Be the Best Mom: Get Organized, Mama!

Be the Best Mom 2013

I started off 2013 by sharing my New Year’s resolution to “Be the Best Mom” with more positive thinking.  Each Thursday we will be featuring a different mom and her unique goals to “Be the Best Mom” in 2013, including specific steps that you can implement, too!  Last week we heard from Karyn about her great ideas to teach her kids about good nutrition. (Make sure to check out her free nutrition unit if you haven’t yet!)  This week I am super-excited to introduce Stephanie of Twodaloo with her great tips and resources to get organized in the New Year. 

Get Organized, Mama!

I am unbelievably excited to be guest posting this week at B-Inspired Mama! Because you see, I’m a mom with a secret. A Dirty Secret. Let’s just say that organization on the home front has never been my, ahem, forte. Add to that two rambunctious toddlers who are into EVERYTHING, an abundance of tot school and speech therapy materials, and a crafty stash the size of Mount Everest, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for chaos! So I have decided that 2013 is the year we will get organized. Consider this post my line in the sand. Clutter, I shall vanquish thee!

In the interest of posterity, I decided to share a few “before” pictures of problem areas in my home. The photo above is of a new shelving unit that my dad and I built especially for my crafty stash…you can see that I still have some work to do to get it fully organized and functional!

The photo below is of our spare bedroom, which was my home office before the twins came along. As you can see, it has become a catch-all space for anything and everything that needs to be hidden from sight- outdated decor, books and files, and even an old computer! In the coming weeks I intend to transform this room into an upstairs playroom/tot school room with a small daybed for overnight guests. I’ve got big dreams, ya’ll! Big dreams!

How will getting organized help me be a better mom?

• For one thing, it will help me set a good example for my little ones. I’d like them to start developing tidy habits now!
• Having everything organized will allow me to spend more quality play and learning time with the kids instead of scrambling for materials.
• It will free up time and space for me to do the things I love (blogging, sewing, crafting) that make me feel happy and balanced…very important for my “Mommy Mindset!”

My Plan (and some helpful resources) to Get Organized

Break the job down into manageable sections. Realizing my dream of organizational nirvana is going to be a daunting task. Breaking it down into smaller chunks will help me stay focused and not get overwhelmed. My first goal? Tackle the twins’ toys and tot school materials.

Some helpful resources:

• For toy organization, we have been rotating the twins’ toys for quite awhile but need a more formal system to keep us in check. Kim at Little Stories has a great post on rotating toys with a simple yet effective categorization system. Don’t forget to check out her follow-up post with lots of suggestions on storing out-of-rotation toys, managing toys with lots of pieces, and more.
• 1+1+1=1 is one of my favorite resources for tot school inspiration. In one of her older posts, Carisa explains how she sets up toy stations around her home for her tot to discover and rotates toys through those stations. Since we have limited space for a dedicated playroom, this idea is very practical for us!

• For tips on organizing tot school materials, I am turning once again to 1+1+1=1 for a peek into her current homeschool room. This post is full of great ideas for keeping all sorts of educational supplies, books, and manipulatives tidy and accessible, along with links to recommended products. Carisa is the tot school queen and has tons of organizational posts on her site, so be sure to stay awhile and check them out!
• I also bookmarked this post at Why Amy Smiles that is full of tot school organization and planning ideas.

Invest in new organizational materials. Something about tidy matching bins and colorful labels makes me feel all warm and gooey inside, even though I tend to live like Oscar the Grouch. For Christmas, various family members took pity on me and gifted me these nifty wire baskets from the Container Store to organize my craft and sewing materials. We have also made numerous trips to Ikea for new shelving, bins, and baskets. However, organizational materials don’t have to break the bank…I have found affordable and attractive options at the Target Dollar Spot, the dollar store, yard sales, and thrift stores. Craigslist is full of people selling used shelving, bookcases, and toy boxes for a fraction of their retail prices, and older/worn pieces can always be given a makeover.

Identify roadblocks and ask for help! One of my biggest hurdles in this process has been finding time away from the kids to devote to organizational tasks. Have you ever tried to sort a box of craft supplies with twin two-year-olds by your side? Two words: Face Palm. I have finally thrown in the towel and am turning to friends and family for help with toddler wrangling while I get crackin’ on my task list. It’s amazing what I can get done in a couple of kid-free hours!

Celebrate the little victories. I am working hard to view each tidy shelf, sorted bin, and de-junked drawer as a triumph in my war on clutter. I am going to make a point of rewarding myself more for completing tasks from my list rather than beating up on myself when I can’t get it all done in one day.

Thank you, Krissy, for allowing me to air my dirty laundry all over your blog. I promise to share the “after” pictures when I’ve completed my goals. If anybody out there has won their battle with clutter, I’d love to hear about it! Cheers to a squeaky clean 2013!

Stephanie is a speech-language pathologist specializing in early language and autism who is currently staying home with her two-year-old twins. She blogs about early childhood activities, creative projects, and parenting adventures (and mishaps) at Twodaloo. She can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and G+.

I love Stephanie’s points about how getting organized will make her a better mom.  Lord knows we can all use more quality time with our kids!  If you didn’t see it yet, make sure to check out the most recent From the Mouths of Moms with smart storage tips for kids’ toys.

How do you plan to be the best mom you can be is 2013?

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