Lending a Helping Hand

A few months ago, Calm Order received a call from MKL Design Studios – one of their clients was in the middle of moving into a new home when a member of their family had a health emergency.

The clients were in the middle of two homes, with some of their belongings already in their new home, but the majority of their items still in their current home. Moving became a low priority in the midst of visiting the hospital and caring for their loved one.

When Calm Order received the news, Karen and her team jumped at the chance of giving a helping hand. Within a couple of hours of getting the call, Calm Order had assembled a team of organizers and movers, all willing to donate their time for free to help out the family. They also booked a time to start the moving and unpacking process to take place in the next couple of days and got to work with the preparations needed. This included doing a quick survey of the current and new home to develop a plan of action. In this time, Calm Order was also able to connect with the client to get a full picture of their move, lifestyle, and new home to develop the best organization plan for unpacking in their new home.

On the day of the move, the team started working at 9:00 a.m. including the owner of MKL Design Studios, her daughters, and a team from Get A Move On, which donated all the boxes and packing materials the team used throughout the move. Over 18 people in total came to help – and as Karen described, it was a true sense of the community coming together to help a fellow neighbour in their time of need.

The first step was to clear out the larger items that didn’t require packing, like larger furniture and appliances. The moving team got started on loading those items up and taking them to the new house, while the organizing team started to pack boxes with smaller household items. The first rooms the team focused on were the kitchen and the bedrooms, as these homes require the most time to unpack and organize. They’re also the most used and needed to be ready for the homeowners to use at the end of the day.

From here, part of the organizing team moved on to the new house to focus on unpacking while the rest of the team continued to pack up the rest of the house and the garage. In a matter of hours, the small but determined team had everything in the former house packed, moved, and unpacked to an organized state in the new house. The client was able to spend the morning and afternoon visiting their family member at the hospital and return to a finished house at the end of the day.

For everyone involved in the project, it was a pleasure to be able to help a fellow community member out. Moving can be a stressful process at the best of times but is the last thing on anyone’s mind when an emergency occurs. Calm Order and the rest of the team were happy to be able to help this individual and their family get unpacked in a new and organized home!

10 Activities to Do at Home

There are many activities that can be done from the comfort of your own home. With everyone still encouraged to stay at home as much as possible, there’s no better time to pick-up a new hobby or activity.

Organize!

Getting your home organized is a process that can’t be done overnight. There’s no better time to dedicate yourself and your family to going through the organization process, whether it is one room or the entire house. Need some help getting started? Calm Order is offering virtual organizing services! Learn more here.

Learn a new language

Take some time to polish up your second language skills or learn a new one! There are different online classes or apps available for learning new languages, some of which are free or cost-effective (like these virtual courses). Practice your new skill while you’re at home or with family and friends over video call.

Host a tournament

It could be a board game tournament or outdoor sporting tournament, but if you’re at home with your family turn a one-time game night into a multi-day event! Pick a game that everyone can play and be sure to establish rules for the tournament before you begin to avoid any potential issues. Once you’re done, you can pick up a new game and start again.

Start a garden

With warmer weather on the way, now is the time to make a plan for an outdoor garden. If you’re new to gardening, take the time to do research on what plants and flowers would work best for your space, whether you have a large backyard garden or small patio garden.

Tackle a new puzzle or board game

Trying to figure out a new board game or complete a large puzzle can be a length endeavour, but there’s no better time to do it! Set aside a night on your own or with your family to read instructions and learn a new game or put together a difficult puzzle.

Get creative with arts and crafts

There are many easy crafts that can be completed with items found in your home. If you’re looking for inspiration, try searching tutorials for how to knit a new scarf or make your own interior decoration. If you do need supplies, try finding a local store that offers home delivery or curbside pick-up.

Clean your outdoor spaces

Make sure your backyard and patio are ready for the summer! Get outside and clear out any old leaves, grass and other foliage. Dust off patio furniture and pull out lawn decorations so you can have a clean and relaxing space outside.

Watch a new show

Review your to-watch show list and find a new series to start watching. If you don’t want to watch alone, consider hosting virtual show nights with family and friends and watching them together over a chat or video call.

Read a new series

A visit to the bookstore or library may not be possible but finding a new series to read isn’t! Browse through your local library’s digital collection and download a new eBook to read, or a buy a book online through your eReader. You can even start a virtual book club with friends and read a new book together!

Complete a home DIY project

There is always something to do around the house, so why not try tackling it on your own? Some projects require the work of professionals, but small projects like painting a room or putting together a new shelving unit for the living room are easier tasks that can be done on your own.

Tackle Your To-Do List!

With everyone required to stay home as much as possible, now is the best time to tackle the to-do list of tasks you’ve been meaning to accomplish for the past couple weeks – or longer!

Clean the Pantry

Start the pantry clean-up by pulling out all food and supplies stored there. Discard any food that has expired or turned stale and any supplies that are broken and can’t be fixed. Any items that haven’t been touched – and aren’t likely to be – but are still good and not expired, can be put aside to be donated when it is safe to do so. All items to be kept can be placed in a pile to go back into the pantry. Before starting to put items back, take a moment to quickly wipe down the shelves.

Organize like items in the “to keep” pile and put them back on the shelves together. For example, keep all spices in one area and all snack food in another. When deciding on where to place items, make sure the items used the most are kept on the lower shelves so they are easy to access.

Organize Photos

Whether they are printed or on the computer, take time to organize all photos into properly organized folders. Start by sorting pictures by year and then event or occasion. To be able to search and find photos easier, consider tagging them or renaming them with detailed descriptions.

For people with boxes of printed photos, consider taking the time to digitize your collection. Similar to the method above, try first organizing the printed pictures by year and then occasion. This way, when they’re scanned onto the computer they are already in some kind of order.

Complete Home Improvements

Take a look around the house and think of what small projects that you have been meaning to do but never got around to completing – like painting the bedroom, installing a new shelf, or hanging a painting. If you need supplies, try ordering them online and having them delivered if possible, to minimize the need to shop in-store.

For those who might not have a lot of experience with home improvement projects, consider looking online for tutorials on how to complete whatever DIY project you’ve been meaning to work on.

Start on Spring Clean-up

Spring is here, so why not complete your spring cleaning? From polishing the furniture to making the windows sparkle, there is no shortage of areas in your home that can use a bit of sprucing up. Get everyone staying in the household involved and assign an area or project for each person to complete.

With temperatures rising, get outside and start on your outdoor clean-up in time for summer. Organize and clean out your garage and/or shed and clean off your deck or patio. Consider uncovering or unpacking outdoor furniture and giving it a good dusting. If you’re planning a garden, you can take the time to take stock of your supplies and what you might need to stock up on before the season begins.