SHOES

When we moved to Tennessee and merged households with Shelly and her three girls, we discovered that they had a little different idea of where shoes should be kept. Sure, Shelly's shoes were in her bedroom but Trinity and Madison's shoes....actually, any foot attire....were in an old laundry basket in the dining area. Let me point out here that we may have what they call a 'formal' dining room. Let's get real! Like we were going to let kids eat at a table where carpet covers the floor. I guess you would classify our 'formal' dining room as a room that is a 'landing strip' for all the things we don't have room for in another room. Like a 25 gallon fish tank with a few guppies, Grandpa's computer hutch which holds a computer and screen that are older than dirt. Actually, it doubles as a bookkeeping spot where he also sits and pays the bills. I make the bills; he pays them. I avoid going near this spot because I don't want to be accused of touching or moving anything on his 'turf'. We also have a T.V. in this area where the kids play Wi, a small sofa (the matching ottoman is in the living room in front of the big sofa) and a small kitchen set. The idea was for the kids to have a spot to do homework and crafts. Well, that never materialized.....both of these are just a catch-all for STUFF.

Sorry, I digressed.....let's get back to the shoes.

Well, after a while I realized that actually this is the best spot for the kids' shoes. The chances of finding a pair of shoes is better here than in their bedroom; many things go into that room never to be seen again, And, when they are getting ready for school and in a hurry (which is everyday) heading out the door, this setup works the best. If they are REALLY running late, it's easier to just dump the baskets to find a pair of shoes than trying to dig through all the junk in their room. And when you have one hectic mother trying to get three girls ready and out the door; things have to run smoothly and as EASY as possible.

I eventually replaced the old laundry basket with this classy brown basket....I mean there was no fighting it; the shoes were going to stay there....at least I could make it look nice, right? Then little Lexi got older and her shoes were added (she has a godmother who loves to buy her shoes) so I gave her a little basket of her own. Well, as you can see, big shoes end up in the little basket and little shoes end up in the big basket so that shot that idea. Not only that....if you take a close look there are boots, crocs, slippers and if you dig far enough, you will find flip-flops. Our shoe baskets hold all styles and cover all seasons. You have to be ready for anything living with kids; lesson learned!

There are a lot of things in our home that if they are out-of-whack, my OCD does kick in. However, I have learned that living with three children, you will be tripping over toys, wiping up messes, breaking up fights, sticky floors, temper tantrums but.......

When little Lexi looks up at you and says "I wove you", the rest doesn't matter.