Happy Monday everyone!  The kids and I are spending some time at my mom’s house (aka our summer retreat).  This is a pic my mom snapped with my phone while the kids were being entertained  by their grandparents.  Just look how relaxed we are!  I look forward to this week every summer.  :)  Bummed my husband had to head back to San Diego to work but the kids and I have a fun agenda that includes lots of time in the pool, time with grandparents, and time with our friends.  (I’ll be sharing lots of pics from our week on instagram – erin_sunnysideup of you want to follow along!)  My mom also handed over her annual summer “to organize” list with a big grin on her face.  We have a little arrangement each year.  She watches the kids for me while I organize for her.  It’s a win for both of us.  :)

Before I start sharing what I’m up to at my mom’s here are a few pics of another junk drawer I tackled in my kitchen last week.  This is my “go-to” drawer in one of my kitchen islands that I’m in and out of the most.  It holds pens, scissors, chap stick, tape measures – the little things I need on and off throughout the day.  This drawer was such a mess before I tackled it and I keep forgetting to take “before” pics.  Let’s just say this is a major improvement.  The organizers I picked up at Home Goods (4 bucks each!).  They add a fun pop of color.

I keep my girls’ cameras in this drawer so they are easy to grab when they need them.  Little photographers in training.  :)  I’ve also found it’s so handy to have a set of mini screwdrivers close by for all of the kids’ battery operated toys and other miscellaneous household items.

Starting the summer off right with a little organizing!  :)  I finally tackled this drawer near my kitchen sink.  It sits right next to my dishwasher and had sort of become a catch all.  Wish I would have taken a pic of the “before” because it was bad!  We’ve always kept a set of toothbrushes by the kitchen sink.  I don’t know about your kids, but mine tend to get distracted easily and sending them back upstairs to brush their teeth after breakfast can often add ten minutes to our morning routine.  This silverware organizer I picked up at Home Goods was perfect to hold an extra set of toothbrushes and toothpaste for mornings that we are pressed for time.  Now when school starts again we’ll be prepared!  

I rounded up some containers I’ve had for years to hold other kitchen sink essentials.  A basket to hold my magic erasers (favorite thing to use on my quartz counters), a white trey to hold drain stoppers, and a bowl to hold my OXO dish scrubber replacement brushes.  (Talked about my OXO dish scrubber in this favorite things post – love it!)

This is how I organized the drawer next to our kitchen sink in our previous house.  Baby gear is a thing of the past.  {tear}

I filed away the new house stuff and switched out the colorful tabs for these plastic pocket dividers.  I just love dividers with pockets.  Aren’t they fun!?  Do they make you as happy as they make me?  If I ever feel stressed or sad I just head to Staples and wander up and down the isles looking at all the different folders and pocket dividers.  Before long, I’m happy again.   My own personal upper.  :)

My first category is just blank paper for TO-DO’s.  I’ve used lots of fancy printables, planners, and lists in the past for my to-do’s but I’ve learned that what works best for me is just a running list on plain paper that I can cross off as I complete things.  I always need a place dump my brain!  This list is never too crazy long because I have the other categories for breaking down things I’d like to get to at some point.  This page is just for the day to day immediate to-do’s.  Phone calls to make, e-mails to send, things to get done that day.  The paper I’m using (also Martha Stewart collection) has an edge that tears off.  I use this to write my grocery list.  Then when I’m going to the grocery store I can just tear it off and I don’t have to take the whole binder or to-do list with me.

I also still use my sticky tabs that I shared in my previous time management binder post.  (Sticky tabs are right up there with pocket dividers for me – love them!)  Whenever I need to buy a lot from various stores I get out the sticky tabs and place them all on one paper.  Then I can just grab the note I need when I’m heading to a specific store.

The next tab is for my BLOG where I keep a list of post ideas/plans (I have pages and pages!) and a calendar that I need to schedule posts on but can’t quite ever make happen.  We’ll see if this new binder inspires a little post scheduling.  :)

The next tab is a favorite!  ORGANIZE.  I keep my “to-organize” lists in this category and turn to it often to see what I need to be working on next.  (I wrote a post on making an effective “to organize” list here.)

The CHURCH tab holds everything I need for my current calling in our church.  I’m the secretary of our Young Women program which means I’m in charge of all things scheduling and calendar.  Up my alley much?  :)

The KIDS category of my binder is usually over flowing and I have to clean it out the most.  I try to only keep what I really need at the moment in this binder and everything else for the kids gets filed in my office.

And yes!  I have a tab for CHRISTMAS!  I can’t help it.  I love to stash away ideas for the holiday season all year long.  Aside from inspirational decorating pics I also keep a list that I write after Christmas each year of things I want to do better for the following year.  Things like “order Christmas cards in JULY so I’m not stressed about them in November!”  Better get on that.  :)

So that’s it!  Obviously this binder is custom for me and my needs, but hopefully it still gave you some ideas for how you could make something like this work for you.  You can also see my previous Time Management Binder for a few more ideas.  So happy to have a place to dump everything on my mind and keep it all organized in one place.

Summertime.  Are you feeling it?  That smell in the air?  That’s most likely a neighbors BBQ that you’re wishing was yours?

I shared this pic on Instagram today.  Poolside watching the kids swim with my HGTV magazine in hand.  The last two days have been such a non-stop whirlwind of activities that it felt wonderful to sit down and relax this afternoon.  The whole 20 minutes of it until Kole decided he was done with the pool and needed food immediately.  :)  But I could taste summertime for those 20 minutes!  Hearing my kids laugh and splash around in the water while reading about the “not so stuffy way to style shelves.”  (Vary the heights of your decor – that’s key.)  See how much I learned.  In just 20 minutes of down time.

Because summer is quickly approaching (wonderful smells and all) I’ve been thinking about a lot of things I want to do to get ready.  Time to prep for those sometimes loooong days with the kids home!