Wednesday, December 8, 2010

The Neatest Drawer in the House

 And it belongs to my kids.

As Fall approached and the first day of school loomed, I thought about ways to better organize spaces that the kids use for homework, crafts, snacks, lunches, etc.  Our IKEA kitchen island serves many purposes with its three deep, wide drawers. But, it was becoming a bit of a nightmare to keep organized since it served purposes beyond kitchen needs.  So, I relegated the craft items to a cabinet in the dining room. This cabinet now houses all things drawing, cutting, painting, playdoughing, etc. It also now serves as a homework spot for the girls. They empty their backpacks right after school and sort their homework items here. They each have a shelf.  This way their stuff is tucked away most of the time and only exposed when they need it.  Because of our small spaces, I need to find ways to make rooms multi-purpose without having all the purposes exposed at once. I just don't like clutter. Also, I want the girls to develop the habit of keeping their own things neat and tidy.  When the table needs to be set for our family dinners, I want them to have that one spot out of sight to put away homework.

Anyway, back to the drawer. I now had an empty drawer to use. I decided to splurge for containers at a store like The Container Store, but it is called something else. I did not pay attention to the store's name. I was on a mission for organizing tools.  I needed durable containers that will last another 12 years. That is how much longer we will have bringing-their-own-lunch-to-school-kids.

I ended up being able to create a space for each child's lunch bag and their own color containers.  The drawer is accessible for them to use and has enough room for snacks and other foods they can pack in their lunch.

The result?

I have no hand in my kids' daily lunches.  They do it all themselves. 
Now that's worth the price of each and every little container.

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