My girls are starting preschool next month! So this is my first back to school season (but since we’ve never been to school before then is it just called “to school”?). Anyways, I really need to get things ready to make the mornings go smoothly and to keep all their necessities organized. Then I realized I had no idea where to start! So I asked a friend whose daughter is in her second year of preschool for some advice.

Her main recommendation was to plan ahead! For example, clothes are a big battle for her. She has one of these hanging shelves (like this one from IKEA). Here you can create an outfit a day ahead of time, and one shelf=one day. Her daughter has input so she feels like she has a say in what she wears and everyone is happy in the morning (most of the time, anyways)! And even if you don’t have a fashionista preschooler, it’s still good to have outfits planned out…one less thing to think about in the morning.

Another way to plan ahead is to wake up before your kids do to get things ready. And the night before, you can get some prep work done as well. Do what you can: pack your lunches ahead of time and line up shoes and backpacks by the door. Your kids can help do these things…designate a backpack station like this one so they know where everything should go. You can even start “training” them before school starts!

Create a checklist with exactly what needs to be done every morning. Here’s a preschool checklist I made for my girls…you can add to it for bigger kids, and they can even check things off themselves as they get older.

You can do an after school checklist too. Even better, do a visual one, like this from Amy @ Living Locurto:

Here are some other organizational products for back to school:

-Etsy is a great source for back to school! Love this backpack from Stitches from the South

-Paper Source always has the perfect calendars! I love their academic year calendar.

-Make sure your kids don’t confuse their stuff with classmates with Loveable Labels – For their shoes, clothes, cups, and everything else they bring to school.

-Keep girls’ accessories in one place with Real Mom Amanda’s adorable hair bow keeper!

-I’ve always loved this system from Pottery Barn to keep the whole family organized. I bet you could DIY a version too (please share if you’ve made something similar!)

I know I have barely scratched the surface. What are your back to school tips for staying organized? Do share in the comments!

As always, thanks for Chit-Chatting with me!

Ok I know you are all guilty of it….spoiling your kiddos! Don’t deny it. We know you do!!!

Am I right??? Of course I am.

Well, this Christmas was so much fun with our 14 month old as he loves toys! Well we love the idea of getting him fun toys. So first it was “he needs some cars”, then it was “he needs some big blocks”….you see where I am going with this. In the end we ended up with too many toys for the small space.

He has Toys Toys and more Toys everywhere. He has his new Christmas toys along with all of his baby toys. We decided that there were just too many of them in the den, kitchen, and family room so we decided to clean out a spare bedroom and make it his toy room! Genius idea! As I won’t have to clean up the toys scattered all over the house. Now I have a problem….I am not sure how to organize this room so it isn’t cluttered beyond belief. I moved all of his toys into this spare room and they line around the outer edges of all the walls. Hello Chaos! I don’t know how he can even play because there is way too much going on. I need something to store them in….

So I went searching on Google and found some great ideas for organizing a play room and decided to share them with you! Maybe it will spark your interest in organizing your child’s bedroom or play area. I know it did mine.

I love the idea of incorporating bright colors…Creating such a colorful space would definitely make the room pop and scream FUN!

 image credit ehow.com

This gal decided to transform her dining room into a Play Room. I just love the big rug and the chalkboard wall. The kiddos would have so much fun with that wall!

Idea and photo credit Ohdeedoh

This is how my dream Play Room would look….maybe one day!

image credit homestars.com 

I would love this beauty in my baby’s room or media area!

Or you could simply add some fun wall art to your walls to create a fun atmosphere, paint on a mural, or even frame some of your children’s artwork. There are so many ideas to choose from and the possibilities are endless.  Wall vinyl art by Inspire Your Walls

BowenChildren’sMurals

Oh I love this idea. Simply hang your children’s art on a string line with clothespins! So cute and easy to do and you can switch it out so easily as they bring home more! credit to Ohdeedoh

If you need a cost effective solution for now…cause who can really afford the gorgeous layouts above??? You can try one of these many great organizers ideas. I personally have baskets placed throughout my home. So when there is something out of place it goes in the basket until I am ready to return it to it’s designated spot.

You can usually pick all sorts of organizers up at your local chain store.

Just head to their organization section!

Let us know your organizing tips, tricks, and ideas by leaving a comment. We would love your to hear your advice, and we would love to see pictures too.

Good Luck organizing that toy room or child’s bedroom. Let us know how it goes!