Saturday, September 21, 2013

GOOD-BYE TOYS!!

Ah yes, Fall is finally showing signs of appearing!  Cooler nights, crisp mornings, sweatshirts heading to school with the kids, and jeans (yay jeans!).  I am beyond ready for this season to kick into full swing!  I'm loving the hints of Fall around my house, and the pumpkins growing in my backyard have begun to make their way to the front porch.  Delight :)  Did I mention that I love Fall?!

One of my favorite parts of this time of year is the big toy clean out we do every year.  We actually do this twice a year, but the one in the fall is usually the BIG one.  We go through all of the toys together with the kids and toss anything that is broken or missing pieces, and pick out the toys they no longer play with to donate.  They are usually pretty good about this task.  They come up some things to donate, and then with some forcing urging from mom, they decide on a few more.  This usually takes place sometime in mid October to early November, but lately I have been really itching to clear out some space.  So last week I told them we were going through all of the basement toys (where their play area is).  Even though it felt like pulling teeth to get rid of things this time, we did end up with a large bag of trash and a large bag to donate-not too bad; it would have been acceptable to any 'normal' person...

But of course I am not 'normal' so the story doesn't end there.  I kept going downstairs day after day, looking at the shelves full of toys.  Everything was organized and put away in its proper 'home', but there was just SO. MUCH. STUFF.  There were things I didn't think the kids needed anymore, but when we went through together they insisted that they still did so I let them stay.  Finally a few days ago though,  it really got to me, and I decided it was time for me to take a stab at the toys on my own.  So while they were at school, I armed myself with trash and donate bags and had at it!  I spent about an hour weeding through all the bins and shelves and got rid of a LOT of toys and was even able to eliminate some of the shelving units. I was one happy Momma!! This is my end result: 



The 'before' wasn't horrible, but for this OCD-Mom it was too much!  I can't begin to tell you how much better I feel when I walk down there now.  I may or may not even smile when I look over at the toy area....(yes, organizing nerd over here). 

And, while this space is FAR from perfect for me (I am dreaming of built in cabinets with all matching containers that are hidden behind closed doors), it is much better than it looked a week ago.  And even though we got rid of more than half of our toys in a week's time, my kids have not complained about it once.  I'm not sure they even notice.  They are probably happy they have less to clean up :)  What is your method of keeping toys organized and contained?  I am always looking for new ideas on toy storage, so I would love to see or hear what works for you! Feel free to leave a link to your page in the comments if you have posted about this same issue!

Linking Up At:
www.ourtableforseven.com
www.houseofroseblog.com
www.loveoffamilyandhome.net
www.lizmarieblog.com
www.blissfullyeverafter.net
www.designdininganddiapers.com
www.craftyscrappyhappy.net
www.craftberrybush.com

2 comments:

  1. I must say you did a great job. The shelves look great now :)

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  2. Thanks :) Still nowhere what I would like for them to look like, but love that we were able to cut down so much! Matching bins and cabinets will come with time I guess!

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