Great Purge 2020 - Post #4

Cleaning your house with kids home is like brushing your teeth while you eat an Oreo!

So, I waited until they were back in school for this next challenge.  

I hope your space is starting to feel lighter and more organized. 

For our health challenge this week, try making one new healthy recipe. We've been big on shrimp and veggie stir fry lately.  It's just shrimp, veggies of choice and whatever sauce we are in the mood for.  Lemon juice and herbs or something with a soy sauce base is always good. 

Now, for the cleaning portion of the challenge...

This week I challenge you to tackle your kids rooms! If you don't  have kids, pick a space that needs your attention or take a week off for some Rest.  Self care is also important. 

I know it's time to clean and purge their rooms because their things start to be pulled out into our space.  In other words, they don't  want to play in their rooms because they are a mess. Can anyone relate? 

You can tackle this job in a couple different ways.  You can go solo or you can involve the little mess makers in the action.  

I do a 2 part process.  I go in and do an initial purge and reorganization and then I have them come in and cut the piles down further.  

How to get them to help and to actually part with items....

Pick a group that you can donate to.  

Set a goal.  Maybe there is something they want.  Can you cut down in one area to make room for something else?  For example, my daughter wanted a doll one year.  Well, she needed to get rid of a set amount of stuff to get the one doll.  

If you are a garage sale person, let them sell their items to make their own money.  

Once the thinning out is done, remind them that it's a one in one out situation and stick to it.  If they want to bring a new toy in, an old toy has to go.  

The other thing that is important when tackling kids spaces is to make sure it is able to be maintained by them.  The system has to be quickly and easy.  

Here are some of the storage solutions we have found most helpful over the years.  

Stuffed animals...

We have used this bookcase without shelves with bungee cords run through holes to make a stuffed animal zoo.  This has worked great for several years.  It makes it easy to see what she wants without dumping.  It's tucked in her closet so it doesn't  bother me that they are a jumble.

We have also used an empty bean bag to store them.  This worked great but it was hard for her to get it zipped and she had to empty it out to find the one she wanted.  

Another super versatile tool is an over the door shoe bag.  I have used these to house small stuffed animals, cars, dress up accessories and shoes, barbies, and other small toys. 

For Lego, we have this cart.  My son is a Lego crazy kid!!  He keeps the sets on a tray while he is building.  Then, they go up on shelves if they are big or, 3 drawers in this cart are for completed builds.  The ones he is done with get broken apart and sorted by color, people and people accessories, wheels, and the bigger drawers are pieces to be sorted, manuals, and completed projects.  It has worked wonderfully for the past year.  I help him sort pieces when the sort drawer gets too full and otherwise he manages it himself.  The best part is he can roll it out to build by us or have quiet time to build in his room. It has been an awesome solution for us.  One of my projects is to make labels but he seems to be doing fine with the "temporary" colored dot stickers.  It's almost been a year.  ;)

Dress up.  I have done hooks and over the door shoe holders and a special rack.  Honestly, what has worked best is a small tub of shoe bag for accessories and a large tub formal the costumes.  Its kid friendly and makes for quick pick up.  

I could go on and on.  I think being a teacher has forced me to face just about every toy and find a storage solution.  Being a mom made me take that a step further.   What are your challenges in your kids room? 

Coming up on the blog...

This week and next week I'll be posting a final December Daily Walk through.  I'll let you know how I decided to tackle memory keeping this year and what's new in that department.  I'll also show you our latest project...managing the American Girl "stuff."  And... I have a birthday party to get ready for and a house full of people coming.  Yay!  Bring it on.  ;)  

I hope you are all staying warm and finding time to make a Merry Mess.