These are the simple changes:
- I put a bin by the door for backpacks. It looks like this, but it's green, recycled, and has no lid. I wish I remembered what that brand it, but alas, no such luck. Now I need to establish the habit of keeping their backpacks in the bin -- in order, youngest to oldest. So far, so good. Day two, and no one was whining about not being able to find their backpacks.
- I got two similar bins for shoes -- one for the front door and one for the back door. I know it's silly, but this is the most exciting (and potentially the most challenging) change we will make this year -- the "no shoes in the house" change. I really had to think this through because both their dad and I were pretty much raised to keep our shoes on from when we got up until we went to sleep. But that's not nearly the problem in Florida (where we grew up) as it is in Ohio (where our kids are growing up) because in Florida there is no mud to track through a house -- just sand. Here, they are constantly tracking crap through the house. Soooo benefit number one will be cleaner floors (and furniture that they still haven't learned to keep their feet off -- sigh). And benefit number two will be no more running around the house whining that they can't find their shoes! So, I'm excited. I worried that it would be ugly, but really? This is a house full of six kids. Better Homes and Gardens isn't coming over for a photo shoot any time soon.
- I got super-great containers for lunches from a company called Preserve. I totally love them! I have already discovered that I got the wrong proportion for what I want / need. I got too many of these and not enough of these, so I'll be ordering more of the square containers. The small ones are really nice, good for fruits and veggies, but putting two of them in the lunch box along with the square one is kind of a tight fit. BUT I can easily stack two of the square ones on top of each other in a lunch box and actually pack more food. So, I plan on getting a few more and packing their lunches like little double-decker bento boxes. Thank goodness that they are already in the habit of bringing home the containers. Their lunches are now 100% no waste lunches (except for whatever food they sneak into the garbage when they think I don't realize it).
- I got them water bottles and made a place to store them in the refrigerator. And WOW! This simple little step has done pretty stunning things -- saved me the money from buying them drinks in pouches or boxes for school, saved me the incredible anxiety that I get when trying to find drinks that don't contain HFCS or dyes, and saved me TIME -- so darn much time -- not just label reading time at the store, but also "Mama, can I have a drink" time. They know where their water bottles are and how to fill them. For real? This works? It does! It does! (so far).
- I decided to finally take the advice of people who tell me to get ready for school at night, not in the morning. Ah, I think they are on to something. After dinner, for the last two days, we've packed our lunches for school and work. This has been nice because we all kind of work together to assemble them. The little ones can count carrots and little tomatoes to put in the veggie containers while I wash and de-stem-ify strawberries (or prep whatever fruit or other veggies) and put them in a bowl with other fruit. THEN they can put the lids on, put them in lunch boxes, and start scooping fruit salad into the next little containers while I make sandwiches and surround them with other dry snacks in the extra space those amazing containers have! Then, lunches are ready for the fridge. They can check to make sure their water bottles are full for the next day, and put them away while I put the lunches away. Then upstairs for the clothes picking out ritual, which I anticipate alleviating a lot of the craziness of looking for the "just right" outfit early in the a.m. -- or looking for a clean shirt or matching socks or something.
- I'm working the order for what I need to remind them to do on the way in the door each day. I'm thinking I need to say, "Okay guys, shoes and back packs in the bins. Do you have any food left from lunch? Containers with food still in them on the counter, empties in the sink." Then they can eat whatever they have left with whatever snack I have for them (a piece of fruit or bowl of trail mix or whatever) while we chill a little right after school. THEN I can send them back to the backpacks for homework and papers I need to sign or see. Once I get them going on homework, I can make dinner and hang out with whoever isn't working on homework (the babies) while the middle kids use their desks upstairs to get their work done. THEN, the big girls are ready to come home from their respective after-school activities by around 5:30, so we can run to get them, or (crossing my fingers for the miracle of a ride home for them occasionally) have dinner on the table when they get in the house around six or so.
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