Every year when the kids go back to school I get in the mood to ORGANIZE my home. I usually spend the first couple of weeks going through closets and cupboards and dejunkifying and taming the clutter. I actually find it very relaxing…I know…I have a sickness! (When I was growing up I used to rearrange my room by myself and deep clean it every few months…but I digress!)
So one of the first things I tackled is this cupboard (in the kitchen) above the “business center” in our home. It houses our office supplies, electronic cords, mail, items to be filed (the file cabinet is actually upstairs in my “craft/office/computer” room), kids paints, play dough, etc. Do you see my calendar planner and notebooks on top of the drawers? Love those!
I really like having these small drawers to hold the markers, crayons and colored pencils, etc. When the kids need them, they can just pull out the whole drawer and then (in theory…) replace the drawer when they are finished.
I also have a couple drawers dedicated to “cards”. These include thank you notes, blank note cards, birthday cards, get well cards, etc. That way I am always prepared for any occasion. You know those birthdays that sneak up on you. This way you LOOK like you were prepared all along and you don’t have to make a last minute dash to the store to get something.
I also have a phone number list taped to the cupboard door. This includes phone numbers of people we call frequently and the kids friends. It also has emergency phone numbers so they are right at hand. This list also comes in handy when we have a babysitter over tending the children when the hubs and I have our “date nights”. We also tape up soccer schedules and important dates for the kids schools.
I love having everything in one place. It makes homework time a lot smoother because everything they need can be found quickly. (We usually do homework on the kitchen counter when the kids get home from school after they have a healthy snack).
I have a few more organization projects I have been working on that I will share with you soon. I also have finally finished some home remodeling projects that are also on tap to share!
What about you? Have you been organizing something in your home? Do share! I love hearing what my readers are up to!
★Amy
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House of Smith's says
I love it :)
We definitely have the SAME sickness :)
Everything looks AWESOME! I feel like it's due time to have a section of my kitchen for things like this.
Nice work, girl!
~Shelley
I love it. I am probably the only person on the planet that HATES open storage that is so in right now. Give me everything neatly tucked behind a cupboard door!
We just bought our house and are waiting my upper cabinets like these for my office space in my kitchen, the craziness for now is killing me. I will keep this pic in mind until we get there!
I need to catch this sickness, hehe. My apartment is a mess.
If you think organizing YOUR house makes you feel good, you should come do mine…then you'd REALLY feel happy! Oh wait, that would be me ;) You're amazing!
Just like you, I was always
re-arranging my room growing up! I love cleaning out and organizing and even asked for a brother labeler for Christmas one year(yes, my husband laughed, but gave me what I asked for)! Since my kiddos just went back to school, I cleaned out our pantry making room for 'food storage'. My next project to tackle is their baby books. It's sad, the more kids I had the less I put in these books-anyone else have that problem?
Love following your blog, by the way!
We are currently going through old clothes in the closets. We will be donating them. Is there a certain place that you donate clothes and other items too?
I also was doing the same thing to my room as a kid! Something inside me made me do it! lol.
Happy Organizing!
Lucy in Michigan.
Salvation army or the local goodwill or to just a local church!!!
No, I haven't but not for lack of things that need to be organized!!
I love to organize! It is my zen. Right now, and for the last year my office has been a disaster! It needs serious attention but it's so much more fun to read a book with my 3 yr. old. She doesn't seem to understand the organizing part, yet!
Great job! I LOVE the feeling of having a section of my life orgainzed! Back to school, back to routine gets me in that mood too!
AHHHHHHH….labels!! They make my heart go pitty-pat. I could look at them all day! Great job!
Your cupboard looks great!! I've been cleaning out my kids' rooms while they are away at school – that way they don't see me throw anything away, and they usually never miss it!!
I used to reorganize my room on the 1st of every month. It drove my mom *crazy* mostly because I'd get the itch to do it around 9pm ;) I love the drawers for all of the coloring implements! My crayon box is overflowing and I think you just gave me my solution.
I Love it!! That's sooo organized. I knew you were a girl after my own heart…I love to organize!! It's so nice & relaxing to come home to a nice, tidy space :)
Great post!!
Shopper Gal
http://www.shoppergal.com/
I featured you today over at Sassy Sites. Come by and grab a featured button! :) I love your blog!!
Love this! Thanks for the post!
I am so jealous! With twin toddlers (two boys–16 months old) I rarely get the time to organize and when I do, it is unorganized in seconds! Perhaps I need to find a sitter for a day so I can just clean this place up!
Anyway, it looks fabulous my dear. A total inspiration.
Oh my gosh, Amy, I LOVE this! I love the drawer idea! I'm in the process of purging right.now…except that it's taking me *forever* with three littles (4,2,9mo) still at home. I just recently rearranged the furniture in our master bedroom…I LOVE to move furniture around and it usually results in a deep cleaning/sorting spree. :-) I also tackled our hall closet…creating a bin for games, school supplies, crafts, and sewing (for me). Clutter never used to bother me but now with THREE little people running the house, I need as much clean space as possible.
Sorry for the short novel….thanks for sharing what works for you in your home. Looking forward to your other projects.
Yep, I'm the SAME way! I love to organize, declutter and clean. In fact, I am all done with my Fall cleaning, and it's only a week left until school, woohoo!!!
You are living my life!! I was the same way growing up with my room…and have these attacks of "I must clean and organize EVERYTHING" about once a year! I'm working on some of these same things…love it!
Thanks for your tips! I love reading your blog. Do you have any suggestions about mail – managing the paper, paying bills, and then filing? I seem to have a problem with managing all the paper and keeping it all straight. Just looking for some ideas! Thanks!
It looks great! I am organizing all of my closet, cupboards and du, du, du, dun…my basement. It definitely doesn't look as wonderful and crisp as your does, but it sure does feel great!!!
WOW! Your cabinet looks great. Thank you so much for the great tips in organizing a kitchen desk. It has given me some motivation to tackle my own. :) I do have one question for you. Your bottom shelf with the dividers. is that something that you did yourself or did your cabinet some with the little wooden dividers?
Wow Amy you are awesome! You really need to rub off on me. I try but fall short. My goal is to stay on top of it when we get into our new house. I'll take all the tips I can get.
Wow. Please come to my house. I am printing this post out for inspiration. I think the labels make all the difference!
I agree. I have been having similar organizational itchiness.
I just wanted to let you know that I just made one of your fabric key chains. Thanks for the great tutorial!
Crazy…I used to rearrange my room as a kid monthly, if not weekly…and it was all about the organizing. I have always loved organizing.
Now I don't rearrange…well…ever. But I organize.
That is hilarious. I do the EXACT same thing! DYMO labeled and everything. Brilliant minds think alike!
Come organize MY house! I don't have the same sickness:(
PAPERS, PAPERS, and MORE PAPERS. Using powerofmoms.com Mind Organization for Moms and LOVING it. Check out the tickler file, so helpful!!
too funny! first day of school yesterday and i organized the coat closet! :-) looks great!
Love the idea for individual drawers.
I have been organizing my kids drawers, and it just so happened our ward put together a Back to School clothing exchange, which made it easier to donate my kids clothes they had out grown.
love being organized and I definitely appreciate tips on how to sort through craziness that cause clutter! Thank you!
This is exactly what I need to do. I have a spot just like that in my kitchen and all that stuff is EVERYWHERE. I really struggle with keeping it all tucked away.
I have the same sickness. And I love it! I love staying organized and on top of things. I love the way that you organized that cupboard.
We live in a townhome that has almost no storage whatsoever. We just moved in only 4 months ago and, I kid you not, I have organized our storage unit THREE times already. I've rearranged our livingroom furniture three times and my sons room twice. My poor husband…
I think we are kindred souls. I was the same kind of kid who was always rearranging and organizing her room. I indeed have the same sickness as an adult. I love to go through things. It makes me feel so great! Thanks for sharing your organization tips. I can't get enough!
Ah, I have finally found my long lost sisters! lol! I used to organize a room/drawer/closet, etc by emptying everything out & putting it back in. I do that a bit now, but with more of a purpose. I read recently about creating zones in the home – – a craft zone, a bill paying zone, a cleaning supply zone, etc – – based on your home size the zones may be closets, rooms or even just a shelf! But putting like things together was the main point. I dream of my perfect home where I have a place for everything so that everything can be in it’s place