Before the tree and decorations went up I set about having a good clean up, I knew the tree would be up for a month – six weeks and I wouldn’t be able to clean up properly around it, I certainly wasn’t going to move the tree each time I hoovered and moped the floor.
This meant I had to move the furniture, clean under the sofas and clear out some of the toys – well I didn’t have to but it was a good excuse. The toys which accumulate under the sofa is unbelievable, game pieces, puzzle pieces, odd socks, plates and even food. Just how the kids manage it I will never know but I do try to have a clear out under there every week or so. In the Pre-Christmas tidy up I threw away puzzles which have had pieces missing for ages, games which are unplayable due to missing counters etc and broken toys, all to make room for the new ones which I new were heading our way over the festive period.
The children were spoilt again as they always are, it happens when you have a big family – although we are guilty of buying too much for them ourselves.
I have now since School has returned started to make room for these presents and boy is that a job in itself!
To make room I’m needing to sort through all the toy areas properly, easier said than done when toys align the back wall of my kitchen, the playroom area and now I’m moving some into the kids bedrooms too.
This is both good and bad – the kids love having toys in their rooms but they also make a mess which needs tidying up before bedtimes incase they awake in the night and step on something.
We have purpose built storage in Harry’s bedroom as it is a small box room so his is uniquely shelved out meaning all toys are on display.
Emmy’s on the other hand has fitted wardrobes and units, this is great as we can hide some of her toys away, sadly she has so much in her room it is hard to open the wardrobe doors to access those toys due to keeping her bookcase in the corner of the room against the door – this is too heavy for her to move alone so I’m looking at different options to solve this problem, one option is contemporary and modern sliding door wardrobes which would mean they would slide open instead of being pulled so she wouldn’t need to move the furniture.
Another option I have would be to change the TV she has in her room for a wall mounted TV/DVD player instead. She has my old TV/DVD player in there as it seemed silly to throw away, the kids like to pull up their mini arm chairs and watch a movie in there while I do the upstairs cleaning or if they are feeling poorly. By doing this I could use that space to keep her books and remove the mini sling bookcase altogether.
Either way there will be more toys again in a few weeks for her birthday and I will need to start all over again.
Do you have any clever storage ideas for keeping the extra toys hidden away?
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Clare
Hi, I'm Clare (Emmy's Mummy). A former Nanny and Mother of 2 - Emmy (born February 2010) and Harry (born October 2012). We are Essex based and share our adventures and misadventures of a busy crazy life.
Can you come and do mine? We have no kids and I am still attempting to tidy up x
I wish I had a solution to this problem. I tried getting big baskets and chests but it doesn't really work… kids hardly ever put them away 🙁
I really enjoy a good clear out and organisation – it's just finding time for it that is tricky!
I love having a good clear up after Christmas! We have a few of the IKEA storage shelves with the plastic tubs which keep everything neat and tidy.
We tend to just go to Ikea and design what storage we need. Good luck with finding homes for all the toys.
Well done you! I REALLY need to do this.
I so need to start on the toy storage again. It is hard to know where to put it all!
Storage is always a problem for us. Lots of toys go under the children's beds or in boxes. Christmas and birthdays mean they are spoiled yet the toys they already have are played with regularly so I can't seem to get rid of them. Good for the children but a nightmare to tidy. No secret solutions here, I'm afraid.
It is a constant battle in our house to glean a little more space in the kids rooms by clearing out some toys, no sooner than I do it's a birthday again which means more toys!
I'm currently looking at getting some storage built in under my stairs just to try and find a home for all their toys.
It gets easier as they get older I think and you have some big things but not so many little things around everywhere. I like boxes and drawers for putting things away….
I need to have a major toy clear out! We just have an ikea unit and boxes in the living room. x
I dread to think what's lurking under my sofas right now! We have a small house and storage is a big issue for us. Fred has a toy box but the bigger toys and trucks won't fit in, so the house is permanently a mess!! xxx Thou Shalt Not Covet
I have just wrote a post about organising my home too. It is so frustrating trying to find a nice way to organise without it looking overcrowded.
http://www.frommummytomum.co.uk/organising-house/
Can you come and do mine? We have no kids and I am still attempting to tidy up x
I wish I had a solution to this problem. I tried getting big baskets and chests but it doesn't really work… kids hardly ever put them away 🙁
I really enjoy a good clear out and organisation – it's just finding time for it that is tricky!
I love having a good clear up after Christmas! We have a few of the IKEA storage shelves with the plastic tubs which keep everything neat and tidy.
We tend to just go to Ikea and design what storage we need. Good luck with finding homes for all the toys.
Well done you! I REALLY need to do this.
I so need to start on the toy storage again. It is hard to know where to put it all!
Storage is always a problem for us. Lots of toys go under the children's beds or in boxes. Christmas and birthdays mean they are spoiled yet the toys they already have are played with regularly so I can't seem to get rid of them. Good for the children but a nightmare to tidy. No secret solutions here, I'm afraid.
It is a constant battle in our house to glean a little more space in the kids rooms by clearing out some toys, no sooner than I do it's a birthday again which means more toys!
I'm currently looking at getting some storage built in under my stairs just to try and find a home for all their toys.
It gets easier as they get older I think and you have some big things but not so many little things around everywhere. I like boxes and drawers for putting things away….
I need to have a major toy clear out! We just have an ikea unit and boxes in the living room. x
I dread to think what's lurking under my sofas right now! We have a small house and storage is a big issue for us. Fred has a toy box but the bigger toys and trucks won't fit in, so the house is permanently a mess!! xxx Thou Shalt Not Covet