Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

We're in the midst of doing some pretty serious decluttering and reorganizing. We also have some home improvement projects on the horizon. Because we don't have a lot of disposable income (like none) it is difficult to actually FINISH a project. There is always little details that need to be done. But reorganizing and donating things are free, so we've set some goals in that area.

We moved all of the boys into one bedroom. The baby still sleeps with us -- probably will for quite a bit longer -- but the crib and a bunk bed are in the boys' room, along with a dresser and diapering items.

What used to be the nursery (Charlie's room) is now the play room. We've moved all of the toys from all corners of the house into this room, bought a big rug for the floor and have plans to build a large shelving system in the closet. We have thoughts of buying the boys a train table/trains and a play kitchen for Christmas to kind of round out what we have in there. While searching for kitchens online (to kind of see how much they are) I ran across a really cool idea for how to make your own play kitchen that is even better than what you might find at the store or on Craigslist. It is brilliant, and we are scouting out run down entertainment centers so we can be Santa's little elves this December.

Compared to the amount of toys that I had as a kid (which was a lot, compared to what my parents had), my children have too much. They have so much stuff that they don't even know what to do with it. I have learned with John that he likes to play with things in a way that it was not intended to be played with. For his birthday I got him a Cranium, Jr. game where you have to use a key to unlock little doors, using clues, to find rubber balls hiding inside. He played the game twice, then started carrying the balls around in a bucket. Then he tracked down my container of push pins and stuck about twenty pins in each of the balls. He calls them his "spiky balls" and he takes them with him everywhere. Right now their favorite playthings are hangers -- they love to throw them up into the trees (and the roof) and spin them on their fingers). The best toys we have had, the ones that have lasted the longest without being buried somewhere in the backyard or garage, have been simple things like wooden blocks or giant legos.

I'm hoping by having just one room for all of their playthings, I'll be able to keep better track of what they have, take better care of it, and get rid of the things that are just sitting around and making messes. If I can only get it through my head that for my kids, less is more. And for me, less is less mess -- which is what saves my hide in the long run.