Organized Chaos: Medicine Cabinet
Medicine Cabinet
The medicine cabinet is in the kitchen. The items that don’t fit in the medicine and first aid tackle box are placed on the bottom shelf in baskets to keep everything organized. The cabinet is high enough that the little kids cannot reach it, but is accessible for adults. We have been using this method for awhile now and it works really well for our family.
There are 3 different Medicine baskets on the bottom shelf (from left to right):
- Miscellaneous
- Fever & Miscellaneous
- Cold & Allergy
Medicine organized in baskets on the bottom shelf
Organized Chaos: Medicine & First Aid Tackle Box
Our Medicine & First Aid Tackle Box
I like tackle boxes, but probably not for the same reason as most people. Some people like them to store their fishing supplies, I like them because they make great storage containers. We have had this medicine and first aid tackle box for many years. It has worked very well in storing basic medicine and first aid items. The medicine and first aid tackle box is stored in our medicine cabinet in the kitchen. It is within easy reach if you need something, yet not at a level young children can get access to it.
The top of our medicine and first aid tackle box contains items we only use once in awhile like wrapping, bigger bandaids, poison control items, burn gel, spare thermometers, and a few more items. The 3 containers with the white stickers is the section we access the most often which we go into further details about what they contain below. The front right side of the tackle box contains our thermometer and an otoscope (we had kids with a lot of ear infections and this tool has been a huge help for our family). If you have a kid that gets frequent ear infections an otoscope is well worth the investment!
Items in our Head & Stomach Medicine Container:
- Tylenol 8 Hour
- Excedrin Tension Headache
- Naproxin
- Tylenol Extra Strength
- Excedrin Migraine
- Ibuprofin
- Children’s Tylenol
- Children’s Ibuprofin
- Gas X
- Anti-Diarrhea
- Draminine
- Tums
Items in our First Aid Container:
- Eye Drops
- Antibacterial Cream
- Drawing Sauve
- Nexcare Clear Waterproof Bandaids
- Advanced Healing Bandaids
- Fun “Kid” Bandaids
- Small Bandaids
- Sheer Bandaids
- Medical Tape
- Antibiotic Bandaids
- Large Bandaids
- Antibiotic Ointment
- Gauze
Items in our Cold & Allergy Container:
- Cough Drops
- 4 Hour
- 12 Hour
- Kids Cold Medicine
- Adult Cold Medicine
- Kids Allergy Medicine
- Adult Allergy Medicine
- Decongestion
- Mucinex
- Day Time Cold Medicine
- Night Time Cold Medicine
All 3 containers placed in the Medicine and First Aid Tackle Box
You can see all 3 containers are labeled – Head & Stomach, First Aid, and Cold & Allergy
The containers are in the Medicine and First Aid Tackle Box and ready for when they are needed.
The Medicine and First Aid Tackle Box are on the middle shelf of our Medicine Cabinet.
Organized Chaos: Storing Our Vitamins
Organized Family Vitamins
We store our family vitamins on the top shelf of our medicine cabinet in the kitchen. Each basket contains vitamins for our family members. Jake and I have our own baskets, but Brina and Karlie share a basket containing all their vitamins.
Once a week I get the vitamins down and refill everyone’s individual vitamin containers for the entire week. This system has worked pretty well for our family over the past couple of years. Plus it keeps all the vitamins organized and in one location. I picked up the baskets on clearance at Staples (they were sold in packs of 3 or more and were a $1 or less). If you cannot find them at Staples I have seen them around at other stores as well.
Our medicine cabinet with the vitamins on the top shelf.
Organized Chaos: Health & Beauty Supplies
Health & Beauty Supplies
We have a tall narrow closet in the master bedroom where we store regularly used Healthy & Beauty Supplies. When we find something that it is on sale and we know we will use in the next 1 to 6 months we pick it up and put it in the appropriate container. The containers hold plenty for our family for the next few months so we never get more than what the container can hold. If the container is empty or running low we put that item on our shopping list for the next trip to the store.
As the kids get older I have noticed they are starting to go through more of the Health & Beauty items. Since we try to get these items when they are at a good price we haven’t noticed too much of an increase in use. I anticipate as they get older the use will continue to go up and they may start getting more specific about what they like (or don’t like), but for now they are content with just pulling out something from the container that we have on hand.
It helps having everything organized and available so when an object is needed already we have it. There are a couple items that technically are not Health & Beauty that we keep stored in this area as well such as the Air Fresheners and Small Gifts, otherwise it is all health and beauty items.
Once again you can see that I used the small clear containers with a white lid from the Dollar Tree. These fit perfectly in so many of our smaller closets and help us keep supplies in order. They are easy to see into, pull out, open up, and refill. Anyone in the family can easily get the items they need without assistance. We have not replaced the original wooden closet shelves in this closet because it is such a different sized closet the wooden shelves work for it. The closet is not wide enough to fit 2 of the plastic containers side-by-side so I used a narrow box to slide in next to the containers which contains some of the slightly bigger items we try to keep on hand.
Top Shelf of the Health & Beauty Closet Contains:
- Air Fresheners & Refills
- New Make Up
- Q-Tips & Cotton Balls
- Box of Small Gifts (I try to have a handful of small gifts on hand for last minute parties, teacher gifts, hostess gifts, or something else. Couple examples of what I keep in this box are candles, decorative hand soaps, and more. These items have come in handy when we don’t have time to run to the store, but need something to give someone.)
Middle Shelf of the Health & Beauty Closet Contains:
- Female Deodorant (which now we have 3 people in our household using)
- Male Deodorant (we always have at least 2 of his deodorants out at a time – 1 for everyday home use and 1 packed in a toiletry bag for when my husband travels for work. There have been times when he has had to leave at the last minute so having this already packed and ready helps us make sure he has everything he needs to travel and allows us to get him out the door more quickly.)
- Chapstick / Lipstick
- Box of Toothpaste, Tooth Brushes, & Mouthwash (since these are typically longer or taller in size they fit better in the box on the shelf)
Bottom Shelf of the Health & Beauty Closet Contains:
- Hand Sanitizer & Sunblock
- Dental Floss
- Toothbrushes
- Box of Lotion & Face Wash
All the Health & Beauty items are organized and ready to be used!
Organized Chaos: Household & Party Supplies
Household and Party / Gift Supplies
There are certain items our household tends to need or go through on a regular basis. Since these are items our family uses regularly we try to keep them organized, accessible, and stocked so that when they are needed we can get them quickly. Also, there are certain party or gift supplies that we keep on hand and organized to use for a variety of different events that we participate in as a family.
In order to organize our Household and Party Supplies efficiently in our storage room we used these clear small containers with white lids, you can find them for a $1 at Dollar Tree. We were able to fit all our household and party supplies on one shelf. Once the items are placed in containers, we put the lid on, and labeled them. We picked up the wire shelving several years ago at Sam’s Club, but you can find it at a number of stores including Walmart, Target, Home Depot, and more. We have used this system for several years now and it works really well for our family.
Household & Party Supply labels:
- Vacuum Attachments
- New Sponges
- AAA Batteries
- AA Batteries
- D Batteries
- C & Miscellaneous Batteries
- Curling Ribbons & Yarn
- Gift Bag Ribbons
- Paper Bags (White & Brown)
- Crepe Paper
- Ribbons
When the kids were little it felt like almost every toy had a battery, not sure if we go through any less batteries now that they are older. Although, they do have more stuff that charges using a wall outlet now!
The household and party supplies are located on the bottom rack in this picture! Easy to see, reach, and use when needed!
Organized Chaos: Picnic & Travel Supplies
Our Picnic and Travel Supplies Organized
Our family loves to be outside and travel! We keep some of the travel supplies we use regularly on hand for these occasions so that we are prepared. We don’t always need all these items for each trip or when we go outside, but when it is necessary it is easy to locate so we can use them.
These small containers with lids that we used for the picnic and travel supplies, you can find for a $1 at Dollar Tree, have been useful in helping our family get and stay organized! Once the items are placed in containers, we put the lid on, and labeled them. We picked up the shelving a long time ago at Sam’s Club, but you can find it at a number of stores including Walmart, Target, Home Depot, and more.
Picnic & Travel Supply label ideas to get you started:
- Sunblock
- Bug Repellent Bands
- Hand Sanitizer / Wet Wipes
- Disposable Forks
- Disposable Spoons
- Disposable Knives
- Disposable Utensil Sets
- Decorative Tape
- Candy Gifts
Most of these items probably make sense to you, except maybe the Decorative Tape and the Candy Gifts. Well, let me explain why those are in this section as well and on the shelf with the other travel items. The decorative tape is used usually before we travel to make or decorate a special surprise for the kids (especially if it is a long trip). Sometimes we have actually brought a roll with us as we travel for various fun activities during the travel. We do use the decorative tape for other occasions as well, but for the most part it used before traveling adventures. The candy gifts are in the travel section because when we go on long road trips, usually 5 hours or longer, we try to pack special treats for the kids to enjoy along the way. This helps break up the trip for them. I usually get the treats a various times throughout the year as I find great deals and put them into the container. As we prepare to leave for an upcoming trip I pull out a couple items and we are good to go.
Disposable utensils, decorative tape, and candy gifts! Ready for the next road trip adventure!
The Picnic & Travel Supplies are organized on the middle shelf in this picture!
Organized Chaos: Keeping Track of Water Bottles
Labeled Water Bottles
Since we have two kids the same age and gender they have several items that are identical. A common identical item that both kids have are their water bottles. Like the blue water bottles with the owls on the outside pictured above. A few months ago we had some issues with everybody using whatever water bottle they wanted (even if it was their sister’s), however, during the course of the school day their sister’s water bottle would get dropped, dented, scratched, broken, or misplaced. The next time that sister wanted to use her water bottle it was gone or had additional marks on it.
I know it seems crazy, but there have been some serious discussions between the two kids in our house over damaged or lost special water bottles. I am pretty sure no other household has these types of discussions in their home, but there were a few times I had to intervene in these conversations. Although, items will get dropped or damaged the more they are used I had to find a solution so that these discussions would not be happening on a regular basis in our house. Prior to this year neither child cared which water bottle they took, but the older they get the more they want their items to look good and last longer. I am happy they they want to take good care of their items we just had to find a method to track which water bottle belonged to who.
My initial solution to the problem super easy, took only a couple seconds, and was very inexpensive. I wrote their names on the special water bottles with a permanent black sharpie. The names were written on the bottoms and / or sides of the water bottles so that each kid could easily see if it was theirs before taking it out of the drawer. It was amazing how quickly the issue was resolved, however, after a several washings the permanent marker would wear off making it harder to tell whose water bottle it was again. Now I use several different methods to identify or keep track of the special water bottles:
- Write the Names on the Water Bottles with Black Permanent Marker (easy and inexpensive, but washes off over time)
- Use a washable Label with their Individual Names Printer on it – My personal favorite are the thin Lovable Labels ones because they stay on through MANY washes (anywhere from a few months to years as long as your kids don’t try peeling them off)
- Purchase water bottles with their Names printed or engraved on them (usually more expensive, but works really well). My favorite place to get printed or engraved names on water bottles is Oriental Trading.
There are several generic water bottles that anybody can use at any time in the drawer, however, the special ones have each child’s name on them. The special water bottles usually have the child’s name written in permanent sharpie on the bottom and a label (or name printed / engraved) on the side of the water bottle. Occasionally someone accidentally picks up the wrong water bottle, but for the most part everyone uses their own or a generic one.
Now if they lose or damage their water bottle then they are the only ones inconvenienced by their actions. One of our kids tends to be a little rougher on water bottles (clipping or tying them to her book bag which is bumped against everything in its path, dropping, or just forgetting it). She has gotten a lot better as she is getting older, but I have to smile when she brings home just the water bottle top because I know that means the water bottle itself did not survive it’s nose dive to the concrete floor at school.
Organized Chaos: Homework & Craft Supply Station
Our Homework & Craft Supply Station
We set up this cabinet in the dining room where we do the girls homework, crafts, and special projects. It contains all the items we need right in one stop for their projects. On the top is the pencils, pens, markers, scissors, staplers, tape, sticky notes, erasers, white out, glue sticks, binder clips, pencil sharpener, and paperclips. Also, on top is the CD player for those days we just want to enjoy music while hanging out together in the dining room doing fun projects. The middle section contains some more supplies. The bottom section has larger supplies (construction paper, educational games, and more)!
A bunch of supplies in one spot and easy to get when needed!
The girls have enjoyed having most of their items in one spot!
Homework and craft supplies are accessible. Labeling the containers makes it much easier for everyone to know exactly which one to grab & it keeps the items in their proper place.
