Some of our greatest lessons have been learned from our biggest failures. I’ve had a lot of failures to learn from lately. This project was birthed out of one such failure…
One day I was dropping off my 5 year old daughter at school. As we walked into her classroom, suddenly my stomach sank.
Oh no. Today is apple day.
Today I was supposed to give my daughter an apple for school and I FORGOT!
Ugh.
My daughter realized she didn’t have an apple and a look of panic flooded her face. She started to cry and my heart broke. It meant a lot to her to be prepared and I dropped the ball. Thankfully her sweet teacher had extra apples so everything turned out okay.
But I still felt like a total failure.
I know, I know. It’s just an apple. I had been forgetting so many things that week. Bringing an apple to school meant so much to my daughter. Being unprepared made her feel scared and out of place. I don’t want my daughter to feel that way when I leave her at school.
Many mommy failures like this happened because I was so disorganized. The amount of paperwork that my child brings home from school is ridiculous. How can I keep track of everything?
After the apple incident, I knew I needed to do something about my lack-of-organization problem. I decided to make a family command center.
This project literally took only minutes to put together and cost less than 15 dollars. It’s helped save my sanity by:
- keeping important paperwork organized and accessible
- keeps me on track and productive through the day
- disappearing when I don’t need it
Have I convinced you to make your own yet? Good! Here’s how to do it!
10 Minute 15 Dollar Family Command Center
Supplies:
- *2 Pocket Wall File
- Dry erase board of your choice
- Pretty scrapbook paper
- Tape
Directions:
Choose The Perfect Location
Choose a home for your command center. I decided to use the back side of my kitchen pantry door. This location is perfect because I can quickly write something on my to-do list or check school paperwork and then when I’m done the center hides away in my pantry.
Take Control of the Paperwork!
I bought this clear *2 Pocket Wall File
Stay On Task
Simply writing things down helps me stay on task. Instead of using a piece of paper that can get lost, use a dry erase board to keep track of your daily tasks. You can find a simple small dry erase board for around 5 dollars.
My mother-in-law made this cute dry erase board for me as a Christmas present. I installed the board right above the files. My to-do list is accessible, keeps me on track through the day, and disappears into the pantry when I don’t need to see it. Now when those random tasks come to mind, I can jot it down and make sure it gets accomplished by the end of the day. Or the end of the week.
Either way I can get the satisfaction of crossing things off my list one at a time. Isn’t that a wonderful feeling?
The Results:
This Family Command Center has given me so much peace! The important tasks of the day are getting accomplished instead of being forgotten. I am better able to take care of my family’s needs and that feels amazing!
I can proudly say that I haven’t had any mommy failures due to disorganization since I started using this system. Now if I could just conquer potty training with my two year old…. 🙂
What are some tricks that help you stay organized?
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