I’m Somewhat Organized!

The first day of school is only a few days away. And now I can say…

For many parents back-to-school means hectic schedules, piles of school papers, and backpacks, shoes, and lunch boxes flung all over–an organizational hell. Enter our hell hole: the laundry room/mud room. Calling it a room is a bit of an exaggeration. It’s more like a narrow hallway near the garage. But, this was where most our crap ended up. I knew we had to create some order quick before the school bell rang.

If you can imagine the “before” picture, there was a small basket on the floor overflowing with kids’ shoes. Jackets and bags crammed on tiny hooks. And everything from art supplies to household cleaners cluttering our one shelf. It was a disaster.

But, in just a couple days, we were able to transform our hell hole into this glorious masterpiece. Ta Daaaaa!

Okay, it’s not Martha Stewart’s laundry room. But, its an improvement. Believe me.

Let me brag a little and show you how. The best part… It cost less than $95.00!

First, to take care of all those shoes on the floor, we re-purposed an old wood toy box that was down in our basement. With a fresh coat of white paint (also found in the basement) it looks like new.

Then we took a trip to Ikea and bought these cute doggie tail hooks for backpacks and coats. “Doggie tail” hooks aren’t the official name.

To take care of the clutter occupying our shelf, I got these storage boxes from Ikea, too. Now all our art supplies, boardgames, and cleaners are contained and labeled.

Next, we bought an extra storage shelf from Lowe’s and multi-colored storage baskets from Ikea. I use the baskets to hold on to mismatched socks and random kids’ stuff.

And my favorite are these organizational boards from Target. Forget that expensive wall system from Pottery Barn. This great magnetic dry-erase calendar works fine for remembering important dates and appointments. The corkboard/paper-sorter will contain those school papers, soccer and dance class schedules.

Are you ready for back-to-school? What creative tricks or cool products do you have for staying organized during the busy work/school week?