Conquer Kid Clutter-
The stuff that comes with having kids seems to duplicate in ever astonishing numbers. Between artwork, school papers, toys picked up while on your errand to Town, or clothes and shoes…kids come with a lot of stuff! Here are some ways to tame the clutter monster in three key spots.
Bathrooms are busy places, especially in the mornings as the kids rush for school. Help them keep it organized by assigning a drawer to each child. If you don’t have room for that, buy a cheap bin from the store and label with each child’s name. Keep it under the sink and now they have a designated spot where they can put their toothbrushes, hairbrushes, and accessories.
If towels are taking over and the kids are always complaining they don’t which one is theirs, use an organization system, like towel tags. Created by a local mama, Tag a Towels are like wine charms but for your towel. They help teach responsibility and are a fun way to get the kids to hang up their towel and then reuse it.
You can check them out at www.tagatowel.com.
School artwork is amazing and no mom or dad wants to throw it out, but it can easily take over a drawer or bust out of the filing cabinet in no time. Instead, put the super special ones in a frame and hang them on your walls. For all others, take a photo and then get a photo book made at the end of the school year. Or turn them into tiny masterpiece magnets.
Shutterfly.com or MyPublisher.com are great online tools to get your photo book or magnets made.
Kid clutter in the car can quickly get out of control. After all, between practices and errands, we spend a lot of time in there. Bring a bin into the car where you can dump any little toys, papers, a random shoe, during the week. This way the car stays relatively clutter free and you can organize and flush out the bin once a week on the weekend – make this a chore for your kids if they are old enough.
For the older kids, if the clutter starts to get really bad, auction their things back to them at the end of the week. This can be fun and teaches responsibility and finances all in one shot!
