I recently posted about our mudroom tour and it included my message center as well. I wanted to make a post all about what is actually in our message center and why I choose to have one. It might not be the most perfectly styled out area of my house, but it certainly is one of the most functional. I figured the perfect place to have a message or command center is in the mudroom since that is where we come in/out of our house. I used command strips to hold everything from the wall calendar to the mail center. I know as my kids grow our needs will change and I might need to switch things around. This way I do not have to fill in any holes and paint.
Message Center Must Haves
- large wall calendar
- magnetic boards
- dry erase markers with magnetic pen holder
- meal planning schedule
- cleaning schedule
- mailbox with key hooks
- kids calendar
- kids responsibility chart
- IN/OUT boxes
- command strips
I wanted to have a large dry erase wall calendar that I could change out every month. This is a great place for me to write down any doctor appointments, games, job obligations, etc. we all have. My husband and I usually try to talk in the beginning of the week about what we both have coming up so we can be prepared. He will add any of his work obligations to this calendar as well. Each person has a different color so I know which appointment is for which person. It’s just a quick way to see what we have scheduled for the month. I am sure this will come in handy as our kids get older and have more activities for school/sports. I included two metal magnetic boards so I can post any school calendars or important papers we might have throughout the year. This is where I put my magnetic pen holder for my dry erase markers. I also put my weekly meal plan here so I can refer back to it daily. Meal planning has been something I started doing before I even had kids. It is a great way to eliminate food waste since you only are buying the things on your list. It also takes the guessing work out of what I need to prep for each day.
Since I had kids, I started to use a cleaning schedule to keep me in check. I am a pretty organized person, but I struggle with keeping things as clean as I want. As all parents know and understand there are not enough hours in the day, whether you work or stay home. This laminated cleaning list is a way for me to break down all of the cleaning responsibilities per day so I am not overwhelmed. Do I get all of these things done every day? Absoultely not!! Most of the time, I am lucky to get the daily stuff done, like emptying the dishwasher and washing clothes. It is just a great reminder of what I did get accomplished so I don’t forget. The bathrooms are always on my weekly to do no matter what, but I don’t always get all 3 of them done on the same day. I am working on it!! To make this cleaning schedule I simply went on Pinterest and used a bunch of people’s ideas and created my own. You don’t even have to make yours look this nice, you can simple type it up and put it in the clear page protector.
The mailbox is something I had at my last house and knew I needed it in my new house as well. This is where we put mail we might not get a chance to open right away and where our keys go. We don’t have the time to be searching for our keys every day so this is the place we put them as soon as we get in the house to take the guess work out of it.
I love the idea of this IN/OUT bin. Although it does not get as much use now, I know it will when all of my kids are in school. My daughter went to preschool this year and we would use this for her school folder she had to bring back at the beginning of every week. We also use it for library books (if there aren’t too many) so we can grab them on the way out the door.
These Melissa and Doug Calendars are a great way to teach your kids the days of the week, seasons, and responsibilities. Although right now my 20 month old just rips the magnets down, I know soon enough he will be into helping us fill it up.
If this post has inspired you to create your own message center, make sure to tag me so I can see how you set yours up! Happy Organizing!
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