Hello lovelies! Are you still with us? Or have you been lost in an avalanche of coloring books, video games and legos? Because we’re back with this series, and today we’re foraging deeper into the realm of all things kids stuff. It’s a dangerous path, but somebody’s gotta do it. And it can feel kind of amazing when you’re all done!
This week’s post is a little bit of an extension of last week’s so if you need a little more perspective on purging children’s spaces, we definitely touched more on it in depth, here. We spaced it out so we could keep our sanity, all while truly making a change.
And because you said it better than us:
…Every time I go into my kids’ rooms with the intent to harvest the crap, I feel like Luke Skywalker in that trash compactor thing – with all the thousand random giant weird things floating around me and a possible monster waiting to stretch out its tentacles and eat me. Thanks for the encouragement to soldier on! – Maryann C.
She nailed it. This is exactly how we feel.
And that monster thing was always so terrifying as a child. Sometimes, I still have nightmares about it.
We went for our umpteenth purging round this time… you know the one you mean to get to before Christmas, but then you run out of time because, Christmas?
By the time we hit the playroom, it was night time, we were delirious, and we officially thought that if we had to make one more tiny little decision, we just might lose it. I was in the zone. So then we rewarded ourselves with some therapeutic Thai food and a good movie, because, duh, no one should ever do this without rewarding themselves.
We cleaned about three bags out of each space, and shamefully enough, this is on our regular rotation. The truth of the matter is, with kids, it is what it is.
So here’s a few things to remember on {And don’t forget this post if you’re just diving in!} Purging the playroom:
1. Keep it real.
Remember my bit about the two tiny wooden toys whilst living in a minimalist modern all white house, gazing at the Alps with my newly freed body, mind and soul? As much as I would love that, I think that there’s also plenty of time for it later in life. We’re celebrating life and childhood now. We are intentional, and we filter it out, but we also enjoy our home and our children. We celebrate holidays, birthdays and family. We let our children have toys, and we’ve let go of the guilt and ideals of perfection that can come with having a home. So the sooner you can let go of it all and accept it for what it is, do it.
We talked a little about our vision in our first post here, but stick with that. You can’t lose. Your sanity, home and children will thank you for it.
2. Get creative with your limitations.
And be smart with your space. Once upon a time, our playroom looked like this. And by playroom, I mean third bedroom in our home. We moved the boys in together, so that we could create a little space for play. This was great for babies and toddlers. We worked with what we had. But even then, we didn’t really have a lot of storage for all their stuff.
The one tiny closet for storage was always crammed, and we could never really find anything. So the more our kiddos grew, the more their needs changed. We realized it was time to find a solution for the games, toys, and just a space where they could be. In their space of their home.
We now have a great space with edited belongings, where they know what they have. So if you work with what you have and look for creative solutions, you’ll love your home more for it.
In our playroom closet, we’d made an effort with more space, but it just wasn’t working. So we knocked out the wall and made a walk through closet to the boys’ room. It easily houses the majority of their toys.
What was once pure chaos, now has a rhyme and reason.
Which leads me to…
3. Rethink it, if it’s not working
Don’t be afraid to tweak the tweaks. Those cardboard boxes were a great idea, and a major money saver in the beginning. When we did the entire space at once, the storage didn’t become a money suck when we used something simple. But with three rambunctious children, after a little over a year, those boxes had taken a pretty bad beating. Don’t be afraid to mix it up a little, even if you were attached to the old system. We rounded up some basic plastic boxes on sale at target, and now the kids can see exactly what’s inside.
We’ll add labels down the line, but they don’t always have to look fashionably fantastic to work. {Yes, it pains me to admit that.} When it comes to holding our toys, we have plenty of pretty, and functional that sit oh so nicely on shelves. But sometimes it’s okay if they’re just functional, too.
So without further ado… the zones:
Toys:
Again, more on this last week, but find a system that works for your family. Whether it’s a box for super heroes, or a container for all of the cars/barbies/weapons. Find what works, and go with it. We’ve found that our kids are now old enough to keep it clean, in a real organizational manner, and take ownership of it. Organized, sectioned off toys in containers help.
Make it easier for them with some fun labels here and here!
For legos: more on this last week, but while most of those sets are in the boys’ room, we keep bins in the closet, and finished sets on their closet shelves. We cleared off a few areas so they could have those spaces just for their finished pieces. At least they’re up and out of the way, but all is not lost when they’re ready to come back to them.
{We keep their clothes in our family closet here.}
Games:
Digital: One of the things that have made a big difference in our space, is providing sections even when things aren’t orderly. At least they have a place to put things, and they usually stay that way. If you have a predesignated space for video games, movies, or whatever you need in your kids’ space, the easier your life will be.
In their little storage cubbies, we keep their games, controllers and all the other pieces {See: Disney Infinity} in one spot. We’ve even taken on the whole DVD holder thing for games {that we mentioned here} as a major space saver. They know where things need to go, and really have no excuse to scatter them all.
Board games: A lot of people are big fans of separating everything out from the boxes and keeping them organized in little plastic containers. I am a big game dork and like to keep the original boxes, but have everything neat in little baggies within each box. We keep them corralled in these two cubbies, so that they know where to find whatever they’re looking for. This may change for us as our collection grows over the years. Whether it’s one approach, or the other, or something in the middle… find whatever works for you and go with it. It feels so good to keep it all contained, so that you know where it is!
Puzzles: Keep all those pieces corralled. I know. That sentence makes me a little ragey. This task is enough to make even the soundest of minds completely lose it. We’ve found that our youngest has officially outgrown our last board puzzle, and that made me a little weepy. Yep, I’m a sap like that. But I was also totally okay with donating them to a better place, whilst residing in the inner piece that I wouldn’t have to search for all the pieces again. And then I remembered the jigsaw puzzles.
Books:
We keep the majority of our books in our homeschool space, but also love having them scattered {sensibly} about our home. One can never have enough books in our world. So we deliberately keep some on various shelves, and on the coffee table. Most of their little kid/non-school books can be found in here, but we find that moving them around whenever we purge, and storing them in different ways… from baskets to bookends… helps peek their interest when they find something they didn’t know they had. It’s like a library right at their fingertips.
Stuffed animals:
While most of these wee beasties reside in their rooms, we deliberately clear the floors, and purge these guys often. We love little baskets and trunks to keep them together, so they’re not always dominating the furniture tops or floor spaces. Things can feel cluttered quickly when then floors aren’t cleared. Everyone’s approach to this will be different, but may the force be with you. I think we all need all the help we can get with such attoricities beloved things.
It makes more space for the important things… like feeding Olaf to the dinosaurs. Complete with a singing soundtrack that varies by scene. {My very favorite thing.}
We hope this helps a little with getting your bootays into gear! We certainly need all the help we can get, so it’s kinda fun for us too, that we’re holding ourselves accountable with this series.
Do lists make you feel better? We have this weeks’ collection for kids spaces, ready to go! {kids spaces blank, donationsheet-kids, organization-kids-playroom}
We’ll be fine tuning said freebies each week to go hand in hand with each post, and we love the fact that they work seamlessly with our free planner printables! Be sure to check those out, too with getting your booty into gear for the new year.
#thelazygalsguide There’s strength in numbers, so don’t forget to share on instagram with a hashtag. This is a judge free zone. You’re seeing our messes. Now we want to see yours! Post the pretty and the ugly. You guys inspire us, and we can’t wait to see your struggles and your triumphs! Go ahead and share.
We’re inspired by you and can’t wait to see! What are some things you’ve tackled lately in those spaces? We can’t wait to hear your tips and tricks!
Lindy says
Tackling their playroom this weekend! I love your ideas – they’re just perfect. Thanks for the honesty and inspiration
Jenna says
I can totally relate to this especially the Star Wars scene- I may cry when I finally get to it but it will so be worth it!
Maryann C says
Wow! I feel so honored to be quoted!
Annie says
I know it seems like a lot to do and going into a ‘star wars’ like playroom is daunting but enjoy every minute of this growing up process. In a blink of an eye, your children will be 17, 22 and 25 and you will be longing for a playroom to purge.
ashley @ the handmade home says
Definitely Annie! We talked a lot about that in last week’s post definitely not taking anything for granted!
Andrea @ MouseInMyPocket.com says
Wow! You have been busy. I’m still doing little bits in my living room. Of course, without kids I have the luxury of taking more time with my living spaces. And, I’m very bad about doing one part of a room and jumping to another. I cleaned out all of my kitchen cabinets yesterday, which had nothing to do with my living room space, but I was glad to see what food we have. It will help with planning meals. I guess I should get back to working on the living room, but I’m still trying to come up with a good and inexpensive way to store and display my quilts.
Sarah says
Lovely! We have a small apartment (>800 sq ft) and the kids have to live with a play area in the space intended as the breakfast nook and a bit of space in the study. You’ve actually inspired me to tweak things a bit and write a blog post about how we make it work! <3