Let’s get a GRIP on the “Little People!!”

The Toy Factor

As our children continue to get more toys with each holiday, birthday, vacations, grandparent visits, and all other various let’s overwhelm with noise toys occasions, space becomes a hot commodity. And, clutter overwhelmingly relevant.

What’s a poor Mom to do?

Well…first, she MUST bring balance back into the home. It may be time to get rid of old toys. If there are toys that are broken…games and puzzles with missing pieces…they can be thrown away or at the very least showcased in your next garage sale.

A good idea is to set aside a quarterly schedule…maybe with the seasons…that you go through all of the “little people’s” toys and decide what needs to be tossed, given away, or sold. This can be a month or so before birthdays and your family’s special gift giving occasions. However, if you wait until after they get new things, they might be more willing to part with the older toys.

It is important to keep the lines of communication open and talk to the children, if they are old enough to understand. Let them help decide which toys they might want to let go of. Get them involved in the process. Give them an opportunity to search for things they can bless others with (maybe even their younger brother or sister). You may also want to encourage them to look for toys to sell in your next garage sale and let them keep the money.

Something to keep in mind, especially with the younger children, is to give them time to adjust to the idea of giving things away. Young children can often be generous with their things, but then later realize they gave away a “favorite” toy. Let them practice for a few days, or even weeks. Put the things away in a box where they can’t get them. If they seem to be OK without them, they are probably ready to begin a long life of giving!

It is an awesome thing to encourage our children to share their blessings by donating some of their nicer toys, books and games. This is a great way of not only reducing the clutter in your home, but also helping someone less fortunate.

Playroom Chaos Preventers

It is a known fact that when kids play chaos comes.

How do we keep the order???

Well, you can start with sorting through all the toys and finding the things that they never play with anymore. Have they outgrown them? Are the broken? Make piles of things to toss, give away or sell. Sort the toys by type and then you can decide if you need to change the way they are stored. You may not have to get anything new; you may have enough containers that are not being used around the house.

Label everything.

Make signs, either with words, pictures or both, and attach them to the various containers and shelves. Your “little people” then have a clear guide for putting things away. It also helps find their toys more easily when chaos is not present.

Divide. Conquer. And Organize!

Another way to help reduce the chaos is to reduce the number of toys in the room. Divide the toys into groups, some to pack away for a time, and some to have out. Store them in a closet, garage, or anywhere that they will be out of site and out of mind. When the time comes to swap the sets of toys, it’s almost like getting new toys without buying anything else. Go figure! LOL!!

Good Storage Prevents Chaos

Changing the way the toys are stored can also be helpful. By having easy access containers, the kids can put things away more easily. Younger children can have a hard time with lids, but there are nice fabric containers that are flexible and are safe for them. Some of these come designed to look like animals or people and are a lot of fun. Baskets are an attractive way to keep the playroom organized as well. Oh, and those clear plastic containers are a wonderful idea too. The “little people” can actually see what is in them before digging through the whole thing and causing chaos.

To Stuff or Not to Stuff…THAT is the question!

I am the Mother of girls…so I do not know what it is like for Moms of boys…LOL…but man, Stuffed animals seem to multiply like rabbits. I mean we have stuffed animals of every breed, species, and color imaginable! There are a few options for corralling these tyrants of the playroom. However, we will give it a try!

There are Velcro poles and clip chains that the smaller ones can be attached to. You could get an old hammock and set them up in style by attaching it to the ceiling and tossing carefully them into it. This is a GREAT way to save floor space! Another option is to tuck them in a corner where they will not take up as much space.

Endings are Such Sweet Sorrow…

In closing, the main idea is to keep the “little people” under control! LOL!! We need to maintain the order every day. Out with the chaos and in with organization! Get the kids into a new habit of only getting one thing out at a time and putting it back “home” when they are finished playing with it. If we unite as parents we may break the cycle of creating more organizationally challenged people!! ROFL!

OK, PLEASE share any tips for organizing the “little people” and their space….

Copyright © Thou Shalt Clean!

Two Simple Steps to Help you Clean and Organize Your Closet:

Step One: Go through each closet in your home. Sort all items into four piles; keepers, sell, donate and toss. You might surprise yourself in how much space you can find just by removing things you never use. Once you have sorted all closet contents into piles, decide if there is a better place to store some of the items. If you have seasonal or keepsake items, consider putting them in plastic containers in the garage.

Step Two: Now you need to decide what will be stored in each closet. This will help you decide what type of storage system is best. You may need something different for each closet. There are closet organizers that you can buy. There are also services that can help you choose the best closet organizer to fit your needs.

Closet Organizers at a Glance:

The main types of closet storage are rods for clothes hangers, shelves, baskets and drawers. There is a closet organizer for every budget. You will want to start by measuring your closet space. Then, you are ready to go shopping for the things you need to get your closet organized.

One of the easiest and cheapest options is to get an adjustable bracket system. You hang the metal rods with slots on the sides of the closet. Then, all you need to do is place the support brackets where you want shelves. Wood shelves are easy to cut to size. Most home improvement stores will cut the pieces to size for you for a small fee. Then you can paint or stain the shelves if you wish.

There are also plastic shelving units that snap together and can be placed inside the closet. They aren’t as adjustable, and you cannot decorate them as easily. However, they are sturdy and take no tools to put together.

If you prefer a more permanent closet storage option, there are companies that can build a unit right into the closet. They combine clothes rods, shelves, drawers, boxes and baskets.

Regardless of which closet organizer you choose, it will take time, patience, determination and effort to get your closets organized and maximize your storage space…especially if you are already organizationally challenged. However, clean and well designed closets will make you feel good about yourself and you will smile every time you open your closet because you have accomplished something!

Copyright © Thou Shalt Clean!

Well, if you are organizationally challenged then getting your home organized is a chore all in itself. However, for a wannabe keeping it organized can be the biggest challenge!

I have some good news for the determined…with some work and forced cooperation from the rest of the family, it will be easier. It takes time to get used to new habits, but with nagging gentle reminders, everyone will be on their was to the cleaning zone.

One thing that will help keep things running smoothly is to create some daily routines. Even though in a perfect world everything should have a place, it takes a lot of effort to get it there. So staying on top of things is crucial to your new system working.

Here are some creative ways you can keep the whole family involved:

Charts are Us - Create a chart showing all the rooms in your house and all the family members (even the little ones). Each family member can be responsible for making sure a specific area is clutter free each day at a pre-established time. You can provide a basket for each person. They will go through their area with it and throw anything in it that isn’t supposed to be there. Once they have filled their basket, they can start putting things away…and start again if there is a big mess.

The Gathering Place - If you have more than one story, running up and down stairs all day to put things away can get old pretty fast. One way to help is to keep a box at the top and bottom of the stairs where people can put things they find that belong on another floor. At the end of the day, or when the box is full, the things can all be put back where they belong.

Little People Can Organize Too - Even the youngest members of the family can help. Labeling things, at least at first, will help your little people remember where things go. If they are too young to read, try a picture. You can save it from the original package or find one similar in a magazine. At the younger ages, they actually LIKE to help in most cases, so this should be “fun” for them.

Make a Mole Hill out of a Mountain - Yeah, you read it right. LOL! Clothes pile up real fast no matter how much laundry you do, the pile just keeps growing. It has a mind of its own. One way to help is to designate a place for all the dirty clothes. You can label the laundry baskets for white, darks and colors. Everyone can then put their own clothes in the baskets. When a basket is full, it’s time to wash. This is also a great way to teach the little ones colors and organization skills.

Remember, consistency is the key to successfully keeping your home clean. It also requires team effort! So, think of creative ways to get the whole family involved and then not only will you have less of a load to carry…you will help break the cycle of the wannabes!

Copyright © Thou Shalt Clean

Storage units and organizers are your friend! Today, you can find MANY different patterns and looks for your storage needs.  There are under-the-bed boxes and drawers, bins and wickers, wall or door hanging storage untis, and even closet organizers.  You can mix and match. Get your kid involved by letting them choose the colors and styles for their storage supplies…within YOUR budget, of course!

Once you get your storage supplies, talk to your children about how they would like the room to look. Let them be involved in the organizingof their room.  This will give them a sense of accomplishment when they are done and may even help them KEEP it organized…ROFL!

Getting the laundry organized can even be fun. If you have a boy, you may want to consider setting up a basketball hoop above their open dirty clothes basket.  By attaching one to the wall above the hamper, clean up turns into a game for them.  If you have a girl, you may want to buy a pretty princess laundry basket…or make one together. Be creative and get them involved. THAT is the key!

Use as much as you can in as many ways as you can think of.  Some chairs and benches have a cushion attached to a lid that when lifted up can store stuff.  This is ideal for stuffed animals, dress up, baby dolls, trucks, etc. It also gives your child a nice place to sit. 

Once you get your child’s room organized, find creative ways to help him or her keep it organized.  Keep it fun. Keep them involved. Keep them accountable. And, be sure and REWARD them for their efforts!

Copyright © Thou Shalt Clean