New York Interior Design: Back To School Organization Part 1

The IKEA KVISSLE

Organizing School Papers and Updating the Command Center

It is so hard to believe that school is almost upon us! I know for some of you school starts back this week. For us in Michigan we go back the Tuesday after Labor Day. Irregardless, we are in full school prep mode!

My biggest dilemma about school is all the dang paperwork! I always feel like I need a secretary just to handle it all! And this fall all 4 of my kids will be in school full time! {Where does the time go?}

In the past few years with 3 in school I had this little three drawer unit that I used to divide up their paperwork but it was inside a cupboard and was seldom used.

I knew I needed something that was accessible and would divide up all four kids. Oh and did I mention that it had to be cheap?

Enter the IKEA Kvissle. $14.99. {And no, this isn't a sponsored post}

Its basically a magazine rack but it can also hold folders and papers. It comes unassembled but is easy to hook together and hang. My only complaint is that it didn't come with its own screws. You need two. Fortunately my hubby had a few out in his tool box for just such an occasion.

We had to rearrange a few things but this is how it looks in its new home.

If you're a little OCD like me, you may be wondering why those labels aren't centered. They were, at first, but once the papers were in them you couldn't see the names, thus their new home on the left.

Back to the labels. I found these cuties at Hobby Lobby and I love them. {If you come over sometime you will find quite a few of them around} :) They are chalkboard labels, but again, because of the OCD-ishness I used a paint pen.

And these cuties are re-positionable too.

Now if you are astute, you will notice that I have 5 slots and only 4 kids. It comes with 5 and at first I was going to ditch one of them {which is easy to do because you lock each one together} but then I decided to keep it for those forms that are for all of them. {Like church registration forms or hot lunch list, etc.}

See they just slide and lock into place.

Too keep my cords looking a bit tidier, I wrapped some of them together with washi tape.

I love having the computer in the kitchen for a few reasons:

1) its handy. Whether I'm cooking or picking up around the house its central and that makes it easy to quick pop on and check something.

2) its visible. For my kids sake I always want them {and my hubby and I for that matter} to be accountable for what we're doing on the computer. It is so easy nowadays to see and go places online that are not God honoring. Accountability is good for all of us. That being said my nosey 9 year old doesn't need to read the e-mail I'm sending to his brother's teacher. So although they can see what I'm doing I don't allow them to read over my shoulder.

My bulletin board is great for all of those papers you need handy and for posting schedules. You will note we still have our summer schedule up here. But this will change when school starts.

I also use real estate here to post all of their individual schedules {like who has band or library and on what day}, just to keep us prepared.

Underneath this little skirt is all the computer stuff, or guts as I like to call them.

My hard drive and printer sit on filing boxes. I have a little shelf in there for the modem zip drive and my plug strip hangs on a nail. A basket contains extra cords.

Now it does get warm under there, so anytime the computer is on the curtain comes down or gets pushed to the side.