A calm morning routine — getting the whole family off to school or work and eating a healthy breakfast — is the goal of moms across the nation, but it's easier said than done and can easily devolve into chaos with water bottles falling out of overflowing cupboards, searching for break-time snacks, and cries of “where are they…”
This spring, County Armagh breakfast cereal manufacturer White's Oats launched its “Good Mornings Since 1841” campaign, in which the company launched healthy new granola and Quick and Oaty Pots, as well as encouraging people to make other small changes to improve their health.
The environment you live in can have a huge impact on your mental health, so when I was invited to take part in the campaign and tidy up my kitchen to make mornings go smoother, I jumped at the chance.
My kitchen was in dire need of a thorough renovation as it was surrounded by cupboards bulging with piles of cutlery, crockery and baking equipment and as the most used room in the house inevitably accumulates all sorts of junk.
Providing much-needed tips and support were Clare Savage and Lisa Skinner, who have run the organising company Order in the House since 2021.
“For most people, the kitchen is where their day begins, so it's important to keep it as tidy as possible to start the day on the right foot,” says Claire.
I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel nervous or embarrassed about them visiting my home, but getting started is the hardest part and the vision of a kitchen where everything has a purpose and a place is what inspired me.
With all the contents of my kitchen cupboards spread out on the kitchen table, I felt like I was part of Stacey Solomon's TV show, Sort Your Life Out.
“Our advice is to take everything out and only put back what you really need and what you really love,” Lisa explained, as she grouped similar items together.
There's also the important issue of making sure things are in the right place: shoes, junk mail, school notebooks, leads and cables, Santa mugs and Christmas napkins, etc. don't belong in the kitchen all year round.
After taking all the food out of the cupboards, Claire and Lisa's first order of business was to check the expiration date labels.
“100% of the kitchens we’ve arranged in the past have had expired herbs and spices,” laughs Lisa. I didn’t let them down, and we also got a chuckle out of our faces when we discovered a jar of gold edible glitter dating back to 2014.
Before I could stock my cupboards, I needed to plan my kitchen to be easy for my family to use.
I'm gluten-free and my daughter is dairy-free, so organizing snacks, breads, and pastas was a challenge, and lack of storage space was a growing issue.
There was barely enough storage space in the kitchen, and after losing countertops and two cupboards to expand the sunroom, my kitchen was certainly lacking.
“We work with clients who are designing kitchens, and the key is to maximise vertical space,” says Lisa, recommending purchasing a freestanding dresser in future and adding further adjustable shelves within the deep cupboards.
Our advice is to take everything out and only put back what you really need and what you really love.
— Lisa Skinner
Claire's priority was to create a dedicated breakfast corner stocked with cereal, bread, toaster, teabags and condiments. “This way I could easily grab what I needed without having to dig through the cupboards and it would also limit kitchen clutter to one section,” she explained.
The breakfast counter is also a great place to use a turntable, giving jams, honey and chocolate spreads easy access without having to dig through sticky cupboards that are hard to reach. Kids love the novelty factor, and the functionality gives them more independence in enjoying their breakfast, so they can get out the door in time to catch the school bus.
Claire and Lisa arrived with a trunk full of storage solutions – not only did they bring in the stylish iDesign cereal tins featured in Netflix show The Home Edit, but they spoke passionately about the range of budget options available from the likes of Home Bargains, B&M, Matalan and Ikea.
“Containers are great because you can see what's in there at a glance, they keep things from going out of date and they stop you spending money unnecessarily,” says Claire.
Another useful tool is the tiered shelves that Lisa added to my dry food cupboard, which makes it clearer what foods I have and ensures I don't need six tins of baked beans…
I love tea but try to cut down on the caffeine by drinking a variety of fruit and green teas, so my favourite storage solution was a tea storage box from B&M that my daughters used – it looked like something you'd find in a hotel.
When it came to decluttering, some decisions were easy: plastic cutlery, chipped cups, promotional plastic water bottles, dirty placemats, discoloured Tupperware and even a cardboard Peppa Pig cake stand.
Other decisions were harder, especially when sentimental items were involved: the salt clay ornaments I made for Mother's Day, the unused cheese board that was a wedding gift from an aunt who passed away 15 years ago, and the many gadgets I was tempted to buy.
Claire's goal was to take the unsightly boxed gadget that had been gathering dust on top of the fridge out of its box, put the instruction manual away in a folder so it wouldn't be visible.
I struggled to decide what to get rid of, even though I knew they were taking up valuable space in my kitchen. In the end, I said goodbye to my barely used mini muffin maker and chocolate fondue set.
Looking at a neatly organized cupboard certainly brings about joy, to borrow a phrase from tidying guru Marie Kondo.
My kitchen is far from a minimalist kitchen, but it is organized and I hope it stays that way.
“Keep your countertops clear of clutter and create a clean, inviting space. Waking up to a clean, organized space will set you up for the day,” add Claire and Lisa, who also suggest taking a little time before bed to tidy up your kitchen and prepare some overnight oats.
For those who feel overwhelmed by the prospect of decluttering, she suggests “starting small” by targeting specific drawers and checking expiration dates.
My “homework” was to try and sort through my still-untouched junk drawer, which is stuffed with everything from Blu-Tack and batteries to screws and candles that have nowhere to go.
Lisa believes labels are “the key to keeping your kitchen tidy long term.” So, stocked with drawer dividers, labels and washi tape, my new party/DIY drawers await…
