Mise en place (French pronunciation: ​[mi zɑ̃ ˈplas]) is a French culinary phrase which means "putting in place" or "everything in its place."

I enjoy the process of decluttering. It is organizing and making a home for every item, that takes so much time. I have been trying to work on a closet or cabinet, a few times every week. I take everything out, look at all the items, and decide what I am keeping and it if it is in the right spot. Does it need a box? Should I label it? Is anyone using it? How often will it be used? Does everyone know where the “home” is for this item so I am not the only one putting it away or finding it?

Last night I pulled out all of our sheets and towels from the linen closet. We have three beds; a Queen, a Full and a Twin. We had a big messy pile of sheets. I could not tell the Queen sheets from the Full. I found purple hand towels from our wedding registry - almost 18 years old! Our towels can vote. After sorting and creating piles, I decided to keep two sets of sheets for each bed. I also created a box of pillow cases because wow, we had a lot. I cleaned everything, chose a box for each category of sheets (queen, full, twin) and folded and put them away.

I also have been slowly tackling the kids art cabinet. Holy goodness. We have purchased and been given some incredible art supplies throughout the years. I pulled everything out and put like items together. I trashed some coloring books that no one has touched in years and found a home for everything else. I’m sure the boys rooms have more art supplies that need to be brought together. It is the multiple places for like items that drive me crazy. Sharing is caring. Just keep the stuff together.

What I am learning from this process is to slow down. I really want to look at everything I am buying and ask if it is needed. I am also talking to everyone in my house about where things should live, so we all know where things go. I am hoping the boys are slowly learning about putting like items together and folding things so you can see what you have. I hope they learn to get rid of stuff they don’t want or don’t use too.

Pedar built a fantastic phone charging station for us in our laundry/backpack/office area. We can charge five phones at once.

Our computer is in our bedroom but we have this area next to our laundry. The kids hang their backpacks in this short hallway. It is also where we keep important paperwork and keys.

I love not having the phones charging in the kitchen or in our bedrooms. This small hallway is a great spot to drop our phones and disconnect.

Pedar was so inspired by making this charging area, that he made a special shelf for his ties and belts too. It looks so great.

I am hopeful we can make these new habits stick.