command center

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3 guaranteed ways to stay on top of kids' papers {Q & A}

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3 guaranteed ways to stay on top of kids' papers {Q & A}

Being a primary school teacher, I know that A LOT of paperwork goes home to the parents of our beautiful small people on a daily basis, particularly at the start and end of the year.

But it wasn't until this year, when my son started his first year of school, that I got a taste of just HOW MUCH paperwork that actually entailed!!

Those first few weeks of school (along with the orientation sessions leading up to it) felt like we were inundated with forms, important information (don't LOSE it!), invitations to upcoming events, letters, parent homework... you name it, we received it! And trying to stay on top of it all became a little overwhelming.

So of course I did what I always do when I begin to feel overwhelmed - I worked on improving my organising systems! In this case, that meant getting our command centre up and running (along with our daily paperwork system); refining the household binder; and getting the kids' artwork into a better system. 

Today's Q & A episode answers a question specifically about this topic, and I'm detailing 3 guaranteed ways to stay on top of the kids' papers and artwork, that are working particularly well in our little abode...

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7 proven essentials for the best family command centre

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7 proven essentials for the best family command centre

Can you relate to this situation? You walk through the door from work or school pick-up, and despite the fact that you’re bone-tired and could quite easily slump on the couch with a cuppa and a magazine, instead you’re faced with school bags that need to be unpacked, a pile of mail and bills to wade through, and notices to read (and actually deal with) from kinder and school. Ugh, the last thing you feel like doing, right?

Wouldn’t it be great if you had an organised ‘drop-spot’ where you could quickly deal with these tasks and actually get yourself to said couch with minimal effort? Ummm, yes please!

If you’ve been following the blog over the last few weeks, you KNOW I’m going to tell you that the command centre is your answer. And for good reason! Not only does it give you someone to store and sort paperwork (probably this zone's most important function), but it helps keep you on track with all those tasks and to-do’s that we face every single day. 

Today I’m sharing 7 proven essentials (and a FREE detailed checklist & planner) that will help you create the most functional, practical, and organised command centre. You’ll be totally rocking your home organisation in no time!

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A behind-the-scenes look at our sensational command centre

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A behind-the-scenes look at our sensational command centre

18 months ago, hubby and I were deep in the 'planning phase' of our renovation. New kitchen, new living areas, new master bedroom - it was all happening, and both exciting and stressful as so many decisions lay before us. 

One thing I was adamant about putting into our plans the entire time was a family command centre. In my last post, I talked about how to recognize if a command centre would be beneficial for you and your family (did you take the quiz? How'd you go?). It really is an essential zone in our home, and I'm excited to show you our new one in today's TV episode.

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How to decide if you need a command centre in your home

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How to decide if you need a command centre in your home

6 years ago, my son arrived in this world, and I began my new role as a stay-at-home Mum. What an amazing experience! I loved being home full-time with him [most of the time!] and felt extremely blessed to be able to have so much 1-on-1 time with him before returning to part-time work.

Although I was loving life, and felt that I adapted fairly well to our new routines and way of life, one thing that took me quite of bit of getting used to was the fact that I was spending each and every day in my home. Being surrounded by our 'stuff' and constant household chores definitely took some adjusting. And there were certain areas of the home that really began to frustrate me, that I knew I had to do something about, as the mess and clutter was staring me in the face each and every day!

One of those areas was a small section of kitchen bench-top, which had always been used as a 'dumping ground', from the moment we moved into our house. I used to be great at clearing it each day, but a new baby seemed to bring a lot of extra 'stuff' and less time to deal with it all, and this spot quickly became out of control.