Put Up a Screen Door! 7 Ways to Make the Most of This Weekend
Get ready for summer by swapping out that storm door and organizing your home for warmer weather
As you turn the calendar to June, it’s a good weekend to set your sights on summer. Prepare for warmer weather and vacation moods by digging out the sun hats, putting up screen doors and prepping the pool for swim safety. And with National Doughnut Day here (June 1), those with a sweet tooth have a reason to indulge. Which of these seven ideas for the weekend will suit your mood?
2. Get out the sun hats. It’s the season for sun hats! To help keep track of yours (and make it more likely you’ll remember to grab one on the way out the door), dedicate a section of wall near the entry to hang them. An accordion rack, shown here, a Shaker-style peg rail and wall hooks all work well. If you already have coat hooks lower on the wall, add a hat rack at eye level.
Hat Storage: Don’t Get Bent Out of Shape
Browse wall hooks
Hat Storage: Don’t Get Bent Out of Shape
Browse wall hooks
3. Get organized for summer with baskets. If you want to get organized in a hurry, consider baskets your new besties. Dedicate a basket for flip-flops, one for rolled-up beach towels and another for sunscreen and other small items. Lined up on a hallway shelf or bench (or even on the floor), attractive baskets can help keep a busy entryway neat with little effort.
Feel up for a craft project? Embellish basic sea grass baskets with big, colorful pompoms. The materials and tools are simple — yarn, scissors, cardboard and a compass — and the project is easy enough to work on with kids. For organizing extra credit, assign a pompom color to each family member and give each a basket for corralling stuff.
DIY: Fun Frills for Your Storage Basket | Find similar baskets on Houzz
Feel up for a craft project? Embellish basic sea grass baskets with big, colorful pompoms. The materials and tools are simple — yarn, scissors, cardboard and a compass — and the project is easy enough to work on with kids. For organizing extra credit, assign a pompom color to each family member and give each a basket for corralling stuff.
DIY: Fun Frills for Your Storage Basket | Find similar baskets on Houzz
4. Satisfy your sweet tooth on National Doughnut Day. The first Friday in June is National Doughnut Day. Indulge your love of this favorite American guilty pleasure with a trip to the bakery — or, if you’re feeling really ambitious, by making a batch of doughnuts at home. If you’re looking for a way to celebrate this fun holiday that doesn’t involve loads of sugar and fried dough, consider adding doughnut-themed decor to your abode instead.
Simple Pleasures: The Joy of Baking
Simple Pleasures: The Joy of Baking
5. Organize end-of-school-year papers. Science projects, artwork, old homework assignments, half-finished workbooks … you name it. If you have kids living at home, the end of the school year is bound to leave you awash in paper. Pour yourself a big cup of coffee or hot tea, and devote a short chunk of time (30 minutes to start) to sort through it.
For the artwork and projects you choose to keep, label each piece with the child’s name and date before storing in an archival-quality, acid-free container. Add stories and background information whenever possible. It’s better to keep fewer items with more memories attached than a giant pile of stuff!
How to Finally Organize Your Family Keepsakes
For the artwork and projects you choose to keep, label each piece with the child’s name and date before storing in an archival-quality, acid-free container. Add stories and background information whenever possible. It’s better to keep fewer items with more memories attached than a giant pile of stuff!
How to Finally Organize Your Family Keepsakes
6. Put up stakes while plants are small. Growing veggies in the garden this year? Don’t forget to put up stakes, tomato cages and bean tepees while plants are still young enough to be trained onto them. Tomato cages, trellises, and ready-made tepees can be purchased at most garden centers. You can also make your own bean tepees using bamboo stakes and garden twine, as shown here. Start training vines when they’re about 6 inches tall by gently placing tendrils onto the supports. If you’re growing tomatoes, place cages over the plants while they are still small.
Summer Crops: How to Grow Beans | There’s Nothing Cagey About Tomato Cages
Summer Crops: How to Grow Beans | There’s Nothing Cagey About Tomato Cages
7. Run through a pool safety checklist. Having a backyard pool can be delightful on hot summer days, but safety must come first. If you have a pool, follow common-sense rules (no running on the pool deck, for instance) and check that you can say yes to these questions, so you can enjoy your summer swims without worry:
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- Is the pool fenced to protect children from jumping in unsupervised?
- Is street access to the pool secured so strangers cannot enter?
- Are all surfaces surrounding the pool treated with an antislip coating?
- Do you have a clear view of the pool from inside the house?
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Plan for Summer: Protect Your Family With a Safe Pool
19 Ways to Get Organized Fast With Containers
Delight in Summer’s Garden Glories — Here’s What to Do in June
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