CAR STORAGE is simple, easy and can save the day.
Everyone has different needs for their family, so assess what your family needs and make sure you include those items.
Here are mine:
Simple first-aid kit
Water bottles
Jumper cables
Wet wipes
Diapers/hats/& blankets for baby
Food kit (I have a 72-hour supply for one person-it has been great for games that ran over or accidental long drives)
Kleenex
Plastic bags (for muddy boots, wet clothes, and trash)
Insect repellent
Sunscreen
Umbrella
Rain Ponchos
Frisbee
Blanket
Reusable grocery sack
Tie-down/Tow rope
If you have room under a seat, you can store a small empty gas can in case you need it. (Like, sadly, I could have used on Thursday night! Sorry John!)
And I store everything in an action packer from Wal-Mart. The box to store everything in is probably the most expensive item in the bunch, but it is well worth the money and is less than $10. You probably have all of these other things around the house, so go collect them and put them in one place in the back of the car. If you have a minivan, like so many great moms do, you can use an under bed storage box and store it under the seat. You will know that you have everything you need in case of an emergency.
We will tackle the glove box another day, but while you are out there, check to make sure you have the current insurance card, registration, and family phone list.
HOLIDAY DECOR
Holiday storage done right can relieve so much stress when getting it up and down.
It also allows you to know where things are stored in case you want to start early or duplicate a craft in July that you want to give in December.
I start by trying to color coordinate my holiday boxes.
I use brown for Fall Decor, orange/black for Halloween Storage, purple for Easter, and red/green for Christmas.
I did not buy these all at once.
When we first got married, I stored all holiday in four boxes with just simple labels on the side of the boxes.
But, as our collection grew, I tried to invest in three or four boxes a year for Christmas and moved the other holidays into the right color boxes.
This simple trick, makes it a lot easier for the boys to pull the right boxes down from the attic.
There are a couple of different ways to sort how you are storing your decor.
#1 Store by product
Store all soft storage together all books, Christmas hats, etc.
This is how I store items.
My categories are just an idea for yours.
Soft storage (stuffed animals, blankets, Christmas hats, etc.)
Kitchen items (placemats, cloth napkins, dishes and cups)
Breakables/PJs ( I know that sounds really weird, but if you use the PJs to protect the breakables you don’t have to use newspaper.)
Books/Music (I, sadly, have enough books for two boxes, so I store all sheet music in there as well.)
Kids’ tree ornaments and supplies (Each child has a tree for their room, so I decided to store all items they need for their tree together.)
Front porch storage
Berry garland for stairs
Greenery for stairs (I bag in trash bags and label, bottom, middle or top staircase, so that I don’t have to figure it out every year)
Nativities (Small)
Nativities (Large)
You see, the more you detail your storage the easier everyone can help you, and you can find what you need.
#2 Store by room
One of my sisters does this method.
She would take the boxes in each room and store everything needed for that room together.
I love this idea!
You can also take a quick picture of each room and store in the box and tape another one to the outside. (This makes it easy for the kids to decorate while you shop for deals on Black Friday!)
*Label all boxes on the side and the lid! (This is key!) If you have never labeled before, you will not be able to follow this blog without learning.)
Buy printable shipping labels at a local store. They can be a little pricey, but well worth it!
Follow the instructions on the package, but for the quick way, go to Word click under tools, envelopes/labels, and print them out.
I am off to do this: OUR HOLIDAY STORAGE
This is the before photo, stay tuned tomorrow for the after photo.
For tomorrow:
YOU NEED TO CHARGE THE BATTERY ON YOUR CAMERA AND VIDEO CAMERA!!!
Please get up right now and do this, so you will be ready for our SPECIAL SUNDAY tip tomorrow!
See you tomorrow!
~Laura
