THE GIFT OF A SNOW DAY

Three Easy Organizing Tips you can Use While at Home During a Snow Day!.. 

©Rosemary Lopez-Gonzalez ​

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Yeah a Snow day!
Whoohoo!!.. One of the best things I love about winter in New York City is having an occasional snow day!..
Snow days are like gold and are awesome little unexpected holidays in our family.  Today, the New York City school system has shut down and many companies are closed due to the snow which has fallen overnight in the Northeast Region.
So, now that we have this precious snow day, the children have planned to sleep in a bit given that the news came in last night that school was closed. A snow day is a wonderful way to extend the weekend we just had.  
On Snowdays, we tend to have a deliciously decadent breakfast consisting of my husband’s amazing “Blueberry” pancakes to get the day started. A snow day for us means going out to play in the snow, while it is fluffy and white, having some creamy hot chocolate from fresh cacao.  It means, more time for us to connect as a family and eat yummy comfort food too. But this also means that once we are done with our snow day festivities, we can just relax and do our own thing so, I guess you can imagine what I love to do. Well, I steal a couple of hours to myself to get organized either in our home, for myself or my husband, or helping our children.  
Tip # 1 - Organize your Photographs
A snow day is so great to look back on your memories with family and enjoy the times you have had and chronicled in photography. Photographs are usually in a sentimental category so this may take a long time to go through all of your pictures.  You may want to do this in tiny sections or by photo albums if you have lots of photography to sort through. The key is to simplify the task and sort it out so that it is easy and the tasks are achievable versus looking a massive project.  One of the tips I like to offer is, You can digitize your favorite pictures by scanning them and also by making fun family photo books according to category, events, timelines or however you would like. I use shutterfly www.shutterfly.com or snapfish, www.snapfish.com to make photo books either for myself or clients and have found this to be a great resource for keeping important photographs accessible to me for print anytime I’d like.  It is also a great time to purge those old photographs that are poor quality and or if you have duplicates. Since it is a snow day and you’re not really going anywhere, you can bundle up in a cozy blanket and take your time.  Just make this a fun and relaxing event and your are organizing an area in your life that you have been wanting to organize anyway.
Tip # 2 - Organize a small Hot spot in your kitchen 
Another area that I love to organize when I am home on a snow day can be any small area in my kitchen.  It does not have to be a deep purge or intricate organizing session, just any small hot spot in my kitchen.  That can be a pantry that is bursting at the seams with items that have expired or are no longer things you or your family love to eat.  Purge whatever you do not need, this is relatively easy to get through because if things are old or you don’t like them you can easily discard and that frees up space this allows you to see what inventory you already have and or need.  Quickly, organize the silverware drawer that is full of plastic ware that you will never use from the take out restaurants, discard any old plastic ware [forks, knives, sporks, and spoons] and the old ketchup and mayo packets and soy sauces that have accumulated in the  drawer. This is super fast and easy and makes a big impact right away. I also love to organize the refrigerator when home on a snow day.  This is great especially if I have gone shopping in advance of the “snow storm” and I’ve shoved everything into the fridge.  
Tip # 3 - Organize your handbag, work bag or kids backpacks!
If you are like me and my family, there are often times when we have not been able to clean out our bags during a given week.  I have found children's socks and diaper changing supplies, and even binkie's in my work bags so being able to organize this area makes life so much simpler when you are heading back to your routines after a snow day.   During a snow day, take some time to organize handbag, work bag or backpack.   Getting organized in this area  is a Godsend when you are racing around commuting to work or school or living in a fast paced city.  Clean out your wallet, take out any duplicate metro cards. Sort, discard and file your receipts, remove all of the old candy and gum wrappers from your bag.  It’s a great time to take out the 24 lipsticks that somehow have ended up in your bag during the week.
As far as your work bag, take out all of the old files, paperwork or bills that you do not need to carry and streamline your bag.  Ensure that you have all of your electrical components and gadgets neatly tucked away in a small cosmetic purse so that it is easily accessible. For the Kids backpacks have them remove everything from the bag, and sort through all of their crumbled papers, any notebooks and textbooks.  Have them sharpen their pencils, refresh notebook paper in their binders and make a list of any supplies they need for future shopping. They can place everything back nice and neat and now that the bags are ready to go. You are ready to face the week again with a streamlined handbag, work bag or backpack.  Thanks to a free snow day that gave you some time to get a few extra things done.
So, whatever way you chose to spend a snow day, I hope that you find joy in the gift of a stress free unexpected day off.  Whether you organize one of your collections, a small hot spot in your kitchen and or get your handbag, work bag or child’s backpack ready for the week.  These are great strategies to keep in mind if you want to take advantage of a free day and get organized during a snow day. - I look forward to seeing you at my next post.  
Please post a comment and let me know what things you like to do during a snow day.  
Do you ever spend time organizing when you are stuck at home on a snow day and what do you like to organize.  
I look forward to hearing from you, adios Beautiful..
With warm regards,