In her book "Simplify Your Life : 100 Ways to Slow Down and Enjoy the Things That Really Matter" Elaine St James tells readers to unclutter their lives. Get rid of everything that isn't used or important. I look at all of my son's old toys, some that have never been used, and I'm not sure I can get rid of any of them.
In this cold, dark place in my heart lives my Worrier voice. She warns me that the second I get rid of something my son will want it. He'll scream and cry that we threw part of him away, and that he NEEDS it to survive. I can't stand the thought of giving away his potentially favorite toy in the whole wide world. Isn't this crazy?? Is it crazy?
Still, the problem of too many things lingers. If I can't give any away I'll need to find a way to store them. High and low, fast and slow, I've been given a lot of advice and reviewed many MANY products. Here are the Top Three for Nate's 3rd Birthday.
1. SHOE RACK
Children's shoes are like socks, you eventually end up missing one. You might find it a few weeks later stuffed in the downstairs toilet, or buried out back in the sandbox. A shoe rack will not only keep shoes together, but it will help your floors stay cleaner.
We've been using a shoe rack for about seven months and it has really made things less hectic when we're heading out of the house. I used to spend upwards of twenty minutes finding socks and shoes for everyone. Now the shoes are right where they are supposed to be, and as long as I get to the laundry the socks are too. =)
2. STORAGE BINS
We have several HUGE Rubbermaid storage containers. In them are clothes, toys, clothes, toys, clothes and toys. I guess they'd be alright for clothes or toys too.
One of the best tips I ever got was to box up toys and switch the ones the kids were playing with every couple of weeks. Obviously there are some toys that are special, that will always be available, but for the ones that end up in the corner under a peanut butter sandwich...they can wait in a box for a month or two without breaking any hearts.
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