How do you do it?
This is sort of the opposite of Works-For-Me Wednesday.
This does NOT work for me, and I need your help.
Every afternoon, my house looks something like this:
And frankly, some days it’s a whole lot worse than this. These are just the pictures I’m willing to own up to. And these are just the 3 rooms the kids spend the most time in after school – the family room is not as publicly visible so I’m not so worried about that.
A few things I’m working on. The kitchen table, for example, is currently a dumping ground for coats and backpacks. I’m building a cubby with compartments for each of the girls to store their school shoes, coat, backpack, and lunchbox, so hopefully that mess will be contained in…the garage, I’m thinking? Wherever the cubby ends up, anyway. So that will help.
But honestly, my biggest daily challenge is just stuff. Random things that I don’t know what to do with – they don’t have a home, but they aren’t garbage, either. Missing parts of toys, broken things that need repaired (but I can’t sit down and do it immediately), assorted school papers, newspapers/magazines I’m going to look at later – that kind of thing. What do you neatnik readers do with all of that stuff?
I also need to get better about having the girls clean up as they go. Annie does this very well, but her sisters not so much. Catie whines and complains, and Lilly’s just too young to do it without heavy supervision. I am definitely guilty of doing it myself after they go to bed, just because it’s easier. Bad of me, I know.
So tell me, please – what works for you?
Tags: home organization, home storage, kids cubbies, works for me
The Stay-at-Home Mom Gig | Heather February 24, 2010
Facebook comments:
By Traci, February 24, 2010 @ 11:23 am
Oh my gosh! I thought that only happened in my house. I wish I had a solution…but I am in need of one too. There’s a bench in my foyer that is the dumping ground for coats, purses and bookbags. There are toys everywhere. I try to get my DDs to clean up but the 6 year old whines that “she didn’t make the mess” and the 3 year old refuses. When you find a solution, please share it!
.-= Traci´s last blog ..Bears, Hairspray, supermodels and social media =-.
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By Zanna, February 24, 2010 @ 11:36 am
Oh, Heather – I could’ve written the companion piece to this post!! I’ve been too embarrassed to share my pictures of the same situation! Our kitchen counters get re-cluttered daily and when I tell them to put their stuff away, it ends up lining the stairs. Don’t even ask about the air hockey table upstairs in the loft (aka the kids clean laundry storage unit)
If you get any fabulous solutions, be sure to pass them along!
.-= Zanna´s last blog ..Disney Dooney and Bourke Brown Mickey and Pink Minnie Purses! =-.
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By mary b, February 24, 2010 @ 12:32 pm
Umm, you saw my desk pics right? I am probably not the best to give advice! LOL!
A couple of things that seem to work are a la FlyLady: the 5 minute room rescue, and cleaning the “hot spots”.
Setting the timer and having the boys put their things away a few minutes at a time seems to keep the stress level low.
.-= mary b´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday: Some things never change =-.
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By Becca - Our Crazy Boys, February 24, 2010 @ 5:31 pm
I have that, too… I often wonder what everyone else does with their “stuff.”
I have a few baskets that I use and when they get full, I have 2 choices… find a place for it or toss it.
I usually end up tossing too much, but nothing I haven’t been able to get back if really needed…
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By Amanda, February 24, 2010 @ 6:17 pm
Coat rack (kid-size) as soon as they come in the door is super handy. But if you’re building a cubby then you probably don’t need that. You are actually BUILDING it?Show off. But I digress…..
(hehe. I am just jealous is all.)
I have a magazine basket that I keep all the magazines we’ve gotten and are waiting to read. Then after we read them, I promptly recycle them at the local library – you can drop off recent issues for others to read, which is kinda cool. Otherwise to the recycle bin they go….
We have an island in our kitchen that becomes the landing place for all the “stuff” you talked about. And that drives me nuts because the island should be for FOOD PREP (and also because I am nuts anyway about clutter – among other things)! I finally started putting all that “stuff” in little cardboard boxes and labeling the boxes with what they contained (i.e. which missing toy part, etc.). Then it goes in a closet for these mismatch things and I MAKE MYSELF go thru said closet every so often and put the “stuff” away – i.e. putting the toy back together with missing part, etc. And honestly if it’s been a while and we haven’t used some of the “stuff” that got put away, I toss it.
Also, your kiddos are pretty young. As they get older, you can train them to put everything in it’s place but it’s hard now. I remember when my oldest three were little…oh my word, it seemed like “stuff” was everywhere. Now it’s not so bad. A & C can certainly keep track of their stuff, but I totally understand picking up after L. She’s too little and it is WAYYYY easier to just pick it up yourself. I am probably a bad mom for saying that, but whatever works, you know!?
Okay, I rambled enough. Can you tell I am freakish about this subject. Ugh….deep breaths, Amanda.
.-= Amanda´s last blog ..The Day that Taught Me How Much I Love My Cat =-.
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By Amanda, February 24, 2010 @ 6:19 pm
BTW- even in those pics, you have a really beautiful house.
.-= Amanda´s last blog ..The Day that Taught Me How Much I Love My Cat =-.
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By tracym, February 24, 2010 @ 10:17 pm
Hey – Who gave you permission to come into my house, take photos and share them on the internet. Not cool!
xoxo,t
.-= tracym´s last blog ..Astrid 7 months… =-.
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