Monday, August 4, 2014

Getting Organized

Oh hey there, reader(s). Two months since my last post. I am so outstanding at this blogging thing, no? Really very consistent.

When I last posted we were on the cusp of summer. Endless months of  sun, sand, boating and grandparents awaited. Well, for the child anyway, the moms' days look the same as always, just with a (giant) dash of humidity thrown in and the lack of having to ready a child for school each morning and the rush to pick her up each evening.

Now the end of summer is just over the horizon. The grandparents head home in a couple of weeks. School starts a month from tomorrow. All that stuff that seemed so far away is so close we can almost touch it.

It's bittersweet, isn't it? I'll be sad to close up our little summer escape but at the same time excited to go home full time and resume normalcy. Baking in my old retro kitchen, Saturday morning soccer games, relishing (and cursing) the humdrum of the daily grind. 

This is the time of year that I swear we will get organized at home. When 4 adults, one (messy/chaotic) almost 9 year old and two quirky dogs live in 800 square feet you learn to keep things minimized and organized. It's a lot easier to let the mess spread in 2800 square feet.

My biggest immediate goal is organizing a homework haven for the kid. She is going into 4th grade this year and in the Montessori world ... well, let's just say 4th grade is when sh*t gets real. I had a minor panic attack listening to the teachers talk about the expectations and impending homework. 

Arden is swawesome*....

(photographic proof/Memory Monday - Arden age 3)



...but a lover of school and motivated, organized human she is not. Not to mention she has two moms who work full time and can't get her home before 6PM. (Cue the intense parent guilt.)

I'll be honest, I am conflicted. We have a little library upstairs. It is cozy and perfect. It's the warmest room in the winter and has a door that closes and would be the ideal space for homework. In fact, she self-selected it during the last school year as a place to get work done.




Except when one has a child who, when it comes to schoolwork, benefits from a more hawkish-parenting approach -- let's just say I've found her knee deep Home Repairs 101 as opposed to working on her homework packet -- having her on a separate floor presents a challenge.

There is always the kitchen table but then I need to make sure she has organized storage for pencils and paper, an ever present good pencil sharpener, etc. etc. etc. Not to mention she needs to have regular access to a computer for word processing and typing practice this year. The kitchen solution would be something we have to set up each night because this creature spends her days in the kitchen and will destroy all things in her path.


So there you have it. I have no clue what the best solution is for this year but I only have a few weeks left to figure out a cost effective and well ... generally effective solution. Because maybe if I give her the structure there will be less fighting and tears over homework.

Or maybe the answer to all of it is that we just need one of these, then nothing will seem like that big of a problem.



What are your favorite organization tips for school? 

*Swawesome - Super, Wonderful, Awesome. Word of the summer. Use it. Love it.