| |

How to Make This Your Most Organized School Year Yet

banner_2

This year I have a goal. A big goal.

It’s to make this school year our most organized yet. To tackle all the issues that seem to plague our family and our home from September through June.

To put some systems in place so that our mornings aren’t so hectic.

So that paperwork, mail, homework, and newsletters don’t daily threaten to envelop our kitchen in disorder.

So that our after school transition between school and activities is smooth and seamless.

And so that I actually know what I am feeding my family every night for dinner before the meal is “due” on the table in 20 minutes.

I have come up with three key areas that I want to tweak in our home to make sure we are our most organized ever: the entry way or mud room, our command center, and our meal planning routine.

And if you are trying to tackle your own organization issues in these areas, then I’ve found some great storage and organization products from  Wayfair.ca to help you with your organization goals for the year.

1

Tame the Entry Way

A big part of  making mornings less hectic is making sure that you have a system in place for all the gear. The coats. Shoes. Backpacks. Purses. Keys. Library books to return. Etc. Etc.

All in one place. One general zone. So that you don’t spend precious minutes searching around for a missing shoe or keys or a backpack when you really need to be driving to school or work already.

Our entry way is actually a family entry through the garage, and it is one of the areas of our home that I would change if I could. I wish it were just that much bigger. Wide enough to fit a bench and some shoe and coat storage. I mean, who wouldn’t want an amazing mud room entry like this?

mud room

{via Houzz}

But since most of us lack that kind of space in our homes, a great alternative is a hall stand like the Ellen Hall Tree with Storage Bench.

Ellen-Hall-Tree-with-Storage-Bench-ALCT2061

Or instead of a full hall stand, another great option is to add a cute bench with some storage along with a walk hook unit like this  Storage Entryway Bench with an Entryway Shelf above. These would be perfect in a tight space.

entry bench and shelf

Throw another basket or two beside the end of the bench for all the extra bits and bobs (or even keep kids shoes in a basket since it’s an easy way for them to put them away), and you have yourself a fabulous drop zone where you won’t need to go hunting every morning. I love this seagrass basket with handles with it’s hit of minty aqua at the bottom.

Seagrass-Basket-with-Handles

2

Setup a Command Center

The second key part of reaching my ‘most organized school year ever’ goal involves getting our current Command Center in shape to handle the onslaught of life that is soon headed it’s way. Paperwork. Homework. Bills. Mail. Schedules. Newsletters. Kid’s artwork. The list goes on {and on and on}…

I actually created our Command Center right in our entry hall closet. We took out everything closet related, added white planks and a countertop, and installed all kinds of handy organizing tools. You can read full details about it here and here.

Get totally organized with a DIY Command Center in your home like this command center closet at thehappyhousie-2

The key pieces that we use consistently in our command center are the mail sorter, bulletin board, and magnetic board. In our mail sorter we put paperwork that we need to STORE, ACT, or FILE. If you get in the habit of dealing with all the incoming paperwork on a daily basis and making a decision about it right away, you would be shocked at how it cuts down on the load.

Get-totally-organized-with-a-DIY-Command-Center-in-your-home-like-this-command-center-closet-at-thehappyhousie-3

But not everyone has a full closet to dedicate to their Command Center. Another good option is to find the side of a cabinet or a section of wall right in your kitchen.  You can create a smaller version of my Command Center with a few key pieces: a mail sorter, a calendar, a magnet board or chalkboard of some kind, a memo board, and a place to write notes.

farmhouse command center choices

I love this cute Wall Storage Organizer mail sorter and it’s got a great, compact shape that could fit on a narrow wall along with your calendar and memo board. The Weathered Wall Organization Kit is a low maintenance way to add some organization to the side of a cabinet or a narrow wall as it is removable and sticky! And the Chalkboard Wall Organizer with pockets would be a great way to tackle the third big area: Meal Planning!

3

Keep on top of Meal Planning

One of the biggest stresses for myself, and many busy Moms, during the school year is solving that good ol’question of “what’s for dinner?”. Every night. It never seems to stop.

And I find the best way to deal with it is to actually plan ahead. And buy groceries ahead of time.

Imagine that?

I know it is easier said then done, but those weeks when I am on-top of the meal planning and grocery shopping for the week on Sundays are definitely better-all-round weeks in our day-t0-day lives. The chalkboard above would be a great way to organize your meal planning for the week, much like the DIY Pallet Sign menu board I made last summer….

Varathane Challenge AFTER DIY Pallet Sign Menu Board by The Happy Housie small

Another way would be to print off these free printable weekly menu planners and grocery lists that I shared last year when I tackled our Pantry Organization. You could attach these lists to your cork board in your command center, or hang a cute clipboard inside your pantry door {like I did} to keep them on.

Free Printable Weekly Meal Planner & Shopping List Planner at thehappyhousie.com

So that’s it folks. My big plan tweaking our home to make it our most organized school year ever.

Of course there is one more issue.

Maybe you thought of it already?

What to do with all the kid’s schoolwork that comes home?

Last summer I shared all kinds of systems for what to do with all the artwork and projects that children bring home from school.

But then I never quite got around to tackling my own children’s schoolwork…

I have decided what I’m going to do with it and ordered what I need and my “end of summer goal” is to get that system set up before we return to school!

I’ll be back soon with a report:)  Unless, of course, I get buried under the piles that I have to sort through…

signature and quote

pinterest  facebook  http://instagram.com/krista_thehappyhousie  twitter  bloglovin  google+  rss

 

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.