on staying organized

Yesterday I had had enough. The school room chairs were butting up against my computer chair; toys and crafts were spread over every horizontal surface; the book closet was in shambles. I didn't want to do school in there - I can only imagine how the kids felt about it. Probably claustrophobic. Having a real, dedicated school room is great, but not if it becomes the catch-all for everyone's odds and ends.

Since I had a budget of about fifty-seven cents to work with, I decided to see what furniture and storage we had on hand. We needed more shelf space (read : more shelf space beyond the reach of certain little destructive hands), so I relocated my personal book collection to a low table with a long drawer in our living room.

We needed more breathing room so we dragged Ibis's dressing table out. The tables were moved around until we found the most space-maximizing location.

I commandeered a storage cube from the girls' closet for additional storage in the school room. Then it was just a matter of cleaning out and reorganizing, and presto! Total room makeover. I can't believe how much better this arrangement is for all of us.

Everyone has his/her own space for their belongings, and the baby has toys on both sides of the room, stored neatly in a toy basket and on the low shelves. In theory this means he'll stay out of trouble. 

I even cleaned out the book closet.

I think I deserve an award for that task.

Now the kids can tackle their lessons and not bump elbows.

Well, unless they do it on purpose. Then all bets are off.

What do you do to stay organized?