Closer to the “drop station,” place baskets for outgoing paperwork. This includes permission slips, completed assignments not yet in their backpacks, doctors’ notes, and anything else on its way out the door. Also place an in-basket in a high-traffic spot —maybe next to the car keys —where kids can leave papers they needmom or dad to look at and sign. Get the Lunch Order in Order Let’s get real. Unlike the parents on TV or those who write organizational blogs for a living, real parents get through eachmorning with a disciplined combination of caffeine and sleep deprivation. There’s rarely anything organized about lunch. But there can be! Yes, really.
The key here is to create lunch zones in the kitchen. Designate one drawer or cupboard to everything non-refrigerated that can go into a lunch box. Snack packs and granola bars fit the bill. Once a week, break down larger boxes and bags of nuts, raisins, crackers, cereal, chips, etc., and put them into the drawer. In the same area, place a fruit bowl with grab and go options like mandarins, small apples, pears, and bananas. Make sure storage containers and baggies are in stock and easily accessible. Moving on to the refrigerator, establish a similar space (like a drawer or door shelf) exclusively for lunch items. Bag up individual servings of grapes, pre-sliced cheese, yogurt cups, applesauce, hummus, cut or mini carrots, julienned peppers, and pudding. When cleaning up dinner, put leftovers in individual containers if they’ll be heading out with the family the next day.
A good “drop station” includes room for hats, scarves, umbrellas, shoes, coats, andmaybe even a message board. Find a location that makes sense in your home — in an entryway, near the interior garage door, in a hall closet, or in a corner of the kitchen. Try to place the drop station close to the door so you can introduce good organizational habits on day one. Make sure each child has their own coat hook. Place a large basket or crock in the area for wet umbrellas. It’s great to have some sort of shelving for shoes, but a doormat works well, too. Check Pinterest for some creative storage ideas like lockers, floating shelves or hanging baskets. You can get the kids involved by allowing them to add their own personal touches with artwork, pictures or labels. Paperwork Don’t be a victim of paperwork overload. Instead, take a proactive approach. Label baskets or containers for each child. These can be placed in their rooms, in the kitchen, in an office or out of the way in a closet or on a shelf. The idea is to have an easily accessible place where your kids can drop completed school work, instead of leaving it around the house. Prepare for the
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