With school days eminent, your house is about to explode with backpacks, lunch boxes, sports equipment, school papers, school projects, shoes, mittens, hats, schedules and who knows what else!  It’s all a little scary if you really dwell on it over your morning tea or coffee.  Well, have your little pity party over your cup of brew & when the last drop is gone, then let’s get to work.

First, find a workable space in your home, easy for the kids to access.  The most likely spots are the laundry room, kitchen breakfast nook, the study area, front door or their bedroom.  Size may eliminate many of these locations, but every home is different, so find a room that has a hidden/unused space and claim it for this purpose.

Second, determine exactly what you want to store in this space. Will it be everything I listed above?  Not sure?  Start with the items that you feel have to fit into this space.  Pick your top 3 & put them on your A List.  Now pick the next top 3 & put them on your B List.  This can also be seasonal i.e. volleyball equipment gets stored when coats & gloves come out.

Third, accumulate the tools that work best for you & fit with your home decor.  Do you prefer a chair or bench, wicker baskets or canvas bins, binders, magazine boxes, trays or hanging pockets for schoolwork, hooks or dish to house keys, etc.  Decide on a family message board & calendar for the wall.  Do you want individual ones for each child or one for the whole family?

Fourth, do certain things always get left behind no matter how organized you are?  Forgotten lunches, lunch money, sports equipment should be addressed the night before, but for an added safety measure, put something with them that you can’t leave without like your keys.

Fifth, plan 20 minutes at the end of each week to assess and update.  These precious minutes are minutes spent to save your sanity.

Finally, assemble & step back with your next cup of Joe or tea to enjoy your masterpiece.