Organized Living with Kids from A-Z - Part 3

If you're just joining us this week, we're still talking about getting organized and making the most of our precious time!  Feel free to pick up anywhere in the series to find the tips that will best help your family!  I highly recommend that you Pin this and come back as you incorporate each new tip that you like into your routine.  There are so many great projects that there's no way to tackle them all at once :)

 

I - Insist on Chores - As much as I wish I could do everything on my own, I know I can't.  Now that my boys are getting older, it's time for them to have established chores.  Until now, they've really just helped out around the house without any set system.  They help set the table for dinner, pick up their clothes and toys, make their beds, and will help with dusting or vacuuming when I ask.  Now, we're looking for something a little more concrete.  I've found some great ideas that I want to try out with them:

Mama Pea Pod uses a stick system to organize her chores.  I love that this system takes up so little space and doesn't require me to buy anything new.  I also love how she writes the chores and draws a picture to help kids who aren't quite reading yet!  She also gives lots of ideas of age-appropriate chores.

 

Sarah from Frugal Fun for Boys shares her system of required chores and paid chores.  I love how she breaks things down and shares exactly what her kids are doing at every age (and how much they're getting paid!).  Maybe I shouldn't let my kids know that other kids get paid for chores!!

 

Most of her "required chores" are included on our Routine Charts, but I can see us adding her "paid chores" to a system like these cute clipboards from Stacy Julian.

 

Or, this super cute door holder that I pinned and it ended up leading to SPAM!  UGH!  Anyway, you get the idea from the picture.

I also love Sara's rule for getting kids to help pick up after themselves!  It's way more effective (and much less time-consuming) than holding their things hostage in a storage box until they earn them back!  In short, in order for our houses to get organized, we've got to get the kids on board and they have to have chores of their own!  I wonder if I could make one of these handy door hangers for my husband?!

J - Jewelry Organization - Admittedly, I usually don't wear jewelry during the week.  I love it, but unfortunately, so does the baby :)  And really, there's no need for my fun earrings and fabulous necklaces while we're painting, baking, gluing, and generally just getting messy.  On the weekends, though, I love to actually get dressed and remember that I'm really a girly girl at heart!  I usually only have about 15 minutes to do this before someone comes looking for me and it always takes me forever to find the jewelry that I want.  In fact, I often forget about some of my favorite pieces because they're hidden away in my nightstand.  This year, I want to create a way to store my jewelry that also keeps it in view and accessible when I need to grab the perfect pieces to pull an outfit together.  I love this necklace board from The Frugal Homemaker.  I will be making one soon for my closet.  (By the way, I LOVE pretty much every project on her blog and have done a couple already!  She is fabulous!!  I would probably have her house if mine weren't overrun with munchkins!)

I also love this organizer from Us Three Birds +1 that adds in some earring storage.  I live in West Virginia so I have to know someone with some extra chicken wire lying around; right??

 

When everything is organized, it makes it so much easier, and less stressful, to get everyone ready in a timely manner and (hopefully) out the door faster :)  At least, that's what I'm going to tell my husband when I start gathering up the materials and decorating our closet walls with my jewelry!

K -  (KISS) Keep It Simple Stupid - This principle was coined by an engineer, but works in almost all aspects of life.  I once tried to organize my husbands desk...he still hasn't forgiven me! So, for the sake of our marriage, I leave his little office and his nightstand alone!  When organizing your home for kids, it's best to stick to simple tricks and systems that they can handle themselves.  Buckets and baskets are your best friends for containing lots of things for the kids.

I am currently coveting this basket set-up from I Heart Organizing for our playroom.  I fully attend to copy this as soon as I kick the baby out of the space I have reserved for the upstairs playroom!

 

I also love this little time-saving trick with baskets that Deirdre from JDaiel4's Mom picked up from a Mops Group.

 Be sure to check in tomorrow for some really easy tips to incorporate into your schedule.  I promise I won't try to get you to make a single thing.  These are just timely tips to get your home in order :)

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