Back to School + End of Summer Clean Out | Motherhood Unplugged

High 5 to all of those moms clicking their 5 inch heels or Nike Air Max, in my case, together because school will be starting in the very near future. Whew, we made it through another summer of planning activities, field trips, art projects, library hauls, slathering sunscreen on unwilling, wiggly kiddos and vacations. Speaking of summer, did you realize that we only have 18 precious summers with our littles? Just 18 and this is my 3rd + 5th year with my boys. Time just passes by way too quickly. This just speaks to my point even more of living your best life unplugged because if we spend all of our time glue to technology we won't remember to live in the moment and cherish those 18 summers with them.

I am not one of those organized moms that has a weekly cleaning schedule. My method is more controlled by my 'mom brain' meaning when I see it I clean it and move on to the next thing because if I don't the fog will roll in and I will quickly forget about it. I try to get to my kids playroom more than once per week nowadays because those two are just getting more rambunctious and and out of control as the days pass smh I'm talking about finding a child made urinal in the playroom because one of them was too busy aka lazy to stop playing and actually use the restroom. I was so pissed but I had to laugh because who thinks to do that but a 3 or 5 year old boy! Ha! They have also tatted their playroom walls with marker, pencil + crayon artwork. I mean it looks like New York City circa 1980 in there and I should know I grew up there in that era. This is exactly why after spending an entire summer with those two I need to do an end of summer clean out before we start a new school year.

Being a mom with growing children I try to purge often meaning donate to Goodwill + sell gently used items on Poshmark or throw away anything that is beyond recognition. Maintaining a 'clean' house makes me feel like I've got my ish together, it really does something to lift my spirits. Recently, this past summer I was inspired by Trina over at Babyshopaholic to get more organized. My under the sink storage area in my bathroom needed an overhaul so I purchased a few storage bins from the Dollar Tree and cleaned out all of the clutter. I also reorganized the area under the kitchen sink and my important papers collection so that I know exactly where everything is at all times. She runs a great mommy & me shopping blog and has been very inspirational in my blogging journey, even as far back from when I started Lipstick Manual, my former fashion blog, which is now out of commission.

Now back to cleaning, do you know how to properly 'Spring clean' in order to prevent future clutter and set your family up for maintaining their health and safety? Read on for some great tips, which will be super helpful in your end of summer clean out + back to school organizing plan.

Tip. 1 Clean your house before leaving for a trip.

I recently did this before we left for our Orlando Universal trip. I made sure to clean all of the bathrooms, wash and put away dishes, make the beds, clear out the refrigerator of any left overs + perishable items and tossed all the trash in the garage bin. To me it just makes more sense and creates less stress to do this before a trip. I surely don't like the idea of traveling to a luxe hotel with gorgeous bathrooms and bedlinen only to return home and be greeted by the smell of stale air, rotting trash in the can and smelly dishes in the sink.

Tip 2. Plan your family travel packing with To Do Lists.

I've created such a list available here for a free download.

Tip 3. Accept help from family, friends or neighbors before going on a trip.

If you are planning to be away for an extended period of time and someone asks if you need anything, be honest and say YES. You may need someone to pick up that package on your doorstep, water your plants, feed your hamsters or simply check on your home to make sure everything is well. And I quote King Julien from Escape to Africa, "Until I return with the spoils of the new country, Stevie will be in charge!" I love King Julien btw lol he's my favorite Disney character.

Tip 4. Have a stash of vacation toiletries.

This goes without saying because with the state of terrorism we still can't carry 'scissors and hand creams' on the aircraft so having a travel sized everything ready will take some of the stress out of packing.

Tip 5. Unpack soon after you get back like you're leaving yet again.

I know this is the last thing on your mind when you get back after a trip but believe me this is tried and true. I make a pit stop at the laundry room and dump out all of the clothes into the washer no matter if they've been worn or not because of 'bed bugs', I'm not taking any chances. Once I have all that out of the way I restock the travel sized bottles of my toiletries and throw back in any sunscreen that wasn't used, put way the travel ID's and store the bags away till the next trip.

If you've made it to the end of this blog, bless you! The moral of the story here is packing for a trip doesn't have to be stressful. Hopefully you've gained some new hacks that can make your family vacation packing much easier. Please share your tips with us in the comments. You can also pin this post for later when you may need it.

Happy Traveling!

#motherhood