Shoe organization - front entry

**I'm so excited to announce that I've started a youtube channel discussing everything home making. My channel name is Surviving As Mom.  Check it out!! http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmrj6ilyMI5G2hnraXRWpEQ

Seeing a pile of shoes near the front door, or having shoes scattered around drives me nuts.  It looks very sloppy and it is easy to lose shoes.  Especially with 3 young children, it is easy to lose track of shoes.  With a little effort, it is pretty easy to keep shoes neat and organized.  It also teaches the kids to be responsible for their belongings.

It's taken me a few tries, but I think I've finally gotten the shoe mess under control.  I use a few methods...

In the winter, I use one basket for my kids'  sneakers, boots and slippers.  The other basket is for their winter gear like scarves, gloves and hats.  I use two separate baskets for myself and my husband for our winter gear.  They are stored on the shelf at the top of my front closet.  Our sneakers, boots and slippers are nearly organized on the closet floor.  I have a third basket for our sandals and flip flops that I keep in the closet.  I usually keep it in the closet during the winter and bring it out to swap with the winter basket containing the gloves, hats and scarves for the summer.

In the summer, I use one basket for the kids' sneakers and the other basket for everyone's sandals and flip flops.  You can see this arrangement in the picture below.  The small basket in the middle is for the kids' sunglasses.  The two baskets on the floor are for the baby's toys.  All of the baskets are stored in and under the console table in the front entry.  Dressy shoes for myself and my husband are stored in our bedroom closet. 

When my twins were small, they had the same shoes.  For that, I gave them each their own basket.  Once they had different style shoes, I started using my current system.  

It's simple, but it makes a huge difference with organization.  I also almost never lose shoes anymore.  The trick to that is to make sure the kids remember to always put their shoes in the right place.

Home Improvements: Kitchen Cabinets and Dresser

**I'm so excited to announce that I've started a youtube channel discussing everything home making. My channel name is Surviving As Mom.  Check it out!! http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmrj6ilyMI5G2hnraXRWpEQ

I posted a video of my complete kitchen remodel.  Check it out!!

You will eventually see in photos how awful my kitchen is.  It is the only thing we did not redo yet in our house.  It is the original from the 1950's with no counter space and very little cabinet space.  It also had the original appliances which we've already replaced (minus the 10 year old refrigerator).  We hope to completely redo it in the next few years.

That being said, I decided that after 6 years of living here, it was time to do something to improve its appearance since I've completely ignored it since moving in.  The old torn wallpaper was still up and the cabinets and hardware were the original gross colors.  So, last November I decided to at least paint the kitchen to try to improve the appearance a little so it wouldn't be as embarrassing.  Even though it didn't improve the functionality much, at least it looks a little nicer now.

I painted the walls, ceiling, and all the cabinets.  I also spray painted all the hardware.  This is the finished product.

Since the cabinet can counter space is so pathetic, I had to come up with a solution (on a tight budget) for improving this a little.  So, I found an old dresser on craigslist for $30 that I sanded and repainted with matching paint colors from the kitchen.  I also spray painted the hardware on the dresser to match. This definitely helped with space a little.  This is the finished product.

This just goes to show with a little paint and imagination, you can improve just about anything!