Mom...where's my stuff?!?!

MOM...what did you do with my Xbox Live Card?

MOM...where did you put my throwing knife?

MOM...where's my iPod?

MOM...what happened to the shampoo?

MOM...have you seen my cell phone charger?

MOM...I can't find the hair brush!

MOM...did you take my Skillet CD?

MOOOOMMMMM...

and MOM replies....ENOUGH!!!

UGGHHH...it's enough to drive this mom craaazeeeee...

And...there are four other people that live in this camper- what makes everyone think that I know where their stuff is anyway? Does the fact that I'm a mom mean that I have inherited an uncanny ability to find anything that is currently hidden, misplaced or lost?

For a brief moment, I allowed myself to daydream about the good ole days when we still lived in our house and everything had a place and everyone put everything back in its place when they had finished using it. A time when I never heard the words...MOOOOOOOMMMMMMM....WHERE IS...???!!!

and then, reality sank in and I remembered...

this isn't new...there were times, though not as frequent, when they lost things, misplaced things and couldn't find their treasured belongings and essentials at home either...when everything DID have its place.

What's a mom to do? Well, in an attempt to avoid a complete collapse if I hear THOSE WORDS one more time...I've brainstormed and have come up with a couple ideas that I hope will place the responsibility on my children and no longer focus on me. After all, my kids are all perfectly capable of caring for their own possessions, especially their most beloved cell phones, iPods, CD's and Xbox games.

Here's what I came up with as I begin to teach this basic concept all over again.

• I will teach by example. I will be responsible and not lose my keys, my purse or my shoes...and if I do happen to misplace them, I know it's not MY fault!

• Also, teaching by example, in the rare, almost unheard of instance that something I need is MIA- I will not blame anyone for losing it!

• Following the above theme of…ummm…teaching by example…if in the rare instance I am unable to locate something of mine, I will search our home thoroughly before I enlist the reinforcements in my mission and ask the kids for help. ..

(However, if my keys are missing, I will call my husband before I begin searching because he has been known to unknowingly take them on occasion…)

Now that I've laid the groundwork, I'll give the kids some tools to help them keep track of their things...

• They will each have their own shower bags with their own soap, shampoo, hairbrush, etc. that will hang in the bathroom on a hook AT ALL TIMES when they are not in use.

• The kids will also have their own cubbies for storage in their cabinets where the things they’ve brought from home can be stored. If they have an actual cubby or plastic bin their treasured items will not slip and slide in the cabinet when we’re traveling and will stay much more organized.

• We will also continue to sell, discard or donate all non-essential items. After all, it doesn’t take long for overcrowding to occur when you live in small quarters.

And now, I'm hoping someone out there can give me a few pointers. How have you managed to make the best of small spaces?