10 Tips for Organizing Your Closet

A messy closet makes your closet less functional, so organizing the closet increases function and makes it look better too!

I have been working on getting my closet more organized for a while, and it is starting to look so much better and it definitely is working better. Sharing my tips below!

Tips

1. Go through everything and get rid of stuff you do not like and/or do not use.

I recommend going through everything more than once. I find that I will get rid of more when I go through my things multiple times. I really try to think about what I am actually going to wear and why I want to keep something I don't wear often. I had a lot of stuff to donate this week!

2. Get matching hangers

So I saw this recommendation on The Home Edit and I wasn't fully convinced, but after trading out my hangers, I am a believer! It looks so much better and I think it made more space because I bought slimmer hangers.

3. Organize your clothes

So my closet is organized by clothes type. I have dresses together, bottoms together, tops together, and sweaters together. That is what works for me. Organize however makes sense to you to make your closet functional, by color, by type of item, both, something else, whatever works!

4. Clean up the closet as you clean out your clothes

Vacuum, dust, sweep/mop, etc. everything in the closet and it automatically will look better and cleaner!

5. Use Wall Space

My closet has wall space with nothing on it, which seems like kind of a waste. So I used some Command hooks and used them to hang purses/bags, which freed up some space on the shelf above my hanging clothes. Besides purses/bags, you could hang accessories, belts, or jewelry.

6. Use the back of the door if needed

Need more space for shoes? Try the back of the door. You can buy an organizer for the back of the door and store shoes or other items on the back of the door freeing up other space in your closet.

7. Use containers and label them

For non-hanging items and small items, use containers to organize them and be sure to label them (especially if they are not clear). If you are buying storage baskets think about if you want them to be clear. Sometimes it is easy to forget about things if you cannot see them in clear storage containers.

8. Put away seasonal items

Find an out-of-the-way place to store your seasonal items that you are not using. I live in the South and so thick winter sweaters are only needed for a short period of time. I am planning to find some under-the-bed storage, where I can store these and free up more space in the closet. More open space automatically makes your closet look neater.

9. Make a space for your hamper

You can have your hamper in your closet instead of the bedroom. This is especially important if you get changed in your closet, so clothes do not wind up on the floor.

10. Have a drop space

Am I the only one who has a pile of clothes sitting on a chair? If you are a person who doesn't hang things up or put things away immediately, have a basket that you can put stuff in that needs to be hung up or put away. That way, these items are in one, neat location and you can put up the clothes/things when you have time.

I hope this list helps you make your closet more organized and functional!!

I completely forgot to take a picture of my closet before, but here is my closet currently (I have more to do, but it is already way more functional)!

A note: In my opinion, the function is the most important thing (especially in a closet that only you and your family see), so don't worry too much about it being "pretty," that is a bonus but not the main purpose of a closet.

Remember Mama, you are doing a great job! You got this!

Sources:

• The Spruce

• Oprah Daily

• Good Housekeeping

Black History Month Activities for All Ages

February is Black History Month! Though it is important to teach Black history all of the time because Black history is American history, February gives us a chance to highlight and emphasize Black history.

Activities for All Ages:

1. Find activities in your local community - many children's museums, libraries, and communities offer Black History Month events.

2. Read books from Black authors that lift Black voices, Click here for a list of book ideas

3. Cook yummy food from Black chefs, click here for recipes

4. Support Black-owned businesses in your community

5. Crafts in honor of black history month, check out this list for ideas

Activities for Young Children:

1. Listen to podcasts designed for kids (such as African Folktales with Miss Jo Jo)

2. Choose one of their interests and together explore the Black people who contributed to that interest

3. Provide different materials for kids to become inventors and create their own invention this can be a conversation starter about all of the amazing inventions that came from black inventors

4. Play Red Light/Green Light and then learn more about Garrett Morgan who invented the traffic light (You can play Red Light/Green Light and then read Saving the Day: Garrett Morgan's Life Changing Invention of the Traffic Signal by Karyn Parsons)

5. After reading and learning about Black history through crafts, books, and activities, have your child write a letter to or call a family member to tell them about all they learned.

Activities for Older Children:

1. Tour historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs)

2. Visit Black landmarks and exhibits (you can even find virtual tours)

3. Watch TVs/Movies that include Black history and Black culture

4. Play Black History Month Trivia

5. Check out an art exhibit featuring Black artists or go to your local library to find a book about Black artists then have your child try to recreate it or create something totally new as a reflection of their learning

Check out these resources for more ideas:

• Britt Hawthorne's Blog

• PBS: Children's Books to Celebrate Black History Month

• Kids Activities

• Education.com

• thetot.com

• Parents.com

• PBS

Remember Mama, you are doing a great job! You got this!

15 Tips for Reading to Preschoolers

Reading to preschoolers is so very important as we are working to build early literacy skills for our little ones and build a lover of reading. The tips below can help you make storytime more beneficial and more fun for both you and your little one!

Tips

1. Make reading a part of your daily routine

2. Ask your child questions as you are reading about the story and pictures

3. Reread your child's favorite books; repetition helps them learn

4. Point out similar words (for example: words beginning with the same letter)

5. Count objects on the page

6. Have your child "read" to you - they may be reading the pictures or have parts of the story memorized

7. Read with inflection and make it fun through your energy reading

8. Read slowly to give your child time to process the story

9. Wordless books are okay! This gives you and your child an opportunity to make up a story that matches the pictures

10. All reading is good reading - let your child pick what they want to read (it doesn't even have to be a book)

11. It's okay if you do not finish the book and/or if your child wants to jump around a bit in the book

12. Get your child engaged in the text by asking things such as what they think is going to happen next and how the story could have ended differently

13. Try reading non-fiction books and fiction books to give your child variety

14. Find fun/different places to read - go to the park, build a fort, read in the backyard, etc.

15. Let your child see you reading --- this shows them that you value reading

Remember Mama, you are doing a great job! You got this!

Sources:

• Start Early

• New York Public Library

• Scholastic