I need some advice

And I don’t say that lightly. I really do. What about, you ask? Organizing ones junk er stuff. We have 8 people living in our house, ranging in many different sizes. 8 sizes, to be exact. Our house is a 4 bedroom, 2 bath home with about 2,000 sq feet of living space (however, 320 sq feet of that space is our commercial kitchen).  Currently, the “bedroom” down stairs is being used as a non-bedroom: the “whatever” room. It has the piano, my sewing collection of never-ending-works-in-progress, filing cabinets, and other…..junk. The closet in there also houses the girls clothes and their dresser.

That leads we to explain that all the children’s clothes are not in their room anymore. They are in the wash room (or in the “whatever” room). I We made this change because I was tired of hauling baskets of clothes up and down the stairs. I was tired of having to either nag the children to put away their clothes or having to do it for them (I’m talking about the older ones here.). I was tired of having to fight with the clothes, socks, undies, etc. on the floor and under the bed. I think you get the idea. So we made a sort of “family closet” (minus the parents) in the washroom. I really like this. We did it a week or two before Damaris was born, so it has been this way for almost a year. And I don’t really want to change it, except….Wait. Did you hear that? That was the sound of my husband groaning as he’s reading this. He knows what coming.

Anyway, I don’t really want to change it, except I don’t think we are using space wisely. The children’s room have empty, large closets since the hanging clothes are down stairs and they have open floor space since their dressers are down here too. The more people we add to this house, the bigger those said people get, the more wisely we need to use the space we have. And I’m just not satisfied that we are doing that. Granted, the children’s rooms are upstairs and I’m not wanting toys and books to be up there. And yet…all that space! Every time I walk into the “whatever” room down here, I dislike it more and more. It feels very crammed in. Very cramped. Adam has agreed to make a sewing cabinet with me this Fall, so that will clear up that portion of the mess. But then there is the school books, reading books, toys, games, art supplies/books, and anything/everything else you can see in that room.

So I am asking you mothers what I should do? Some of you have more children than I do (That’s right! There are other people like me! Or maybe worse!). I was just teasing. Come back! I really need your advice with this!

* Should we invest in/make some bookcases?

* Should I move the children’s clothes back upstairs, which will open up the closet in the downstairs room to store stuff in and will open up my wash room to store stuff too?

* Should I get those plastic shelving units for toys/games?

* Should we invest/make book shelves for their rooms (and they can only keep a selected few up there, like this idea that I really, really love)?

*  Any other suggestions????!!!!

Again, I really like having the children’s clothes down here, but I’m not liking the feel of wasted space. I’m not a pack rat and I’m not a perfectionist-neat freak. However, I do want need to have places for things and have those things in an organized manner. Or at the very least, a look of being organized. If achieving the need to use our space more wisely means moving their clothes back upstairs, so be it. (Hmm. There’s that groan again.)

What I’m wanting is a designated place, other than a box, for the children’s books. For their toys (albeit there are not many). For their school things. For extra school books. For all our games (currently our beloved puzzles are in the dark, dank dungeon basement and since the cooler time of year is fast approaching, I would love to move them back up here). For their clothes. I need to have the feel that our house is in order, even when it’s not. I do much better mentally when things are organized, put away and not piled everywhere. Does that make sense?

Maybe something like this? This can be made rather easily. I think.

 

 

I could even get creative and really organized and make baskets like this for each cubby.  You know, like children’s book are this color and/or with this picture on it. School supplies are with this color and/or this picture on it…. Hmm, that’s not a bad idea….. Adam!! No more noises and stop shaking your head! I’m serious. And yes, I know you know I am.

There’s my dilemma. I need thrifty, useful ideas that will use the space in our home more wisely and efficiently.  The ideas need to be children friendly, cheap for Daddy friendly, and organize-able for Mama friendly.