Family of six children. How do I define orgnaized?

amother

Sun, Sep 15 2013, 2:54 pm

Please explain organized

If things are in the drawers and on the shelves where they belong but they are messy - like the kids books games toy,s the kids drawers, the drawer with office/school supplies does that mean I'm messy?

I feel like all I do in my life is put away and organize and ignore my other duties because if for instance if the tools are not in their proper place on the tool shelf or if tape and wires are tangled in each other on the shelf they belong - I cant focus.

Please enlighten me as to what's 'normal'? How often should I organize? How do I get the kids to keep their laundry and entertainment in place?

hop613

Sun, Sep 15 2013, 3:16 pm

In a busy home with kids,, my definition of clean and organized is:

- everything has a place, and the floor is picked up at the end of the day
- toys are mostly organized, and if it's not, it's in a bin or drawer where I can't see it
- clothes are not folded, but are in proper drawers, and drawers are able to close

junk drawers get organized once in a while, I concentrate on things being in the appropriate droawer or bin more than the neatness of each specific drawer or bin. I totally know what you mean about not being able to do other things until everything is organized, but I have had to let go of it somewhat.

granolamom

Sun, Sep 15 2013, 8:50 pm

while I appreciate the 'nurture the neshama' philosophy, I still believe that a child needs a certain amount of organization to properly function. a chaotic environment does not promote clear thinking, or provide a place to play or learn.
balance, of course, key, and that's probably what is meant by 'ignore the chaos, nurture the souls' but some people really DO ignore the chaos and that can be tough on kids.

to OP, the 'way to go' depends on your tolerance level and on the needs of your family. if things are ok the way they are now, then you have hit your sweet spot.

personally, I spend most of my sunday organizing so that I can start my week fresh, with everything in its place. I start with the kitchen and toss any old food that's going bad, make mental notes of what staples are running low, make my weekly menu's and shopping list. then I pay any bills that are tacked up to the fridge (that's our bill-system) and handle any other paperwork that is waiting to be addressed.

next, I do the bedrooms. check that everyone's got clean clothes in their drawers, check on everyone's closets. anyone with a messy closet needs to clean it up before going out to play.

living room is just a clean up job, it usually stays organized. same with dining room.

hall closets, between seasons I rotate out what we do not need (flip flops or winter boots, etc), weekly I dig out the random socks that wind up in there, match up gloves and shoes so no one finds themselves missing a shabbos shoe on friday evening, things like that.

hardest room is our den which is our playroom/schoolroom. kids help reorganize toys and games, and I restock our school supplies for the week.

laundry room gets organized daily because its a small multi-use space, I spend 5 min every morning organizing and it stays pretty organized that way.

I still find myself 'drowning in chaos' but my tolerance is very low. which is why I have my weekly system - I know that come sunday I will put things away so I have the rest of the week to focus on the neshamas (and the cooking/cleaning/carpools/homework/homeschooling/phone calls/etc)

I tried to come up with a definition of 'organized' and I had a hard time. I think its not the same as 'neat' or 'clean', but lies somewhere in knowing what's going on in your home and in your life and being able to function without the small emergencies that could have been prevented by a bit of planning (like running out of toilet paper/milk/pencils/gas/etc or missing appointments or birthday parties, things like that).
so clean clothes in drawers but unfolded, would fall into the organized category for me, assuming the underwear isnt all mixed up with the shirts and pajamas. unsorted clean clothes in laundry baskets, would not fall into the organized category in my mind. some people can function that way, and hats off to them, so long as their kids dont have to spend too much time finding something to wear while the bus is outside waiting.

pause

Sun, Sep 15 2013, 9:03 pm

I think that a lot depends on how much space you have. The less space you have, the more organized and neater you have to be otherwise the minute something is out of place, there is a mess. If you have the space to put things away unfolded, go ahead, as long as they are in the right place, but for some people if they wouldn't fold their kids' clothes, they wouldn't fit into their drawers...

If you have a large playroom, it's ok to clean it up every second day or maybe even once a week. But if your kids play in their bedroom, there is no choice: toys and games must be put away before going to sleep.

Same in the kitchen. If you have a lot of counter space, it's ok to cook and bake continuously and only clean up in the evening. But, if your kitchen is smaller and when the mixer is on the counter, you have no room for the food processor, then you'd better pack away the mixer before tackling the next food project, or else.... You need to have everything in its place before you go on.

And I think it's like that with any spot in the house, including the bathrooms, laundry, etc. If you have the space, you can let loose a bit, but if you don't, there's no choice.

Hashem_Yaazor

Thu, Jan 29 2015, 12:16 pm

I think at a certain point it plateaus...once you have systems in place, it doesn't matter how many more kids you have.

My issues right now are setting up new systems since we moved and it's the first time I've ever had a house and so much space, so I'm still working on trying to get things set up.
And my second issue is staying on TOP of the systems I do have set up. Some of it has to do with laziness, but a lot also has to do with me relinquishing control and waiting on others to have done their part, which doesn't always happen. But I decided it was not in my family's best interest for me to be a control freak and take responsibility for everything myself Wink