Some of you may have already started your journey back into the school year.  Others may have a few weeks of summer left to enjoy.  Here on Long Island, NY the children stalk the mailman anxiously awaiting word on teacher and classroom assignments.   Whatever your situation, we hope this post will encourage all that it is never too late to get organized.  There are times during the calendar year where getting organized simply makes more sense and the back-to-school time of year is certainly one of them.

The Back to School Purge
Back to School is the perfect time to clean out drawers and closets.  It is generally a good idea you do this before you go shopping for back to school clothes so that you know what you need before you hit the stores. As you clean, you should make piles of clothing that you no longer want. Soiled clothing should get discarded but clothes in decent shape be sure to donate. Then, get a list together of things you need so you don’t forget. 

Stinky Sports Gear
If your kids play sports all year round then this is an absolute necessity for keeping sane. For others, the start of the school year typically means the start of sports activities.   Are you hoping that your kids stop asking you to get their stuff?  Placing their belongings in an organized place will give some order and allow for you to insist they stop declaring “Mom, where are my cleats!”  Especially if you have more than one child we recommend you separate certain items. You will need one bin for cleats and shin guards and a separate bin for uniforms.   Then you need to also find a home for their socks and any other accessories.  Your local KMART or WALMART will carry bins that look nice and have lids. After all, who wants to look at this stuff!

Warm and Cozy
The days will soon get shorter and the chilly nights are lurking not too far behind.   Now is the time to get all their warm and cozy gear ready and if you need new you can find sweatshirts generally on sale right before school starts.   We recommend you keep a sweatshirt in the car at all times (one per child) for instances when you forget to grab on the way out the door.   Don’t forget to replace when you use them!!!   

The Command Center
Depending on how much space you have you can get pretty intense with the family command center.  Check out this one we found on pinterest! LOVE!    Are you ready to tackle all those school papers, party invitations, and homework assignments?  Below we provide some quick and easy pointers to get started. 

(1) Calendar
Keep the school calendar handy so you know when the kids have tests, vacations and 1/2 days

(2) Cork Board
Use a corkboard for hanging up phone lists, sports schedules,  invitations and flyers

(3) WipeBoard with Dry Erase Markers
The wipeboard is great for to-do lists  and marking down randomn things that you need to remember

An affordable organizing tip:(example) If you have 3 kids you use one shelf per child for storing school assignments

(4) Bins  – get 2 
Bins come in all different sizes, shapes and colors and you there are lots of affordable options but they all serve the same function. They keep us organized. We recommend you have one bin for storing completed assignments  and another one for incomplete assignments. 

Check out Girliemom’s command center!

Part 1 – Gearing up for Back to School