and appointments to keep, paperwork to be processed and shopping to be done.

Track them all with this ultimate back-to-school checklist! Free for the printing, it'll help you tick off back-to-school tasks and get organized for a new school year.

Printa...

Do It Now Tips To Get Ready For Back-To-School

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on July 29, 2018

Move over, summer--a new school year is coming! With the start of school, families face new organization challenges.

School bells ring--and so do early-morning alarm clocks. Paper piles swell as hand-outs and homework stream into the house. Shorter autumn days bring a hectic round of sports, activities and events, and calendars fill with cryptic notes. Can the holidays be far behind?

Get organized now for the best school year ever! Use these ideas to pr...

Holiday Clean Up: Clutter Cutting Ideas for Year's End

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on December 29, 2017

Even in the midst of holiday cheer, it's time to look ahead to a clean and organized New Year--if you can see it, over the clutter of Christmas Past.

Ready to swing into the coming year from a clutter-free home?

Try these year-end tips to cut clutter and start the New Year on an organized note.

Chill Out! Cut Energy Use In Refrigerator And Freezer

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on August 14, 2017

With summer weather set to "scorch" these days, it's time for an energy-saving tune up for your refrigerator and freezer.

Keeping food fresh--while conserving energy--can bring a helpful boost to the strained food budget.

Try these tips to minimize energy use and save money on groceries:

Fill the freezer, but give the fridge some air

The freezer works most efficiently when packed as full as possible. Need to fill in some space? Tuck extra ice for cold...

Back-to-School Countdown Day 12: Tips to Help With Homework

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on August 11, 2017

The start of a new school year means fresh supplies and new outfits ... and their less-welcome cousin, homework. How will you handle daily homework sessions in your organized home?

To stave off homework battles, it pays to make a plan. Creating a homework routine undercuts foot-dragging, while setting up a homework station keeps distractions to a minimum. Having a plan for homework accountability encourages student responsibility--and sees to it that h...

Back-to-School Countdown Day 11: Win the Wardrobe Wars

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on August 10, 2017

What to wear? For many families, this simple question is a daily flash-point for conflict on school mornings.

A budding fashionista throws a tantrum if a given outfit doesn't meet her standards, while another child insists on wearing one favorite shirt day after day--laundered or not. Younger children resist getting dressed at all, delaying the whole family's departure--and everyone's mood descends to the basement before the day has even begun.

Win the...

Back-to-School Countdown Day 10: Gear Up for School Lunches

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on August 9, 2017

Will you add "pack school lunches" to your to-do list when school starts? Time to get organized!

School-day mornings veer to frazzled in a heartbeat, and never more so than when trying to pack lunches while locating laundry, overseeing homework and calling children to breakfast.

Give yourself a break, and take time now to prepare for the school lunch routine. With nine months of lunch duty ahead, planning school lunch menus will make it easy to pack the...

Back-to-School Countdown Day 9: Create A Family Command Center

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on August 8, 2017

Each day in your household, the questions fly. What time is soccer practice? Do we need to buy milk? Is the family free to attend a barbecue this weekend?

Even in an age of smartphones, each household needs a one-stop location to find the answers: a family command center.

Information central for busy families, a family command center cuts school-day stress by creating a single location to find calendars, information and messages needed by the family ea...

Back-to-School Countdown Day 8: Set Up A Family Launch Pad

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on August 7, 2017

It's not just our family that exits the door each morning during the school, it's our stuff! Can you find what you need to get the children off to school on time each day?

Briefcases and backpacks, library books and lunch sacks travel with us in and out of the house each day. Arriving home, these possessions scatter to the winds; in the morning, precious time is wasted rounding them up for another day's use.

If you're playing too many games of "Where's...