When my family first moved into our townhome, there wasn’t as much space as I thought there was going to be. When moving into new places we always think were getting more room until we start putting our actual life inside it, and then you realize quickly what fits on paper and what fits in real life are two very different things.
My coat rack was something I had bought for our mobile home. I honestly thought I might end up putting it in storage or letting it go, but David made sure it could fit right inside our little hallway even though it basically takes over part of the space and blocks the closet door. If you want in the closet, you have to move it. That’s just part of the deal.
But I’ll be honest—it still ended up being one of the most useful things in our house. It became what I call a drop station. And if you’re not familiar with that, it’s just a place where everything lands at the end of the day or gets gathered before we leave the next morning.
Backpacks ie purses, shoes, jackets, whatever needs to go with us the next day ends up on the coat rack. In a busy house, you don’t really need perfection, you need a place where things stop floating around and actually have somewhere to be.
Every night I tell my family the same thing. Put whatever you’re going to need for the next morning right there. Shoes, bags, jackets, keys, paperwork—anything that’s going to save us from standing in the doorway asking, “Where is it?” five minutes before we’re supposed to leave.
And I do my part too. I make sure my purse or backpack is ready before I go to bed. I try to make sure my water bottle is filled, my book is in there if I’m taking it, my tablet if I need it, and whatever else I think I might need so I’m not scrambling in the morning. I’ve learned that if I don’t do it the night before, I will absolutely forget something the next day, and it’s never the unimportant thing.
Then I turn around and do the same thing I always do. I ask David if he has anything he needs for work or paperwork or whatever he’s got going on the next day. I ask Charlie the same thing, because if I don’t ask, it doesn’t always end up in that one spot by the door where it’s supposed to be.
That’s the idea anyway. Everything in one place. Simple. Ready. No guessing. But more times than not, the next morning tells a different story. Everyone is scrambling as all try to get out the door on time but the dogs need to go for a walk.
That’s when it starts. Somebody forgot something upstairs. Or David can’t find his hat. Charlie left something in his room. And suddenly we’re doing that back-and-forth where one of us is already halfway out the door and someone else is turning around saying, “Wait, I need this.”
And I’ll just stand there for a second thinking the same thing I always think. We literally just talked about this last night. But again what does mom no. Nothing because thanks to them not listening were going to be late again and it isn’t my fault.
That’s the part nobody really tells you about running a household—you can plan it, organize it, set up systems, create a whole “drop station” situation right by the door, and still end up doing a last-minute sweep before you leave because you are one person trying to hold together three different schedules, three different sets of needs, and whatever the house decides to throw at you that morning.
So even though I always try to leave early—usually an hour early if I can—life doesn’t always let that happen. Something always comes up. Traffic, gas that should’ve been taken care of the night before, somebody needing a drink right as we’re walking out, or just the normal everyday shuffle that comes with trying to get out the door with a family.
And I’ve learned it’s not really about doing it perfectly. It’s about having a system that at least gives us a fighting chance. Even if I still end up doing one last walk through the house before we go, just to make sure we didn’t leave behind something we’re going to need five minutes after we’re gone.
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Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Catesa
