Fall into a Routine: Cleaning & Organizing Kids’ Spaces

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September always feels like a good time of year for doing lots of cleaning and organizing, and getting into a routine. Fall is also my very favorite season – and I love getting ready for it! This month, I’ve decided to share what I’m doing in my home in case anyone cares to join me!

This week, my goal is to focus on doing a deep clean and organization. Seeing how school starts Wednesday, I figured I should make sure to focus on my kids’ spaces first!

What you’re looking at is the “before” of the kids’ crafting area, which is in the corner of our kitchen. (Yes, it frequently looks like this. Sadly.) A couple years ago I purchased the bookcase at Fred Meyer, which was a great idea, but after countless messes, it’s become clear that the containers that I had on the shelves were just NOT working. I think they were too deep and some smaller containers are in order. This is also the space my son will reach for pencils, crayons, and glue after school to do his homework, so all the more reason to get this place in order…FAST!

I went back to Fred Meyer yesterday to see what I could find that would be a better fit.

This is definitely one option…though I didn’t take this route. Snapware containers start at $1.59 and there is a $2/1 coupon from the 8/19 SmartSource that would make them FREE.

There are always adorable containers and organizers in their housewares! I want to say these ones would’ve been just around $6-7 each on clearance (PLEASE don’t quote me though, I didn’t buy these either!).

Here’s what I DID end up doing!

I bought two 3-drawer Sterile containers for the bottom shelves to store crayons, markers, Play-Doh, pencils, stickers, and paints.

The cute caddies were just $1.49 each! I bought one for each kiddo to store the supplies they use/grab most often and to ensure everyone’s stuff was kept separate. Since there are still a few supplies on sale this week, I did buy a couple last packs of index cards (good for flash card making!), glue, and scissors. The cute pencil boxes were just $1.50 each, too! I also found a wastebasket in the same green color as the caddy. I realized that’s what this space was lacking – a place to toss the scraps!

PS if you’re looking for the caddys/wastebaskets – they had this as a collection on an endcap in housewares at my store. Everything was $1.49 and there were other items, too.

I also gave each kid a magazine-style organizer for their coloring and workbooks. Honestly, I recycled a LOT of old papers and coloring books yesterday. I think I have this strange attachment to anything my kids have colored/drawn on and I need to get over it. I do have a place to organize all their best artwork, and I need to let the others go.

I’m so glad how this part turned out. I didn’t realize how messy having all these stacks of papers was making my kitchen look until I cleaned it up!

Of course, once my kiddos saw their new and improved space, they couldn’t wait to use it! This was a good opportunity to chat with them about how I want them to take care of it, and all the items in their caddies. My daughter also thankfully started using her recycle bin right away. Sometimes it’s the simple things, isn’t it?

I also organized a few other areas in my kitchen yesterday, too. The following drawers were more or less junk drawers in that they served no purpose but to house random stuff. I pulled out pens, my Dave Ramsey workbook, Scentsy bars, and a pumice stone. You know.

To “cute” up these drawers, I opted for some drawer liners. They keep things tidy and stylish! The drawer on the left holds my planner, envelopes, scissors, and pens. Basically those items that I often find myself scrambling for to complete school forms, pay a bill, or cut up a coupon. The drawer on the right has all the lunch prep tools I’ll need. (See my bento post from last week if you’re curious to know how I’ll be putting these item to use!)

And another quick and easy project I tackled yesterday:

Remember that free 8×10 portrait I told you about at Walgreens a few weeks back? I found a free meal planning printable online and selected that for my freebie! Then I bought this simple plastic stand-up frame at Fred Meyer (on sale and I used the 10% off home coupon). I used dry erase markers to write the menu on, and I found that the expo white board spray I had on hand cleaned it up perfectly. (I tested it on the back first.)

In my mind, having my house cleaned and organized is the first step to starting fresh and beginning to think about a routine. I spent several hours working on the house yesterday and will no doubt spent quite a few more today. I’m hoping to have everything more or less how I want it by the end of this week.

Here’s my progress:

• Kids Rooms done!
• Kitchen done!
• Kids Crafting Area done!
• Guest Bathroom done!
• Living Room done!
• Family Room
• Laundry Room
• Master Bedroom & Bathroom
• Kids’ Bathroom
• Office

Here’s what’s ahead for this mini-series. If you wish to join me, feel free! What I won’t be doing is offering you “21 easy steps to a cleaner home.” That’s just not my area of expertise. I am just an average gal that craves order, but struggles getting there sometimes. What I will be doing is sharing honestly where I’m at.

Week one (Sept 3-9): Cleaning and Organizing

Week two (Sept 10-16): Goals and Routines

Week three (Sept 17-23): Tackling backburner Projects

Week four (Sept 24-30): Maintaining Routines

What are your biggest challenges to getting and staying organized?