Day 2 came, and with it, changes for the main level of the Rader home. The kitchen, dining room, living room and office area were next on the transformation train.
Setting routines, managing simple day-to-day clutter and practicing preventative cleaning were all topics we discussed at great length with JoAnn. The kitchen was mostly her area, but unfortunately, became cluttered as the main entrance to the home. We discussed ways to re-route traffic, create new strategies for cleaning and delegating tasks to the girls in the form of chores. On the JoAnn’s agenda, creating chore charts, purchasing potential prizes and explained the concept to the girls.
In the living room, we rearranged all items that were staying put and removed the items that were not. Once again we designated space for the girls to keep a few toys that they could switch out over time. Large round tubs with handles were purchased from the dollar store to house these items. They were easy for JoAnn to pick up and move, yet large enough to store quite a few toys. The girl’s baskets, totes and containers were color-coated to prevent any confusion
The desk area was a common place for concern. As part of the living room, it was easily accessible to the kids. Jeremy and JoAnn’s office supplies, paper work and computer were often items of interest for the young girls resulting in misuse and misplacement. To combat the problem, we moved the less used items to higher shelves and put valuable things out of reach. Containers were designated for office supplies and were hidden from the girls sight. We explained to the girl’s that the desk was an “adult area” only and from this point on they would receive punishments for playing in the space.
The next area we tackled was the storage space in the basement. JoAnn said she would like to have it function as storage for holiday decorations and provide space for a table for sorting laundry.
Lastly, we organized the entry way for the family. A place for coats, shoes, outer-wear, umbrellas and gardening tools, it was going to have to function as a multiply purpose area. We prepared it to easily transition depending on the season and explained to Jeremy and the girls how things would work and where they could be found.
In preparation for Day 3, we began to bag the endless laundry that had piled up in the Rader’s laundry room. We had our work cut out for us. Stay tuned for the pictures detailing the mountainous laundry, our trip to the cleaners and the final, astounding reveal.
