When my kids were younger I used to rotate their toys. When I started to see that there were certain toys they were neglecting, I put them away and would pull other ones out that had been stored.
Rotating your kids toys solves two problems: it helps to reduce toy clutter and it also keeps them interested in their toys longer. Whenever I would pull out a “new” toy that had been stored away for awhile, it was literally like they were seeing this toy for the first time.
Another good idea for toy rotation is to create a special basket of …read more

When it comes to keeping those toys organized, I have found that if my kids have organizing pieces in their room that they enjoy looking at, then they will be more likely to use them.
I just put a new cube organizer in my daughter’s room and she loves it and actually uses it to keep her things organized! It’s a wonderful thing.
That’s why I love this Sassy Flower Pop Up toy organizer. It has an adorable pattern and it’s something that is fun and easy for kids to use.
Kids could store anything from stuffed animals, blocks or clothes. It also …read more

I’ve mentioned this tip before, but with Christmas in just a few days, I felt it was appropriate to bring it up again.
A great way to keep toy clutter under control is to have the one toy in, one toy out rule. This means that every time your child gets a new toy, he/she has to decide on one to get rid of and donate to someone else. Not only does this cut down on the toy clutter, but it teaches your kids to let go of things and give to those who are less fortunate than they are.
Every year …read more

Just a little quick note to let all of you know that I am going back to my weekly topic posts. After stepping away from it for awhile, I missed it and realized what a great thing it is for me to have a certain topic to write on on a specified day. I also have received some emails that said “Bring Motivate Me Mondays and the others back!” Sounds good to me!
For those of you that are new and have no clue what I am talking about, lol, here is a list of my Monday through Friday topics:

Motivate Me …read more

A Tame Those Toys Thursday Post
Watch this video clip about a nifty little way to organize your child’s room with bins. She “labels” the bins for children who can’t read in a very fun and different way.

A Tame Those Toys Thursday Post
I am a huge advocate of using every square inch of a room for storage, expecially since we live in a small house. I’ve had to get very creative.
One area that I love to store things in my kids’ rooms is under the bed. Now, my boys’ room is very unique. They have bunk beds and a wall bed in their room. Yes, a wall bed. I absolutely love it!
My older son was sleeping on the top bunk but he said his brother kept shaking the bed evry time he would roll over, so he …read more

A Tame Those Toys Thursday Post
Keeping kids’ toys organized can really be such a pain. Now, before I show you my favorite products, let me just say that it doesn’t matter what products you buy. If you don’t first have some key principles in place with your kids and their toys, you will always have an out of control mess on your hands. Here are a few things to follow:
1. Put back what you are playing with before you get something else out.
2. Go through their toys before big present events like birthdays and Christmas and help them choose toys …read more

A Tame Those Toys Thursday Post
How many of you have your kids help out around the house? This is something I had to really work on. I know that may sound crazy, but I like things done around the house my way. I want to look in my linen closet and see all the towels folded the same way. I want to look in my kitchen cabinets and see all the dishes put in the “right” spot. I want to look in my pantry and see all the breakfast food on the breakfast food shelf.
But as my kids …read more

I was doing a student-led conference with my daughter for the end of the school year. The teacher sent home test results, a list of all the books she read and a list of questions for us to answer together. Three of the questions got me thinking:

What educational activities do you have planned for the summer?
What things do you feel you need to work on this summer to help prepare you for next year?
How many books do you plan on reading this summer?

Now I am all about a lazy summer! We swim, visit family, meet with friends, go on vacation. …read more

Here are some of the greatest tips I have heard, read, or made up myself when it comes to organizing kids’ spaces. Sometimes it’s the simplest little tip that helps the most!

Put up a cork board in your kids’ rooms to display their artwork instead of letting it take over the refrigerator. Kids are proud of their work and should be able to display it. This way everyone is happy.
Have the whole family do a 5 minute quick clean every morning and night. This helps control clutter. Keeping a house looking neat should not take hours and hours. Preventive maintenance …read more