Update on Organization

So I've been doing a lot of reading and I've got lots of ideas and things I'll be doing. I was disappointed though that no one offered ideas in my comments :) Anyway, here are some pretty simple things I did that didn't require a lot of time or any money. The first thing I learned is that I had to give up "pretty" for "functional." I hate clutter. I hate knickknacks. I hate walls COVERED in photos or other things. After living in our current house for awhile, John finally had to request that I put something up on the walls so it looked like people lived here. But the truth of the matter is that we have 6 people and all of their belongings crowded into this space. So that means, if I want things to run smoothly, I can't have the almost-blank slate look that is my ideal. So I've made some pretty basic changes to start with.

First of all, the kids now have hooks they can reach to hang their towels on in their room. And their hampers have now been moved out of their closets into plain site. Ugly? Yes. But it means that when they get their towels from their room, they can immediately put their clothes in their hamper which is in such a convenient location. Yeah, basic like I said.

The next step came in the entry. We live in a split level. I HATE living in a spilt level mainly because of the inevitable chaos that comes when we all try to walk in the door and put our coats and shoes away. It is CROWDED. Good thing I've gotten over my claustrophobia. So the first step in the entry was to do the obvious again: put hooks where the kids can reach them themselves. Another one of those things you know you should do, something you think about every single day when you have to hang up their coats for the umpteenth time, and yet something that has never been high enough on the priority list. I also implemented something with the shoes that stuck with me from one of the books I read: make it easier to put something away than it was to take it out. Before, the kids had cubbies and drawers for their shoes. Why? Because it hid everything more which is right up the blank-slate alley. But it made it harder for them to put their shoes away. So now, each kid (except Kate whose shoes are in the drawer) has a bin to put their shoes in. Harder to take them out (have to search for the ones they want) than it is to put them away (throw them in the bin). John and I will use the cubbies. So now I hate the way our entry looks, but I know it will be easier for everyone to put their stuff away.

Now this next one is going to sound like I've gone crazy. And if you saw the video John sneakily filmed without my knowledge, there would be no doubt that I've gone crazy :) Let me introduce you to THE SWEEPER! Even just writing about it is making me laugh. As I've been contemplating everything, I realized I really wanted my kids to know what they should do every day on their own without me instigating all of their responsibilities. I wanted them to be responsible for themselves and their belongings. So what is THE SWEEPER? Carston, Avery, and Macy each have a basket on top of the fridge. Once a day, or more if needed, I announce that THE SWEEPER will be coming in ten minutes (or longer if need be). I set the timer, and then I sing about how Sweeper is coming, how he's going to get our stuff, etc. The kids usually go crazy running around picking up all of their things. The first time we did it, they were done in ten minutes. Macy is especially funny. She is so into it, talks about sweeper all the time now. Anyway, the timer goes off, and I pull out a mask (this is the especially crazy part). SWEEPER has arrived! It goes throughout the house, anything it finds goes in the kids baskets. If they want their things back, they have to earn them back by doing a simple extra service. It is amazing the difference it has made. Our house is picked up in ten minutes, and I didn't have to prod, direct, encourage, threaten, etc. It is amazing. Also, if Sweeper didn't get anything of yours, the reward is that YOU get to be Sweeper next time. My kids love that. We even tried it out at Grandma's the other day and it worked like a charm. Sometimes, my kids have even done extra jobs to earn back their siblings thing for them which was so sweet. So there is the crazy Sweeper idea. But it works like a charm. It makes things funny. Just ask my sister. She was skeptical but tried it and loves it. I knew things were good when Macy got out of the shower and asked me where she should put her towel because she didn't want Sweeper to get it. If you want to try it, I recommend doing it when things are relatively clean the first time, and don't be dismayed if there are howls coming from your children the first time as well. They catch on pretty quick :) I love Sweeper :)

I've got more ideas that I'll be implementing, but I'm trying to do things a little at a time so my kids have time to adapt and master things before we move on. I'm excited though. I love how things are going already and know they're only going to get better. If you guys have any ideas, I'd love to hear them!