Outdoor Play

Organizers frequently help their clients to establish a drop zone for each family member to put their stuff as they walk through the door. This provides a guideline as to the acceptable size and location of the piles that can appear at the front entrance.

But I’m finding that at this time of year, the focus shifts from the drop zone to a smooth exit. Not following? We travel light in the warmer months. No coat, hat, scarf, mitts. We have less to “drop” when we get home. But preparing to go out still poses some challenges – particularly if you’re getting young children out the door. How often have you been ready to walk out the door, then needed to run back upstairs to get sun block?

To save yourself some time and keep the family moving, why not store some of the things needed for outdoor fun and safety at the front door? The same basket used for your winter woollies can just as easily contain suntan lotion, a hat, sunglasses, sidewalk chalk and bubbles. Ask yourself what things you always have to run back in the house for, then try to find a way to store them within a few feet of your main entrance/exit. And just to be safe, throw in a box of Band-Aids.

Bringing the Inside Out

At this time of year even the busiest of us will take a moment to stop and smell the roses -- or the tulips, lilacs and whatever else blooms early in the season. Many will snip the blooms of their favourite spring flower and place them in a vase to be admired indoors.

But what about preparing our outdoor living space for the coming season? It's just as important to take some practical and often overlooked items from inside our homes, outside. A stash of old towels stacked in the shed or garage will come in handy when patio furniture needs to be hosed and wiped down. Even if they're needed only a few times throughout the season, they'll be close at hand.

And when you're arranging shovels, clippers and pruners, why not add a pair of kitchen scissors to your arsenal of gardening must-haves? When it comes time to top up the soil in your pots or beds, you could demonstrate your strength and endurance by wrestling with a bag of potting soil until you're blue in the face, or hack at it with another gardening tool. But wouldn't it be simpler to quickly cut it open with a pair of scissors?

So, the next time you peruse the interior of your home, contemplating the usefulness of the things you see, consider a donation to your outdoor living zone, before you cart anything away to a thrift store.