Controlling the Chaos....a Little

We all know that the back-to-school season can be rough on little ones who've enjoyed two months of later bedtimes, lax schedules, no homework, and road trips. I think all moms go through some sort of nesting phase as that first day back approaches. I accepted a full-time position and Oliver started school two weeks before Julian and Jack started third and first grade, so my need to organize everything went into overdrive. Here are the things I've done around my home that have really helped my adjustment into full-time employment and the kids' adjustment into the new school year. Yes I realize it is almost October. This is about organization, not time management ;-)


None of my boys are morning people, they get that from me. So I did a few things to facilitate their ready-for-school routine. Their book bags are hung on Command hooks on our stair landing, which is also where all their shoes end up. A big basket from Goodwill helps corral the shoes. I pack their lunches the night before, and in the morning I pull them out of the fridge, add ice packs, and hang them with their book bags.

Their school clothes are sorted and stored in shoe racks from Walmart that hang in the closet. I cut them so each has six spots--one for each day of the week and a spot for belts. I fill the shoe racks on Sunday with their uniforms. They're rolled to minimize wrinkles. Each morning, they simply pull out their clothes--no thinking required.

Homework. Homework. Homework. Ugh. To help with this much loved task, I organized an old chest of drawers into a "supply cabinet" with pencils, paper, art supplies, glue, anything they may need for homework, school projects, or art projects. I just bought cheap baskets from Walmart, labelled them, and sorted all our stuff into them. It has helped tremendously. We always know where to find what we need--i.e. NO EXCUSES, DO YOUR HOMEWORK.

Once I felt our back-to-school routine was sufficiently organized, I worked on our household routine. I made up a chore chart for the big boys. It is a magnetic dry erase board from Walmart. I wrote various chores on index cards and the boys like to pick out their chores for the week (three daily and one weekly chore). I'll admit, this one has lost its luster over the last couple months. Once school started, and soccer and cub scouts picked up, we just didn't get to it much. Still it was a nice thought, right? Most nights I just give them tasks to help me finish things up in the evening. 

Look, a rare sight! My eight year old doing housework!

I have my own chore list too. I know, Moms don't need a chore list, we just get things done. But this helps me manage the work load and not feel so overwhelmed with it all. This list came from Pinterest here. There are several different cleaning schedules out there, this one suited me best.

I also picked up some "Pick Up" baskets from Walmart for $1.00 each, which are parked on the stairs. They are intentionally small for a few reasons, mainly so the kids can easily carry them and so they don't leave too much crap toys down stairs. Each boy has one and I throw any thing I find of theirs in the baskets. They know when I say "Pick Up Baskets" that it's time to take their things upstairs and put them away. 

So that's school and home. The last thing is scheduling EVERYTHING. My favorite thing is this calendar. I found it at Target a few years back in their dollar section. It's a two year calendar with lines for each family member, and my year cannot close until I find my new calendar. This helps me manage everyone's obligations. It hangs on a bulletin board in our kitchen that also holds each boy's weekly newsletter from school so I can keep track of their assignments. In addition to this calendar, I write everything down in a small planner I keep in my wallet. I also have a desk calendar where I do our monthly budget. I may have a compulsive calendar keeping habit. 

I even write our dinner menu on here. I plan our dinners two weeks at a time, write a grocery list based on our current pantry/freezer inventory, and collect coupons to help trim our grocery budget as much as possible. If you go into the store and just grab, you're doing it all wrong! Make a list, plan it out, save your money. Here's my old post about couponing: Grocery Shopping Like a BOSS.

So that's how I've controlled our chaos a little bit. Something about having things (at least some things) in order helps me feel more in control of my life, and like maybe I'm doing something right. I think that's a mom thing, or a woman thing, not just a Katherine thing. So far, these projects have greatly improved our routine at home. Here's hoping it stays a little less crazy for a little while longer.