Perfectly Planned Picnics
 By Lea Schneider, Professional Organizer

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Lea Schneider is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers and the Association of Food Journalists.

Lee provides hands-on organizing and organizational consulting through her company, Organize Right Now, at www.organizerightnow.com, and her favorite project is the kitchen.


Just Released!

Growing-Up Organized:
A Mom to Mom Guide
by Lea Schneider

Crazed by clutter? Frustrated because the kids can’t find things? Getting out the door in the morning drives you mad? You need: Growing-Up Organized: A Mom to Mom Guide

Lea Schneider's advice, as seen here on What’s Cooking America, in Woman’s Day Magazine, and in Better Homes and Garden’s Kids’ Rooms will help you get started. This E-Book will help you map out a plan, and learn how to stay organized with everything from bedrooms to closets to homework time.

Order now on her website at www.organizerightnow.com.
 

Contact Information:
Lea Schneider
Organize Right Now LLC
Member National Association of Professional Organizers
Pensacola, Florida
www.organizerightnow.com
850-477-2582
 

 

 

 

Perfectly Planned Picnics
 Check out all of Lea Schneider's helpful home and kitchen columns at Organize Right Now. Also check out more Picnic Safety Tips.

Between the no-see-ums and the sunburn, there’s still fun to be found out-of-doors in the coming months. Otherwise, why do we go to so much trouble?

In case you haven’t seen a no-see-um (lucky you!), then I’ll update you and tell you they are some pesky, biting, teeny-tiny critters here in the South. Down here, we put on some Skin-So-Soft, ignore them and get on with outdoor dining. It is just too much fun to miss out.

You can’t hold us back from a lawn chair and a basket.  Mother’s Day, graduation barbeques, Memorial Weekend, family reunions, company picnics, Father’s Day and the 4th of July beckon. We’ll be packing and unpacking right up through Labor Day.

The hard part of all this outdoor dining, besides the no-see-ums, is all that organizing. Every time you turn around you’re trying to figure out what to pack, what to bring, what you might need. It seems nearly every weekend; I’m turning in a circle in the middle of the kitchen trying to figure out what I forgot to pack. To make picnicking and outdoor dining easier, I created a checklist which I keep in my picnic basket. I keep adding to it. I’ve added it here to make your summer more organized.

Print the following Picnic Check out and drop it in your basket and the summer picnic will be packed with fun:

To print out the checklist, four simple steps will move text from one place to another.

  • Highlight the text you want to move
  • Copy the highlighted text
  • Place the cursor in the new location on a Word Document where you want the text
  • Paste the text in its new location
  • Print the Word document


Picnic Checklist

Picnic Location

_____ Do chairs or blankets work best?

_____ Are there any electrical outlets?

_____ Will you need extension cords to get power to a table?

_____ Are there enough picnic tables? Do you need to bring more?

_____ How about restroom facilities? Do you need to bring soap or paper?

_____ Is there a grill on hand?

_____ If you are there after dark, are there any lights?


 Picnic Planning

_____ List the tasks you need to delegate. Need someone to man the grill, pick up ice, start some games, and help with clean-up? Make a list and delegate.

_____ Designate a meal time- place appetizers or snacks out to hold people off from digging in the picnic foods before the meal is really ready.
 

Cooking and Dining

_____ Grilling? Do you need gas and charcoal?

_____ Grilling tools

_____ Fire starter or matches

_____ Seasonings or sauces for meat

_____ Pot holders

_____ Cooking utensils

_____ Serving utensils

_____ Plates

_____ Flatware

_____ Bowls

_____ Napkins

_____ Insulated container for beverages

_____ Sharp knife and small cutting board

_____ Corkscrew

_____ Salt and pepper

_____ Sugar or sweetener packets

_____ Condiments- the restaurant-size packets are perfect

_____ Tablecloth

_____ Apron- sometimes picnic food can spill in transportation or barbecuing can be messy


 Comfort

_____ Chairs

_____ Extra tables

_____ Picnic blankets

_____ Plastic sheet for under blanket in case the ground is damp

_____ Beach umbrella or shade awning

_____ Beach towels- which can make a make-shift pillow or cover you up from too much sun or wind


 Entertainment

_____ Games

_____ Playing cards

_____ Frisbee

_____ Wiffle ball or other ball games

_____ Music

_____ Camera to record all the fun

_____ Books and/or magazines

_____ Puzzles

_____ Taking a pet? Remember their supplies.
 


 Safety

_____ Cell phone

_____ Bug spray

_____ Sun block

_____ First aid kit

_____ Sunglasses and hat

_____ Flashlight

_____ Food safety: keep cold foods below 45°F and hot foods above 140°F.



Clean-up

_____ Paper towels or towels

_____ Trash bags

_____ Disinfecting wet wipes

_____ Soap

_____ Toilet tissue

 

Professional Organizer Lea Schneider’s advice has been seen in Woman’s Day, Natural Health and Better Homes and Gardens Kids’ Rooms magazines. She is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers and the Association of Food Journalists and a freelance writer. You’ll find her E-guide, “Dancing to the What’s for Dinner Blues” and other organizing tips at her website www.organizerightnow.com

 

Menu Making Tips

  • It’s easier to pack foods that need to stay on ice that it is to keep them hot at a picnic.

  • Make sure you have a way to keep them hot or cold as you plan your menu.

  • Go for finger foods. They are much easier to eat while holding a plate.

  • Remember to plan on lots of beverages and always pack water

  • Consider a potluck. It makes life easy!


 Food Packing Tips

Do not use your picnic basket for hot or cold food. Do use it for all the other items that you need.

  • Hot items:

    Laundry baskets are great for transporting items. Line a laundry basket with a beach towel. Then wrap each casserole or Crock-Pot in another beach towel and nestle into the baskets. The towels provide insulation to keep things warm, protection from the items banging against each other and if something sloshes out of the dish, it won’t get all over the car. Just throw the towels in the wash later.



    (1) To pack hot dishes, line a laundry basket with a beach towel.

    (2) Wrap a second beach towel around your hot casserole or Crock-Pot. This helps prevent it from moving about, crashing into something else, and sloshing over.
     

    (3) Pack the wrapped dish into the laundry basket. Add other wrapped dishes or picnic items as space permits. The tighter you wedge the hot dishes with the items, the safer they will travel.

     

     

  • Cold items:

    In your cooler, place heavy items on the bottom. Add your more fragile items to the top. Pour ice in so it nestles around the dishes. Ice used for drinking can be packed in a smaller cooler or in plastic bags on the top of the big cooler.

    Taking a separate drink cooler is a good idea. Your food cooler will stay colder because it is not constantly opened. Besides, someone digging for the orange soda can tip over the potato salad.

    Once at the picnic, place your cooler in the shade.
     

  • Sandwiches: 

    Pack lettuce, tomato and pickle in a separate bag so that it doesn’t make the sandwich soggy.

    When making tuna, seafood or chicken salad, a thin spread of margarine or butter on the bread will help keep the bread from getting wet.

    Unsure what your guests like? Make sandwiches plain but pack individual condiment packs.