DIY Family Command Center - Update

If you had read my previous post about my family command center we created out of a highly unorganized closet in our front room. The closet is narrow and was really poorly planned.

Since the project was finished I have added a few elements that help to keep my kids stuff organized as well as some of there activities and school things together.

I purchased 4 file boxes, 2 for each. One contains files for each year. I keep important papers, artwork, school work, stuff like that, in the bottom boxes. On top of those I keep a box full of busy bags for each of them along with a box of puzzles and a an open box for each containing Innotabs, current art in progress, pencils, etc.

It stays pretty organized most of the time. 

Until a bored 2 year old decides to get something out of the closet. You realize something is wrong when it's been quiet for 30 seconds and decide to check if he needs help with his busy bags.

Then you get this.

 He decided he needed to empty his busy box and the puzzlebox and sissy's busy box so he could climb into the puzzle box and toss remaining puzzle pieces onto the floor.

Do you often wonder what goes on in the mind of a 2 year old boy?

Kitchen Command Center

Last week I talked about the closet turned command center that is the main hub of most of the activity and paperwork.

I do, however, have a small, very basic command center in the kitchen. It consists of a bulletin board with a calendar.

The calendar is where I schedule what needs planting in the garden or green house, kids appointments, parties, activities. I tack coupons, reminders and other things I need to readily see on the cork board above. 

I have two frames that I painted hanging next to the cork board. The top one contains a housework schedule I printed off from Pintrest onto some scrapbook paper. The bottom one is just a framed piece of scrapbook paper, I write what's for dinner that night, a quote from a book,  a math problem or trivia question. It has been blank for a couple of weeks since I just seem to forget to find a pen to write something.

My trusty apron hangs there too. I never forget to put it on before cleaning the house or cooking a meal. That is another post altogether though.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. What projects have you been working on? Do you have a command center in the kitchen, if so leave a comment with your link. I would love to check it out!

Creating a Command Center

Back in August 2012 I got a wild hair and decided that I desperately needed to redo the closet in the living room. As you can see in the picture it was a disaster. 

 It was stuffed with movies, office stuff, kids stuff, wrapping paper and gift bags. There was even a bar to hang coats, yet there just wasn't the room to do it. 

I came up with the idea to make it a command center. My oldest was going to start school the following year so I needed a place to hang backpacks and sweaters and I needed a place to hide the paperwork and bills when people came over.

 The process began with gutting the closet. We took out the shelves and the bar. We smooth walled all the walls then I painted it white. I took an IKEA Billy bookcase I had and put it in the back of the closet. We repurposed the coat hanging bar and the shelves that were in the old closet. We cut them to size and attached them to the wall and the bookcase. I organized the wrapping paper, gift bags and ribbons and stored them on the top shelf.

In the bookcase I keep lunch bags on the top shelf. Notebooks, pencils and stickers on the next shelf and the rest hold office supplies.

Here is the finished project.

 The empty shelf now holds my printer and the other shelf holds the kids games so they can reach them.

 I use the door of the Billy Bookcase as a giant white board. I keep reminders, messages, lists and notes to the family on it then wipe it off when done.

I spray painted a cork board black and added embellishments to make it pretty, then added some headers to keep track of bills to pay, appointments, and extra things like receipts that need to be posted or invitations to parties. I keep papers to file in the paper holder next to it and once a week I file them away. I also keep a small trash can in here for junk mail and things to shred.

There is also a double coat hook for each family member. They can keep their back packs and sweaters there, no mess on the floor.

It is great to have a command center where everything is kept organized.

Next week I will take you on a tour of the kitchen command center. It is very basic and very helpful for an "at a glance" organization.

Do yo have a command center or a special way you organized your families things, I would love to here from you. Leave me a comment with your link and I will check it out!

I might add a special post with the most unique or uber organized space!

Have a wonderful day.