With the end of February looming days away we are well into the New Year of 2018. Maybe this is a normal year for you, or maybe you have a deployment or a move looming ahead. Couple that with school, sports, social functions and anything else you may have going on there is always a lot involved in the scheduling of a family. How do you tackle getting organized for your family? We all have our methods to keep ourselves organized. Some of us already well established methods and products to keep themselves organized while others are still searching for the right match for themselves. You may have your own organizer, or online calendar you link to other family members. One way you can ensure everyone in the family is included and up-to-date on what is going on within their family is to establish a family command wall.
What is a family command center?
A family command center is a dedicated space on a wall in your home where all important information and dates are shared for all to see, read, and consult when needed. This idea borrows from standard protocol in the military working environment. Often when one walks into the workspace of an operational military unit there is a board filled with important information everyone in the unit is expected to read and be aware of when they have time. Similarly the family command wall will have important family information that everyone in the family can read or consult in their own time.
What do you put in your family command center?
The answer to this is personal to each family and will vary. There are a few essential elements that every family will want to have as a foundation. These elements are listed below.
- A calendar. Opt for a large calendar that has space to include everyone’s activities and is easily readable at a distance. My personal favorite is this 18 month calendar from Paper Source
- A clipboard or two. This allows you to continually add new relevant forms or sign up sheets on rotation as needed. It is a good place to place items that need signatures from multiple family members. A fun idea for a clipboard is to ask question or take polls. This adds an element of fun and bonding for everyone in the family.
- Emergency Numbers. Have your list of emergency numbers such as poison control and the local police station. It will also be helpful to include numbers for your local game warden and important contact phone numbers for workplaces and schools.
- A magnetic board like this one from Ikea or strip. You can magnetic attach pen holders so you always have the markers and pens you need at the family command center. Another handy addition to your magnet board is a room thermometer display. There are a variety available on Amazon with displays that include the time and humidity levels
- Somewhere to hang keys. It is always useful to know exactly where your keys are and stay when at home.
For some inspiration on the many ways you can put together your own command wall and how you want it to look head over to our Pinterest account and look at our Family Command Center board.
On a recent trip to Michael’s we spotted a giant display of white board calendars and command center tools.
So apparently command centers are trending! Not only that but elements to put your command center together are on sale, 50% off! Milmom tip: Michael’s offers a military discount of 15% every day of the week and it can be combined with additional discounts and coupons. It is a great place to go to start building your own command center.
There are many creative ways you can share what is most important to your family. What would you add to your family command center? If you have one what have you found are the elements that are most useful? Leave a comment, email us, or reach out on Instagram
