I try to transfer these principles to many areas of my life. When sorting the mail I always think - "one time handling" and either Toss or Keep. You get the picture.
I fall short in productivity every day. Sometimes by choice for a specific reason (like I choose to handwrite names on envelopes for personal mailings rather than print labels), but also sometimes by my own blindness or inefficient habits.
As a single parent I am always trying to learn and assess new opportunities for organization and productivity. I need lots of help to get the swing of this though... Last week, I found Closet Organization modules on sale at Target. Here's a view of Jordan's closet now a bit more organized.
We've also cleaned out and organize the bathrooms and all bath cabinets and closets this week. Cindy organized two closets while she was here, and I love that! There are still many areas of my house that need to undergo efficiency planning and organization. I have a good setup in the kitchen for a "coffee station" and a "baby area" cabinet and drawer for formula and baby food preparation. I've read many books and websites (Fly Lady is a great one) and love learning and applying small changes throughout the house to better function.
I would love to hear about and learn of time or space saving ideas and tips from other parents out there!
Specifically, here are some of our current challenges:
Jordan's Barbie's, their clothes, accessories and shoes. All are currently in a big shopping bag. I am looking for ideas on how to store these aesthetically and also in a way that is fun for her to play with them instead of dumping out the bag...
Toys for the baby. In our family room, we have a dozen or so toys out that Brian can play with. Does anyone have ideas of how to easily store and/or hide these toys when he isn't playing with them? Should I just leave them out and not sweat it?
Pantries, fridge... I'd love to see pictures of people's organized kitchen storage areas... or real messy ones if you want to make me feel better. :)
As every parent knows, cleaning and organizing is a constant battle... er... I mean JOY - yeah that's right - joy! I want to make it even more of a joy, to have a place for everything and everything in its place. It's a journey - I know.
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6 comments:
I have recently ran into some organization problems as well since I now have a 13 year old and a 7 year old sharing a room. We bought a 9 cube storage (also at Target) that has the fabric drawers that go inside of them. We have a Barbie drawer, a Polly Pocket drawer, etc. In each drawer, I put all of the accessories (little pieces) in ziploc bags, and just put the dolls in by themselves. Then when the girls want to play, they just take one drawer out at a time. I like it because you can't see through the fabric drawers, and the girls know they can't get another drawer out until the first drawer is put away. We didn't put fabric drawers in all of the spaces; we used some spaces for books, and other oversized toys that wouldn't fit in a drawer. (laptop, art kit, etc.) They just recently had the fabric drawers on sale at Target for $5.50, and the are normally about $6.00. They come in all sorts of pretty colors. I think that the cube storage was $50.00. We are thinking of adding another one once we get the room painted.
We also bought 4 different closet storage solutions at Target during the recent sale. They are great to provide a little extra room in a ever-shrinking house! (2 additional kids will do that!!)
Love you and hope that helps! Can't wait to see you all in March...I need to get lots of hugs and kisses from both Jordan and Brian. (Tell Jordan that Vanessa says Hi and she misses her!)
OOooooooooohhhhhhhh, I want in on this conversation! I love to organize things! Ann, if you go to an education store (like they have stores for teachers-- in pretty much every city I've ever been to) you'll find lots of ideas- pocket charts, cubbies, etc. Elementary school teachers are always needing organization on a massive scale, and those stores cater to those needs! I would think a pocket chart would be ideal for Barbie stuff. I use one in my classroom for calculators, but I think Barbie's clothes could easily and attractively be arranged-- by type, by outfit, by color, by material... How fun! (yes, it is a sickness...)
Boring. As for Brian's toys, just push them under the couch.
Craig
Michelle - I want to see pictures. This sounds great. See you soon!
Martha - There is a Mardel's here and I will go as soon as I can. Great idea.
Craig - Funny! (Although I am never gonna look under your couches. Now I know.)
You are a Mom. Who cares if toys are out : )!!
With that said...shoe organizers are great for all toys. The kind you hng over a door.
You can also get $1 shoe boxes at Dollar Tree and they come with lids. They stack nicely and I use them at school often.
Good luck. I'll enjoy reading some answers.
Shaunda
ikea has a TON of storage ideas...we use a hanging contraption that has 5 small compartments, so feona can pull a couple toys out at a time out of the lower sections, then we rotate toys she's played with for a couple weeks with ones stored on top that she hasn't seen in a while!
and for toys in the living room, i have a medium sized wicker basket with only a couple soft toys, books, childrens camera,etc. that stays by the fireplace...
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