It perhaps won’t come as a surprise when I say that family life can be chaotic! Whether it's trying to keep on top of your family’s different appointments, play dates, school events and after-school clubs for example, or trying to manage the necessary chores around your home, it can be hard to keep track of what’s what! I’ve put together a few tips that I use at home which I have found has made life that little bit easier!
Shoe cupboard/ cloakroom organisation
Under our stairs is home to an area fondly referred to as 'The Cupboard of Doom'! This is because it was once an area where any miscellaneous objects were flung to and it had also became a storage area for any unwanted items on their way to the charity shop. As such any shoes or coats that were placed in there quickly became lost in the sea of clutter. These days The Cupboard of Doom as it’s still affectionally known, is actually quite a neat and organised area and here is why! Firstly we had a really good sort out. Anything on its way to the charity shop actually went along with things that we were holding onto just in case. We made use of the shoe rack in there instead of using the floor and we also bought a small plastic storage box to house the tiny toddler and school shoes which easily got lost in the chaos. This box is the one thing that’s made a tremendous difference to this area. It’s now so much easier to locate the boy’s shoes and I’ve trained them pretty well to place their shoes in there as opposed to throwing them in. We also bought a little battery operated camping light for in there too so it’s now a lot easier to locate items!
A Notice board
We love our notice board. It’s like the little hub of our household. If there’s a letter still to be signed and returned or a bill to be paid, for example, up it goes on the noticeboard so I know it’s outstanding and I’m more likely to remember it! If the children come home with a piece of artwork or a certificate, up it goes, along with postcards, photos or anything else that makes us smile. It’s a constantly changing space but it’s also a real feature of our home.
Storage boxes
I may be a little obsessed with storage boxes but they just make life so much easier. Before I had children I only had a few but with children comes SO much stuff. As such we now have a box for nappies, wipes and cream as well as a whole host of them to keep the may different sets of toys they accumulate together. Without a dedicated Lego box, superheroes box or train track box for example, these toys would literally spend their days as a big muddled mess. Don’t get me wrong, by the end of the day they can often become like this but it’s not too big a job to reorganise them (I quite enjoy it too- shh!).
Keeping on top of the paperwork
I’m quite strict with this one, but when the postman comes I quickly have a little sort. Unwanted junk mail and empty envelopes go straight in the recycling, things that need sorting go on the noticeboard and things that can be filed away can do just that. My husband on the other hand will happily keep his ripped empty envelope on the kitchen work surface until the organisation fairy discards of it for him!!
Keeping the clutter down
I do enjoy a good declutter every now and again although it can be quite hard to part with things you think you might possibly need one day! I need to work on this myself, but really if it hasn’t been used in 12 months then it should probably go! I try to use up toiletries I have so we don’t end up with lots of bottles with just a little bit in and I also try to scour each room most days looking for bits that need throwing out/ recycling or giving to charity. There’s one thing I can’t get rid of and that’s the little bits of artwork or homemade cards that the children have made and I keep these in their own special little memory box. For some useful decluttering tips check out this post from Home Style Matters.
You might think, after reading these tips that our house is super organised and tidy but you’d be mistaken. Right now our house looks just as it should- lived in! It takes my toddler about 2 seconds to make our living room look like a mini tornado has swept through but because of these little organisation hacks I know where things should be and that really helps me keep on top of the day to day running of the home. It’s not perfect but it’s a happy home and that's how it should be :)
*Post written in collaboration
0 comments