Are We Coming or Going?

Welcome to the “blur” stage of life. Oftentimes I don't know if I'm coming or going. I can tell you one thing... the entryway of our house can look like a hurricane was coming and going, rather than our kids! A few years ago it got to the point where this was really bothering me – like visual nails on the chalkboard! So ... I decided the entryway needed an overhaul!

Here's few tips I found for taming the entryway of your home:

• A place for everything. That's the key. For us this looks like crates for shoes, a closet rod for coats, a shelf & individual bins for little things (hats, gloves, Bible, books and busy bag), hooks for bags and backpack.
• Don't loose the vital stuff: Keys, wallet, purse. If they are put on hooks/shelves at the door... there is no ransacking the house to find them. Priceless sanity saver!
• Mudroom mentality: Mud happens. Wet happens. Make sure the kiddos know where those things go. For us this is “everything off on the rug, boots on the boot tray (contains wetness), wet stuff gets walked to the bathroom for parents to hang up. In extreme cases...kid goes in shower. Our setup works well with a straight – hard-floor – path to the bathroom.
• Hard floors: Carpet is your enemy in the entryway. It will get dirty, no doubts there. Save yourself the angst and make it an easy-clean surface. Rugs are a low-cost fix if you already have carpet there.
• Pets' place: This is a great place for pet things if you have room. A muddy dog can go straight to the kennel and not track through the house. Water dish sloshing can be wiped up along with the day's footprints.
• Everything gets put away When we come in, everyone is responsible for their own things. Coats and shoes, backpacks and lunches. Oh yeah...and all that PAPER that comes home with us. Coats get hung (step stool close by), hats/gloves/etc in the kid's bin, backpacks on hook, lunch and papers from school go to the kitchen counter for Mom. The goal is NOTHING ON THE FLOOR!
• Training is everything: "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." This verse in Proverbs has deep spiritual meaning...but it is also very practical. If the kids are enabled and equipped to help you keep up on these things it will make life much easier for the whole family. Every now and then, mine need a refresher on this. Yes, I could just pick up after them... but that doesn't help them grow in responsibility. Call 'em back if they drop and dash; you'll thank yourself later for this little battle now.

Remember clutter equals stress. Get your launch point organized so you feel more prepared for your day and have fewer surprises when you are on your way out!

~As read in Nov 2013 MOPS Newsletter [Mama Pulling Double Duty]