Sorting Toys (and Memories)

Ok, so I'm so over having too many toys in my face all the time. I know I will want these days back but I feel like I can't breathe in my own home. Everything used to get picked up, then we had two more kids(Ages:5, nearly 4, almost 2). Somewhere in the past few years, we have lost our organization, if you can imagine that. I have always said "if we have so many toys that they can't pick them up, then we have too many toys." To each their own, but I refuse to be a mom who caves to these little boogers and picks up their toys while they sit on the couch and watch cartoons, eating goldfish, or while they are napping. (P.S. if that's you; no judgement! You are probably winning other battles that I'm losing! ). This also means my house is wrecked most of the time.😆(because I really don't pick them up for them). I will help them, but I won't do it for them. This takes nagging and nudging, tears, and sometimes me getting out a trash bag and telling the kids that what's left on the floor is getting donated to another person who will take care of it. (We have "donated" pretty frequently lately.)

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So what's the problem with this? Momma is tired. They are being expected less and less to pick up the toys because I'm just too tired to care or nag them. Then it's gets too out of hand to expect them to actually clean anything up. So here we are..."If they have so many toys they can't pick them up, they have too many toys!!"

This is the part where I should say I'm going to get rid of 3/4 of them!.. But I'm going to rotate them instead. (I should have done this a long time ago!) I'm pretty excited about this because I think it will make clean up easier, and keep the kids from getting bored with their toys. I will still be able to hold them accountable without the task being so overwhelming for them and for me. Since I teach in our home and we are going to homeschool our own kids, I think it's important for me to take back a little bit of order in the toy department. Plus, we are getting ready to reveal "The Basement Project" surprise to the kids. (That'll be my next post!). We have been making them a little play place with some special features and I can't wait to show them! We are giving their toys a new and improved home.

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First, we tucked in the kids and then drug all the toys to the basement(😩). (Then ate two servings of rocky road ice cream.🤔😂 This was only after I sifted, sorted, and tossed. I donated some things, threw away broken stuff/missing pieces, etc.

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Memories

(Sometimes they sneak up out of nowhere.)

As I was in the thick of this process, (asking myself, "what I was thinking?") my mind wondered. I thought about some pretty special memories. When I was a little girl, I spent a lot of time helping family friend. Sometimes watching the kids (when I was old enough), sometimes just helping her do things around the house.. And a lot of times just spending time together. Her name is Sherri, and if you know me well, you know she will always be near and dear to my heart and I talk about her often. As I was saying, I was fortunate to spend a lot of time with her and her family. I remember helping Sherri with cleaning and organizing her kids' toy room. It was always a big undertaking. While I didn't so much enjoy the process (then or now) I'm so blessed to have those memories of her and thankful that doing this brings them to mind. I'm sure I would have cherished that time a little more then, if I knew what I know now. Everyone who knew her, knows she was truly special. I miss her. I wonder if she is looking down from heaven, laughing at me, thinking that me helping her all those years ago was just training for what I'm doing now. 🖤

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Back to business

I put everything in categories. I chose a few things that would stay out for all four rotations. I left out music toys, market toys, Hot wheels. Legos are a hot item for Xander right now so I'm just leaving them out of the rotation too. He has a few toys that are great big, so I'm not going to rotate those either.

Then I put some things from each category in each rotation.(I'm doing 4 different rotations.)

I realized we have a lot of horses and baby stuff!😳

I tried to pair things together so that the kids could play with different things together if they want.

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Here are how my four rotations/groups turned out:

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Storage

I had this trunk (that I bought from a yard sale a long time ago). That is where toy rotation three and four can be found😁.

I used some zip up "thirty one bags" that were given to me years ago to put the puzzles in. I bought some plastic containers with lids and 3 containers for perfectly in one bag. 👌

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I got these bad boys from Hobby Lobby. I just ordered them because we already had the biggest one on another color and I liked it for storage. I ordered this set online (when they were on sale😉)

smallest one: home to the barbies ; middle one:extra bitty baby clothes, largest one: biddy babies &accessories.

I bought a large shelf to put in the basement to use to store the things that weren't in use (plus a few other things.) I put the toys that are being stored all on the shelf. I even put Xander's Legos on one of the shelves in hopes of giving him a space for them other than the counter, the coffee bar, and the tv stand.(Yeah, right?!😉)

Here is to feeling a little less overwhelmed.. Now on to the next thing that needs organizing in our house...this could take a while, ✌️😆. Comment and tell me all of your organization tricks. I need them all.

Almost ready to show the kids the surprise, "The Basement Project!". I truly think I'm as excited as they are!!