So, this last weekend we celebrated my husband’s birthday, and even though it was his big day, I am the one who learned something.
On Saturday I was enjoying a rare child-free trip Target to finish up some back-to-school items {and yes, buy him a birthday card}, when I suddenly got anxious about getting his birthday gifts wrapped. I know, if I was a “good” blogger 
, I would have a perfectly organized wrapping area and this task would be a pleasure, right?
So, when I got home I was thinking about how, since we moved last fall, I still had wrapping paper stored under the guest room bed, gift bags stashed in an armoire, gift cards in a drawer in my office, and {hopefully} tape and scissors somewhere in my kitchen drawers. It would certainly make sense to pull it all together in one place. After all, with three kids there is always a present for a party, teachers etc., and the holidays are coming, yikes!
But then, I started thinking about how if a wrapping “kit” helped with one chore, wouldn’t the concept work for all the other areas where I felt some stress my life? So, I sat down with a pad of paper made a list of all the small chores, events or activities that might possibly be made less stressful with a “kit.”
Things on the list–I randomly jotted down anything that popped into my head–like the morning rush to school, the afternoon dash to activities, school papers, homework, meals, cleaning, etc.
None of these are novel ideas (and all have been done at some point in “Blogland” and easily found on Pinterest), I just haven’t put a priority on using them as a method to keeping myself more sane.
This sudden manifestation of my OCD is definitely a result of the impending start of school. Over the last few years, with my kids getting older I feel like I have a harder time managing the three different directions they are going in, not to mention that each child has different needs and skill sets.
So here is what I am going to try to do. It will likely take several posts but I am going to look at different components of my/our life and trying to figure out some better systems. While a “kit” might work in some cases, and even in some ways I hadn’t thought of before, some trouble areas in our life just need better systems.
So, I am still working through all the parts of life that I can fit into this category–have suggestions? Areas you struggle with? Please leave them at the bottom of the post. I wish I could say I thought I would have some life-changing solutions to some of the big ones–like organizing pictures (the bane of my existence) or cleaning the house–but getting a grip on the small things may make more time for the bigger things, right?
So, I debated over the several projects I jumped into this week and with school starting, the homework boxes I made seemed to be a good as any place to start.
My kids still need oversight with their homework, so they work right at our kitchen table, and we have had nights of tired meltdowns when the lack of a readily available pencil sharpener was just too much to handle on top of 20 waiting math problems. So I created not one, but two homework boxes.
{Sharing? Why borrow trouble! Each of my boys got their own box.}
The boxes are filled with a ruler, a pencil sharpener, plenty of extra pencils, crayons/markers, scissors, tape, and erasers. I grabbed everything at Target during the back to school sale. I also made a new folder for all the classroom papers regarding homework, like weekly spelling words, so we won’t have to track them down each night. I want them to learn to manage their own work, and have all the supplies they might need so they can function independently. Since these boxes are portable, if a quieter spot is needed then the kitchen table, the box can just be taken along. In the meantime, my new kitchen hutch has the perfect little spot to tuck them away when they are not needed.
I have also spent time this week organizing mealtime, meal planning and my food shopping. I can honestly say that while this overhaul has been in the works for longer then 24 hours, it has really made a difference in my life. {In the meantime, see Terry’s In the Kitchen Series HERE which provides meal plans and shopping lists and are such a huge help to me}.
I received this cute fridge calendar as a gift {thanks Caroline!} and its going to be a nice part of my meal planning endeavor.
Also on my list are topics like the morning rush/lunchboxes, cleaning, managing activities, school paperwork, the holidays (that’s the big one!)… my list is still growing. Feel free to chime in, I don’t profess to have any better clue then anyone else out there, I am just committed to helping my children (and myself) function better by providing a calmer, organized environment for us all. So, please feel free to make this a Magnolia Lane community effort–leave your tips, comments, problem areas, suggestions, links to posts with solutions, you name it, I can’t wait to see it.
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