So Many Toys, So Little Space.

Before and after- Practicing for the impending Christmas “toy tsunami.” 

It took be awhile to realize that every December I would get twitchy, itchy, and another word that starts with a “b” and also ends in “itchy” when I thought of all the stuff that would be invading my family room before the month’s end. Now that I have three kids, what I call the “toy tsunami” has become massive.

It finally dawned on me that if the new toys had a home, a place for them to be stored in the family room, even if they never actually get stored there, I can graciously accept cope with whatever items grandparents and aunts/uncles give my children.

Newest and/or most favorite toys stay in the family room since this is where my children do 90% of their playing. Toys that my children have outgrown or have no interest in go into the Craigslist/To Be Consigned bins (local spring consignment sales, like Kidstuff and Little Treasures, will be here soon). In addition to Goodwill, gently used toys can be donated to St. Joseph’s Children’s Home Thrift Store, Brooklawn, and local TAPP schools.

My goal for December is to have at least a few completely empty storage bins just waiting for all the new Matchbox cars, Barbies, Squinkies, Zoobles, and Marvel superheroes. (Of course, we don’t even want to discuss what my downstairs storage area looks like with all the “Craigslist/To Be Consigned” stuff.)
 
How do you organize your children’s toys?
 
Contributed by Carrie Vittitoe, parent-writer for Today’s Family magazine.