Ordering Disorder
with Busy Mom
When you have kids, the battle between order and chaos at home can take place on many fronts. Ordering Disorder is about ways to fight domestic entropy with organizing tips, tricks, meal ideas and more.
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Lovely accent to your kitchen, or flat filing cabinet?
It’s been a hot topic around here the past couple of days as we’ve attempted to give the kitchen a thorough cleaning. It’s come to light that we (the adults in the house) are of differing philosophies regarding the counter space.
One of us thinks that the more stuff the better on the kitchen counter. That way, you can see and get to whatever you need.
The other one of us has the right idea.
(Oops, did I give away who’s who, here?)
Left to my own devices, I probably wouldn’t have much of anything on the counter because I think it looks better. However, I know I’d be complaining every time I had to get something out to use it. But. other people in the house *ahem*husband*ahem* see things a little differently. For him, the more stuff the better on the counter. That way, you can see what you have and use it!
As you may be able to tell, we don’t always see eye to eye about what should stay on the kitchen counter.
Right now, The permanent residents of the kitchen are: the microwave, the coffee maker, the bread box, a small television, toaster, electric can opener, an iPod dock and an electric pencil sharpener (The kids do homework at the kitchen table, and they are really hard on pencils.).
However, I’m not fond of the way it looks, especially since the kitchen is the main way people come in and out of the house, and the kitchen is the first thing they see. I think it looks too cluttered, but these are things we actually use.
Our kitchen was done many, many years ago, and I wish I’d had the foresight to ask them to put in an “appliance garage” to get some of the little ones out of plain view, but I didn’t. One thing I do need to do is replace the plug covers with something closer to the paint color, that would help the overall look, I think.
How about you? How do you decide what gets kept out on the kitchen counter and what lives behind closed doors?
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We have: coffee maker, 2 jars of spoons, etc., 2 knife blocks, a blender, a toaster oven and a recipe book stand. Of course, that doesn’t count the whole other side of the counter that is a horizontal filing cabinet. I have a pretty big kitchen though. All of the rest of the small appliances get hidden since they’re only used occasionally.
Headless Mom | February 21st, 2012 at 10:31 pm
I think the only things you should be able to see should be pretty enough to look at, but my husband would like everything we own to be out where everyone, especially him can see it. I win most of the time, but only because I put everything away.
Heidi F | February 22nd, 2012 at 4:30 pm
I used to have stuff, then we sold our house and were told to keep things as clutter free as possible and now I kinda prefer it that way! Much easier to clean and I don’t use certain things often enough that it justifies space. My mixer is in the corner but that’s too big and heavy to put away - I’d never use it! I don’t like the look of flour canisters, and I prefer my dry goods be in air tight, mouse- and bug-proof containers… inside a cabinet. In this house I have a utensil crock but that’s only because the kitchen is tiny and there’s no extra drawers that fit all our utensils. Other than that the only thing on my counters right now besides the mixer is a paper towel holder and some picture frames.
jen | February 22nd, 2012 at 5:55 pm