HOW TO STAY ORGANIZED DURING A CANADIAN WINTER!
Last week I was lucky enough to accompany my husband on a trip through work to beautiful Costa Rica! The weather was HOT and after a few days I had almost forgotten the cold temperatures I left at home. The day before we were coming home not one but two weather systems were hitting our home town and I was panicking that we wouldn't get home Sunday night as planned! I can think of worse places to be stuck while waiting for a storm to pass but I missed my kids, my mom was set to fly home Tuesday and my husband was flying out again on Monday for work so I really needed that flight home to be on time. We lucked out and arrived home 20 minutes late and I felt so thankful after hearing how many flights had been cancelled! By Tuesday morning we had 45 cm of fresh snow....in March!
I feel more than ready for spring, so this morning after my walk through the snow I pulled apart my mudroom closet and sorted out all of the winter gear that my kids have outgrown this year and pulled out a few spring jackets (I'm ready mother nature). This impromptu cleaning session inspired me to share how I stay organized (and somewhat sane) during a Canadian winter.
Before having kids I bought a pretty basket and threw all of the hats and mitts in one basket. It was frustrating and didn't work at all. We had our daughter and continued to use one basket, which was really not working. Finally after I had my son I decided to fix the problem once and for all! I measured my front closet, went to Dollarama and found plastic bins that would fit 5 across perfectly, one for each person in the family and one for my very spoiled dog who had his own collection of clothing for all seasons (lol). I needed a way to label each basket and used my computer to print a large letter for each basket. I used the font "Orniste" because it was big and easy to cut out. I used two sided tape to stick it to the basket and 4 years later the letters are still in place! This would be a great project for a Cricut if you have one (still on my wish list!).
I take each basket and organize the hats and mitts during the winter and switch them out in the summer to hold sunglasses and summer hats. In March we try to transition the seasons and hold a little of both! My dream mudroom is still in the works, I can't wait to show pictures once it is completed...there is nothing I love more than a well organized space!
If you are looking for plastic bins, I use these for everything!! I use the rectangle ones in my kitchen to hold water bottles and kid sized dishes. I use them in my garage to hold gardening supplies and outdoor toys. I use the square ones in my laundry room to sort cleaning supplies and painting supplies. They are the perfect size and so durable, but they can be tricky to find so when I find them I usually pick up a few extras!
