Trying To Reign In The Chaos

Life can get pretty chaotic around here.

We've got four kids, ranging in age from 3½  to 12, and while they're not currently enrolled in any extra-curriculars, it was pretty busy up until about a month ago. That's around the same time that my father gave me the coolest thing.

Have you ever wanted to turn a wall in your kitchen into a chalkboard? Well, I have. But we rent, so that's just not an option. But my dad, bless his heart, is a Groupon fiend, and he found this nifty thing from Fancy-Fix. Now I can get what I want, without permanently creating ill will with our landlord!

I'm a planner, and by extension, a (somewhat) compulsive list-maker. I like writing things down, just so that I can cross them off when finished (sometimes, I'll even write "make list"...). Everyone has their own little OCD things, and so long as it isn't damaging anyone, or infringing on their ability to function in the world, is it really that bad to be particular about certain things? It makes me feel good, and it doesn't hurt anyone else, so I figure, what's the harm of feeding that little monster?

But back to the chalkboard.

I cut off a piece of this peel-and-stick board that I felt would adequately do the job I needed it to. I cleaned the wall, as the instructions said, and tried my OCD best to smooth all of the air bubbles out from behind it - which is not easy to do with such an uneven wall, let me tell you - then stood back to admire my handiwork. Since then, I've been playing around with the exact layout I am satisfied with, and what exactly *should* go on a board of this sort, but overall, I'm just tickled that we have something that displays the necessary information where everyone can easily see it. Here's our board today:

"Don't tell me you didn't know what chore you had..."

Life is a little bit more peaceful when everyone knows what's for dinner, what their chore is, and what's coming up in the next few days. We also put the weather on there sometimes, especially if there are outside activities planned.

What do you do to create an oasis of calm in your home? Tell me about it in the comments section!