Organization – 5 Kids Later…

Come on summer!

The kids and I couldn’t wait. As soon as the weather hit 70 we hit the pool. Fridays in summer are way better at the pool!

We don’t have one by the way. We are lucky to have found a members only pool. For the price of monthly pool service, we get to use this pool every day, even in winters when it gets to 90. Starting on Memorial Day to Labor day they have a lifeguard so this mom can actually swim with the kids too and not just be a mommy lifeguard.

Tips for large families: See those towels? They’re color coded, of course. There’s no confusion as to whose towel it is so there’s less fighting over them. In summer they are great since microfiber dries fast. No matter how many times they’re in and out, they always get a dry towel. Bonus points for the built in loops and snaps to keep them from flying away.

Looking forward to more pool days once school is out.

About Us – We have five children including 2 sets of twins. Currently ages 10,10,9,5,5. That’s 2 fraternal twin girls, a single boy, followed by 2 identical twin girls.

Family Calendar – take 3

Well, we’re back to paper. Nothing can beat it’s simpleness, not even multiple linked, color coded electronic calendars. The #1 reason for going back to paper is – everyone in the house can see the calendar! The kids don’t get to use electronics during the week, the little ones don’t even have calendars and electronic calendars were out of sight, out of mind. My husband and I literally forgot about a lot of things even though they were in our phones. Reminders are harder to ignore when it’s on the wall.

If you remember, the whiteboard mentioned in this post lasted a mere 4 months. It was messy, the inks ran dry, and a pain to clean.

The calendar we’ve been using is a paper one. It’s larger to allow more space for annual events like birthdays, school schedules and individual kid schedules.

To save space and time writing each kid’s name, I use their designated number. A number 1 with a circle means it’s for the oldest kid, and number 2 is the next born and so on. My kids know their numbers and when written with their designated color, even the kindergardeners know which calendar item is for them.

About Us – We have five children including 2 sets of twins. Currently ages 10,10,8,5,5. That’s 2 fraternal twin girls, a single boy, followed by 2 identical twin girls.

Jackets and backpacks

When 3 of the kids started grade school, I thought I’d repurpose toy bins for their school catch all.

It worked a little too well, and those bins filled up fast.

So I went to Pinterest for ideas and fell in love with the idea of hooks by the door. My kids and hubby loved it too. It was meant to be the one jacket you use ALL the time but sooner or later most coats left the coat closet and became a giant mash of jackets on 6 little hooks and backpacks on the floor.

I wish I lived in an area where mud rooms are the norm but I do not so it doesn’t exist. My dream was for the mudroom to be the ultimate drop off zone for shoes backpacks and jackets.

So I’m happy to say inspiration hit again when I was staring at my semi empty coat closet that was just filled with stuff we didn’t use. It is a perfect space for all this gear plus behind closed doors to prevent visual clutter.

It took me 2 weekends. One to empty the closet and sort / purge. As standard under-the-stairs coat closets go, there was a bar up front and you had to wade through it to get to the back. That was the first to go.

The next weekend I installed hooks and set up shoe racks.

I was able to create a more usable coat closet with 12 hooks this time, a shoe rack, and even a tiny step stool ottoman for the little ones to hang up their coats. I was lucky to find a 6 hook rack with the hooks spaced far enough apart and the whole width just wide enough to fit the length of my walls.

I moved shoe racks that were being used to stack more useless stuff into the closet so there were 7 levels to.hold everyday shoes – one for each of us!

I found battery operated motion detection lights that only came in when it was dark and stuck it on the ceiling.

Now the kids enjoy walking in the closet to out away their shoes and backpacks without fear of being stuck in the dark.

I think it turned out pretty well!

If you want to give this a try just follow these 5 steps.

Empty the closet and find homes for everything but jackets and shoes going back in.
Measure walls and plan where hooks and shoe racks will go.
Remove clothes bar.
Install hooks.
Set up shoe rack.

Done!

Purse or Diaper Bag?

Almost 9 years later, I am still in search of the perfect solution to this question. I actually wrote this headline almost 2 years ago. Today as I started to share my latest pursuit for a solution, I found a draft of this post with just the headline. I guess I had no answer until now. Skip on to the end if you can’t wait to know how I solved this problem.

For moms out there that are struggling to juggle a diaper bag and a purse, or have moved on from packing everything but the kitchen sink for your little one to a mommy purse or mommy tote – here are a few suggestions that has worked for me. At the time I write this, the kids are ages 3,3, 7, 8 1/2, 8 1/2.

If you still need a diaper bag, consider a clutch or wristlet big enough to hold your essentials like credit cards, ID, cash, lipstick, hand sanitizer, and tissues but small enough to tuck into your diaper bag. Move the rest to a tote or bag you can access in emergency like in the trunk of your car, or a carryon suitcase if you’re traveling.
If you’ve graduated to toddlers, consider carrying only the number of diapers and wipes you need for your outing, only one set of extra clothes, and a smaller portion of snacks. Use another tote or bag with the “extras” you think you’ll need. You can still keep it close by to replenish your diaper bag but at least you won’t be carrying around another 20 pounds of gear you “might” need. A cooler in the car can store additional juice or water. Use this in conjunction with a clutch or wristlet or an “insert” bag described below for your essentials.
A larger purse or tote can replace your diaper bag when you’ve graduated from diapers and moved on to potty training. My diapers were replaced with a pack of toilet seat covers just in case we needed it while traveling. A clutch or wristlet with your essentials can easily be used by itself when you run into a store so you can leave the larger purse or tote in the car.

So what about all the other things you need to carry around with you but won’t fit in your clutch or wristlet? For me these are eyeglasses, a portable phone charger and cable, and feminine products at that time of the month. I keep this in a separate pouch – you can use a make up bag, pencil pouch, travel organizer or whatever you have on hand. I find the less structured ones are easier to squeeze in to my tote or purse. This pouch can be left in the car or kept in your purse or tote if you have room.

The final grievance I have as a mom is that I also need to carry my laptop back and forth to work or when I travel. I occasionally also bring my lunch or walking shoes to work. This is yet another bag to carry around when it’s time to go to work.

Another problem? Purses and totes are not that convenient when you need your hands free to hold your child.

I’m sure I’m not the only one that hates moving my wallet, phone, glasses, makeup etc from purse to diaper bag to work bag. There are a number of purse organizers that I have tried but none lasted.

At last – what has worked for me is the bag-in-bag approach. I really wish I thought of this before. Here’s how it works

The first bag I will call the “insert” is a canvas backpack I found for $20 online. It’s plain, black, but durable and most importantly washable. In this bag I have my wallet, eyeglass case, electronics pouch and on occasion the pouch for feminine essentials. I do not carry my makeup with me – it stays home or goes in the car if I need to touch up.
The 2nd bag I will call the “shell” is what the first bag or “insert” goes into. Depending on the occasion, this is a more stylish purse, a structured tote for work, a tote for shopping or running errands. I can throw my insert into the shell and still have my essentials with me, but change the style of my shell as I like. I usually will carry my water bottle in this bag too.
On the weekends, I will usually carry my purse and place the insert bag inside. If I need to look more ‘acceptable’ , I carry the purse, but if I’m just taking the kids to the park, I ditch the purse in the trunk and use the insert which is a backpack. From time to time, I bring a larger tote as the “shell” vs a purse when I know I’ll need a shopping bag or library book bag instead.
On workdays, my purse doubles as a work tote for my laptop. I have a laptop sleeve to protect it, then in goes my backpack “insert” with everything else. This makes it easy for me to leave the laptop at home on the weekends and just toss it back in on Monday. An “insert” makes it easier to switch from weekend purse to workday tote if you keep them separate.

I wish I could say I am a genius for thinking of this bag-in-bag approach but there is actually a start-up company that has designed a (rather large and expensive) tote with interchangeable shells and standard insert. I’m happy enough to have someone validate my idea 🙂

Here are some tips if you want to try this approach

Choose a bag you use for your insert that is flexible vs structured, and has enough style that you’ll be happy to carry on its own. Mine is canvas and a backpack.
Choose purses that can pull dual duty as a work tote, laptop bag, or diaper bag. I tend to choose larger purses, so yes you can be stylish and not carry a diaper bag.
Minimize what is in your insert. If you’re not sure you can survive an outing without everything you have packed in your diaper bag or tote or gym bag now, separate them into pouches or whatever bags you already have, then try leaving them in the trunk. Eventually you’ll know what you always have to go back for vs what you can leave behind and retrieve only in emergencies.
As you switch to this new “system” resist the temptation to buy the “perfect” organizer. I found an unused luxury brand name coin purse I was not using that I now use as my electronics pouch, a fashionable pencil case for my other essentials, and an unused luxury brand name wristlet that I was able to use as my wallet. These all go in my insert bag. The reason I chose them is they don’t add much bulk or weight but helps organize what goes into the insert.

Moms – go forth and rejoice! The purse vs diaper bag dillemma is solved!