The Command Center Has Arrived

School begins tomorrow, so I have been trying to get our "Command Center" set up.  The goal here is for no one to be running around in the mornings looking for anything before they can be out the door to wait for the bus.  Also so I know where to find that permission slip that HAS to be in today!!!  Where is it?  Oh, yeah, it's in my box.

I started with 4 old black picture frames we weren't using anymore.  They were just a very plain, basic frame. 

So I hot glued some beaded garland around the frame and then spray painted them chocolate brown (yes with my new favorite spray paint for plastics)

I then added a bulletin board to the inside and took out the glass.  I covered the bulletin boards with scrapbook paper, and made each child a large first initial out of cardstock and laminated that to identify who's board was whose.

This morning I was cutting cereal boxes then gluing scrapbook paper to them, and stapled that onto the bulletin board.  (The boxes are for papers I need to do something with, right now Steven has the order form for band parent shirts in his box and Zach has his sign up sheet for what I want to volunteer to donate for school parties in his.)   

I took down the board with the row of  coat hooks that was hanging in the entrance hallway and each kid has their assigned hook, under their command center board. (Still need to buy a last coat hook for Molly, I bought these hooks a year ago just planning to add another row of hooks, lower so the little kids could reach them to hang up their own coats.  I like this idea much better than that one!) 

 

I asked the boys if they like their new area, Zach loves it, Pete likes it but wishes I had used darker blue paper, even though he knows I didn't have anything darker in the house, Steve appreciates all the work I put into it.  I think that is teenager for he doesn't want to hurt my feelings, but.......

Molly thinks hers is pretty.

 

My fall house organization/purge is getting under way.  I couldn't do too much while the boys were out of school, since it just gets messed up again so quickly or they don't want anything thrown away.  This is my year for getting back to basics.  Our house is not big enough for the 6 of us and all the extra stuff that we don't need.  By Thanksgiving I want there to be a place to keep everything so nothing has to sit out and I don't feel like we are all crammed in here.

 

SO FAR:

Command Center- done (except for that last hook I need to get at Lowes next time I hit the city)

 

Pantry- done (that was a spring project)

  Craft Center- done- see, instead of the doors I made fabric panels to cover the openings and I absolutely love it.