Essential Fall Reading | Blog Post Roundup

If you are anything like us, September always seems to catch us off guard. Perhaps it's our adamant refusal to accept that summer is nearing an end, but it definitely feels like overnight the air has turned crisper, the days are noticeably shorter, and we have forcefully been shoved back into routines, schedules, and a million things on the go.

It's definitely a month of adjustment and transition, but with a little planning and a good dose of gentle patience, we will find our autumn groove once again.

Below are three blog posts from passed fall seasons to help get the cogs in motion. We suggest picking one single project to focus on this week to help gently ease back into things. Perhaps it's meal planning for the coming week, maybe it's tackling your front hall closet to rotate out summer things making space for backpacks, lunch kits, and jackets, or perhaps it's overhauling your kitchen pantry- stocking up with after school snacks and cold weather essentials.

Or maybe it's simply making yourself a cup of tea and reading through the posts to plant a few seeds for another time. Wherever you are at in this busy season of life, know that it is enough.

The Essential Back to School Organizing List
Tips to help get your home and life organized, ensuring your back to school/ fall transition runs smoothly.

Three Easy-Win Projects to Tackle This Weekend!
3 bite-sized, easy-win projects that will replace feelings of stress and overwhelm with ones of pride, accomplishment, and overall lightness.

Make the Perfect Homework Station 
Learn to create the perfect homework station so after school is stress-free, streamlined, and easy to keep tidy.

Need a helping hand bringing your organizational vision to reality? Contact Room to Breathe today to schedule a FREE in home consultation - We LOVE to help!

Room to Breathe Calgary | 587-228-6359 | indianna@roomtobreathecalgary.com

This blog post was written by Jessica Thorburn - Our Vancouver-based Marketing and Administration Superstar.

Spring into Simplicity

Despite its reluctant start, spring is indeed beginning to peek in on us here in Calgary. With it, shaking up our winter hibernation routine - begging us to clear space, recalibrate, and refresh – both mentally and physically.

Spring is hands-down the busiest time of year for Room to Breathe. As soon as the snow begins to melt, our schedule is filled to the brim with eager clients looking for guidance to indulge their spring cleaning fever.

LET ROOM TO BREATHE HELP YOU...

• Clean out your garage - rotating out snow shovels, hockey equipment, and SO MUCH gravel, bringing back bicycles, skateboards, and camping gear.
• Purge your closets - and in the process, create a sustainable capsule system for rotating bulky knits and winter layers for lighter, warm weather staples.
• Tackle your kitchen - clearing your pantry and cupboards of clutter, making space for all that is needed for upcoming picnics, BBQ’s, and sun-soaked days spent living outdoors.
• Ready your yard and patio - get your shed prepped, gardening tools and supplies sorted, and patio tidied for the influx of summer days and nights enjoyed with family and friends.

Whatever your project, we are here itching to get our hands dirty!

If you have been thinking about hiring a professional organizer, consider this a sign! Get in touch today to schedule a FREE in-home consultation to go over ideas and begin your spring journey toward simplicity. We book up fast, so call today to secure your spot!

And if you are looking for a little more spring cleaning inspiration, check out some of our previous blog posts filled with helpful spring organizing tips.

Spring is here! Time to Prep the Yard for Enjoyment.

The grass is going green, the birds are out chirping and our parkas here in Calgary are now at the back of the closet (hopefully not needed again until next winter ). I love this time of year and when I did have a yard in the past I loved getting it cleaned up, organized and blooming. Here are some of Room to Breathe's fun yard organization ideas:

Create a kids parking pad for kid’s cars, bikes and scooters. You can involve the kids in creating this and also put one of them in charge of being the “parking enforcement”. This will help keep the yard decluttered which is easier on the eye and makes yard clean up and moving the lawn an easier task.

Assign a home for your loose yard tools and toys. This home can be a shed or even just a box depending on how much you have to store. Storing this stuff away will also increase its lifespan as they will be out of the elements. Make sure to only keep the tools you need. If you have a home already then give it a few minutes of organizing love to make it a space you enjoy using.  

Introduce an outdoor activity trolley. Whether you have kids or not this can be useful. Have a trolley that you can store in the garage or shed during the winter and roll out into the yard for the summer. This trolley can hold things like chalk, bubbles, jump ropes, sand toys, Velcro ball, critter cages, snacks and more for kids or ring toss, bocce ball, water balloons, yard dominos, beverages, etc. for the older crowds.

Set aside some time to give the garden some love. A nicely kept garden is always pleasing on the eye and creates a space you want to enjoy. Prune low branches and shoots to open up under the trees and make the yard feel bigger. Collect and remove all yard waste and plant some fresh flowers for a pop of color!

If you have a yard that overwhelms you and you can't seem to get started, give Room to Breathe a call today to help get your yard summer ready. We would be happy to help!

5 Easy Ways to Cool Your Spring Fever!

Guest blogged by Jessica Thorburn of Paper Bluejay and we agree with everything she has to say!  Thanks Jess!

It always happens this time of year- spring peeks in on us and we get the undeniable urge to tidy, purge, reorganize and breath new life into our stale-from-winter spaces. Today we wanted to share 5 simple but productive projects to help tame that urge and get your home ready and organized for the sunshine soaked days ahead.

So pour yourself a glass of lemonade, and get inspired!

1. Flip-flop Your Closets

Take an afternoon and go through everything in your closet. Try things on and be ruthless, purging anything that no longer fits, is not your style, or simply doesn't get worn. (A good rule of thumb here is that if you haven't pulled it out in the last 12 months, away it goes.) Group like items together, then move winter clothes (sweaters, long sleeved shirts, and thicker pants) to the back half of your closet, leaving the front section for flowy, lightweight fabrics, short sleeved shirts and transitional pieces to take you from spring to summer. Same goes for outerwear- It's (finally) safe to tuck away winter boots, hats, gloves and coats, and make way for sandals, suns screen and floppy beach hats!


2. Start Something Big in the Garage
The garage can be a daunting task for many of us (so do get in touch if you need a helping hand), but now is a great time to do a little garage reorganizing. Move the bikes, skateboards and other summer gear to an easily accessible place, give the floor a good sweep to rid it of gravel and dirt dragged in over the winter, and make a date to take back the collection of empty bottles that have been piling up over the past few months.

3. Freshen up Your Linen Closet
Nothing quite says spring like the day we swap the winter linens for lighter summery ones. I love to pair this sheet swap with washing the duvets, mattress pads, and pillow liners that don't get freshened as regularly the other bedding, but I also extend this wash to the entire linen closet. It's the perfect excuse to purge old towels or unused sheets (again- think about the 12 month rule) and bring out the picnic blankets and beach towels that have been buried in the back of closet over the winter. Washing all your linens can be a big undertaking, so I like to make a special trip to the laundromat in order to tackle multiple loads at the same time. It's a nice excuse to get a coffee and a new magazine and have a little laundromat chill time to myself.

4. Prepare for Many Delicious Feasts
Summer is all about delicious food- the abundance of farm fresh produce, BBQ's galore, weekend parties, camp outs and wonderful gathering with friends... So now is the perfect time to clean out your pantry and fridge to make way for the all the extra deliciousness about to come through the door. Discard any expired or stale items, donate unopened things you no longer need to the food bank, and clear a little shelf space for the summer essentials. Same for for the refrigerator- pull it all out, discard whatever is no longer good, and put it all back in, grouping like items together (even labeling each shelf) and leaving room for a season of fresh berries, delicious greens and other beautiful farmers market finds!

5. Pretty up Your Garden/ Patio/ Yard
Now is a great time to prepare for Calgary's short gardening and outdoor entertaining season. Dig up weeds, dead foliage and leaves the winter has left behind, wipe down your patio furniture, fixtures or garden pots (a simple solution of 1 cup white vinegar to two parts warm water will do the trick), and begin to plan your outdoor oasis. If you need a little inspiration, check out Pinterest to get your summer styling juices flowing!

All images via IKEA