This week is actually back to school week for us (yes, today is our first day at our new school!) and I’m joining 21 other bloggers in a 5 Days of Organizing and Cleaning series, so for the next couple days I’ll be talking about organizing for the school year. I’ll be sharing thoughts on gear and supplies (do your kiddos need a nap mat?), food and clothes (do you use uniforms?), and creating a “learning lifestyle” at home. I’ll also be sharing some specific tips on getting off on the right foot in those first two weeks.

Monday: It Starts at Home

Tuesday: Supplies and Gear

Wednesday: Food and Meal Planning

Thursday: Simple Wardrobes

Friday: Fresh Routines and Learning Lifestyles.

There will also be some sweet GIVEAWAYS throughout the week–so be sure to check out the links at the end of my posts each day! (Hint, Hint…there’s cash!)

There’s two parts to organizing our homes for the school year.

The first is all the specific, school-related details. Where do we put the backpacks and pencil sharpeners? The second is creating a respite for after-school hours, where family can reconnect, refresh, and relaunch the next day.

I’m sure you’ve heard those new terms like “launch pad” and “kitchen command center” to designate an organizational area near the door or central family spaces. Well, we have a mudroom. {grin} Our mudroom is the perfect example of my philosophy of not over-organizing.You have to know your family and create a system that works for all of you. For example–we don’t label baskets or coat hooks for each child. I don’t have time to police them, break up the arguments, or remember to check them all.

Here’s what we use in our mudroom…

1. Coat hooks. Mr. Fix-It and I made a coat rack that hangs low enough for the kiddos to reach it themselves. They hang backpacks and jackets right by the door. During the school year, backpacks are not allowed to be used for any purpose other than school and do not leave the mudroom/kitchen! (The last thing I need is someone losing one over Christmas break or finding it full of legos when we go to pack up in the morning!)I have been tempted to label their hooks, but for us it’s just as easy to let them fall into their own pattern, as long as it’s hung up. It still only takes a moment to find something, as long as you know it’s there.

The week before school is perfect to check coat/jacket sizes and purge or pass down what doesn’t fit. We also wash backpacks, lunchboxes, jackets, and nap mats that week before to be ready to start the year fresh.

I try to limit things to one backpack, one jacket, and one raincoat (raincoats go on the extra hook) but sometimes we have to thin things out. Sometimes we’ll also hang piano books, soccer bags, etc. the night before, but not all the time. It gets too cluttered.

2. Shoe Basket. It’s just a regular laundry basket that stays in the mudroom that everyone piles regular shoes in when they walk in the door. (Church shoes go in their closets upstairs.) It’s an easy habit to get them into, and even with everyone’s shoes in there, it only takes a minute to pull it out and find something.

The week before school we pull it out, empty it, check sizes (donate 15,000 pairs of cheap flip-flops the Ladybug outgrew), and purge as needed. (If I expect to have to buy shoes, this step sometimes happens a little earlier. I’ll be talking about wardrobes on Thursday!)

3. Pencil Boxes. We do homework right at the kitchen table where I can watch and help while making dinner–and it can go right back in the folders for tomorrow! So we organize a pencil box for each child that stays at home for school work and craft projects. These are age-appropriate based on supply lists from school, so these we do label for each child. They include glue sticks, scissors, pencils, pens, markers (washable!), pencil sharpeners, erasers, and crayons. These stay in the School Box, and in the summer they turn into a “craft supply” boxes for special projects.

The week before school we pull them out, check over supplies and restock as necessary.

L to R, the Ladybug, the Cowboy, and Speedracer. This system is portable, contains the mess, and keeps everything at hand and under their own control. They don’t need me to get started.

4. School Basket. This is a sturdy basket that I found at Michael’s for 50%…so, like, $8. (This was before I discovered chalkboard paint, but now I could totally do this myself!) It holds additional homework supplies (loose leaf paper), reward stickers, math and phonics fact sheets, and clipboards (our tables are rustic, so they’re not always a smooth surface). It also holds the kids’ pencil boxes. When school starts, it’s the place that the kiddos put their folders and papers every day when they empty their backpacks. Then I go through them.

Some people would prefer for each child to have a separate basket and I think that’s great if you’re diligent enough to remember to check all of them every day. Our kids certainly wouldn’t mind. One basket works best for me.

The week before school I check the homework supplies, empty any leftover papers from the summer and re-write the label for a fresh start.

We’ll also keep flash cards and special readers in the basket. The smaller size means we have to purge regularly. The kids are also responsible for emptying and cleaning out their lunchboxes each day and stacking them back on the counter for tomorrow.

And how about that #2 item? A respite? A place of comfort and relaxation? A place of rest and joy? Well, that’s mostly a heart issue. But here’s a few tips…

• Don’t plan to have your whole house clean for the start of the school year, it won’t happen. (Ask me how I know, cough, cough.)
• Do focus on the family spaces–in our case the kitchen and living room. Clean and dust, spray some Febreeze and set out some candles for when you come home in the evenings.

• Don’t throw your normal family rhythms to the wind and decide that now is the time to start a completely new household routine.
• Do consider the family’s fall schedule a few weeks in advance and slowly begin implementing necessary changes. And do keep cornerstone family traditions in place, no matter what else you have to cut out to make it happen. (For us, this would be family movie night on Fridays.)

Tomorrow I’ll be sharing a little more about school supplies, what gear we love the best, and why I have 16 Transformer folders and 12 boxes of crayons stashed under my bed!

In the mean time, be sure to enter the GIVEAWAY posted below and stop by and visit some of the other inspiring posts for tips and tricks on cleaning and organizing everything from your time to your bathroom…

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