Time to get organized!

We have survived the first week of school! I made it through by advanced planning but it was apparent that there were a few things that needed attention this weekend. My solution: a trip to The Container Store near Northpark after doing some internet research.

First, the three backpacks needed a home. We have pretty much established the routine that they get emptied of folders and homework when we get home, but then they either ended up on the floor or the chest freezer in our laundry room. Great location because it is on the way to the garage, but they were in the way. Enter the backpack rack: for only $4.99 it clipped on our door to provide a spot to hang all three backpacks plus accessories. Each hook can hold up to 8 lbs. (probably wouldn’t work for high school!) so this is a great solution for our three elementary school kiddos. And since it just clips on to the door, we can move it if needed and take it down during the summer time pretty easily. I already like the convenience of of having easy access to repack the bags for the next day.

My next goal was to find some small containers for the lunch boxes. The plastic ware I already had was too big for small portions, and took up too much room in their lunch bags. Since my 4 year olds will be using them, they had to be fairly easy to open but leak proof as well. I took my son with me and I think he opened almost every different small container in the store. There are a lot to choose from! We ended up with some 1 oz. Nalgene screw-top jars for dips and ketchup, and some 2.5 oz.  snap on lid Decor Bright and Healthy snack and dip tubs for taking a few pickles or yogurt.  Both were BPA free too.

We rounded out our shopping trip with two ice packs and some lunch sacks. These are kind of expensive, but I know that I used at least 20 plastic baggies last week and I felt guilty. Plastic baggies are so cheap that the lunch bags won’t pay for themselves any time soon, but I try to teach my kids to be green, so I consider this my back-to-school splurge. Jacob chose a lunchskins bag, while I got a sandwich sack for myself and a smaller snack sack for my daughter (she only eats half a sandwich). They are cute, and I hope they work out! Seem very easy to wipe clean or toss in the dishwasher or washing machine.

My Saturday continued with my store run in the afternoon to hit the various sales–four different grocery stores plus gassing up the car. I think I need advice on how to organize that better! But, I finally got the last item on our school supply lists! Good luck with your second week everyone!

Tags: back-to-school, backpack, Container Store, DFW, Education, Lunch bags, organizing, solutions