Just a few days ago, we celebrated our 7th anniversary of moving in our house. When we moved in back in 2005, it was just the two of us. We had sold our first house 3 months before, and we had been living in a tiny one-bedroom apartment waiting for this house to be finished. Like we ate in our laps cause there was no room for a table kind of tiny. So when we moved in, this house felt like a mansion! I would just go from room to room, marveling at all the options I had! I mean, we had not just one, but two tables to eat on! Three different bathrooms! Four different bedrooms! The house was brand new and we had chosen everything that was in it. We were so very thankful for this house!! It was perfect in every way.
Fast forward seven years and two kids later, and we are literally outgrowing this house. We have contemplated moving (and we may still consider it), but at this point and in this market, we think we are staying here for a while longer...
So that brings me to my question. We need some serious organization solutions! I like to think that I'm a good organizer. But I have to be honest with myself when I look around and see the disorganization around me that I may not be quite as good at it as I once thought.
Here are some pictures of some areas that we constantly struggle with...I'm welcoming any and all ideas, suggestions, or advice that you might have to deal with these problem areas in our house.
1. The dress-up clothes. I have no idea how to organize these so that they will be accessible to the kids without pulling everything out looking for the one belt or glove or mask that they need to complete their ensemble. So it usually ends up looking like this, after about 15 minutes of dress-up time...
Bless his heart, Jack was looking for his Green Lantern power ring. The ring is the most critical part of the costume, since that is the source of his superpowers. Jack says without the ring, he's just a kid dressed up like the Green Lantern. Poor kid never found it...no surprise with all that mess.
There are several more areas of disorganization that I could address, but those are the biggest ones. Plus, I'm already embarrassed enough to admit that I have no idea how to solve these problems.
- A few things--we have almost zero storage. Didn't seem like a problem in 2005. Now it's a tad more challenging.
- We have purged and purged. We probably still have too many toys, but our kids do play with the ones specifically mentioned on a daily basis.
- We do have a small playroom, but it is upstairs and our kids almost never want to be in there. Is that normal? I mean, shouldn't kids like their playroom???
Hit me with your best advice, ideas, or suggestions. I'm ready to tackle the mess.
Hi Brandi...I have an idea for the costumes...what if you were to put each super hero into its own zippy type bag, the costume, the mask if it will fit and of course the ring!!! Then put all the zippy bags and the helmets that won't fit into the storage box. This way they can go through the bags and find the hero of the day and you won't have all the others everywhere. Just a thought...
ReplyDeletePam, I don't know why it has never occurred to me to pack each costume separately! I mean, that's how they come in the store. Hmm...I'll have to think through that. I'd have to find bags big enough to hold each one...I like that idea!
DeleteOh Brandi, we deal with all of these things on a daily basis except we're living in a space that sounds like it's much smaller than yours. We have about 1080 sq ft, and our laundry closet (yes, closet, not room) is smack in the middle of the kitchen. Sigh. It is chaotic, and I am constantly trying to find new ways to organize things, so yeah, I feel your pain! One thing I would say that I've learned through the whole process is that kids will play with whatever toys are available. So if there are a 1000 different toys, their little hands will touch ALL of them. If there are only 20 toys, they'll play with all of those as well but get more mileage out of each one. With that in mind, I've started putting some of their toys in totes in the garage or on high shelves in their rooms, and switching them out regularly. That helps with the massive mess some.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the playroom, I'm in the process of putting both kids in the same bedroom and turning the other bedroom into a playroom. HUGE process! We're having to create storage for super cheap, but I've got some great ideas (or at least they're great ideas in my head!) for storage and accessibility. Shelves, boxes, bins and more shelves. I saw a great post online about turning diaper boxes into storage bins, so I've been hoarding those for a little while now. The key for us is doing lots of vertical storage so that we have more room to play in the floor. I'll let you know how that goes. :)
About the hot wheels, there was another blog that I read where someone found an old coffee table on Craig's list, painted it, and bolted their train tracks to the table so that it didn't have to be taken down all of the time. I bet that you could do the same with the hot wheels track, minus bolting it down. Then you use a bin to slide underneath to store all the cars and other extra parts in.
For the costumes, we have the same problem at our house! I found another blog (love Pinterest!) where they used a simple shelf and attached what looks to be a towel bar underneath to serve as a "closet." The costumes were hung on hangers on the towel bar, and you can use the top of the shelf for a basket to put small pieces in, and/or a basket underneath the clothes in the floor. They also made a curtain that can be closed up around the shelf, but I haven't decided whether or not we'll do that yet. I'm a afraid a certain little boy will try to hang from it!
Well, I've said enough. I've got nothing for the laundry room, but if you come up with anything let me know! If you make any changes, be sure to post pictures!
Debbie! See, I knew from the moment we shared our hospital stay that we would be walking a similar road. I'm so glad to hear that another mom (whom I admire!) also struggles with these things. We also put our toys in bins and store them in the garage and only get out a couple at a time. This works great when I can take the toys out of the bin, but the mismatched bins in my living room are driving me bonkers. I like your idea about the costumes--I should check out Pinterest more.
DeleteI'm so impressed that you are switching your rooms around! I occasionally entertain that thought but then i get a headache and let it go. You should post before and after pics!
Gosh...the laundry! It seems by adding just two very small people in our house we easily quadrupled our laundry! I distinctly remember doing 2-3 loads once a week when it was just the two of us. Now, if I am good and change sheets and towels regularly, I could easily do 2-3 loads a day! Unfortunately, our towels and sheets don't get changed quite as often as I would like...
thanks so much for your input and sharing. I love love love how creative you are! I know I could learn so much from you!