After School Organizing

I don't think I'll ever be done trying to organize my life, but I can sure try! I recently saw this pin and thought it would be an easy and helpful addition to our make shift mud room near the back door. We have this weird alcove in the kitchen next to the back door that I think is supposed to be a breakfast nook, but the dining room is literally 4 steps away so why bother? An apartment doesn't need 2 eating spaces.

Armed with a few coupons for Michael's, I gathered up all the supplies and cleaned out the mess that had piled up in that area of the house. We use the back door almost exclusively to enter and exit, so its where shoes, coats, backpacks, lunch boxes, etc. get put thrown.

I used Command hooks and strips to hang everything so I didn't need to damage the walls. The cork boards can hold appointment cards, daycare schedules, and other information specific to each kid. The hooks that hold their backpacks can hold up to 5 lbs, they can support the bag when its packed for daycare. I love displaying the kids' artwork, so I made sure to include some clothes pins for that as well.

I've talked about this awesome IKEA storage unit in an earlier post, but that area has definitely evolved. With a "to do" dry erase board, weekly menu list, and calendar its easier to keep track of everything that needs to be done. It seems cluttered, but it's where we live. This is high traffic central in our home, so it may be cluttered, but at least its organized and we know where things are.

Do you spy the "Daycare Gear" My31 utility tote? If you didn't know, I have a small obsession with 31 bags and totes. Keep an eye out - I'll be doing a "How Do You 31?" post soon! 

I also added a Command hook onto our coat rack that was low enough for Charlie to hang up his own coat...instead of throwing it on the floor. We're trying to get him into a routine of cleaning up after himself, so this will really help. Shoes go in the bin, backpack gets hung up, hat goes in the basket, coat gets hung up. Every day. 

One more step in the organized direction, but there is still a lot to do. One day my life will be put together. A girl can dream!