Show & Tell Tuesday – Organization

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I’m joining the fun with Momfessionals Show & Tell linkup.   Today, just a few things I did this year to help our mornings flow a little smoother.  
My kids are 13 and 9 and they make their own lunches each morning.  Every once in awhile they need help with their “big” thing for lunch but for the most part they get this taken care of.  One thing I do to try and make this easier is to go ahead and prepackage individual size items that are easy for them to grab.  I have two bins in the pantry and two bins in the fridge that are used for this purpose. I found these at Bed Bath & Beyond.  
Pantry bins contain individual applesauce, cheese its, Jif to go, ritz crackers, goldfish, etc.  I prefer to buy items such as crackers, goldfish, etc in larger bags and make individual packs my self because it does seem to save some money.  I have tried making individual size peanut butter but it honestly seems like more gets wasted than eaten and honestly I cannot stand to clean out a container with leftover peanut butter…..it just grosses me out for some reason.   
Fridge bins contain individual packages of strawberries, grapes, string cheese, jello, yogurt, pudding, carrot sticks and other veggies as requested.  Keith and I also use these for our lunch too so celery sticks are often present as well.  
 In order for things to run smoothly in the morning Mom must also run on time!  This is always a challenge for me as I often get distracted trying to get things in order before leaving and I really dislike having things out on the counter.  This year I purchased these bins from Target to go in the top drawer of the bathroom.  Previously all of theses same items were either in this drawer or on the counter top and adding these dividers has really made me feel much more orderly.  
Another thing that definitely makes my morning smoother is being able to pick an outfit quickly.  Last spring we had built in chests made for our closet which has truly been so helpful.  I really didn’t realize how many trips I made back into the bedroom to grab items from my dresser until I didn’t have to do it any longer.  Having everything I need at my fingertips was so much more efficient. I organize my closet each season by sleeve length and color for the tops and like items such as jeans, shorts and skirts hang on the bottom rack.  The biggest change I made years ago was to purchase all matching hangers.  I never really gave this much thought but after replacing all of them I can totally see the difference.  When all the clothes are hanging evenly, you can see them so much better which definitely helps choosing an outfit go faster.
 Dresses, skirts, slacks and colored jeans are hung on the adjoining side.  I use dividers from the Container Store, similar to the ones found here, to divide space for workout clothes, sweaters and t-shirts up above.  It is not easy to see but I have a shelf to the left that holds shoes.  Still working on a better solution for my shoes.  The basket is used to gather the clothes needing to be dry cleaned.  
For more tips on how I arrange my closet you can read this post.  
I saw this idea on Pinterest a year or so back and had to try it.  Previously my necklaces were a hot mess and I honestly just chose not to accessorize because of it.  Now I can see all of my jewelry at a glance.  
 Those are just a few tips that have worked to help us with our morning routine.

Click here to see all Show & Tell posts!
Resolutions & Goals 
Organization Tips & Tricks
How We Met & Got Engaged
My Favorite Room
Favorite Vacation
Kids Names
Most Embarrassing Moments
Momfessionals Moments

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