My #1 Back to School Organization Tip

indexI stumbled on this super easy organization tip a couple years ago when I was pregnant with Jack and was in super nesting mode, and now that baby #4 is going to be here in two weeks (OMG!) that nesting mode has taken on epic proportions and I am so glad for this tried and true tip that saves me so much time and stress every morning. Using simple closet organizers you can pick up in Target (like the ones pictured above), create one for each child. You can get one with just enough room for weekdays and leave the weekends a little more open, or you can have one that has a weekend cubby too (which is what we do) that can include the soccer gear or any weekend uniforms, etc. You can label them yourself easily with the days of the week and fill them with everything (besides shoes) that your child needs for that day.

We always go over all the outfits together before they get put in the cubby, working out any possibly disagreements over outfit choice ahead of time and making sure we have the right outfits for gym day, etc. and consulting the weather to see if we can match that too with cover ups and sweaters. Each outfit, down to underwear and socks, is put in the cubby, and the kids know that they take the top outfit, get dressed, put away pjs, brush teeth, and head downstairs, ready to go. It saves SO MUCH TIME and heartache, and there is no searching for matching pants or socks or the right shirt or the ballet tights and it keeps me disciplined to get enough laundry done to be able to populate the cubbies for the week. If the weekend is super busy I at least try to get a few days done so we can start the week off on the right foot.

If you do have a lot of activities, consider doing a second activity organizer, you can even put one in a downstairs closet with mittens, hats, gloves, etc. as well as the clothing and uniforms kids need for sports. I can't tell you how nice it is to not have to look around for a missing shin guard four minutes before we have to leave for practice. Plus, the kids benefit from the organization too. They learn that everything has a place, and that when things get put back in the right place they are easy to be found with no stress. They also have the independence of being able to get the task of getting dressed all on their own, and can still take part in the choosing outfits part. Every day the hats, gloves etc. get put back into the next day's cubby too so they are easy to find when getting ready to leave the house (no mom is responsible for mittens and hats lost en route or at school, unfortunately, but slap some Name Bubbles on those puppies and you might just get lucky).

It's such a simple solution but I can't tell you how big of a change it has made in our house and is by far the biggest time saver I have found yet. Now, I'm no organization queen, but I've found with more kids and more activities the best solution is paring down the stuff and making sure that everyone in the house is on board with where it belongs. Add in one single strip of hooks somewhere in the house for backpacks and coats, and one basket for lunchboxes and you are well on your way to smooth sailing for those school mornings.

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