Tuesday, April 21, 2009

My New Brain, LOL :o)


I've been feeling like my house is in chaos and feeling overwhelmed at getting it under control. The idea of someone dropping by unannounced terrifies me, lol. I thought about making another schedule (MOTH), but that just made me cringe, it's so easy to fall off and not get back on. I contemplated using a schedule that had blocks of time (morning block, afternoon block, etc.) but even that seemed to restrictive. I've made a home-keeping notebook, but I rarely use it (I decided I simply don't want to take the time and energy to open it, lol ). So I started searching for new home-keeping "tools". One of the things I came up with is the idea of a Command Center. Basically, I took my notebook and put it on the wall. Now everything is right there, visible, and I have no excuse for not remembering. Here are a couple of pictures:



Now I'll explain the different elements :o)

The white board - I used a wet-erase marker to create different sections on the board. I have a place for the date, what's for dinner, scripture I'm working on, appointments, priorities, to-do list, things to buy and notes.

The calendar - This is where I can keep track of what's going on. The pink sticky notes are my meal planning, I write the meal on the sticky and put it on the day I want. Using stickies makes it easy to switch days if necessary.

Cork Boards - These are there to put up things like reminders and invitations.

Little wood shelf - This holds my supplies; pens, pencils, eraser, sticky notes, etc.

Wire hanging file - I made "pockets" out of scrapbooking paper for this. Both to make it more functional (things can't slip out) and pretty. I have important fliers and such in the bottom pocket. And I put the papers I did use from my notebook into report covers and those are in the top pockets.

Basket on top of wine rack - This is a place to put papers and things that my hubby needs to take to his office in the basement (as you can see, he's a little behind :o))

Big blue tub - This is the "mommy basket". As I'm tidying up, things my children have chosen not to put away go into this tub. They then have until bedtime to remove and put away anything they find in there. After bed time, I remove the items and take them to the basement for a week. At the end of the week the items are placed back in the tub and they once again have till bedtime to put them away. If they still do not get put away, then I figure they really don't need/want them and they go away :o)

Overall, I tried to make the space functional and pretty. Thus the reason for the cute signs and the flower arrangement. I didn't want it to look like an eyesore, 'cause then I wouldn't use it. It is still a work in progress and I will probably tweak a few things as I determine what works and what doesn't. Anyway, that's what i have so far :o)

For more Works for Me Wednesday tips, visit We Are THAT Family.

Blessings,

Glennda
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7 comments:

Holly said...

Wow, you are so organized! What a great system. I especially like the mommy basket. I

Rebeca said...

I love it! It's inspiring, and looks like it just might work! I have a terrible pile of papers/mail/bills/small toys that need to be glued/etc. that is threatening to take over my kitchen counter, and it drives me crazy but I never seem to get on top of it. Up off the counter is a great idea, and so is the Mommy basket. I'm going to think about how to implement some of these ideas. Thanks for sharing!
Rebeca

DairyQueen said...

great tips! I love the mommy basket :)

I have a basket for my husband, and it's usually piled over!

mommyto4duckies said...

That is fantastic! I love how pretty it looks while still being functional. I'm so glad you shared this-especially the pictures for us artistically challenged folks, :)

Kate said...

Oh, how lovely! I love things that not only keep me organized, but also look beautiful. =) I'm trying to set something like this up in my kitchen, but I'm still figuring out exactly where to put it. Thanks for the pictures!

~Kate
"Which Proverbs 14:1 Woman?"
http://proverbs14-1.blogspot.com

It Feels Like Chaos said...

Beautiful command center! Your Mommy basket sounds kinda like the laundry basket tip I shared this week for works for me Wednesday. We also do a "Capture Monster" thing with our kids where any toys left out once they go to be get captured and the kids can free them with their own money or by cleaning up all their toys the next day.

A happy heart at home said...

That looks nice! Great idea!

~Susan

 
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