It’s that crazy time of year when kids sporting activities are in full swing. Here’s what our organizer Lara does to keep all the different sporting activities organized in her busy household:
My family is involved in multiple sports per person including soccer, baseball, basketball, softball, football and tennis. Recently, our mudroom, which is really a hallway, was completely over taken by sports bags and shoes. I’m a firm believer in having a bag for every sport or activity including music lessons, Sunday School and library books. Our household seems to have a lot of grab and go days. Inside each sports bag, there is a check list including items such as equipment, uniform, water bottle and shoes. Get Buttoned Up makes a great checklist notepad.
It is my child’s responsibility to check that the bag is stocked for each practice or game.
When we could no longer store all of the bags in the mudroom, I found a sturdy, easy to assemble chrome shelving unit from Home Depot. It is at the foot of the basement steps. For about $100, I’ve saved my sanity and the sporting equipment has a new home. Our mudroom can now be a place for school backpacks, lunch boxes, coats and shoes.
If you have several types and sizes of frying pans in your cabinet, keeping them organized can be a nuisance. They get scratched up when they’re stacked and it’s a hassle to pull the bottom pan out from under all of the others. Here’s a good solution: You can purchase a wire pan organizer like the one pictured below on the right, or you can take a bakeware rack (which is less expensive but may not be quite as sturdy if you have cast iron pans) and turn it on it’s side to store your pans like in the lovely Martha Stewart photo above. Here are links to the Wire Pan Organizer and the Vertical Bakeware Organizer. If you have frying pans that need to be organized, eliminate the ones your not using and try stacking them on one of these.
The 18″ Turntable by Spintray is a kitchen and pantry organizing staple at Chaos To Order. Listen as Lara tells us from the International Home & Housewares show why she prefers the 18″ Spintray to other turntables and why it’s great for helping to maximize storage space.
If you have children–you have artwork, and one piece at a time it can snowball and become overwhelming. Kids come home from school every day with papers, drawings, paintings, etc… You need to be selective about what is kept and what is tossed. If you keep too much, you will be lost in a sea of paper and artwork where nothing will seem appealing any more.
You must also have a good system in place for keeping kid’s artwork. Dynamic Frames is a good solution for displaying children’s art. It has a well designed frame that can hold up to 50 sheets. You simply open the front part of the frame and add your artwork. With DynamicFrames.com you can organize and display the masterpieces your children bring home.
Do you need extra hanging space in your closet? What about in a storage or guest room? This nifty gadget is your answer. The Overdoor Valet Rod by Umbra is available at The Container Store and it’s very easy to install. Just put the two ends over the door and snap the rod on the holders. When it’s not in use, you can store it in the box and keep it on a top shelf. It’s also great if your packing for a trip and you need to pull clothes out of the closet to separate them. If you have tall ceilings and high doors you may need a step stool to reach the rod, but it’s a great way to get more hanging space quickly!
Last night we had our staff meeting/holiday gathering. We played a grab bag game where everyone received an interesting organizing gadget. Karen, our office manager, came to work this morning with before and after photos of her gift in use. You see, Karen is one of those people who never understood why so many of [...]
Today’s Friday Favorite is on the much anticipated iPhone 4S. I’ve been using a second generation iPhone for a long time waiting to upgrade until this new one was announced. I’m not a big fan of having to rush out and buy new technology as soon as it’s available, but I must agree that the new [...]
Today’s Friday Favorite is a recommendation from our fabulous organizer Lara. If you have an abundance of crafts or any miscellaneous supplies, and a lack of built in storage space, using a good rolling cart can be a great option. Rolling carts are terrific for sorting school and office supplies, paper, projects, craft and scrapbooking [...]
This is a great little gadget! With four cell phone users in our house, we always had cell phones and chargers lying around. Not only is the nightly entanglement of cords and adaptors messy looking— it’s inefficient. This convenient device solves the problem. It has a great little skid proof shelf on the top to keep [...]
My family is involved in multiple sports per person including soccer, baseball, basketball, softball, football and tennis. Recently, our mudroom, which is really a hallway, was completely over taken by sports bags and shoes. I’m a firm believer in having a bag for every sport or activity including music lessons, Sunday School and library books. Our household seems to have a lot of grab and go days. Inside each sports bag, there is a check list including items such as equipment, uniform, water bottle and shoes. Get Buttoned Up makes a great checklist notepad.
