Mama’s Organizational System

This post is part of an editorial series, “Healthy Mama,” brought to you by the Fort Worth Moms Blog and Texas Health Care Privia Medical Group North Texas, which includes Dr. Elisabeth Wagner, Dr. Mickey Hooper, Dr. Bea Kutzler, Dr. Doug Decker, Dr. Jamie Erwin, Dr. Kathleen Cammack, Dr. Emily Maas, Dr. Jennifer McLeland, Dr. Lindsay Breedlove, Dr. Martha Guerra, Dr. Danielle Burkett, Dr. Robert Zwernemann, Dr. Jay Herd, Dr. Ingrid Kohlmorgen, and Dr. Martin Read. We hope these pieces provide you with helpful information, encouragement, and answers as you make decisions for your own health.

With a household of five (six when the college boy is home), there is a lot to keep in order! Let me start by saying no sane person is ALWAYS organized! But I would be insane if I did not have my systems in place.

Who has time for systems? YOU DO, mama — and in fact, having them will save you time, frustration, and energy. Teaching those systems to your household will also give you 10 extra minutes in bed in the morning because everyone knows where everything is. 

There is nothing worse than hearing, “Mom, have you seen my school socks?” on Monday morning when you are already not ready for the hustle and bustle of the week. I mean, why would you know where school socks are? Clearly you are not in school, right? WRONG. You are mom; you know where EVERYTHING is. (Insert major side eye here.)

The Organizational System

My systems in my kids’ room have saved my life. Let me give you a couple of details. 

There are three kids — ages nine, five, and four (girl, boy, girl) — sharing one room. They each have a twin bed and coordinating bedding.

I have two IKEA Malm dressers with three drawers side-by-side. Each child has two drawers — one drawer in each dresser. The drawers go from tallest (oldest) to shortest (youngest). The left dresser consist of bottoms and play t-shirts. The right dresser is undergarments, socks,  pajamas, hair bows, accessories.

In the closet, ALL white hangers are for boys’ clothes, and the girls have pink hangers. School uniforms are on metal hangers.

The oldest girl has the right side of the closest, and the boy and the youngest girl have the left. The different hangers helps them look in the right place for their clothes. Eventually, we will go to three different colors for hangers — one for each kid. This will help me keep inventory on who has what.

A shoe organizer for 15 pairs of shoes sits on the floor of the closest. Again, the top shelf is for the oldest, and the bottom shelf is for the youngest. Each kid owns NO MORE than five pairs of shoes. It is routine for them to come in the house, remove their shoes, and take them to their cubbies. 

The Benefits

There are so many benefits of this system. 

• Everyone knows which area is whose, and they can find their items without my help. They can also put up their things without my help! I fold laundry and put it on their beds, and they can put it up — yes, even the three year old. 
• It helps Dad get them ready if Mom is away! 
• I can keep inventory of who needs what. I shop with the season, so less stuff means less cleaning! 
• Systems save time by making the smallest task easier. It becomes habit for everyone in the house, and it teaches the kids how to keep their spaces clean. 

It may seem like a LOT, but it is not. Find the organization and systems that work for your family. There might be a little more work up front, but the benefits are priceless. If you need help on where to start, CALL ME!!