Every once in a while I get the itch to refresh my house. This usually involves painting walls and rearranging furniture but most recently I’m on a mission to get organized (and maybe rearrange everything while I’m at it…just one more time).

My entryway needs some major attention and I love the idea of creating a command center for calendars, bills, meal planning, mail, coupons, shopping lists, keys, etc.

For those of you sending kids back to school in a few weeks, a command center is a great way to get organized for the school year!

DIY Dollar Store Command Center

I finally got myself together enough to create a command center in our home. This DIY Dollar Store Command Center is exactly what you need to help your busy kids stay on track and organized!

I bought everything at the Dollar Tree for just $1 each, but you could find these things at most Dollar stores (Family Dollar, Dollar General, 99 Cents Only, etc). For less than $20, I was able to create this entire family command center.

Now, my kids know what the schedule is for the week, they have a spot to keep their important papers and folders, and we haven’t lost a library book since we created this command center. Bonus!

Watch the video and follow the instructions below to create your own!

And then click here to read the step-by-step post on how to do it yourself.

Our Original Command Center

Before we upgraded to our current command center, our station looked more like this.

We had a spot for our homework boxes, library books, lunch boxes, backpacks and even artwork displays. Plus a giant school calendar to keep all of us in line.

Ultimately as the kids got older, we needed different things (and I wanted a little more floor space), so we created our wall command center. But this one was super functional while it lasted!

10 More Back to School Command Centers

Looking for more inspiration? Check out 10 of my favorite Command Centers!

Kitchen Corner Command Center

This is the perfect command center if you don’t have an entire wall in your house to dedicate to catching clutter. While you may not be able to have your kids hang their backpacks here, it’s still super functional and looks great too.

For quick reference, here are a few of the supplies she used (but be sure to click over to her post to read her step-by-step instructions and see her UPDATED command center. It’s adorable!)

Command Center Supplies

Dry Erase Calendar

White Wall Files

Magnetic Dry Erase Board

Wall Mountable Mason Jars

Basket for Lunch Boxes or Backpacks

DIY Command Center

If you have a little more room to spare, this little corner command center is a great option. The bench provides a space for kiddos to sit down to put their shoes on or off (and store them underneath), and the multiple hooks, shelves and storage pockets provide tons of options for catching all the papers and keys that come into your house.

Command Center Supplies

White Wall Files, Hooks and Mounts

Coat Rack

Magnetic Photo Strip

Entryway Bench with Shoe Storage

Bright White Command Center

This command center is so fun and has so many options for customization. My favorite part is that she took white frames, framed different calendars and organizing tools and then writes on the glass with dry erase marker. Brilliant.

Command Center Supplies

White Wall Files, Hooks and Mounts

Framed Stainless Steel Magnetic Dry Erase Board

Simple White Frames

More of My Favorite Command Centers

While I don’t have pictures to share, here are a few more of my favorite command centers.

Mudroom Command Center from Get on with IT already

Entryway Command Center from Organizing Junkie.

Grid Command Center from Ana White.

Ombre Command Center from She’s {kinda} Crafty

Black & Yellow Command Center from Sweetaprils.

Chalkboard Command Center from Katherine Marie.

Small Space Command Center from Better Homes & Gardens.

Mastering Back to School Together

Back to school can be hectic, but it doesn’t have to be hard!

With three kids in school, I’ve learned a few things along the way that help to simplify the entire back-to-school process, while also keeping me sane.

And I’m sharing them all with you!

Click here to see how I mastered back to school, and you can too!

Including:

• The organizational systems we have in place
• The routines we use (and how we remember them)
• Why my kids haven’t missed the bus in three years
• How to have the best first day of school EVER
• How to put an end to homework battles
• How I get my kids talking (and talking and talking and talking) every day after school
• How we manage busy sports seasons without going insane
• The simple tech hack that EVERY parents needs to know
• And so much more!

Click here to see the 18 things I’m doing to master back to school, and how you can do them too!