Tips for Setting Up a Successful SHARED Bedroom

Not everyone has a huge house, so for families with multiple kids, sharing rooms is a necessity. In my home, two of my boys share a room, and it was important to me that their room was organized, and both boys felt that they had their "own space". Today I am sharing my best tips setting up a SHARED bedroom.

1) Let the kids have input into the theme and design of the room. If the two kids have similar interests... go with that. My boys wanted a "hockey theme" for their room. I included some hockey items, but I also used neutral pieces to make the room feel more classic and grown up.

2) Keep organized with functional storage solutions (bins, baskets, and shoes racks). When kids are sharing a space, it's important to make sure systems are in place to keep things organized. My boys have baskets for their books, shelves with baskets for their "stuff", and a shoe rack on the back of their door to organize their LEGO.

3) Use DIY elements to define the space. DIY projects can really help to pull a space together, define a space, and add a personal touch. I created hockey sticks with names to hang at the heads of my boys heads. It's my favourite part of their room.

4) Give each child their own "side". Kids need their own space, so even if they share a room, they need areas that belong "just to them". In my boys room, one of my boys has shelving with his first jersey in a frame and space for his LEGO creations. My other son has a wall display of his first jersey, an enlarged picture of him playing hockey at the beach, and framed hockey cards (belonging to his favourite player).

I actually have space in my basement for another room (and I'll likely move one of my boys there at some point), but for now, I love the bond that they are building as roommates. They really like their room, and I love listening to them chat when they go to bed.

Do your children share a room? I hope some of my tips are helpful!

♥ Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

PS (If you are interested in reading more about my boys shared hockey bedroom on a budget, you can read about it here.)

Back to School Organizing Ideas

With the arrival of a new school year, I always feel the need to get organized, don't you? There is something fantastic about  making the chaos of "back to school" a little less chaotic. Today, I am sharing a few of my favourite back to school organizing ideas. They are easy, inexpensive, and guaranteed to bring a little order to your home.

*Note: This post contains a few affiliate links. If you decide to make a purchase using one of these links, I will get a small commission (at no additional cost to you).

Use clear shoe racks - Clear shoe racks are perfect for organizing because they utilize the unused space behind a door, and the clear pockets make it easy for kids and adults to easily find the item they are looking for. You can use them for school / homework supplies, water bottles / school lunch containers, and clothing (hats, mitts, socks, underwear, etc...).

Create a homework area - An organized space to do homework is important, and what could be cuter than making your own colourful pencil holder for all your homework supplies? Simply cover a dollar store pencil holder with crayons using a glue gun. You can find the full tutorial here.

Organize the kids' clothes - Back to school is the perfect time to organize clothes. First, get rid of everything that is out of season or doesn't fit. Then, fold everything like the picture below... clothing folded into thirds and placed in the drawer so everything can be viewed at a glance. It is life-changing. The kids will no longer have to dig through their drawer to find their favourite t-shirt!

Label everything - You work hard to get kids the things they need, so don't let them lose all their clothes and school supplies. I label everything... and I can't tell you how many items (including expensive hoodies and jackets) that have found their way back home. You can check out the labels I order here.

Stock the pantry - Make snacks accessible and minimize the time needed to make lunches by stocking and organizing the pantry. Save time and money by buying in bulk, getting rid of boxes, and storing snacks in easy to access containers.

Get the backpack off the floor - If you don't have a mudroom full of lockers, you can still easily create a space for backpacks. Using hooks to get them off the floor is key. We have door hooks that can support the weight of backpacks full of books. When the backpacks come home, sort through them, do the homework, and then hang them up on the hooks. They will be ready to grab on the way out the door the following day.

Create a space for artwork - All parents struggle with all the artwork that comes home from school. The key is to not let it pile up. When it comes home, display it proudly. (We use decorated clipboards to allow the artwork to be changed easily and frequently.) Then, when new masterpieces come home, get rid of the old stuff. Special pieces can be saved, but the rest should go in the recycling bin.

Aren't these back to school organizing ideas great? How do you organize your home for a new school year? The shoe rack is key for us, but all these ideas help us control the chaos. Please share your best tips and tricks in the comments. We are always looking for new ideas.

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

The Key to an Organized Family Vacation

I'm organizing a family trip to Florida in April, and my goal is to have a vacation that is stress-free and relaxing. I have most things planned, and I feel organized thanks to my favourite vacation planning tool -- a duo tang folder containing all the information we need for our trip.

I use a duo tang instead of a binder because I want something that I can easily fit into my carry on.

And, I fill the duo tang with sheet protector pockets, so that I can insert all our important documents.

My first document is a calendar, so I can quickly see my itinerary at a glance.

I use the other pockets for tickets, confirmation numbers, insurance information, addresses for mailing postcards and other important papers.

I also have a section for maps and directions to our accommodations and attractions.

I have used a family travel binder before, and I would never take a major trip without one again. It really is the best way I have found to I keep organized on vacation. What's your best trick for staying organized when travelling with your family?
♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Find more helpful family travel tips and tricks here.

Van Trash Can... made from a dollar store container and duct tape

I don't know about you, but I spend A LOT of time in my mini van. My husband and I are constantly chauffeuring my boys around to their activities, and as a result, our van can get pretty messy. So recently, I decided to make a trash can for our van. I wanted it to be narrow (so it didn't take up much room in the back seat), and I wanted it to have a long and flexible strap. I decided to pick up a few dollar store supplies and DIY the perfect VAN TRASH CAN. I used about $2 worth of supplies, and I created exactly what my family needed.

I started with a narrow plastic container and dollar store duct tape. The container was $1.25, and the duct tape was $1.25 (and I used about half a roll).

I created a strap by cutting a long strip of duct tape and folding it three times.

I placed the ends of the straps on the sides of the container and taped them in place with duct tape.

Then, I wrapped the entire container in duct tape. (Do one row at a time, and use good scissors! I like to use scissors that are coated so that the duct tape doesn't stick to them.)

I love how it turned out. It's durable and fits perfectly around the arm of the front seat of my van.

Could you use this inexpensive DIY trash can in your vehicle? Making it yourself means that you can make it whatever size/shape works for you. I made my black so it would blend in with the interior of my van, but you could use whatever duct tape colour/design you like.

Now... I just need to train my kids to pick their movies up off the floor. 

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Shared HOCKEY BEDROOM (on a budget) Revealed

My two older boys have shared a room for most of their lives, but recently I realized that my boys were outgrowing their room's childish decor. I needed to redo the room to incorporate practical (and age appropriate) storage solutions for their things, as well as their individual interests and personalities. With a small room and a limited budget, I managed to come up with shared HOCKEY BEDROOM that both of my boys are extremely happy with.

One of my goals for the room was to make sure each boy had his own "side". They have matching bedding, but I labelled each side with a hockey stick containing each of their names. (You can find a step-by-step tutorial for the hockey sticks here.)

Check out the before and after picture (below) of the back wall of the room.

Don't you love the hockey sticks with the names? I painted the letters to match the colours in the bedding.

The red dresser that was originally in their room didn't match the new bedding, so I switched the dresser they had for one I had in another room. "Shopping your house" is a great way to decorate on a budget.

I hung a framed poster over the dresser, and added two baskets for books -- one for each boy.

Check out the before and after picture of my middle son's side of the room (below).

He wanted a place to display some of his LEGO, so my husband hung a couple of IKEA shelves, and I framed his first jersey in an inexpensive shadow box.

And for additional LEGO storage, I hung a clear shoe rack on the back of his door.

Check out the before and after picture of my oldest son's side of the room (below).

My oldest son wanted some DIY artwork on his side of the room. I put his first jersey in an inexpensive shadow box, I framed a picture I took of him playing hockey at the beach last summer, and I hung hockey cards showcasing his favourite players.

I also used a used an inexpensive ($30) bookcase to store the boys' books and belongings. Using cheap bookcase in a small space is another helpful tip for organizing a shared room.

Check out the before and after picture of the back end of my boys' shared bedroom (below).

I swapped out their toy bins for an inexpensive book shelf with baskets to store their "bits and bobs". Each boy has two baskets to store their "treasures", and I now know where to put things that they leave lying around the house.

What do you think of my boys' new room decor? I love that the room is age appropriate, organized, and decorated to their tastes. And, of course, I am thrilled that they are both happy with how it turned out!

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Simple Dollar Store HACK for Organizing Kids' Games

When it comes to Spring cleaning, the dollar store can be your secret weapon. Inexpensive bins, baskets, and containers are perfect for organizing kids' stuff... especially in their playroom. And when it comes to the overwhelming task of getting organized, starting with small changes and projects is the key to success.

Recently, I noticed that my boys' card games were in boxes that were overstuffed and falling apart. I made a quick trip to the dollar store and picked up a couple of small containers that fit their games perfectly.

The containers stack perfectly too!

I love this simple solution for organizing my boys' games, and the games are now easier to take on the road too. It would work well for games with dice and small pieces too.

Do you use dollar store items to organize your kids stuff? You can read more about how I control the mountain of toys in my boys' playroom here.

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Using a CHEAP Bookcase to Get Organized

As a mom with a small house, three growing boys, and a lot of stuff... I am always looking for easy (and cheap) ways to bring a little order to my chaos. Last week, I was looking at the "piles" of "stuff" all over my older boys' room, and I knew I needed to find a way to organize their things. Today, I am sharing my tips for getting organized... with the help of a $30 bookcase.

My two older boys (who are 9 and 10) share a room, where they like to pile their stuff on top of any free surface. I needed to find a way to organize their stuff in a way that they could access it, and easily put their items away in a logical place.

The starting point for my project was a little blue table in their room that they have outgrown. I removed the table from their room, and I replaced it with a $30 three-shelf bookcase.

This little shelf looks a lot neater, and all of my boys' belongings are definitely more organized!

I was even able to remove a lot of the items from the top of their dresser and find places for their books and treasures on the bookcase.

This is what their dresser looks like now. Much better, right?

I am loving how much tidier my boys' room looks now. Not bad for $30!

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)