Show & Tell Tuesday – Organization
I’m joining the fun with Momfessionals Show & Tell linkup. Today, just a few things I did this year to help our mornings flow a little smoother.
My kids are 13 and 9 and they make their own lunches each morning. Every once in awhile they need help with their “big” thing for lunch but for the most part they get this taken care of. One thing I do to try and make this easier is to go ahead and prepackage individual size items that are easy for them to grab. I have two bins in the pantry and two bins in the fridge that are used for this purpose. I found these at Bed Bath & Beyond.
Pantry bins contain individual applesauce, cheese its, Jif to go, ritz crackers, goldfish, etc. I prefer to buy items such as crackers, goldfish, etc in larger bags and make individual packs my self because it does seem to save some money. I have tried making individual size peanut butter but it honestly seems like more gets wasted than eaten and honestly I cannot stand to clean out a container with leftover peanut butter…..it just grosses me out for some reason.
Fridge bins contain individual packages of strawberries, grapes, string cheese, jello, yogurt, pudding, carrot sticks and other veggies as requested. Keith and I also use these for our lunch too so celery sticks are often present as well.
In order for things to run smoothly in the morning Mom must also run on time! This is always a challenge for me as I often get distracted trying to get things in order before leaving and I really dislike having things out on the counter. This year I purchased these bins from Target to go in the top drawer of the bathroom. Previously all of theses same items were either in this drawer or on the counter top and adding these dividers has really made me feel much more orderly.
Another thing that definitely makes my morning smoother is being able to pick an outfit quickly. Last spring we had built in chests made for our closet which has truly been so helpful. I really didn’t realize how many trips I made back into the bedroom to grab items from my dresser until I didn’t have to do it any longer. Having everything I need at my fingertips was so much more efficient. I organize my closet each season by sleeve length and color for the tops and like items such as jeans, shorts and skirts hang on the bottom rack. The biggest change I made years ago was to purchase all matching hangers. I never really gave this much thought but after replacing all of them I can totally see the difference. When all the clothes are hanging evenly, you can see them so much better which definitely helps choosing an outfit go faster.
Dresses, skirts, slacks and colored jeans are hung on the adjoining side. I use dividers from the Container Store, similar to the ones found here, to divide space for workout clothes, sweaters and t-shirts up above. It is not easy to see but I have a shelf to the left that holds shoes. Still working on a better solution for my shoes. The basket is used to gather the clothes needing to be dry cleaned.
For more tips on how I arrange my closet you can read this post.
I saw this idea on Pinterest a year or so back and had to try it. Previously my necklaces were a hot mess and I honestly just chose not to accessorize because of it. Now I can see all of my jewelry at a glance.
Those are just a few tips that have worked to help us with our morning routine.
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Resolutions & Goals
Organization Tips & Tricks
How We Met & Got Engaged
My Favorite Room
Favorite Vacation
Kids Names
Most Embarrassing Moments
Momfessionals Moments
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I love these wonderful tips. Way to enable your kids to be more independent. And love your closet org tips
I love your idea of making little baggies for on the go. I do well with organizing these spaces in our home, but having them prepared would make things so much easier when we are trying to get out the door. Thanks for sharing!
OMG we are so much alike!! I cannot stand to have leftover breakfast dishes or anything on my counters in the morning, either. It's all about coming home to a tidy house in the evenings for me! I'm thankful that Alise doesn't take her lunch but maybe two times a week, so I've kinda gotten away from all the pre-packaging and organizing of snacks. Love, love your earring display! I really want one of those!
Awesome, awesome ideas! You know I appreciate a well organized space (which is a complete LOL moment considering the state of our house!) 🙂 Good job, friend!
LOVE your tips!! I would love to try the pantry and fridge organization! I would love to pass on lunch making to my daughter. That makes the whole thing so easy! I am definitely taking your jewelry storage idea! I have been needing something desperately and that is a winner! Thanks!
Love the idea of having the single serve items to make it easy to make their own lunches! X isn't there yet, but I might see about having him help me more in the future.
I have similar trays in my bathroom drawer from all my make up. Makes it super easy to find what I am looking for in the mornings 🙂
We need to get some fridge bins, our fridge is a mess right now :/!
Shelly, where did you find the earring organizer at? I would love something like this in my closet. I also have toyed with the idea for the necklaces hanging in my closet. It looks like the perfect way to hang and display them. After our remodel is done, I am so going to work on getting my closet and jewelry to be more user friendly! Thanks!!
The earring stand came from Hobby Lobby! They have lots of great possibilities including some that could be used for earrings and necklaces if hung on the wall. Good luck!
Awesome!! Thank you!!
Eeks you are super organized. Your fridge looks so good. Mine is a disaster zone!!!!!
Great ideas!! We just started doing bins in our pantry, and I think we'll have to do our fridge like yours!
Thanks for sharing on Tuesday Talk!
Katie @ Sweet Little Ones
You are like the organizing queen! Those are so great ideas that I'm going to pin right now! Thanks for sharing and for linking up with Tuesday Talk!
Blessings,
Sarah
http://www.sarahefrazer.com