Hello friends! It is Monday, which means it is:
I think having an official “Command Center” is a must for any busy family…and if you have kids, you needed one yesterday!
If you haven’t seen this term floating around (just search it on Pinterest and you’ll find hundreds of examples!), it is the hub for all activity. It can include the domestic (menu board, family activities calendar) to the paper trail (mailboxes, recycling center, shredder) to the technological (phone charging station, device storage) to kid-centric (in-box for any kid forms, invitation to Bobby’s birthday party, money for the next class party)….all of those balls juggling in the air, can be contained in ONE SPACE.
Think about the beauty of that…no more digging through piles on the kitchen counter, or searching for the field trip permission slip that is due tomorrow, or “did I RSVP for that party?”. Especially with the start of the New Year, so many of us crave organization. The official Command Center is your answer.
The great news is you don’t need a whole room devoted to it. All you need is 36”. Especially if you think vertical. I think there are only two rules to a Command Center:
Rule #1: Make it work for your family dynamics (is it cutesy, or is it practical?)
Rule #2: Make it in a high-use visible location (kitchen, foyer, mudroom)
Mailboxes ($69) Chalk & Board Combo ($24.99) Happy Tray ($20) Phone Caddy ($12.99) Inbox Tray ($9.99) Basket $39.99
Here is where the Designer Math comes in, do some addition with me:
Mailboxes (have one for each family member) + Bulletin Board (schedules, invites, Menu) + Tray (keys, wallet, loose change) + Device Charging Station (try to make it near an outlet) + In-box (“don’t hand that permission slip to me honey, put it in the box”) + Baskets (store paper supplies stamps, scissors, pencils, etc.) = Command Center
Now that math was fun, wasn’t it!?
I made our family command center last year, and it is hands-down one of my favorite places in the house. Our mail no longer goes past the mudroom (unless it is the newest edition of Better Homes and Gardens that I immediately snag to read!). Everything gets filed away or recycled, pronto. My kids have an in-box where all of their papers get dumped, I go through them, and get them to the appropriate spot. A big bulletin board holds all of our paper schedules, invites, chore chart, etc. But my favorite part is the device charging station. I requested that a quad outlet be placed here, so we can not only charge all of our devices, but we have a box to pop them right into. No-phone family dinner, here we come! There are these nifty little USB device chargers now you can buy as well. (As a bonus idea, if you are planning a mudroom project down the line, I also had the electrician pop an outlet into each locker as well). In the drawers are basic office supplies, and there is a triple recylcing center as well!
Check back every Monday for more Designer Monday Math, where I tackle a small area, while making math fun!
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