3 Areas to Freshen up for Spring

Entryway

Make your entryway welcoming, bright, and functional for Spring.  Store winter accessories away in bins on the shelf above the rod in your coat closet or in a storage area.  Consider getting an entryway bench with baskets to store Spring/summer items such as sunglasses and baseball caps.  Ideally, each family member would have their own basket.  When winter comes again, you can simply swap winter gear into those baskets. 

Add a tray or shallow basket to a table for incoming mail and a hook for keys near the door. Also, make sure the lighting is bright enough and eliminate worn/dirty rugs to give it a fresh Spring feel.  

Clothes

Get into that closet!  Purge winter clothes you didn't wear or love during the season. Decide what you know you won't wear this Spring/summer and purge!  

I'm sure you've heard the advice: "If you haven't worn it in a year, get rid of it."  I have a nifty trick to help you keep track of what has and has not been worn this year.

-Turn all your hangers backwards.
-Add a reminder in your calendar one year from today to purge your closet.
-When putting away your clothes, hang normally (hangers forward).  
-One year from today, review your closet. Clothing on hangers that are backwards haven't been worn in one year!  It's up to you whether you want to follow the rule or not but at least you know what hasn't been touched in a year.

Toys
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Start a toy rotation system.  Pack up and store approximately half of the toys. Keep one of each kind out and store the others (e.g., have 2 shape sorters? keep one out, store the other).  Every change of season (or when the kids start to complain of boredom), pack up the toys that are out and pull out some of those previously stored.  

A toy rotation system is a wonderful thing.  It keeps kids interested and keeps parents happy because it saves money and reduces clutter.  A win-win!