Organizing with kiddos...

In honor of the "be more organized" resolution that we seem to make to ourselves, we are going to talk about organization with kiddos. Organization is only useful when it fills a need. My love for organization comes from the desire that the "have to(s)" take less time, so we can fill our days with the "get's to(s)". Think of your heart's desire before you invest your time and effort.

1. Narrow your target.

Think of where you want to start. Clear your mind of what you want to have done this year, this week, or this millinium. Know that each small change brings more "get to" time to you and your family. Like I tell my kiddos when they ask "Are we there yet?" on a long trip. "We are getting closer every second." Once you start tasting success the desire will grow, but met with frustration the project will end. So we start small, "I want to organize my daughter's dress up clothes." is a much better goal than "I want to organize my kiddo's stuff."

2. Determine your audience.

Simply put, who is going to use the stuff I am organizing. When organizing my kiddo's room I use the 5 minute rule: Can I straighten up this room in 5 minutes? When we had three two year olds we used big tubs and all the toys went in. The toys that were stored in that room had to fit into the tub(s). So, if a toy did not have a special place or fit in the tub we moved it to another room(or house). Now that the little ones are four we have separate tubs for dress-up, babies, and other. We keep special toys where they can't reach. These toys need to be put away properly. One card in not near as fun as a whole deck. So, I get them down for their special playtime and ensure they are put away correctly. Quiet time toys, stored separately with limited access, hold little ones attention better than if they were left out.

4. Be inspired and Start

Inspiration can be found with-in or from other sources. Use your friends, tap into the knowledge of books or internet. I usually do a quick google search before I head to my target area. Just be careful not to buy yet. Get your hands dirty and use temporary storage until you have taken inventory of what you need. Shoe boxes, ziplocks, grocery bags, etc. will do just fine to create your new organization system. I find it less overwhelming to work left to right. One of your most important organization tools will be the trash bag...don't store JUNK! Then go looking around the house before you part with your hard earned dollars for new containers. You may be suprised how many perfect sized containers are waiting to be used.

5. Finishing touches

Now that you know what size and location for the containers, start thinking big. Make your storage work together. I have a few favorites that I use over and over. When I buy small plastic boxes I head to the same place for the same style. All umpteen clear plastic boxes in my house coordinate and fit together. So think big, you may only be buying 5 boxes this time, but think about the variety of uses and extended availablity of that piece. In this project I used the same zipper bags that we use in our homeschool drawer. Now, make sure you have growing room. If you have room but not the need, grab a few extra boxes/bags and leave them empty.

6. Relax and Celebrate

Enjoy the step you have taken and savor the feeling of success. Sometime my best attempts are foiled my little hands. Thus making them more frustrating or more time consuming to keep up than if I would have left it alone. That simply means there is a better solution waiting to be discovered. But, this time when I start I have a bit more knowledge, (of what doesn't work & why) my new solution is bound to be better.

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