Day #2: Back-to-School Organization

I think one of the biggest challenges I have when the kids head back to school is getting and STAYING organized. This post is dedicated to ways you might get organized along with me. I'd love to hear your ideas so if any of these suggestions spark an idea, would you please share them in the comments section below? I need all the help I can get!

Calendaring:

Ok, let's face it. School means more items on the calendar than ever before. And while I'd like to think that we stay on top of things pretty well, I'd be lying if I said we didn't forget things all the time. That's Goal #1: writing down family events AND remembering them

For keeping track of calendar items, I really like this cute Hampton Arts Calendar (available HERE) at 2Peas:

It's designed to fit inside an album like this (available HERE) and comes in a variety of colors:

I also think this idea by "Take Two They're Small" is absolutely genius. Using Washi Tape to "block out" items on your calendar.

Source: Take Two They're Small

Um, send me a couple hundred more rolls of Washi, please! (Want some yourself? Check out all the tape options HERE at 2Peas!)

The Paper Trail:

Do your kids bring home oodles and oodles of papers from school? I've gotten in the habit of sorting them right as them come out of the backpacks. I don't keep everything. (Yep. I said it. I don't.) I keep special items such as reports, a 100% on an especially hard test or assignment, assignments with notes from the teacher, and they're artwork.)

But where to store it all? I like this cute filing box from Heidi Swapp. Do you see that quatrefoil design on the box? Oh so sophisticated and perfect for boys AND girls:

You can find it HERE at 2Peas. It's also available in teal HERE! Look for an upcoming post on how I decorated the black version especially to match some other special items.

Although this will fit standard size files, you can purchase designer file folders HERE from 2Peas. These actually work as a "resist" and you can spray and ink them to make your own special look.

Study Session:

Keeping track of the kids' homework is also challenging.

If you have a smart phone (and I don't but wish I did), I think this app ($4.99) looks super cool. Create your own study flashcards right on your phone and then study on the go:

Source: Flashcard Touch by Apple

Want to track your homework assignments and such, try this cool app for the Android called "HomeWork." And the best part? It's FREE!

Source: HomeWork App for Android

Around the House:

I think a workspace for kids to do their homework is always a GREAT way to be organized. Pottery Barn Teen shared this photo on their Facebook Wall this week. Wow, right?! Who wouldn't want to do homework in this setting (ok maybe not the boys in your family):

Source: Pottery Barn Teen

You can also rep school lunches ahead of time (imagine no early morning scramble to pack a lunch for the kids--they can actually pack their own):

Source: Real Simple

Plan ahead and organize the kids' daily outfits for the week. Let them help assemble the outfits and then check out this cute blog for ideas on how to make the dividers shown in this closet :

Source:iheartorganizing

Today's Project: Alter an organizational piece!

I purchased this darling metal drawer set from Target with the idea that my son would keep his school supplies inside. Here's what it looked like before:

Here's what it looked like after I added some embellishments:

I used the following "Orante Numbers" Silhouette cut to the cut numbers from white vinyl (I eliminated the little lines within the numbers before cutting out the shape):

Challenge: There are so many ways to get ahead of the game, to eliminate the stress of prepping for school. These are just a few ideas. Now it's your turn! I want to hear how you plan on or have already implemented ways to organize for school. Leave me some suggestions in the comments section below on how you plan to organize. Tomorrow watch for ways to alter organizational supplies to fit your son's or daughters style!