Simmer down now, this is a family show!

I don’t know about you but I am filled with a great determination to get organized this year! (Maybe it is just coincidence that about 1.2 million other people have this same urge?). Now that my twins are 4 I feel like I am finally coming out of survival mode. I’ve taken a look around the house and wow is it a mess! Well, not that anyone would actually see it as a mess because like everyone else I keep it all hidden in the closets! *wink*

I was hesitant to write about the dirty little secrets I keep behind closed doors. I mean who really cares about MY messes right? Well, we’re all friends here so I think it’s OK to let you take a peek. It will be like the Whatever philosophy expressed in pictures. Alright, only two pictures. I know we’re friends, but let’s not over share.

I was ridiculously overjoyed when I found these little beauties at Sam’s Club:

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The best way to my heart is through organization supplies.

 

Yes, that IS twelve clear-plastic, empty shoe boxes for just $9.94! (I admit I have a strange addiction to storage totes and office supplies). But, where to use them? Hmmm…

How about that crazy bathroom closet I CAN NOT keep tidy?! Here we go! My bathroom closet stores all our extra supplies, the kids bath stuff, my hubby’s stuff and just a bunch of stuff. It looks like this:

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Whatever pic #1- open door and drop stuff where ever. Just don’t look back.

 

Every morning I go rummaging around for my deodorant at the bottom of one of these cute baskets I employ to keep me organized. It’s always the wrong basket and I always drop something. No more!

 

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Whatever pic #2- this is what works for me!

 

Let there be boxes!!! Glorious see through boxes!! (I won’t tell you how many boxes are just for my products alone). Now when I do my hair I can pull out just the supplies I need without having to rummage around and carry them in my arms. I can have all my make up next to me at once instead of pulling out three different bags. Now to find pretty labels.

 ~ ~ FAMILY SHOW PORTION ~ ~ 

I did say this is a family show, so here is how I plan to bring the kiddos in on helping me keep things tidy.

Neither of my girls will stick to a chore chart. I think the longest one has lasted is three days. BUT! They are amazing helpers. Most often I cannot finish a task alone because one of my littles will ask to help. Sometimes I just want to finish MY OWN task (like tearing apart a closet). That’s where these helping hands come in!

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I have a love/hate relationship with stickers (as in I hate peeling them off the floor). I was happy when the girls let the sticker charts go. NOTE: If you notice a chair or rug that seems out of place in our  house, it is probably there to cover a stubborn sticker that refused to be removed. (Cue my new strange addition: Goo Gone).

Here’s how Helping Hands work:

Trace your child’s hand on a colorful piece of paper. Allow your child to decorate with (cringe) stickers, or jewels, or just color with a crayon.

Allow child to trace their own hands and decorate!
Allow child to trace their own hands and decorate!

Write a chore or helpful task on a Popsicle/craft stick.

Write out chores or helpful tasks.
Write out chores or helpful tasks.

Glue the decorated hands to the sticks and allow to dry.

Kids can pull out a helpful hand when needed.
Kids can pull out a helpful hand when needed.

Display upright in a pretty vase or jar, or you can stack them in a … clear plastic storage box? [har har]

When my kids want to help, but I need space to do what I need to get done, I ask them, “you know what would really be helpful? Can you pull out a helping hand?” Maybe my kids are weird (Hello apple? Meet tree.), but they really love a good task!

 

Now, it’s your turn to share a pic of that secret cluttered mess!

 

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