Creating an organized space for everyone in the family
Using chalkboard paint, corkboards and Pinterest ideas to keep the family organized this school year
When I was writing posts for Closet Factory I discovered the importance of having a central hub or family station to help keep everyone organized, that was over a year ago and I envisioned creating my own family hub in our house. But I never could find a place for it or formulate how I would like to look. Until now…
I have found the perfect place in our new house to do so and I can’t wait to get started. Here’s what it looks like now.
Boring, right?
I chose this space because this is where the kids will be doing their homework as I cook or prepare our takeout for dinner. I figured this way I’ll be able to interact with them while they do their homework. This desk is perfect for two kids because they both have their own drawer (ie. an automatic his and hers), we bought it at IKEA a few years ago.
So here’s the plan.
I plan on painting the largest wall space with chalk board paint. I’ve seen it in some many magazines and on TV shows I’ve been dying to try it for myself, the hubs isn’t on board yet but I’m sure he’ll warm up to – especially since I’m doing all the work.
For fun I found some great tips on the Walmart and Home Depot site in case anyone else was interested in trying it as well. Rust-Oleum Specialty appears to be a popular brand and you can get a 30 ounce can for under $10. I just read you have to wait three days before using the new chalkboard so I guess I’ll have to hide the chalk from the kids because I’m sure they’ll be anxious to try it out.
Next on the agenda is the hub station containing school calendars, grocery lists and important dates. I can already see how this can get messy REAL fast. I’ll probably place these details and the kid’s chore charts on the right wall so it’s not so noticeable to guests walking into the house. Ideally I would love to use the cork board tiles I’ve seen at Walmart and Target but I’m a little apprehensive because we had some on my daughter’s walls last year and they barely lasted a few weeks. Perhaps we did something wrong. I found some great uses of cork boards on this site, That’s Corked Up.
My plan is to be able to post the kids chore charts on top of the cork board for a seamless “corky” look. Sorry couldn’t help it.
I’m still scouring pinterest for the perfect chore chart solution and found a few that look promising.
Here are some great examples
- Chore Chart Made from a Cookie Sheet and Magnets
- The Consequence Envelope
- Chore Chart with White Board and Hooks
The last thing on the list is to come up with a better way to manage school paperwork that comes home. For the last two years we’ve been hoarding school work, in fact during the move I did a lot of purging. I took pictures of all my favorite pieces of art work and put most of it in the recycle bin.
I’m going to provide both children a 3-ring binder where they can keep all the papers they WANT to save and if they don’t want something then it gets placed in the recycle bin or captured on camera for safe keeping. I’m hoping this will eliminate the paper fiasco of years passed.
I’ll be sure to post the completed project when it’s ready. Hoping to head out to Home Depot tomorrow.