Going back to school is a big adjustment for kids, and it’s a great time to establish good routines and habits. As important as that is for kids, let’s face it… Mama needs her sanity, too! Now might be a great time to step back, re-evaluate, and take note of the gaps and inefficiencies.
These two spaces were a source of daily frustration for this mom of three. The younger children needed an easy way to put away their clothes, and the pantry needed to be functional for lunch-making and snack times.
When I first saw the closet, my eye was immediately drawn to the massive pile of stuffed animals. While I’m sure they were well-loved, I knew there had to be a better spot for them. After looking around at other possible storage spaces, I found that there this little girl was also keeping her clothes in a closet around the corner and through the bathroom. It was time for a swap! There was plenty of space to switch the clothes with the stuffed animals, and voila- all the clothes are in one place.
The next step was to find a way to contain the clothes in a way that was easy for this little girl to maintain. These wire mesh drawers are great, because the clothes are visible, and there’s a little ledge that’s perfect for labels. Younger children have a harder time putting away hanging clothes on their own, so I find it’s best to keep the majority of their clothes in drawers. We repurposed a drawer system from the garage that gave us plenty of drawer space. There’s really no excuse now for the clothes not to be in the right place!
Now that the closet was taken care of, it was time to focus on a space that the WHOLE family uses: the pantry. This small pantry didn’t take long at all to get organized. I always start by going through each item and tossing expired products. I find that a lot of people have different versions of what qualifies as “expired”. Some have the conspiracy theory that the dates are only there to get you to buy their products more often, and like to keep their products 6 months… a year… or more after the listed date. Others (like me) are pretty stringent when it comes to expiration dates and toss the products the second they become of age. My approach with my clients is to always be considerate and ask before tossing any food products. It is their home, after all!
Of course, you’ll notice one of my favorite organizing products, the Lazy Susan
I used these simple white baskets to keep other products like baking ingredients, teas and drink mixes, snacks, etc. nicely contained. I love how the white makes everything look uniform and streamlined!
Never forget that small changes can have a BIG impact on your day-to-day life sanity!
Happy Organizing!
Stephanie
Simply Home Aid 
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