Sunday, October 4, 2009

Keeping Toys under Control

Claire is just over 2 and has more toys than most small countries. I'm not even joking. I don't even know where they all came from. They seemingly breed and reproduce in droves overnight. LOL. So to keep things fresh and fun, I rotate the toys. My mom suggested this idea to me. I should've shared this tip sooner because it's a great one. I just pulled out a box right before I sat down here that has been in the closet for months. I forgot that it had toys in it. I thought it was clothes. So now Claire is pulling out each toy, bringing it over to me, and saying, "Mommy, This my toy?" I say YES! Then she gets all excited, jumps up and down and says THANK YOU! Haha. Little does she know that these were things from a mere six months ago that she'd forgotten about. So here are some other things I've started doing...I put away seasonal books and toys like Christmas, Easter, Halloween, etc...away when I put the decorations. Besides, it's kind of funny to read about Easter in the middle of October. I also put away about a box of books at a time...otherwise they all just end up all over the floor. Then we have 2 giant rubbermaid bins that I use as toy boxes. I usually keep one in the closet at a time, trying to keep a good mix of toys out. We have about 15 nice wooden puzzles, all different, but a few similar, so I put away one of the similar ones at a time, otherwise it makes it hard when it's time to pick up and she gets the pieces confused between the puzzles. I got MOST of them at a resale store or garage sales and the rest were gifts. :) Also, some toys are particularly more messy than others because they came with lots of small pieces vs. something like a doll that is just 1 piece. But guess what? I just looked over at Claire, laughing hysterically, and she is sitting in the box with the flaps shut. So my advice? Sell all the toys and let them play with boxes. Seriously! She doesn't want to play with toys...she wants the real purse Holly gave her along with the chapstick she jacked off the counter because her arms have an abnormally long range for her age. But other than that...I am not super anal (believe it or not) about keeping things picked up...seriously...it's pointless...10 minutes of Claire playing, it looks like nothing was picked up at all anyways, so I don't even bother to pick up toys on a daily basis. Horrible, I know. :) I pick up SOMETIMES for company and then at least once a week weather it needs it or not. This gives me a chance to sort of sort things out and throw away any random things that we have collected...it's amazing the amount of stickers a small child attracts. I also keep trashing all the craft projects we bring home from the library. She can play with them until they are destroyed, then after she goes to sleep...trash time! Maybe I do pick up a little more often than that...you just can't tell! But shh...don't tell...I never make beds, because again, that's a waste of time, too. :) Unless company is coming that we might give a tour of the house to...I don't make the beds, but even then...I've stopped caring. It's enough to try to stay on top of the laundry and dishes and still have time to play with Claire and read to her. Any tips? Please leave them for me!

1 comment:

Kelly said...

ugh, i know how you feel! the toys have taken over my house! I also don't bother making my beds (ever) and I don't pick up all the toys every day. i typically do a quick pick up (5 minutes) and get all the toys into the living room or the playroom section of the basement and that makes me feel like i've accomplished something. I also just have a big box or basket that i throw everything into. sometimes i try to get into the habit of having nathan help me pick up the living room every night before bed, but i've gotten lazy about it lately. I like the rotating tub idea, but i have yet to try it out.