You May Be Right.....I May Be Crazy!

 

This all started about 3 summers ago when I opened the doors to our closets at the preschool.  Wow!  For someone who likes to be organized, like me, it was a little bit overwhelming.  For others, it was probably fine, but for me I had to do something!  I decided to just go ahead and start with one closet at that time.  I got it organized perfectly and I was happy, until the next summer when I decided to tackle the next one.  Well, this summer I realized that my organizational system did not work like I had hoped.  There were still huge bins with just stuff in them and other bins with great resources that you couldn't find, because they were mixed in with other things.  And thus, the project began.

The first stop was a trip to Wal-Mart for storage bins.  Now, you cannot just go into this blindly.  You have to measure the shelves, inventory the items, and figure out what will fit the space.  I made my list and tally marked the sizes to be sure I got what I needed.  Trip one was a success....until I discovered the boxes that were hidden under things and more stuff!  Trip two...also successful!  Then the last few things that needed a home resulted in trip three.  These three trips totaled to 103 new storage bins. To go along with the 152 storage bins that I already had.  Making it a grand total of 255 storage bins in the two closets.  I'm sure Wal-Mart and Sterilite thank me!

So here are some pictures of closet number 2 (excuse the blank spot on the shelf.  Andrew was playing with the Lincoln Logs while I was finishing up!   I had one of my teachers who was wanting some extra hours take everything out of the closets and sort things into categories- science,  math, blocks, fine motor, etc.  She also deep cleaned the shelves and  the floors of the closets too!  That was a huge job and I am so thankful to have had her help.  Oh yeah, she cleaned all the items in the boxes with the bleach/water solution that licensing requires us to clean toys with.  So everything is not only organized, it's sparkling clean!

After she had done that, I went in and got to work.  I found spaces in the closet for each category:  Lakeshore Theme Boxes, Pegs & Lacing Sets, Fine Motor Manipulatives for Pre-K, Fine Motor Manipulatives for Infant/Toddler, Art and Craft Materials, Colors and Shapes, Storytelling Kits, Blocks, Math, Science, Learning Games, Alphabet, Music and Movement, Puzzles, Games, Teacher Resources, Outdoor Toys, Flash Cards, Dramatic Play, Classroom Resources, and Sports Equipment.  Then, I started arranging the boxes so that they would fit in the space allowed for their category.  This takes forever, because you have to make sure that you have enough boxes and the boxes fit.  Plus, leaving empty spaces makes me nervous, so some shelves have empty boxes that are reserved for something that will go in that category later.  Yeah, I know, sounding crazier by the moment!

It took me approximately three days to get this part of the project done.  There is a method to my madness.  Part of the Better Beginnings process, the Arkansas Quality Rating scale for Early Childhood programs, recommends that any item that is out in the classroom be in a labeled container that is easily accessible for the children.  Through this process, everything will be labeled and categorized by the Environmental Rating Scale guidelines so the teachers can get what they need for their classrooms and put it out without having to make sure that it's labeled and that it meets the criteria, etc.  I've already done that for them.  It will save them a lot of time in the long-run.  I'm sure! 

And here are a couple of shots of Closet 1 (they get their names based on their location in the hallway).  So, just when you think the project is complete, I have more!  The biggest issue that we have is making sure that things are put back properly.  I don't want to have the teachers sign their items in and out, because they just don't have time for that!  I also know that sometimes you just need to put something back and grab something quickly, so you're probably not going to take the time to find the exact spot on the shelf for the item to go.  Yes, it pains me to say that!  But, come on, teachers don't have time for that!  They have better things to do than worry about the Director's OCDness about the closets!  So, I have a staff member who is responsible for inventorying the materials at the end of each month and putting the closets back in order.  This way they stay maintained.  Win-Win for everyone, I think! So, in order for this to be done, there has to be an inventory system.  Which means, I had to create one. 
 I mentioned earlier that the materials were all categorized and put on the shelves based on their category.  So, I created a list that is divided by closet and broken down by shelf.  Each item is listed with the type of container that it goes in and its exact location on the shelf.  Beside each item is a box to check and make sure it's there.  From that list, the staff member will go and find the missing items and put the classroom number that is using it. 

There is also a binder with this information in a different way- pictured on the left.  It has the picture and item name, as well  as the location.  I plan to do an alphabetized list to go along with this.  The teachers will also get a copy of this (not stored in the page protected binder) for them to have when they are lesson planning so they can use it as a resource for materials.  This way they can see what we have and then they will know where to find it!

 Last, but not least, the labels!  I had made labels last year, but decided to revise them.  Plus, I had to make 103 more, so why not!  The label will go on the outside of the bin so that you can visibly see what goes in the box.  The other thing I am doing with the labels is putting one on the lid.  I have lost box lids, because they take off the lids so that the kids can get to the materials easily and then put the lid aside.  This way we can keep track of those lids too!  Yay!  I am just waiting to get them laminated and then we will get them put onto the boxes and lids.


If organization was an Olympic sport, I think I might could qualify!  For me, this brings me so much joy!

Legos, Legos, and more Legos!

A while back I posted a picture on Facebook of the beginning of my Lego organization.  Little did I know, this would be the beginning of a major undertaking.  It started by sorting the Legos by color and separating them into their own plastic storage bins.  This took several hours.  I thought that the kids would just love sorting the Legos, but the tired of it quickly and the project was left up to me. I finished sorting and Andrew said, "Oh mom!  I just love the way that you have organized my Legos.  They are so beautiful!"  And thus, my hard work paid off!  But of course, more was to be done!

This is the Mini-Figure box.  Andrew loves having all of the people pieces together and builds some awesome creations.  He will literally spend hours creating the perfect Lego person for whatever he is playing.  I love this about him!  Each little person has a story and he will tell you all about him.  We don't leave the house without at least one Lego guy!

I am really shocked by how well organized Andrew has kept these Legos.  Don't get me wrong, there are many, many, many days that I have to sort them myself and clean up the mess....but, it's kind of relaxing for someone like me!

The next project was the instruction manuals.  Andrew likes to get new Lego sets, build them, and then take them apart.  So, all of the pieces are all mixed up into the color sorted boxes.  And the manuals have their own box, but they get torn up pretty easily and in order for Andrew to find the one he wants they get thrown around everywhere.  His room will look like a Lego instruction manual explosion.  I explored many ideas for organizing these on Pinterest and found this.  You take the manuals, remove the staples from the middle and place the individual pages into page protectors and put them into a binder.  That sounds easy enough!  I started with 75 page protectors, but quickly realized that I would need many more.  I think that I ended up with at least 300 pages filling up 3 binders.  There is still room to spare in the binders, but I have a feeling that before long we will have a Lego manual library!

I eventually want to categorize the manuals by theme- Lego City, Lego Batman, Ninja Turtles, Super Hero, etc.  But, that's another project for another day! 

I found these covers for the binders on Pinterest.  I thought they were super-cute!   

The Lego manuals are up on the top shelf of Andrew's closet, only to be taken out by me!  I spent so much time on these and I can just see someone tearing these apart, but I know he will appreciate them when he's older!

And here is the final, organized product!  I'll leave out the part where the shelf fell off the wall (twice) and so we had to move it to the floor, but that's alright, he has easy access to it now!  I feel so much better having these things contained.  I'm not going to lie, they don't look like this but maybe once a week, because he plays with them all the time!  But, moving them to the playroom has definitely stopped the accidental stepping on the Legos in the middle of the night because they are all over the house problem!

This Little Space of Mine

There is this space that we have upstairs that I have never been able to get right.  When you come up the stairs to our house there is a pretty decent sized landing.  I have put a large desk along the wall, but it was huge (and ugly) and you had to squeeze past it to get into the playroom.  Then, I just left it blank, but blank spaces make me anxious!  I put some of the kid's toy shelves there, but those didn't work out.  The toys just migrated down the stairs and never made it into the playroom.  I tried to turn it into an art area, but the shelve on the wall fell and the same issue started happening with the toys.  So, I was at a loss again.  My friend, Lane, updates older furniture and makes bulletin boards and lamps.  I had seen this desk a while back and thought it would be perfect for the space.  The best part was that it fits against the side wall, instead of the front wall, leaving plenty of space to get into the playroom and it's a perfect space for me to work while the kids are playing!

I anticipate this bulletin board to be filled with photos, drawings, and other fun things once I get to use the space.  I am sure that the desk will be covered in lists, etc. with ideas and plans for work and home.  I am always planning!  Now I will have a place for my stuff, because I have just been using the coffee table...which needs an update, too!

I added the little mason jar with faux hydrangeas, because I thought that would be a nice touch!  Disregard the holes in the wall.  Those were projects gone bad!  Once I finish all the big stuff we are going to have the house repainted and those holes will be covered.

Isn't this precious how it all coordinates together?  I just love it!

And here is a view into the playroom.  You can see how well it fits!  I am so happy to have this space fixed and I love having an area for me. 

Kid's Bathroom Re-Do

This summer, I have a lot of projects that I want to do.  One of the bigger projects, which ended up becoming huge, was the kid's bathroom.  I wanted to change it from a "baby" bathroom to a "kid" bathroom.  Why I don't have pictures of the bathroom before I changed it, I don't know.  The wallpaper in the bathroom was kind of a leopard print, but it was kakhi and very neutral.  I really liked it, but the wallpaper was starting to fall off the walls and I did not like that!  So, one day I just started pulling on the wallpaper and decided I could definitely take it all down.  And then I realized that there was another layer of paper (the stuff that makes it stick to the wall) underneath.  I read that I could just get it wet and it would come right off, which it did!  Yay!  It took a couple of days to get it all down, but it was not hard at all and didn't require any tools, other than the nail I used to poke it and then tear down the strips of paper!  Super-easy!  I had picked out a fabric that I loved and was going to make the new shower curtain out of, but the fabric was really heavy and I didn't know if I was ready to sew something that thick.  Plus, Madelyn's curtains in her room are the same thickness and they are super heavy.  So, I opted for this fabric.  It gave me a lot of options for color in the room too.  Jason and I ended up deciding on blue.

Here is one of the only pictures that I took of the process.  This is what the room looked like after I got all of the wallpaper down.  Jason and I painted the room ourself and it didn't turn out half bad.  The worst part was when we realized that I forgot to grab a paintbrush to touch up the spots that the roller and edger couldn't get!  Oops!

I have been trying to enhance my sewing skills this summer.  I sewed these shower curtains myself!  I was really proud.  I learned to make a double weighted hem.  I didn't do anything fancy with the top, just a small hem and hung it with the clips.

I had this hanging on the wall above the toilet and this is where I ended up always hanging the kid's towels instead of on the towel rack that was on the wall.  I had some cute monogrammed towels on the wall, but I decided that I would rather have something more functional that the kids could use.  So, I switched the rack.  I hung some buckets on it for the kid's stuff.  I plan to put their names on them, but haven't done that just yet.

Here is another view of the room.  I really like the way it turned out.  It's a lot different than it was before.  I think it changes the whole feel of the room.

I needed something to decorate the one wall above the toilet.  I got some frames and cut some coordinating fabric and framed it.  I really like the way that it turned out too.  Easy decorations!  Plus, I can change them out if I want to!

Here is one last view of the bathroom.

So, my biggest project of the summer...so far...is complete!  More updates to come!

....And then, I found IKEA!

So, the last time I blogged I was trying to get my house somewhat organized.  That was August.  Now it's May.  I fell into an organizational rut.  I had good ideas, but just couldn't get things together and things got really busy and chaotic at work and I fell farther behind and the organization was going no where fast.  And then, I found IKEA!  Wow!  Jason and I went to San Francisco in April and we stopped at an IKEA while we were there.  I was in organization heaven!  There were shelving units, storage boxes, picture frames (that's for another post!), and other amazing tools that I discovered.  I ended up shipping two large boxes back home from California, but that was just a tease!  I needed the shelves.  The shelves arrived yesterday and I was pretty much giddy with organizational happiness!  I got right to work and built the shelves (6, to be exact).  This afternoon, I finally finished the playroom.  I am pretty sure that I have re-done our playroom at least 6 times in the last 5 years.  But, I have finally gotten it right. Note:  It will probably never look like this again. 



 This thing is a-maze-ing!  It hangs from the ceiling and is perfect for storing all of those stuffed animals that, and I now retract the statement, "I will never buy."  It's mesh and it's long and it holds them all.  I mean, what could be better?  


Well, these wall shelves.  That's what.  These things create some fabulous storage.  The difficult thing with our playroom is that it's not big and the walls are short, because it is open to the living area downstairs.  This causes a problem, because the kids can reach every single toy, any time they want.  When I found these, I was thrilled.  I was even more thrilled that they were only $24.99!  They mount to the wall and are super-sturdy.

This one holds puzzles, games, and some other small toys.

This one holds all of the Legos that I spent hours sorting by color.  Sidenote:  Andrew loves the organization of his Legos and has done an awesome job keeping them in the right place.

For this one, I ordered the bins that fit in the shelf (yes, it has bins that slide in and out.  And they are fantastic!).  I have art supplies in this one.  Madelyn has a bad habit of using scissors and glue and paint for purposes other than artwork, so they are now out of her reach.  On top of this shelf are my jigsaw puzzles.  I took them out of the paper boxes that just tear up and got these cd storage cases for $.97 at Wal-Mart.  They stack and the puzzles fit perfect.  I cut out the picture of the puzzle and put it in the box too.

Next up, the Art Center.  I have moved this table everywhere and finally saw on Pinterest where someone had it in a corner and put the IKEA rod with cups that connect along either side of the wall. Love!  Plus, the orange container that stores a bazillion crayons.  It's a perfect little space and it's out of the way of the main play area.

The dress up clothes were another battle that I kept losing.  I had them in the kid's closets or in bins in their bedroom, but they just kept gettin all messed up.  Some of them were in the playroom on hooks and they never stayed on the hook.  One of the teachers did this in her classroom and I copied the idea.  I got a clothes rack and just didn't add the bars that make it tall, so it's the perfect height.  All the dress up clothes are hung up and they don't have to dig through boxes to find the certain outfit.  The accessories are in the boxes next to it.

These shelves are another IKEA find.  They have the connectors to for the tubs, like the wall shelves, but I had these colored storage bins that I love and decided to just use those instead of buying new ones.  They have all kinds of different toys in them.

Organizning their books was a task.  I was going to sort them by topic, but that just wasn't going to work.  I needed more boxes and, come on, it's not my classroom.  They don't have to be perfectly arranged by topic, author, etc.  (I say that more for myself than for you.) I hung some book shelves on the wall to display some current favorites and plan to rotate the books for holidays, seasons, etc.  Just to keep it fun!  They also have book shelves in their rooms too.  We like reading around here!

Here is a vies of the playroom.  Underneath the window will be another IKEA shelf, it just hasn't been ordered yet.  I wanted to make sure I liked them first!  I do!  We've also got Andrew's train table for the kids to use to play on and Madelyn's kitchen set in there.  

I was in a hurry to get this done (I go home and clean during my lunch break since the kids aren't there) and so I didn't finish this wall.  These are cork circles that I found at IKEA.  I plan to get some big push pins for them to display photos and artwork on those.  

And a final view of the playroom.  I forgot to mention earlier, we ripped out the carpet and had wood floors put in.  My grandmother got us a super-cute alphabet rug too.  I am so happy with the way that it has turned out!  I think the kids are really going to enjoy destroying it!

Now that I've finally gotten out of my "organizational block" I am ready to tackle more projects.  Jason says that I start too many projects at once and don't finish them.  Boo!  I just get excited.  That's what the problem is.  I plan to do more posting again soon.