Organizing 101: A Few of My Favorite Tips
Organizing 101
I love to organize anything and everything. I always have, even when I was a child. My favorite book was Berenstain Bears and the Messy Room. I found it inspiring the way the Bear Family sorted and boxed everything so neatly in their closet. Even now, I can visualize the illustrations of that neat closet and it brings a smile to my face. I like neatness. However, living in a house with 7 children and 1 farm dad presents its daily challenges toward my propensity for neatness.
Here are a few of my favorite ideas for organizing:
I do everything with the children from oldest to youngest. This helps me to never leave anyone out. I know you’re thinking “How can you forget your own kid?”. It’s a lot easier to do than you think. When I prepare our mid morning snack, I set drink and snack bowls out in order from oldest to youngest (left to right). When I fold laundry, my stacks for each person in the family are arranged from oldest to youngest. The chore list on the fridge has chores rotating from oldest to youngest (excluding Farm Baby for obvious reasons). When I do a role call in the van on town days, I name off each kid form oldest to youngest. It just works for me.
We have a multi-level house (meaning steps…steps up and steps down). Each child has their own basket that sits on the stairs (in order from oldest to youngest). As we pick up toys, socks, hair pins, laundry etc. during the day, I place the items in the appropriate basket. At the end of the day, I announce for everyone to take their stair basket to their room and put everything in it away. The farm children then return the basket to the appropriate place on the steps and it’s ready to be filled again. This has cut down on a lot of arguments for us. The children know that if I put it in their basket I meant for them to put it away, whether it was their item or not.
Each child has their own color or designed bath towel and wash cloth. This helps cut out any question of towel ownership. They all know each other’s pattern. I have extras but they usually use their assigned towel. The kids’ bathroom has a hook on the wall for each child’s towel and washcloth to hang after they’ve used it (I hate wet towels thrown in the dirty laundry pile). Their towels hang on the wall from oldest to youngest. (I told you I did everything oldest to youngest) until I’m ready to wash them.
Laundry-I have a chart on the cabinet door in the laundry room that shows how to separate the laundry (i.e. what goes together whites, towels, like colors, diapers), all the washer settings, and what detergent to use. When I have one of the older children go change laundry over for me, they don’t have to come ask me how, they look on the chart and all questions are eliminated. This helps me so much! It cuts out a few more “Mom! Mom!...”. Note: Our six year old can do laundry from start to finish all by herself…unless the laundry is in the very bottom of the washer, she can’t reach it, but she still tries. Our four year old knows how to do it but still just helps at this point. I love the laundry chart!
These are just a few ways I’ve organized to make life here in the farm house run more smoothly. It’s easy to say “I don’t have time to be organized.” I learned, I don’t have time not to be. Never fear those of you who are not as obsessed with organization as I. Take it one small step at a time. That’s what I did and that one step becomes HUGE as the family grows. I’d love to hear how you organize and run your house. Please share your stories with us.
