Sunday, November 20, 2011

Drowning In Kids' Stuff!

Is there a person out there with kids who doesn't have major organizational issues? I'm talking about managing the stuff, not the matter of trying to retain enough sanity to keep everything straight in my head. (That's a whole separate issue, and much harder to deal with!)
The outdoor toys have pushed Jeff's car out of the garage. Our closets and basement storage are stacked with bins of clothes that are outgrown and waiting to be sold or that don't fit yet, but will. And don't even get me started on the toys. I swear those things multiply, but only the crappy plastic ones.

The first solution to this problem is to watch what comes into the house. Check.

Next, purge ruthlessly. Check.

Still too much stuff? (i.e. a car that won't fit in the garage thanks to four bikes, a Coupe Car, a Choo-Choo wagon, a triplet stroller, a trike, two scooters and a bin full of balls, bats and Frisbees.) Check, check and check!

So, we had this built:


I'd call it a mini-barn, but it's pretty darn big. The kids call it The Barn, and they were so excited when it was being built. The minute it was done they took it over. I don't think they were too happy when they realized it wasn't a playhouse. 


As we watched them play, we briefly considered installing a few bunks and letting them have it.

Tempting as that was, we decided to keep them in the house and move our things out to The Barn. So I've spent a lot of the last week purging, repacking and moving things out of the house. Any day now I'll be able to create a craft area in the basement and Jeff will be able to put his car in the garage.

And that, my friends, will be a major victory.

© Trippin' Mama 2011

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Wow, that is great!

Sadly, the purging never ends. The cheap toys, yes - but constant purging of junk, no. Once you have four kids bringing home adorable projects from school that you can't bear to part with.... well, maybe I am just speaking for myself!