Share your tips on keeping organized

[Momof4]

I've been struggling with this for years now! I share my home with the daycare so the living room is also the toyroom and sleeproom and the dining room table has boosters all week long. The clutter was taking over my home! My best advice is to get everything 'daycare' out of your sight so you can shut it down a little in the evening and on the weekend (she says as she's on a daycare website on a Sunday, HA!). I got big cupboards with doors on the front and use closets to store as much as possible. I rotate the toys and have stored more away so that every few weeks they have new toys to discover. I do the internet searches on Sunday afternoon for crafts and ideas then pick up books at the library on Monday plus any craft supplies I may need and I'm ready for my theme for the week.

I plan my meals for the week when I make out my grocery list and use the crockpot so I can prepare it the evening before and just start it up in the morning. I've simplified my cooking anyway possible because I'm very busy during the day. The older children help me clean up all the toys before their parents arrive and then are allowed to just run around in a circle or dance at the end of the day so I don't have to do all the cleanup after hours. I now even run the vacuum in the toyroom in the morning because I have a cat while the first children are eating their breakfast in the next room in my direct line of sight.

It comes with time and experimenting and changing things around until you figure out the best method for you. We all run our daycares in a similar fashion yet we are all so different.