Below I will list my top 10 must-have items that I use to stay organized throughout the school year.
With 3 kids, life is hectic. With school, homework, birthday parties, work events, sports, cheer and down-time (LOL what is THAT?!), I have to have systems to help me stay on track.
I'm not going to lie-- I do not have it all together. But these things help me appear just a little less frazzled when I'm running from one place to the next!
1) Hulken Bag | There are cheaper alternatives-- I have a couple of them, but this is the OG, Holy Grail, Multipurpose Bag on wheels. Just this week, I used it to haul my kids' school supplies into the school during open house. It is a frequent sidekick at the ballfield and at cheer competitions. I've used it on a Sam's Club run or grocery run. Perfect for toting laundry from room-to-room in your house. Put this one on your wishlist, and keep it in your car! Cheaper Alternative
2) Dry-Erase Wall Calendar | I color code my calendar by family member. Each family member has their own color that I write appointments and activities on for the month. Family things and holidays always get a hand-sketched approximation of whatever icon I think represents that day. It doesn't always translate on the calendar to everyone else, but I know what it is. Ours is hanging by the shoe organizer in the front entrance.
Bonus: Expo Brand Markers & Magnetic Holder for eraser & markers-- so you don't have to go track down a dry erase marker. I like the thick chisel tip best, but you may prefer fine tip.
3) Entry Shoe Organizer Cabinet | This has been a lifesaver for us. Everyone in my family takes shoes off immediately upon entering the house. Before we had this cabinet, we had a mountain of shoes right inside the front door. This gives the frequently worn shoes a home, and looks like a piece of intentional furniture, more so than the baskets we had previously.
4) Key hook hanging above the shoe organizer. This gives all of our a keys a home, just inside the front door-- so that we don't have to go around searching for our keys!
5) Planner. One of my favorite planners is a combo-- the Bloom Ultimate Planner Notebook. It is perfect, because I can jot down all of my meetings and events, but there is also space for coloring, sketching, making lists, taking notes, budgeting and more! The planner is undated, so you can fill it in. There are weekly/monthly views, notebook pages, grid pages, coloring pages, plus lots of other goal-oriented pages.
6) Portable file box I can keep pens/scissors/checkbook/stamps/envelopes handy. I use this to sort mail, bills I need to pay (the few that aren't coming to my inbox), documents I need to file, my kids school things that need to be signed....etc. I keep this near our drop-off space and when we come in the door, everything goes into the appropriate folder. Then, while I'm sitting down for coffee or watching TV, I can just grab the tote, and everything I need to go through is all in one place. This really helped clear our doom pile of mail and papers on the dining room table!
Bonus: Hanging file folders & favorite pens!
8) My Favorite Water Bottle I know for a while everyone was attached to Stanley cups. I have a few myself. Now what all the cool kids have seems to be the Owala. And I'm sure there will be another one soon! There are so many alternatives, and I have tried them all. This is by far my favorite. It's easy to clean, fits in my cup holder, doesn't leak, and keeps my water ice-cold way longer than it takes me to drink my water. It is also a bit more affordable than some of the alternatives, and the ice retention is on par with the more expensive brands, so this is one I'm comfortable with getting my kids! They have so many different patterns and designs-- mine is just a nice smoky blue. This one comes in clutch at the ballfield so I don't have to go and purchase drinks at the concession stand!
9) Closet Organizers These really helped get our leaning towers of t-shirts in order. They stack nicely, so it makes it so much easier to see and quickly grab clothes, and as a bonus, you can operate them as drawers, so you don't have to unstack them each time you need something. These are also great for setting out complete outfits for the week-- my daughter uses hers to lay out school & practice clothes for the week. When you aren't using them, they collapse and fold flat for easy storage. I've also got these on my wish-list for some garage storage. I'm thinking they will be perfect for some of our random garage tools and household items!
10) Snack/serving tray This is one of our family's favorite kitchen items! I first purchased this on a whim when I was planning a birthday party for my daughter, and I couldn't find my dividied serving trays. Since then, this has been a fixture for our family! We have frequent "snack nights" which is what the rich and fancy call charcuterie trays. :) We will it up with all of our favorite fruits, veggies, cheeses, meats and then we can put it on the ottoman in front of the TV for our family movie night. The size is perfect for a large crowd, and works well for dips and appetizers. We use it all the time for snacks on the go--- road trips and ball parks. It has handles to help with transport, and they fold flat, so you can stack them. It's also perfect for holding various salad toppings on the dinner table. The fact that it spins makes it even better! The compartments come out, so the whole thing is easy peasy to clean. Get you one or two!
There you have it! That's my Amazon top 10 for making life easier. I hope these enhance your life just like they have mine!
