Organizing Children's Playthings...

So I haven't gotten very far into the book due to my job of chasing around two little crazies all day - but sometimes I think it is a good thing that I only got a paragraph or two in - because then I can contemplate that one topic for a longer period of time....

So this morning I got in my Paragraph and it happened to be on Organizing children's playthings... Oh - this is the struggle of my world! Cleaning up My kids toys - And I have realized it's partly my fault that our toy room is such a mess all the time...

For those of you who do not have the Book "the Ultimate Career" Here is a little bit from the book I enjoyed this morning....

"Children are precious, but it requires a lot of prioritizing and patience to raise them. They are bent on missions of destruction. They can spill, splash, scatter, mix up, mess up, and undo your day's work in a minute's time. They seem to specialize in causing clutter. Such Clutter, however, is not part of the problem. Scattered toys are not usually a sign of neglect; they can be evidence of growth, development and good times for children. However, they should gradually be taught to manage their clothing and toys and to clean up after themselves. It is a slow process. A young child can be expected to pick up about as many items as he or she is years old, so you do not get much help from a three year old. The training program and the ultimate results can be greatly enhanced,
however by these few tips:"

Keep the playroom de-junked

Throw away broken toys

Give away Surplus toys

Assign a "Home" for each toy

in addition to helping keep things neat,

this system reassures children, who find

security in order and routine

Create organizers for things

Be consistent in having the children 'help"

put their play things away at the end of

each play period or at the end of the day.

(Pg 19-20 of "The Ultimate Career")

I Thought it was interesting that they said you could expect a child to pick up as many items as they are old --- I usually refuse to pick up my kids toy room - The kids do pick up the whole disaster themselves with my coaching ---- But Recently we have been cleaning the toy room like this --- the kids take turns picking up 5 things - and we have this little rebounder excersize trampoline in their toy room - so while one kid is picking up their 5 things the other kid is jumping on the trampoline - It has been nice to not have to beg them to clean their toy room - It is more like a game - than anything - And they are always so proud of themselves by the end - and they have used up a lot of energy on their little trampoline!
I found a great article on

Sorting and Storing your Child's Artwork

The picture above is how we hang our kids pictures and things - IT is just 3 yard sticks 9 bulldog clips and 9 screws ( I just threw a screw through the hole in the bulldog clip and thru the yard stick to attach them to the wall) so for about $9 dollars or so I have a great place to hang the kids artwork and papers and I think it looks cute on the wall in their toy room or bedroom. I know some people who take a photo of all the artwork - and put it either on a blog or a photo album - I personally think I will do the blog - because then you can absorb it into a blog book and have all the artwork in one book to enjoy forever rather than having it all cluttering up your house.

Other great publishing sites:
LuLu
Shutterfly

Help me please!

Okay, I am outnumbered and overrun by my kids' DVDs. It thought that I had a practical solution with baskets that fit in our entertainment center. Every day though, they end up strewn about the family room. Even when they are put away they overflow in their baskets. When they are out, the kids open them and pull out the DVDs and end up scratching them. Does anyone have a tried & true solution to my dilemma?
-Allison

For the first time I wish I took a picture of my trash....

I am so proud of myself. Yesterday I emptied four moving boxes and condensed them into one storage bin. (I threw away a lot of stuff and gave away the rest.) Then today I emptied all of theses containers plus another big bin like the one on the bottom in the pic. I fit them all into the one bin. I think I need a dumpster. My trash was full on Monday and it doesn't come again until Friday. The sad thing... I have moved these boxes from house to house never even opening them. I found a skirt I had from when I was little and two bathing suits, really why would I want to keep these things? And papers like crazy. This is the first move in some time that I do not have a newborn so I get to dejunk as I pack. Thank you Daryle Hoole and "The Ultimate Career" I could not have found this book at a better time.

I have also been using my portable filing box for all of the cards and memorable stuff that has been shoved in boxes and never looked at. I separated each childs stash in piles on the floor. Then I put it in their folder. Now that each child has there own folder they are pumped to scrap there own pages.

By Susan