College Dorm Evacuation Tips and Solutions

“Mom, I have 24 hours to move out my dorm. They are closing school and moving classes online. What do I do?”

Did you get this call this week? My sister did and panic set in because my niece is in school 16 hours away.   Quick decisions had to be made.

Does she drive home with all of her things? Does she fly home and only bring the necessities? How long will she be home before she needs to head back? Weeks, months? There is so much unknown!

I know many of you are facing the same issues so thought I would share our solutions.

My sister decided to store my niece’s non-essential items in her college town. (In my barn!). We got lucky because my niece is at LSU and all of our family lives here giving her lots of options. I know many of you do not have a barn option so you may need to get a small storage unit, or a borrowed a garage, attic or basement.

The storage unit might seem extreme, but you can rent these by the month. They typically cost around $100 a month for a climate-controlled unit.

For storing and transporting items, I recommend 56-66 quart bins. If your child is packing and moving on their own, they might want to choose smaller bins that they can easily carry, but they will need more since less will be stored in them. Plastic is a better option than cardboard because cardboard attracts bugs. If you use portable plastic drawers in the dorm, wrap them in plastic wrap (available near packing supplies in stores.) or use painters’ tape to make sure they stay closed during transport.   

Here is our advice on how to pack those bins:

        Pack items that will not be used at home separately from the essentials they will need. Essentials mean clothes, makeup, hair items, shoes and any perishables. (If your child is flying home, have them give perishables to a friend.) Text books, notebooks and the outrageously expensive calculator need to be easily accessed when classes begin again.

Separate what you put into the bins by use:   

• Linens (Bedding, curtains, towels.)

• Kitchen items(coffee pots, dishes, utensils, pots, pans, plastic ware.) 

• Accessories and decor 

• Clothes and personal items that they will bring home.

If your child isn’t returning to the dorm, they might consider selling or giving the dorm items to someone that will need it. (Dorm fridge, twin xl bedding, etc.). We have been passing dorm items down from one cousin to the next.  My son is next on the list and we are so appreciative to already have these items!

Please let us know if you have any questions or if we can help you in any way during this difficult time. Your student will be stressed and possibly anxious. We hope this helps give you some guidance and a little peace in the chaos. 

We can be reached at info@chaosorganizing.com 

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The College Kids are Coming Home for Summer Break

The college kids are coming home for summer break! Did I forget to mention, they are coming back with all of their stuff. Now what?

Sending your kids off to college is the topic of many discussions. There are check lists complete with enough items to furnish a small home. We painstakingly shop for the perfect comforter and sheet set complete with matching accessories. We purchase mattress toppers that once out of their original packing barely fit in a midsize sedan. We research how to hang pictures that leave no marks on dorm walls. We worry about food sending a dorm fridge, microwave oven, and coffee maker. Our children insist on bringing ALL of their clothes to school then throughout the year they add sorority and fraternity t-shirts and formal attire to this clothing collection as well as game day attire.

Yes, all of this is coming back home and if you have several kids in college you can multiply this scenario. (By the way, this is why so many parents quickly agree to the off-campus apartment or house!)

The question is where do you store these items until the next semester. I must admit, one summer I rented a small storage unit. This particular year, my oldest daughter graduated from her undergraduate program in May and had plans to work as a sorority house director during her first year of grad school. She basically needed the same items she needed when moving into her freshman dorm room. My son lived on campus at the university he was attending and my youngest daughter was feverishly collecting items for her first college dorm room. It quickly became apparent that we had a problem as the items collected in our formal dining room.

I used plastic bins labeled for each kid to store their college items. I placed linens in one or two bins, coffee pots, mugs, etc. in a bin, accessories and décor in yet another. Then I took everything to an off-site storage unit. The storage unit might seem extreme but you can rent these by the month. They typically cost around $100 a month for a climate-controlled unit. The sense of calm we all receive from the two hundred dollars spent was well worth it in my book!!

If you have the space, you can store these bins in your kid’s closet, bedroom, or even in the garage. It is important to have your kids go through the stuff they bring home, sort items, and label everything. A lot of unwanted things get packed away in the mass exit after exams, like half eaten pop tarts, dirty coffee mugs, etc. Don’t judge. You know you raised these kids well but when the stress of exam week falls so do the cleaning standards!

HAPPY SUMMER! Enjoy these days as they pass way too quickly.

A Mom’s Tips for a Back To School Routine

Back to School! Yes, I’ve said it!  The words kids hate at this time of year.  While I enjoy the unscheduled days of summer, I find the routines that the school year brings to be calming, although hectic.  

With one in college and one starting his junior year, my schedule is a lot freer than it has ever been.  That being said, I remember the hustle and bustle of the mornings and evenings with younger children like it was yesterday.  It was so hard! I like to think back to the many mornings that went off without a hitch, but who’s kidding?

So many times I ended up with someone in tears on the ride to school because by the time I said, “Get your shoes on!” for the fourteenth time, I was losing it.  Some days I was the one in tears on the way to school feeling like a terrible, chaotic mom. How could anyone have a good day if it started that way? I have a degree in early childhood and family studies, for Pete’s sake!  I can manage a classroom full of children; what is going wrong here?

I longed for routine and order.

The truth is we all do what we can, the best we can.  Some days this means we hit all the targets and our children look as organized as the Von Trapp children with the Captain. Other days it means we look like we are herding cats while trying to juggle chainsaws.  It’s OK. We all have those days. We get it!

Well, let me tell you what I learned in those days: I finally realized I needed to apply my classroom management skills to my home. Maybe this idea can help you too!

Routines. Routines were the key to my classroom, and they were certainly key to my family having smooth mornings and evenings.  Evening routines were the most important, especially with young children. They thrive on consistency and routines.

Think about your mornings.  What could be done in the evening to alleviate stress in the mornings?  For my family, this meant laying out clothes and packing lunches the night before. 

Here is a sample of our evening routine when my children were young:

1. Clean up toys

2. Dinner

3. Make lunches (Kept in the fridge until the morning)

4. Get out school clothes

5. Pack any papers needed in backpacks and put backpacks at the door. (Should be done at homework time.)

6. Bath/Potty

7. Pjs

8. Books

9. Lights out

Every bit of this can be done with the help of your children.  We had approved snack baskets in the fridge and in the pantry for them to make healthy choices.  They were able to help make sandwiches too. One child didn’t want bread so she simply rolled up lunchmeat and cheese!   

If you don’t want to fight about the clothes every night, get a 5-tiered shelf that hangs on the closet rod.  On Sundays put outfits together (1 per shelf), socks and underwear included.

If toys are given a specified home, then clean up is easier.  Mom and Dad, you have to supervise this because kids are not a fan of clean up time. They WILL shove things where they don’t belong if you aren’t in there. Sorry, but you all know it’s the truth.  15 minutes should do it if it’s a nightly routine. Clean up to music to make it more fun.

Another suggestion that children will not be a fan of:  No electronics during the week. I was not going to fight with my children every night to put away the iPad.  Once they had phones, they were plugged in to charge in our main hall at night.

Now that all of this is done at night, the morning routine is easy.  (Insert evil laugh) Well, easier than before.

Here is a sample of our morning routine when my children were young:

• Breakfast – try to think healthy and protein filled. You can make breakfast muffins on the weekends if needed but kids need a healthy breakfast.

• Get dressed – Hair, clothes, shoes and brushed teeth

• Put lunch in backpack

• Grab backpack

• Off to school

That’s much better, right?

Now, here’s the best part.  Type your lists on your computer. (Use pictures along with the words for young children who can’t read.)  Insert these lists into sheet protectors and hang them on the refrigerator. Tie a dry erase marker to the page.  Now, the kids can check off their own “to do” lists so you aren’t having to be responsible for every step. You are the overseer/assistant.  The children gain a sense of independence, and you gain some peace. (Each child had his or her own age-appropriate list.)

Unfortunately, I cannot alleviate the stress of homework and projects that come with this time of year, but with these routines, I hope I can help you organize some of the Chaos that going back to school can bring.

Talk to Martha-Carol about organizing your home for back to school today! 

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