Organizing Kids' Closets

Ok, lately I've shared with you some of my past struggles and my recent messes (LAUNDRY!!!), but tonight I wanted to share with you one of my successes:  my kids' bedrooms, particularly their closets!  I've heard other moms talk about the never-ending piles of toys and the dreaded task of locating clothes and shoes amid the mess.  I know this can be a source of stress and tension in a busy family. However, I believe that an organized approach to a kid's room - especially the closet - can save you time and eliminate these headaches! 

Step 1: Clothes

As with any closet, clothes should be sorted into a system that makes sense for the child. For example, if the child wears school uniforms, all of the uniform pieces should hang together neatly in a designated place in the closet. All of my boys' uniforms are sorted into sections for khacki shorts, khacki pants, and polo shirts. 

Additionally, short sleeve shirts go together, as do blue jeans, button-downs, jackets and sweatshirts, etc. I established a system in my kids' closets years ago.  When the boys were as young as five or six, they helped put their clothes away in the proper locations. My 8-yr-old, who is learning to fold and hang up his own clothes without much help from me, knows exactly where everything should go because I modeled this system for him as he helped me when he was younger.  Why does this matter? I do NOTHING to help my 8 and 12 yr olds get ready for school in the morning. Because their closets and dressers are organized, they can find everything they need and get ready without my help. They have done this for years, not because they are naturally independent, but because they have been trained to be independent. And the organization certainly helps!

Step 2: Toys

As early in my children's lives as I can remember, I began using clear plastic tubs (Sterilite or Rubbermaid from Walmart) to sort their toys. As a 2-3 year old, my oldest son could put his toys away with only a little prompting from me. Why? Because everything had a place where it belonged. There was a box for blocks, a box for Little People, a box for Rescue Heroes, and the list goes on and on. Of course, he couldn't read to put them away based upon a word label. So, I found clip art, coloring books pages, or photos representing the contents of each box and decoupaged the pictures onto the boxes.  The super heroes box had a pictures of Spiderman, the Power Rangers box had a pictures of the Red Ranger, and so on.   As they were learning to read, I added word labels to the boxes. Now, most of the pictures are gone and the words remain. 

When they were young, I tried to encourage them to take out only a few boxes at a time. (I tried to stick to the one box at a time rule at first, but I decided that it would inhibit creativity if the "Cowboys and Indians" couldn't play in the Lincoln Log houses, and the Lego guys couldn't ride in a fire truck.) For the most part, they knew that they had to clean up the first mess before making a new one. Now that they are older, it doesn't take much prompting from me to have a clean room in no time. If my 8-yr.-old lets his room get out of control, I do have to give him "steps"; for example, I tell him to pick up the Legos, and I check back in a few minutes. Then I tell him to pick up the Hot Wheels cars, and I check back in a few minutes. I continue with this process until everything is put away.

  

This system of organization is now so ingrained in my kids that they can make sure that friends help them clean up when we have company. Last month we had a Super Bowl party, and several of our friends brought their pre-schoolers with them. When it was time to clean up, the moms and kids helped and we were able to straighten everything up in a matter of minutes, again, because everything has a place to call home! All of the toy boxes fit neatly in the closet and can be "out of sight" when necessary. Now, at ages 8 & 12, the boys have very little trouble keeping a clean room.   Every night, the oldest cleans his room while the youngest takes his shower and vice versa. This insures that the rooms don't get out of control after days of neglect.  However, even when we slip up and let things go wild for a few days, the organization systems we have in place help us to quickly restore order!!  My kids' closets are definitely one of my success stories!!!

The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly

     I have many good things in my life:  my husband, my kids, my teaching career!  At times, there are bad things too: lack of sleep, not enough time in the day, adult acne!  But, there is one area of my life that is just down-right ugly:  LAUNDRY!  I have to believe that I am not alone.  Surely, other folks out there feel the same way.  You see, when David and I first got married, we made the deal that he would do the dishes if I would do the laundry.  It seemed like a fair deal at the moment...but that was before two busy little boys.  Even at my very best, when I am keeping up with all of my housework on a daily basis, it takes a minimum of two loads of laundry a day to keep up with my family's dirty duds.  The busy football coach husband often wears two set of clothes a day.  Oftentimes, he leaves dirty clothes in the locker room and brings home a pile all at once, easily getting me off-track with my daily wash. The busy boys have school uniforms, play clothes, and sports uniforms.  When there are multiple games and practices in the course of the week, uniforms and sports gear must be washed daily.  Even this busy mom wears one set of dress clothes to work, then comes home and changes into comfy exercise clothes for the evening rat race.  Don't forget about sheets, towels, and wash cloths!  Laundry is certainly a never-ending battle for me. 

     Well, as of last night, I had officially lost the battle.  We have hit the peak of our "busy season" -- the one point of the year where two sports overlap.  Basketball season hasn't ended, yet baseball tryouts and practices have begun!  This overlap only lasts 2-3 weeks each Spring, but it is crazy nonetheless.  We have stayed so busy during the last week and a half, that the laundry started to pile up.  At times, I managed to sneak in a load here and there, but it was wash, dry, and DUMP!  Yes, many of the clothes were clean; however, the piles quickly began to take over the living room...climaxing to the point that my living room looked like this:

    
     Now, I had a plan to deal with this mess.  My kids go to church youth group for two hours on Wednesday nights.  Normally, my husband and I have a dinner date during that time, but I asked him to take a raincheck and decided to spend the evening washing and drying the dirty clothes that remained, and folding, hanging, and putting away the clean clothes.  What happened next caused me to laugh in order not to cry!  You southern folks will understand when I say that "everybody and their mama" showed up at my house!!!  Friends, neighbors, my father-in-law, the list goes on and on...  You can only imagine my humiliation at all these people seeing my mess.  I pride myself on having a nice, clean house, especially when I know that company's coming.  But instead, I had a messy house and no idea that company was coming!  Fortunately, it turned out to be a nice evening, mess and all.  We love visiting with family and friends, and now they all know that I'm only human (as if they didn't know this before)!!! 
   This afternoon, the entire family teamed up to get the laundry finished.  There isn't a single dirty piece of clothing in the house.  So for this moment, I have won the battle of the laundry.  Maybe I've learned my lesson about laundry, maybe there won't be a next time, maybe I'll keep it up for a while...or maybe not!  Only time will tell.  For now, laundry is on the "good" list.  Who knows how long that will last??

"My mama would be proud of you..."

Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
"Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all."
Proverbs 31: 28-29


     Picture for a moment Aunt Bea from the Andy Griffith Show: motherly, caring, nurturing, always taking care of others, never selfish, but fiesty enough when necessary!  This was my mother-in-law.  She was one of the most amazing women I've ever known, and I miss her terribly even though it's been over ten years since we lost her to cancer.  Sadly, the deep appreciation I have for her wasn't fully realized until many years after her death.  She was 38 when my husband was born, and although she had previously worked outside the home, she then took on the role of stay-at-home mom and full-time housewife, a position she proudly maintained for the remainder of her life. 
     When I first married David, I was in graduate school and just completing my first year of teaching.  I had big career plans and no intentions of ever sitting around the house all day. (Stay-at-home moms, don't throw anything at me yet!  That was simply my perception at the age of 22!!!  I, too, spent several years at home when my kids were little.  I know how much work it is!)  At that point in time, I was the least "domestic" woman on the face of the Earth.  I didn't know how to cook or clean or do anything that an "old-fashioned" housewife should do.  That was partially my fault:  In 8th grade, I petitioned the junior high school administration so that girls wouldn't have to take home ec!  It was also partially my mom's fault:  She did absolutely EVERYTHING for us!  She had good intentions, but I was actually handicapped by the lack of independence.
  Back to my mother-in-law...she loved me dearly.  I have no doubt about that.  But (and let me preface this statement by saying that she NEVER made me feel this way; it was all in my head) I never felt like I would be good enough for David because I wasn't her.  I didn't know how to "take care of him" the way she always had.  Again, let me paint a picture for you:  a spotless house, no piles of dirty laundry, an amazing meal on the table EVERY DAY when my father-in-law walked in the door from work, the list goes on and on.  I saw those tasks - the cooking and cleaning - as CHORES, things to be dreaded.  I didn't know how to do those things, nor did I care to learn.  Now, 15 years later, I know that those things were expressions of her LOVE for her husband and children.  She took pleasure in taking care of her boys!
     Most important to my mother-in-law, however, was not the house or the meals.  Most important was the sense of HOME that she created.  It was a place everyone wanted to visit.  You were always welcome.  There was an overwhelming sense of peace and tranquility the moment you walked in the door.    It was something I had never known.  I had lived in a tumultuous household, often full of chaos and confusion.  My in-laws' home was a sanctuary.  Unlike the housework, however, this sanctuary was something that I wanted, something I worked hard to try to create, sometimes succeeding, sometimes failing, but always trying. 
    It's taken nearly 15 years to reach the point where I am today.  Where I feel like the effort to create a "home" is really materializing.   My kids (even the pre-teen) love being at home and tell me often how they have such a great life!  I've even had a change of heart about the cooking and cleaning over the years.  I came to the realization that my husband also saw some of those little things as MY expression of love for him and our boys.  It was the kind of love he was raised on: selfless, serving, giving LOVE!  As I embraced that fact, I began to take pleasure in preparing meals for my family.  No, I still don't like the dirty laundry or the stinky toilets, but I have a better attitude about doing those things for my family when I remember that I do those things out of LOVE. 
    Last week, I received the ultimate complement from my husband.  "My mama would be proud of you," he said gently.  No words could have meant more.

Cheesy Potato Soup

I haven't made potato soup in a while.  We've had a very mild winter here in South Mississippi, and I just haven't felt like eating soup...until this past weekend when we actually had temps in the 20's!!  I had a little challenge this time with my potato soup thanks to my 12 year old.  You see, he ate potato soup at his friend's house about two weeks ago, and he was certain that the other mom's soup was better than mine!  I set out to prove him wrong.  After he took the first bite, he said, "Hmm...I still think hers is a little better!" Then, he proceeded to eat THREE full bowls of soup!!  Even though he wouldn't admit it, I think I won hands down!

Ingredients:
4 cups potatoes, cubed
4 cups water
2 cups milk
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup margarine
2 large onions, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup carrots, sliced
3 cups cheddar cheese
green onion, chopped (optional)
crumbled bacon (optional)
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
1.  In large pot, boil potatoes in 4 cups water.  Do not drain.
2.  While potatoes are boiling, combine milk, flour, and margarine over medium heat.  Stir regularly until heated through.
3.  Add milk mixture to boiled potatoes and water.  Add onions, celery, and carrots.  Return to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 10-15 minutes.
4.  Add cheese and stir until thoroughly melted.  Salt and Pepper, to taste.  Garnish with crumbled bacon and green onions.  Serve hot.

Look at how far I've come...

     My husband and I will celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary this summer!  I was lying in bed tonight thinking about those early days of marriage, and I felt compelled to get up, grab my laptop, and share a few of those thoughts with you.  When we were first married, we rented a little house full of charm and character.  It was such a "cute" house that I signed the lease on it before David had even seen it.  Bad idea!  We soon learned that this charming old house was full of flaws.  For one thing, it had no central heat.  There were two wall-mounted heaters:  one in the kitchen and one in the bedroom.  These were supposed to heat the entire house, but they certainly didn't! 
     Now you have to understand that I am terribly cold-natured, so waking up to a cold house every morning was torture for me.   However, my sweet husband - still in a state of newlywed bliss - would get up every morning before me, walk across the cold house, and turn on a small space heater in the bathroom.  He would wake me when the bathroom was warm and toasty so that I could get my shower in comfort.  I know that may seem like a small gesture, but it was one done out of love.
    I had so many dreams in those early years of the kind of wife and mother I would be, but for many, many years, I felt like I had fallen short of those high expectations.  There have been many times that I have felt like a complete failure as a woman, and I felt alone, like all other women knew what they were doing and I was the only one who ever struggled.  As women, I think we sometimes alienate each other by putting on a false front, refusing to show any weakness, therefore making other women feel inferior.  I felt that way for years, sometimes spending weeks, even months at a time, in a state of deep depression. 
    Years ago, I made a copy of the Proverbs 31 passage about the noble wife and placed it in my "Mommy Notebook" that I use to keep schedules, menus, grocery shopping lists - all the things that help my house run smoothly.  I have read the passage every morning since my boys were little.  But for a very long time, instead of seeing the verses as an source of encouragement, they often served as a reminder of all that I wasn't!  You see, no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't see how I could ever become that kind of woman.  I felt like a failure!
     However, something changed in me last summer, about the time of our 14th anniversary.  God opened my eyes to an entirely different perspective of my role as a wife and mother, and my role as a Godly woman.  I had seen that "noble wife" as an unattainable goal, but God revealed to me that those verses of scripture were meant to serve as a guide for the JOURNEY toward becoming all that He created me to be.   Most importantly, He opened my eyes to the fact that I couldn't do this alone.  Only HE could lead me on this journey.  We can never become that kind of woman on our own.  Only HE can lead us toward that ideal. 
     Amazingly, as I began to accept this truth in my heart, my entire life began to change.  I had lived the previous two years with sometimes unbearable depression; but I began to awaken to the blessings in my life and a joy that only God can provide!  My marriage had suffered; but where old love had died, new love grew!  I had often felt unproductive and ineffectual; but everything I had tried to accomplish over the years suddenly began to "click."  Over the past 8 months, I have felt more capable and confident than I have in years.  I am a better wife, mother, homemaker, and teacher.  And I know, more now than ever before, that God is in control of my life and only He can help me become all that He wants me to be!

Quick n Easy Pizza Puffs

Looking for an easy meal that kids will love?  Try these!

Here's what you'll need:
Pillsbury Pizza Crust (refrigerated roll)
1 pkg. pepperoni
1 cup mozzarella
1/2 jar pizza sauce

1.  Roll out pizza dough.  Cut into four sections.
2.  Chop pepperonis into small pieces. (I've also simply cut them into quarters or halves, but little pieces work better.)

3.  Mix pepperoni pieces, sauce, and cheese.  Spoon mixture onto dough, and pull dough around the mixture to make a ball.
4.  Bake according to pizza dough directions.  My oven takes a little longer...check regularly and bake until golden brown!

5.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and catalina dressing.  Enjoy!

Master Closet Organizing

In this project, my client wanted an organizing facelift for her amazing master closet! Because of a lack of clear organization, the beauty of this closet was hidden. You will notice in this first "before" picture that her shelves held a variety of different types of items. It was difficult for her to find what she needed because her belongings did not have a specific "home" in the closet. She had the right idea with the large basket under the shelves; however, it had been filled with a wide variety of pieces: winter gloves, bathing suits, summer cover-ups, hats, gloves, and more. Additional hats were stored on the shelves, and many paperwork items were mixed in here and there.

In the "after" picture from this same viewpoint, you'll see that I started by removing the items from the basket and making the basket the permanent home for nothing but her extensive collection of hats! The items that had been on the two shelves under the window were sorted. Many of them were boxed and included in her hall closet. (See previous blog about the "junk" closet makeover.) Other odds and ends were placed in cute baskets on the shelves that previously housed hats. Clothing pieces that had been placed amidst the hats were neatly folded and placed in the canvas baskets beneath the window. Both sets of baskets were found at Wal-mart and were relatively inexpensive. Be sure to measure your space to make sure the baskets will fit BEFORE you purchase them. As I sorted through the closet contents, I found many different purses and handbags - all in different locations in the room. I found a great hanging purse file at Bed, Bath, and Beyond for $7.99 and used it to house the purses. The pockets are large enough to fit most bags. 

These next "before" shots reveal her hanging clothes. Because they were not organized in any way, it was difficult for the owner to find what she needed AND she was unable to get a good picture of what she actually owned. When clothes are all mixed up like this, you may find yourself buying pieces you don't really need or forgetting about some of your old favorites!

I began by sorting the clothes by style. All of the strapless shirts were hung together, as were the sleeveless shirts, the short sleeve shirts, long sleeve shirts, and sweaters. Pants, shorts, and skirts were done the same way. Then, within each category, I sorted by color. For example, all of the client's black pants were hung together. When I finished, she realized that she had over 10 pairs of black pants. Now she's ready to purge and will have great yard sale items! I also used all new hangers to create a sense of continuity and visual order in the closet. These white plastic hangers are only $1.17 for a ten-pack at Target. Replacing your hangers may be something that you don't want to budget for all at once, but you can buy a pack a week and have a nice, neat closet in no time at all. 

So, what happened to all the items that were overflowing in the large basket on the floor? I actually sorted them into four medium-sized wooden baskets that we placed on the shelf above the hanging clothes. These baskets came with liners we had monogrammed so the contents would be easy to find: winter accessories, swim suits, cover-ups, and summer bandanas and accessories. This part of the project was the biggest expense because they were high quality baskets and we had the additional cost of monogramming. However, they were a needed element to make the project complete. If you are on a tight budget, try to shop around and look for sales and clearance items. Occasionally, stores like Michael's will have 40% off sales. If you are patient, you can find good deals!

Whatever your budget and whatever the size of your closet, you can use these basic concepts to create order instead of clothing chaos!