Less Stress Getting Organized for the School/Holiday Season #Giveaway

Not only can Back to School Season be an extremely hectic time, it can be difficult to get yourself into a new routine.  Then almost immediately, you have to start worrying about planning and organizing for the holidays as well.  It doesn't always have to be so stressful and A Lucky Ladybug has a few tips to help you get your family organized during this hectic time of year!

• Pick a central location in your home for a calendar or schedule of some sorts.  This can be a main entrance area, the kitchen, bedroom hallway, or even the living room depending on your house floor plan.

• Plan an area for homework and have some main supplies readily available for kids to stay focused.  This can be a desk in a bedroom or office, kitchen table or breakfast bar, or living room table.  Again this depends on where you think your child can focus most.

• Make an ideal weekly schedule.  Remember not to set a schedule in stone, be flexible and understand not everything happens on schedule or the same every day.  However, having an idea of how the days should flow will create less stress on both you and the kids!

• Start a somewhat strict daily routine to coinciding with scheduling.  Again not everything is going to happen at a specific time BUT giving the kids an expectation once they are home helps keep from missing tasks throughout the day or added stress in the morning getting ready for school.  Ie. My kids know they come home from the bus, eat a snack, work on homework, have play time, eat dinner, get ready for bed, prep clothes and backpacks for tomorrow, and get in bed at a specific time.  Each activity doesn't have a specific time to start or even finish, they just know the expectations to strive for.

• Keep your spaces organized in groups or categories according to importance.  Now I'm not saying become an Obsessive Compulsive person (like me), but it only makes sense to keep your school supplies together, your shower and bathroom products together, and a place for gear like backpacks, coats, and shoes.

 Great Expressions Dental Centers (GEDC), a leading dental service organization, would like to offer some creative ways to keep your house organized for the school year too!

1. Utensil Trays. Utensil trays can hold more than just kitchen utensils. Place a tray in your bathroom for organized, sanitary toothbrush, toothpaste and floss storage.
2. Shoe boxes.  It can be difficult to find the mouthwash when it’s thrown in with everything else. Give your shoe boxes another life and fit them into the cabinets and drawers for more compartmental storage.
3. Towel Bars. The back of your bathroom door can be used for drying and hanging multiple towels. To use this space efficiently, install towel bars vertically below each other. 
4. Book shelves. Backpacks are likely to hit the ground once the children come home from school. A book shelf can serve as multi storage space for shoes on the bottom shelf and backpacks on the top. 
5. Mason Jars. Mason jars are good for liquids, but they’re even better for writing utensils! Place a mason jar on each office desk to track all the pencils during the school year.
6. Picture Frames. It can be hard to keep the house tidy if we don’t remember what to tidy up! Write on a picture frame with a dry erase marker to keep track of your family’s ‘to-do’ list and dental appointments.

Giveaway:  Great Expressions Dental Centers is going to give FIVE of A Lucky Ladybug's lucky readers a special Gift Package* in hopes of helping you stress out less and get organized! *Package includes year supply of toothbrushes (16), toothpaste (25), floss (25) and mouthwash (25)

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