Kitchen Organization

When working in my kitchen, I like to have everything I need right at my fingertips, even if I have to double up (i.e I keep rags in two different places, cleaning sprays under each sink, salt in two places, garbage....) It's worth it to me to save time and the mess. I believe my cabinet guy said I was the most organized client that he had ever had and a little anal.  But! He backed it up with, I wish every client would think about their kitchen this way, instead of me doing it and then having to redo it.  I use my kitchen a lot and I think that is why I am functioning so well in it (minus learning my steam oven, still working on that one)

I grabbed these drawer organizers from IKEA and they happen to fit perfectly.  Here is our desk area and I have everything that I like to make notes, expo markers to write out daily jobs, postits, colored pens I love, cheap pens I hate and use for group games, mechanical pencils, sharpies, highlighters, rulers, scissors, and even floss.



Baking station: Making bread and waffles is a cinch! I've got all my baking products in one drawer and I have all my utensils up above.





I find I use the scissors the most in my kitchen.  I keep scissors in this drawer and over by my knives. Double up!  You can never have too many scissors.



Here's my prep station complete with cutting boards, fridge kiddy corner behind me, trashcan below me, prep sink to the left, and a workspace up above.



This speciality drawer is to the right of my stove.  I made it tall to fit my supersized oils and vinegars when cooking.



Another drawer that needed to be tall is our water bottle drawer. It's nice to have them organized and not floating around.



My blessed drink station. We must be extra thirsty around here! Harris drinks demand their own space.



Complete with blender below and tall canisters of hot chocolate above.



Kid snack and lunch station.  I found myself frustrated walking one place to get a spoon, another to get the bread, and another to get the spreads.  I'm old and I can barely remember to make their lunches in the morning! Now, it's all right here and very kid friendly if I forget to make their lunch. Wink. Wink.  The kids are completely capable now!



Lunch snacks to the left and spreads to the right.



Extra deep to fit my wire baskets. My baskets are like spanks, they keep it all together.



My coveted cereal drawer.  My cabinet guy thought I was crazy to dedicate a whole drawer to breakfast foods, but the foo' was wrong bro! I love it!! BAM! 7AM, breakfast is served.



All extra pantry items (since I no longer have a pantry) sit pretty on my buffet.



The rest of my pantry that I don't use as often, go here,  by my ovens.  This is where I keep the chocolate chips.  They are out of sight and somewhat out of mind, but not really.



Do you still have enough steam for the laundry room?  Okay.  Onto the laundry room. Laundry room is the dumping ground.



To keep myself organized, I tuck away major items I use on a daily basis.  These drawer banks are phenomenal.  Behind these drawer fronts you'll find filing drawers.  I've got one for each kid and myself. I got the idea from my friend Emily. The kids put anything they really worked hard on in school in their drawers, and the rest gets round filed in the garbage under the sink.



On the upper right side drawer, I keep stuff to get the kids ready and out the door to the bus.  Pens to sign folders, a hair brush, a toothbrush, gel, you name it, it's in here.  On the drawer to the left, I keep first aid kind of things.  If a kid gets cut open and happens to be bleeding, I am taking that person to the mudroom for emergency surgery (not through my front door across my rug).  There is a sink, rags, bandages, even stitching material, all snug in that drawer.



Whew! I feel like I just maneuvered a colonoscopy camera through my kitchen. So much exposure to the insides of my world.