I’ve always prided myself on being organized; I consider it to be one of my greatest strengths.  Over the years, lots of people have asked me how I stay  on-top of things–especially since I now have two small children.  Let me introduce you to my Command Center.

The Command Center is in our kitchen, which is not only my favorite room, but also the heart of our home.  I spend the bulk of my waking hours here, and everyone seems to gravitate to this room; even my newborn loves sitting here, perched in her baby seat, watching me cook or prep.

At the Command Center, I have a color-coded wipe-board calendar, as well as my trusty Erin Condren planner (which I cannot live without).  At the start of every month, I erase the previous month’s calendar and, using my planner, fill in all upcoming activities for the new month.  Everyone in the family gets their own color–even our dog, Maggie (she gets brown).  If something changes in the schedule, I make sure to update the calendar.

The Command Center is also Bill Payment Central.  All of the bills are sorted here, and are paid and sent out at the start of the month.  I keep stamps, checkbook, address stamp (such a time saver!), and address book in the central desk drawer.  I splurged on a beautiful new address book from Erin Condren this year, and I love how clean and organized it is!

Another feature of the Command Center is the birthday calendar, which I made with some scrapbooking leftovers.  I love making and sending handmade cards–it’s one of my favorite parts of scrapbooking.  Keeping track of family and friend birthdays, and sending handmade cards, is very meaningful to me; after all, who doesn’t love to receive a card in the mail, and know someone is thinking about them?

Near the Command Center is a large stick-on cork board that I attached to the side of a cabinet; I was inspired to create this by an article in Martha Stewart Living.  This board has some organizational elements, but it’s mostly an inspiration board of family photos, notes and quotes, and artwork (both mine and my daughter’s).  It’s the first thing I see when I walk into the kitchen, and it always makes me smile.  I rearrange it frequently, and my daughter loves adding artwork to her “gallery” at the bottom.

The last part of the Command Center is the weekly Menu Board.  I saw a smaller version of this in a Close to My Heart scrapbooking catalog, and wanted to try it.  Every week, I take stock of what’s in the fridge, freezer, and pantry; then I check my recipe book and magazines for dinner ideas.  I make up my weekly grocery list (posted in the Command Center, of course), and write down the week’s menu on the Menu Board.  I love cooking, and I enjoy challenging myself by trying a new recipe every week (when possible–sometimes I just have to accept that I need trusted standards if the week is too crazy).  Just for fun, I use lots of colored chalks and have a different theme for each month (red and green for December, red, white, and blue in the summer, etc.).  The Menu Board makes life much easier–I never need to stress about what to make, and my husband never needs to ask, “What’s for dinner?”

It took me awhile to create my Command Center, and I make frequent tweaks and adjustments as circumstances change–my husband starting a new job,my oldest daughter starting preschool, my youngest daughter being born.  It’s a commitment to maintain and keep everything up-to-date, but it makes our lives run more smoothly and is worth the investment in time and effort.