Creating Your Family Command Center
If your calendar coordination is crumbling and you can’t remember which child has ballet practice and which one has baseball, it’s time to take command. And what better way to do that than by constructing a family command center? It’s a simple project that will help you plan upcoming events, make sure everyone makes their appointments and keep everyone on track in your busy household.
First, find a place in the home with some open wall space that gets trafficked by everyone in the family so that they can easily check in.
Next, hang a good-sized monthly calendar so that everyone can read and update it. Next to it hang a cup or other small container with a different colored pen for each family member for color-coded calendar entries. Add one additional color for family events.
Also hang a mail bin/hanging inbox, similar to what you’d see in an office, with a slot for each family member. These will serve as an ideal spot for school permission slips, mail and other important papers.
For posting papers that everyone should see, such as a flyer for an event or that A-plus test paper, a cork board and push pins or a metal sheet with magnets is an ideal solution.
To make sure family members can easily share quick messages, make sure to include a chalkboard with a chalk ledge or a white board with dry erase markers in your command center.
Other items you might want to hang alongside these core items include several key hooks, your dog’s leash and a prominently displayed clock. A nearby recycling bin for junk mail and other papers that need tossing would be handy.
To add a designer touch, try coordinating the color and look of each of the above items. Also, consider making a frame for items that are plain, such as your monthly calendar, to tie them in with your command center’s overall appearance.
Don’t forget to set some ground rules for your family command center. The goal is to increase coordination and reduce paper clutter, so ensure that everyone cleans out his or her inbox at least once a week, that old messages are wiped off the white board and that old flyers and similar papers are removed from the cork/magnetic board.
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Michael Haigh has 20+ years of professional experience in the banking and mortgage industry. He has the knowledge, education, and dedication to get you the best loan for your situation, answer your questions honestly and completely, and make your mortgaging experience a pleasure. His reputation includes being the number one lender in the country for CitiBank for 9 years, then at Chase for 1 year and now with WJ Bradley since August of 2009. This is because of the quantity of loans, myriad of people he's helped, and his dedication to helping his clients find the perfect loan for them.
