Gloves, Hats, Scarves, Coats, Oh My

I really try not to yell before school because I don't want my kids to start their day like that nor do I want that to be the last memory of me while they are at school. But it's inevitable with winter time attire. Usually I'm yelling because nobody will put on their boots and coats so we can get out the door. At least 2 children can get their coats on now and one can zip! But today we couldn't locate any hats or gloves (well we found one mitten) and I think they did bring them home. It's my fault, I don't have a place for them to put their outdoor wear when they come home. Our current coat closet (built in dining room cabinet) is not working for them. They aren't able to help put away their own coats. They can't reach the handle to open it and it's too small for all these winter coats anyway. So I need to come up with a better system. I would love to have something like this from The Shabby Nest blog

Of course I don't have any spare closets to turn into a mini mudroom.

This from the The Pretty Neat Company blog is fabulous

but since I don't have a long empty hallway to build a bench.

This from Soule Mama blog is more what I will have to aim for

still nice and completely functional. Here's what I have to work with.

A leftover {cheapy} shelf from the kids' room that will no long fit. The shelves are adjustable so I can get some baskets to label with their names for their items and we're going to try to hang some hooks near the bottom for their coats that they can reach. My husband says it isn't going to work because the shelf doesn't have a thick enough back for coat hooks but this is the man that told me for 4 years a dishwasher would not fit in my kitchen that is until I became pregnant with triplets and the doctors wouldn't allow me to stand and wash dishes therefore Aaron became the head dishwasher. When he began complaining about it I told him he'd better get used to it because when the babies were born there would be at least 24 bottles, nipples, and rings to wash every single day. Hmmmm . . . then surprisingly a dishwasher would fit in my kitchen so I think the coat shelf idea is another dishwasher in our home. He's not concerned about it because he doesn't have to deal with the coats and hats and gloves and scarves and boots and book bags and library books every single day.

So stay turned to see if by next week we can get this area of my life under control then I can concentrate on getting their hair and teeth brushed before school too . . . it's easy to pick out my kids at school: messy hair, bad breath, no gloves or hats, book bag unzipped and not on their back as they are runny to their classroom and their mom is screaming "did you get your lunch and have a good day!"