Collector Care: Mom Talk - 3 Tips For Successful Playdates

Hello collectors and parents! This June I am talking all about parenting! Why? What does that have to do with being organized? First, when you have kids, you have CLUTTER! Second, you must plan ahead to have a successful playdate. These are ideas that I stick to that I have gathered from trial and error. I would LOVE for more parents to comment on this blog about their tips and tricks.

I have a five year old, but these can apply to any age group.

1.  Bring a snack and drink. Always have a snack and drink in your car ready for those hunger crunches! I like to bring bottled water and granola bars, both keep well in the trunk and don't smash or spill easily.
2. Label action figures. Label your child's barbie dolls, action figures, video games, and anything else you can sharpie. Kids have a lot of the same items, and it saves time and money. I label my son's Skylander action figures on the bottom with an "S" using a black sharpie. He has a ton of these things and so do his friends, and I don't want to keep up with them.
3. Clearly mark drinking bottles or most cups for that matter. Hair ties are a great way to easily label water bottles and cups. I like the colored plastic ones from the 99 cent store. You can easily stretch them around the water bottle to identify who's is who. I use the same color scheme for kids that are always over. For instance Shane always has a blue hair band around his bottle and Ursula always has pink. Not only does this save from spreading germs, but it also means you don't have to track which water bottle belongs to who.

Please feel free to comment below with any tips and tricks on parenting that you would like to share!