Message Centres Organizes Our Family

You know how difficult it is to keep track of what everyone in a family is doing at any given time? It was driving me crazy not knowing where someone had gone or when they’d be back, and we could never find the scrap of paper that someone had written their “note” on. Also there was always the issue of messages that someone in the family didn’t get for some reason or another. 

We solved the problem in our family with white boards on everyone’s bedroom door and a bulletin board - message board at the back door. Now we have a simple set of rules for everyone. If you are going somewhere, write it on your own bedroom door where you are and what time you will be back. If someone has a message just for you, they will also write it on your board.

My oldest son took it a step further and bought an old mailbox at a garage sale for 50¢ and installed that on his door as a place to put things that he was lending or getting back from his siblings, or a place to put his mail. His door is the envy of the others who have been looking for ways they can copy his idea without actually stealing it.

My oldest daughter raided her grandmother’s inventory for an old clutch purse which she screwed to her door to serve as an interesting alternative drop box for her room. BooBear made door hangers out of a 2 litre milk cartons to hang on hers and her brother’s doorknobs until they can come up with something “more awesome”.

By the back door we have a big bulletin board and message board. This is where the King and I put messages of where we are if we’re going out, or messages meant for the whole family. This is where the kids will put the messages that come in for us while we’re gone, so it's the first things we see when we get back. The other day the message said, “The outside tap is leaking.” The kids are good about letting us know when something needs a repair before it gets to be a catastrophe. That’s also where the Saturday morning list of chores goes and everyone knows that they have to be done before anyone goes out the door. 

The bulletin board part is a place to put any piece of paper that we don’t want to lose but doesn’t have a permanent place of its own, like the notice of our community garage sale, as well as the business cards of our local plumber, electrician, etc. so we can find them. If the kids have something we’re supposed to sign, they will pin them on the board and we will deliver the signed paper to their room’s “mailbox” when it has been done.

We also have a mail organizer hanging on the wall. This is where we keep any tickets we have for upcoming shows, etc. as well as where the mail goes when it’s brought in by whoever brings it in. There is a small basket on the floor for flyers. If there is mail addressed to any of the kids, they will get personal delivery to their own mailbox.

The system works pretty well. For instance, I just got back from the grocery store and the house is quiet. Going down the hall I can see by his board that my oldest son is playing frisbee golf with Jerry at the school yard and will be back by supper. I can also see that someone returned his ipod to to his mailbox. BooBear’s board says she’s over helping Gramma with her baking while her youngest brother's board says that he has gone fishing with his Grampa.  I dropped the new glue stick she asked for into her milk jug door hanger. It seems to work just fine!

Last night I asked my King to build me a key holder where we could hang all of our keys in one place and I see that while I was gone he screwed  2 dozen cup hooks into the top of the wooden frame of our message centre. Now that was a brilliant solution!