Summer Organisation things I do during the school holidays

So we have had half term here in the UK. The final one until the Summer Holidays and it can be tricky when it comes to organisation and so I have some tips that may help you.

Day trips: Plan ahead if you can and do a list a week before if not earlier and remember to pack a first aid kit, money should you decide to buy drinks and food where you are going and remember skin protection. So hats, goggles for swimming, sun cream, change of clothes depending how far you are  heading and open up the car to cool it down before getting in. If it possible see if you can park in the shade. Pack antihistamine and bite cream and if going in water, arm bands and floats and shoes the beach. 

#washing clothes: Do it in cycles and what do you want to take on holiday. I like to mix and match. I do where trainers with socks and pack plenty of underwear and that my son has clothes that can be for the day and evening. Have the washed clothes near the suitcase ready and I like buying packs of vest tops. I wear these all year round and so versatile. Check out my: https://carriesversatilefashion.com/ I will bring shorts. What I mainly where in the summer along with a pair of good walking sandals and trainers that can be washed and a couple of jackets for the evening. |Light jackets. I take my Denim Jackets. You can buy a bar of washing for clothes soap or take some washing tablets and find out what the accommodation has on site. I like to air dry my clothes and so make sure there is a place I can hang once washed. Soak the swimwear to get rid of the chlorine and salt from the sea. 

Guides: Get an idea of where the beaches or seaside is from where you are staying, unless you are holidaying in a city. There may be parks and lakes. So find out before booking, does it have a swimming pool, a restaurant on site and what the night entertainment they have. Can I do exercise? Are there good walks. Are there areas you should stay away from and when hiring a car find out what it is going to be as when we travelled in one of the Greek Islands with my mum and her friend, had this old banger and it was dreadful. I like to see how far it is from the town, I like self catering, so will check to see if there is transport available, supermarket, pharmacy and I love a tourist shop. I don't drive and often my husband doesn't like to always drive on holiday and check if there is parking and how much it is to park. I speak to people who to find if anyone has been there that I know that could give good tips of where to go and the Travel Information in the place you are visiting. Can you buy a guide? Also currency. How much is the exchange rate and the prices to eat out if you don't do self catering? 

Medication and toiletries: I take medication and it is a while since travelling abroad but have it in your luggage and in a clear bag and only take what you need. I like to take a first aid kid but no scissors or anything that is sharp as they will confiscate it, but things like bite cream, wet wipes, sanitizer and plasters for example and you can get travel size toiletries. Boots do a huge range, but find out from the hotel if you can of what will be provided in the accommodation. 

So I hope you find this blog helpful and it is back to school this week for my son and so making the most of the weekend. 

Many thanks for reading, 

Carrie X 

Use One Place For Multiple Uses

I have read Atomic Habits. It talks about using one area for one habit, like using the dining table just to do work on my laptop, but I love to use the couch sometimes and when peeling potatoes love having my laptop set up whilst I prep my daily meal.

When it is summer time I like to use the garden to play sports, working on content, journaling and writing a book so I find that it is good to mix it up a bit.

It is good to have a desk and tend to use this as my son loves to use the dining table to watch his tablet, play a board game or his Tipping Point machine as he got back to playing with that, after a break of playing with his trains and buses and airplanes. 

I believe a Living room is to live in and we have a dartboard and often my husband and son will play and my husband and I will work out there too and my husband has a treadmill and so is used and it is good to have a room that is fun and functional too. 

A home to me is a nest, personal to you. I love having a place to read and that be in bed, on the sofa and out in the garden and my son loves to do a bit of DIY in the garden and paint something. 

He painted my bedroom shelves for me and the living room is where he will get dressed for school and where we eat and watch TV. I want to get Henry a TV for his bedroom and he has a desk in his room but he's not used this yet, but wanted it because it his personal space and if he would like to eventually have time in his room rather than the living room then he can. 

It is good to have a room that has personality and should be put together depending on your lifestyle and one of my friends loves to read in the bath, I like to listen to music or an audio book if I am having a bath and that the space can be for relaxing too and not just four walls but is liveable. 

I find having a space where you can be a safe haven. I was fearful at one point of my home but now I love my home and does for now until I can afford a place of my own and that it is personal to me and my bedroom is full of books, my toiletries and clothes. I love my bedroom and it suits me.  

So do you use one place for Multiple purposes or do you like to use difference spaces for one purpose?

You can leave a comment below. 

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X 

Giving yourself more time

How many of us rush only to find that we have forgotten our keys or you didn't have time for a coffee and you've missed the train or bus and now you are making up time. It can get to the point which you wished you hadn't got up or want to turn back the clock and start again. 

Neither are possible but doesn't mean that this continues. Start by doing one change. This can be take a coffee with you from home. Look where you put things. I make sure my bag is in the living room where I know I will pick it up and my coat in the hallway near the front door. 

The same with shoes and I love slip on trainers because they do save up time or sliders. 

I like to concentrate firstly on waking up and my son turns off my alarm. If I don't let him then it can lead to a tantrum and then he goes back to bed and waits for the second alarm for him and I don't do anything else once my son is up as I like to focus on getting my son ready for school. His uniform is laid out and so it is so he can get himself dressed and so I can focus on with filling up his water bottle and put it in his bag. I have create a travel kit bag for him, of wipes, Sun Cream, pocket tissues. Once he is off to school then I will either pop out or start writing a blog, work on a book and so just focus on one thing. 

Today I went out as I wanted a book from a Charity shop in Wimbledon and picked up some shopping and wrote in my journal and drafting the sequel to my new Book out When Mothers Are Real. 

I will batch some tasks. Today it was catching up on my weekly finances that I have missed and gone through my weekly expenses and caught up. I no longer going to use a spreadsheet because my laptop is no longer working and so using my husbands and lost many files and so writing it down. 

The issues with technology makes you go back to old school planning and keeping track of my money and using google docs for my books as not sure if they can be retrieved and it has made me still write things down and I know these won't suddenly crash.

I have an excuse to have a notebook rather than relaying on an online planner all the time. 

So save yourself time by making one change to your day or week and  eases stress and no longer forgetting what you need and have time for a coffee and never miss the bus, train or stuck in traffic again. 

Many thanks for reading, 

Carrie X 

Use It Up and Reducing what I buy

I love it when I have an empty fridge because it challenges me to use what I have in my food cupboard and freezer. I have not bought anymore skincare until I have used up my creams and I have enough Shampoo to last me a life time and shower gel and so I can focus at the moment on booking things to do in the Easter holidays. 

It is good to have a back up of food especially when it is freezing cold outside or your cooker goes on the blink and we tend to have sandwiches or soups for lunch and so the two things we buy is milk as that is what my son drinks, along with water and bread. 

Breakfast is usually toast, yogurt or cereal. 

We don't do our washing everyday but this helps me wear the clothes I have and not buying any this year. I like the clothes I have and I rotate my clothes and I was watching a Sheerluxe video on youtube and a lady saying she doesn't allow the weather to dictate what to wear so challenging myself to wear all my clothes still even when it is cold and not stop the weather from wearing a skirt and I think it is a British thing to do to dress by the weather and I have enough for the year. I have clothes that I can layer up but I have a blog about Versatile Fashion and try to buy clothes that suits all seasons.  Carries Versatile Fashion – I love Fashion that can be mixed with all seasons

I am keeping my hair short now because I don't need to keep investing in hair bands and I will still wear my baseball caps and winter hats but I just don't want to have to tie it up. 

I have reduced buying biscuits and I am still ordering from Amazon but the fact that I almost up all night waiting for a notebook to be delivered is the spirit telling me to stop relying on Amazon and buy from the high street as I have allowed myself one notebook a month. 

I am trying not to buy reading books and this has made me listen to the audiobooks I have and so holding myself in from buying so many. 

It is good to have no more baked beans and use tin spaghetti instead to use, pasta is great for meals and my son and husband love salt and pepper and so we keep staples like that but not too many. We at one time had a collection of herbs and spices and they never got used and so had to be thrown. 

Instead of buying fresh garlic we use Garlic Granules and have sauces like Mayonnaise, Ketchup and BBQ sauce. These are always used and never go to waste. 

So if you use it all the time then it is good to stock up, but if it is only one recipe then buy less and make meals you know you will have. I feel that we buy, and this from my own personal experience for the "Ideal person" we want to be, so I am realistic now with what I know I will get consumed and to reduce waste. Keep it realistic and go through the diary to go through what you are going to be doing and what you will be using and I always have hand cream, a packet of tissues, wet wipes and an umbrella in my bag and my sons pocket money but not over doing it as my bags can be heavy. 

Also I like cloth bags and have one I use if we do need to pick up something from the shop.

We now have a mug we no longer use store money for shopping should we need more milk or bread. 

It is good to always have a back plan and I often will go through my stuff and what needs to be used up and keep a list. 

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Carrie X 

 

Sometimes It is good to get away from #TODO lists

Today it is a lazy day. Not had one of these for a long time. My son is unwell so been making sure he is okay and was a day indoors but we changed our minds and went for a drive. His Hayfever really takes over and last year he was taken to hospital because it turned into a Chest Infection and so had to be put on antibiotics. So tomorrow when it is Monday will be contacting the doctors. Not an easy thing to do as you have to fill in a form and then await a phone call. 

A picture from our drive through #ashtead surrey

It has been good though not to have to wake up with an alarm and usually my son would be at his rugby club. He plays with an inclusive rugby team. He has ADHD and Development Delay and we would have gone but as he is not well, thought it would not have been a good idea so I have read my book, did my sons breakfast, listened to some music and an audiobook, watched Match of the Day and now got Sunday Brunch on and decided to go on my laptop and it is good to just have a proper relaxing day. I am watching, please no judgement, a lady stacking books. She sells secondhand books and something I would like to do. So have a good reason. 

I do like my to do lists and it is good to tick things off but it is good to take a break from that and catch up on TV, we watched the athletics lastnight, this morning watched an episode of the Apprentice and it has been a blissful day so far. I hope Henry gets better and we have a roast today so feel that even though its not gone as planned its good to be relaxing and be back on my to do lists once my son is better. 

Kids get sick as they're immune system gets stronger and they do change things. You do have to put your life on hold. I find it hard when he gets sick because rest of the time he is fine but he has been fine. He was able to sleep in and he is smiling and played with his trains but he is tired. When your nose is constantly running it can be exhausting and his nose has been like a tap and he was shivering last night and was alarm bells that his Hayfever has taken a turn and so he has had Calpol and just taking it slow. 

It is good we aren't far away from our local hospital and his GP so hopefully if I contact them all will be okay again. I do enjoy the weekend because it is like having a personal day, which some people call it and just enjoy each hour and minute. 

So if you want a break then do it. Honestly it will give you the boost to get back to the to do lists and allow some down time.

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Carrie X 

Why I love my Mornings

I love my mornings and it is when I am most energized and I feel good in that I use my time to read, get dressed, do my sons breakfast and see my son off to school and then I will do a tidy up and may pop out for a walk. 

Took on one of my morning walks and love getting in touch with nature 

It is a good time to journal and go for a coffee.

On Wednesdays I go for a swim and just got back from swimming and achieved my steps.

Listening to Mel Robbins she is right about moving in the mornings as it really helps with fatigue and helps with the rest of the day.

I do have for me the perfect set up, because it gets over the tiredness and spending time putting the dishes away after breakfast helps clear that time to move onto the next time. I like getting up in the mornings where there is noone else up. I like watching the sun rise and today saw a beautiful butterfly and took a picture and it was if it wanted me to take a photo. 

Not loaded on to photos but see above of a Robin I took whilst walking outdoors in the morning.

I would argue with my friends who would call me a morning person but now they are right. I love the morning and having a whole day to write a blog, work on a book and sort out the home. 

It helps with my sleep. I have a overactive mind and as soon as I would put my head on the pillow my mind would become active. I would me ratty and found it hard to switch off and so now I listen to what my body wants and getting up early helps the energy in my mind. 

I properly relax in the evening. I scroll less too. I use my phone when travelling or when on treadmill to to play music or listen to a podcast and at the moment I play four songs whilst on treadmill and I really enjoy it. I find I do concentrate better, I look at the good things in my life and the mornings is when I am the most creative. 

So what time of day do you like? Do you like the mornings? 

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Carrie X 

Shut things away if it helps

So when I think I have decluttered and getting things order there is more stuff and moving can really make you aware of the stuff you have. I was living in Wimbledon but that has changed, so we have moved. I do keep notebooks because they are my tools. I write blogs, create vlogs and a mum, so if there are some things I don't want to deal with then I will put them away and concentrate on what I want to deal with.

My Working Space how I plan my tasks and get stuff done 

I have been putting a plan together to get the spaces in my home together. The good list is to have to remind me of what needs to be done, is to create an Overdue list. I go through never used, sometimes use and always use. I use my notebooks and so going to use the notebooks still with pages available before using a brand new one and file notes for books, blogs or video ideas in a folder. 

My son has inherited some more books to encourage him to read. I am hoping my son would suddenly want to read. He loves charts and maps and now he is in school again hope this will give him some encouragement to read. His Tutor before he got a place in the school he is in now, really helped because he does not like to read at home however much I try. 

Getting back to organisation, it is good to priorities. My main focus at the moment is to get my son ready for school now he has now got a placement and using the time he is at school to do home projects. Tomorrow I am going to the shops. Really glad to be able to go on a morning walk and so putting things away is great for focus on my regular weekly tasks so I have clothes that are clean, for my son to change into when he comes home from school, food and so I like to have an excuse to walk outdoors to pick up some shopping and that my bed has fresh bedding to put on and my son has many sports clubs at the weekend and so making sure I have his football clothes and rugby clothes clean and back to school next week. 

Being enthusiastic does not mean you want to get it done, so I go on how I feel right now. I do change my mind and was going to tidy the living room but looking at my list today I have changed my mind so going to clean my bedside cabinet and clean my sons room and clean the fireplace in the Living room. 

I have to break it up as I know I will be on my laptop all day which I will change my focus so waiting for my camera to charge and vlog and check out my last vlog which features me sorting out my home and post a Vlog every Friday: https://youtu.be/Cl9ESwGVp60

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Many thanks for reading, 

Carrie X