Staying Sane in a Minnesota Summer

This week is already the 4th of July - can you believe it? The summer is flying by! The kids are out of school, schedules are wacky, and there's a lot of pressure to soak up every second of sunshine before another long winter.

If you're busy juggling everything in your life, a few simple strategies will help you maximize your time and efficiency, so you have MORE time to enjoy the sweet Minnesota heat!

- Think strategically about where you store things. Considering where you use frequently-used items can really save you time. Keep a small tote or bin near your door with the following in it: sunscreen, bug spray, bandaids, diapers/wipes, portable snacks and other toys your kids use outside. This saves you from the mad dash when getting out of the house with littles is already a challenge!

- Consider staging totes for different activities. We all have a collection of reusable totes that take up space in our homes, so why not think ahead and create a tote for each kid's activity with the supplies, uniform and other needed items to save you time the morning of? The more you can think ahead for what you'll need and prep it ahead of time, the smoother it will go when everyone else in your house adds complications! :)

- Need a fun new kid's activity? Try SPEED CLEANING! Kids have so many toys with small parts (curse you, Legos!!!) and the small parts have a way of migrating all over the house. First, make sure all of the toys have a designated home (that everyone else in the house knows as well), then gather your troops, turn on some good music, start your timer for 10 minutes and GET CRACKING! The element of competition keeps things fun and many hands makes light work.

What are your tips for keeping things sane during the summer craziness?