Ask Lauren, Q & A with Intentional Edit #5

In January I kicked off this blog series called Ask Lauren, Q & A with Intentional Edit. I can’t believe this is already the 5th post. I often receive the similar questions from different people so I’m answering the most common questions once or twice a month in these Q & A posts.

Packing school lunches for the kids takes so much time, do you have a solution for this?

If you have school aged kids you are familiar with what a process packing daily lunches can be. Packing the lunch box with healthy options doesn’t have to be such a pain. A little planning and prep at the beginning of the week streamlines the entire process. These are some basics that should help. Have a designated area in your fridge (a drawer or open container on a shelf) and pantry (basket) that contains items that are specifically for lunches. This makes it possible for most elementary kids to pack their own lunch with little supervision. At my house we have a shelf with single serving snacks in containers…granola bars are in one, crackers/chips in another and nuts and trail mix in another. In the fridge we have a similar system with individual containers on each shelf that contain string cheese, individual guacamole or humus packages, hard boiled eggs and a variety of fruits and veggies cut up and in snack bags. If your kids love sandwiches then a small basket with all the sandwich fixings is a must.

The first time we return home after school the lunchbox is emptied and refilled for the next day. Lunch always contains items from the designated “lunch” areas in the pantry and fridge. The lunchbox is returned to the fridge until the next morning when an ice pack is added and it’s ready for school.

More details on habits for school year success here and evening routines here.

Where is the best place to start if my entire house needs to be organized?

Wow! I can’t tell you how often people ask questions similar to this one. This is not a one size fits all answer. As a professional I am comfortable going in and tackling the the most time consuming area (usually the kitchen) or the space that will make the most impact first. I usually would not recommend for you to do that. I do recommend starting with a small area that you will notice is organized everyday. A small bathroom, drop zone/charging station or junk drawer can be an easy spot to start with. You can finish the project in one session and any of those are areas that you will notice an immediate difference multiple times a day.

Good luck on your project! I always love to see before and after photos of what you have done, feel free to send me your pics!

For easy purging tips click here.

Thank you for reading this post of Ask Lauren, Q & A with Intentional Edit. If you have a question leave a comment in the comment section at the bottom of this post or send me a DM on Instagram and I’ll do my best to answer it in the future.

If you are interested in learning about organizing products that I recommend head to Instagram and be sure to follow Intentional Edit. I’m sharing one awesome organizing product every week for all of 2019.

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Favorite Organizing Products

Amazon | The Container Store

Where to Shop

Organizing

The Container Store | Target | Bed Bath & Beyond | Walmart | Marshalls | Ikea

Design & Decor

Wayfair | Joss & Main | West Elm | Crate & Barrel | Pottery Barn | Urban Outfitters

Deals

Marshalls | Nordstrom Rack | Old Navy | Ikea | Amazon | T.J.Maxx | J.Crew Factory

Fashion

Nordstrom | Banana Republic | LOFT | J.Crew | Lululemon | Nike | Saks Off 5th | Abercrombie

DIY

Home Depot | Sherwin Williams | Michaels | Ace Hardware | Amazon | Etsy

Crafty

Michaels | Ikea | Etsy | Home Depot | Target | Amazon

Lauren is the founder of Intentional Edit, a home organization and lifestyle company focused on consciously editing to create efficient and organized spaces. Lauren believes that a functional home that looks and feels good has a positive influence on all aspects of life. Creating systems that allow for the home to function more efficiently, therefore, eliminating most of the clutter and chaos is her priority. While trends come and go organization is always in style!