High Straightenence by Tracy Benjamin
A weekly column celebrating the neat freak in all of us.
Organizing Goal of 2012 : sort thru Cooper’s toys & clothes that he’s outgrown=1/2 DONE!
When I was pregnant with Cooper, I had the foresight to buy this IKEA bookshelf & a bunch of sturdy brown storage bins from Target (they were from the dorm section!) because I knew that with kids comes clutter. If only I knew what a pain in the butt it would be keep on top of organizing my kid’s toys! I’ve been hiding most of the chaos under those bins for awhile. Now it’s time to get motivated and sort through it all!
Yesterday morning I set a timer for an hour to see how much I could accomplish. After the hour was up, I KEPT GOING and after two total hours I had a lot to show for it. Hooray for perseverance!
So you can see above what the shelves looked like. A mess! I HATE it when books aren’t displayed nicely. It drives me CRAZY. Because we’re busy parents we don’t always get around to putting the books back nicely, hopefully will be better about that now that we have a clean slate.
Here’s a corner of stuff. There’s really no rhyme or reason for it. I already spy 3 things that Cooper doesn’t play with.
I took all the bins off of the bookshelves and surveyed the situation.
The toys are concealed but you can never find what you are looking for!
So I put some music on and started sorting. I made little piles of things, sat in the middle and just went to town going through each of the bins.
Examples of piles: GADGETS, BLOCKS, ROGUE PARTS, BALLS, PEOPLE TOYS, ETC.
Ahh the letter/magnet/block situation. These things LITTER MY HOUSE. Hopefully now I’ll be able to reign them in.
The second I find one in the house, I’m bringing it directly upstairs.
When I was sorting the train/train track situation, I decided to put all the trains in a small pouch so we can easily find all the parts when we’re playing trains.
After about 40 minutes, I came up with a plan of how I was going to use each bin.
I also decided to put all the blocks/letter cards/magnets in one easy to access bin.
On the top part of the bookshelf, I have a little caddy where I put all of Cooper’s toiletry items.
Meds, hair brushes, thermometer…etc. It’s been FOREVER since I went through this.
I got rid of a bunch of expired/unnecessary items (we don’t need butt cream anymore) and found a surplus of a few things.
This is the worst part of organizing. Finding out that your disorganization meant that you bought multiples because you had no idea what you had in your house! I hate that.
Ahh nice & neat! Now I know where to find what I’m looking for in a pinch.
And this little bookshelf we have…it was such a mess inside so I decided to go through it and get rid of a bunch of books.
Cooper has outgrown a bunch of them. Although it’s sad to say goodbye, I know that some other child will enjoy them just as much as he did.
OK so here’s my BIG TIP.
I really wanted to take a picture of what was inside each bin, have the picture laminated and stick it on the outside of each bin so that it would be obvious what was inside. I thought that it would help Cooper with the whole sorting process. BUT I realized that my dream was keeping me from actually starting the project. I let that task hang me up. So I bit the bullet and labeled the outside of the bins with masking tape & a sharpie. It doesn’t look that bad!
Here’s the AFTER!!!!
Wait. Let’s have the BEFORE for you to see:
I put Cooper’s Fire Station on the top of the bookshelf. It’s out of his reach on purpose. The fire station has been in my office since he got it for Christmas and he has a habit of taking all of the furniture and parts out and spreading them throughout the house. Now I’m the one who is in charge! I just spared SOO many future messes with that trick.
The masking tape isn’t such a big deal, right?
The books are nicely organized now. That makes me feel much better.
Over near his bed, I fixed up the tool bench.
There’s some function to each shelf. Hopefully we can keep in clean.
This is what I’m left with. A bag to donate, one for trash & a collection of stuff to sell.
This is just the start. We have more stuff in the basement to deal with & his clothes to sort out (which is another post entirely).
But here’s one thing I’m trying to deal with. We have a bunch of stuffed animals that all have sentimental value. I am the one who wants to keep them BUT Cooper is totally not a stuffed animal kid (except for his Curious Georges).
That’s something I have yet to figure out….but for now, they are all contained in this corner bin.
So that’s it. That gives us a good start on keeping his room cleaned & organized. When he came home from preschool this afternoon he was super excited. He loved all of the labels and asked me what each one of them said. We made a point to put everything back where it belonged before he went to bed so hopefully he’ll learn these good habits.
I should note that I put some of his toys in his closet so I can rotate them into play a few weeks from now. It keeps him less bored!
joythebaker February 15, 2012 at 9:21 am
um… don’t you always need butt cream?
Aimee @ Simple Bites February 15, 2012 at 10:14 am
That’s what I was going to say…
Courtney February 15, 2012 at 10:21 am
you would say that Joy
Elizabeth February 15, 2012 at 12:44 pm
My daughter is almost seven and still needs butt (we call it butt-docks) cream. On occasion…..
Tracy February 15, 2012 at 2:03 pm
Hmmmm. Good to know! Our butt cream expired!
Tracy February 15, 2012 at 2:15 pm
i can’t wait to talk to you about butt cream one day…
CobyLyn February 15, 2012 at 10:20 am
Please come help me sort my craft room? And my hubster could use that butt cream…
Jennifer February 15, 2012 at 10:25 am
Looks great! And yes, the masking tape looks fine.
Nikkol February 15, 2012 at 10:35 am
Where did you get that baby organizer thing?
Tracy February 15, 2012 at 2:15 pm
I think it’s a skip hop container!
RLR at Mom's Magic February 15, 2012 at 10:40 am
Wow – that looks great! And I think the masking tape is just fine!
I hear you on the stuffed animals. We had a garage sale back in November, and I was tearful as my husband and I organized the night before the sale. We were really getting rid of the stuffed animals? Most had belonged to our son – who only has one cherished stuffy and a couple others that he’s not ready to part with. Our daughter, on the other hand, can’t get enough stuffies! Some of hers had to go, too, though. It’s hard, because I associate the stuffed animal with the memory of when we got it or who gave it as a gift. But my kids don’t necessarily think of them that way, and I have to realize that I don’t expect others to keep every gift I give them for forever, so why should these clutter up our home forever? By the way – we made over $400 at that garage sale
I’m planning to continue the purge of our kids’ toys, just as soon as the guest room is under control. The in-laws arrive on Friday – got to get a move on!
Tracy February 15, 2012 at 2:14 pm
Wow! $400 is great!
My mom threw out this big stuffed bear that I had as a kid (probably because it took up a bunch of room) and I felt outraged for at least a decade. So I’m a little sensitive to it!
Graylin February 15, 2012 at 10:47 am
ooooo I totally have that grey basket— World Market?!?!?
@graylinsample
yepindeed.com
Tracy February 15, 2012 at 2:12 pm
TOTES! My friend used it as a baby shower gift (she packed all of the best bathroom supplies in it) and we’ve been using it ever since!
Ashlee February 15, 2012 at 10:56 am
If your “before” pictures displays disorganization, I’m completely hopeless. :S
Tracy February 15, 2012 at 2:11 pm
Oh man. Does it mean that it’s all in my head?
Clara February 15, 2012 at 11:04 am
Oh Tracy- you make me so happy. I love love love this post and all your posts
Tracy February 15, 2012 at 2:11 pm
Thank you so much, Clara!!
Sherrie February 15, 2012 at 12:08 pm
It looks amazing! (And I am seriously loving your posts.) I think the masking tape looks absolutely fine – they key is that it’s consistent. I’m wondering if the workbench is the Melissa and Doug one, and if so, how do you like it? I was *just* looking at it online and considering it for a birthday gift, but there really wasn’t much info. Thanks for letting us see your mess! And subsequent tidiness!
Tracy February 15, 2012 at 2:10 pm
That IS a Melissa & Doug workbench. Cooper got it as a present from my brother a few years ago. I think at this point he might be over it, but it did keep his interest for a long while!
Tiffanie February 15, 2012 at 12:13 pm
I really agree with the sorting by type of toys, which we do, but my husband thinks lends to messes. If our kids are feeling too lazy to clean up (always) his idea is to have a general catch-all toy box, but I’m just not into that. Those things are black holes. It does contribute to messiness in our house, having assigned places for everything. That seems backwards, but that’s just the way it is!
I think stuffed animals should be outlawed, or at least limited….like five to a kid each. I swear they are part of our environmental problems! They are everywhere! Every kid has at least ten, right? I think my daughter has sixty or so (thanks, Mom). I got one of those Boon stuffed animal bags to corral them all, and I’m glad I did.
Tracy February 15, 2012 at 2:08 pm
It would be nice to throw everything in a container, but when your kid is looking for a particular toy, how does he find it?! Deep down, I feel like if a parent is being lazy, a kid is going to learn that. Don’t get me wrong…I AM SO LAZY, but you gotta lead by example!
Heather February 15, 2012 at 12:30 pm
Good work! I so need to get on the kids toys. One thing that drives me insane is all the puzzles stacked in a jumble. When my son wants to take one out near the bottom the whole stack topples and it is a huge mess. Did I see a wire organizer for puzzles in one of your photos? If so, where did you get it? Thanks!
Tracy February 15, 2012 at 2:04 pm
It was actually a present from Cooper’s old babysitter. She got it at Target and it came with 4 of the puzzles, so there’s room to add more!
Julie February 15, 2012 at 2:41 pm
Love this series of posts!
Our boys (now21&23) had lots of beautiful stuffed animals given by doting globetrotting friends & relatives. We got them from quite an early age to choose which ones could go to a new home and took photos of the departing animals for their albums. There was a core collection which stayed the course of their childhood.Their main bears currently hang out with my own threadbare childhood bear.
We also used this approach with books and toys and clothes. With judicial parental input,
obviously.
Missa February 15, 2012 at 3:01 pm
We did this! My kiddos are 4 and 2- each has some special needs going on. To help build their confidence and instill some independence- the final step was I took pictures of each type of toy, took it to an office supply store (its quite reasonable and worth every penny) so the kids (and any play guests) know where to put stuff away. Made a HUGE difference in upkeep! =0)
Candice February 16, 2012 at 8:18 am
I love seeing all the stuff Cooper likes. It’s like little boy central, all the same stuff my almost 2 year old likes – Thomas, George, cars, etc.
I really want to try this same organization plan because I cannot keep up with it all; it’s taking over our whole house and my husband doesn’t see the problem but it drives me bonkers.
Lori February 16, 2012 at 8:29 am
Great job! All the little things — puzzle pieces, magnetic letters, game pieces — they drive us crazy! Everything gets mixed together and it’s a nightmare to sort through. My husband was so tired of picking up everything that he just packed most everything away until our daughter (almost 3) can learn to play with it the way it was intended. She doesn’t appear to miss it so it’s saved us a lot of annoyance. I also wanted to take pictures for our toy bins too but that seemed like a daunting project, masking tape works great!
Nicole @ The Dirty Oven February 16, 2012 at 8:43 am
OK!! Need to know where you got the Firehouse. My two yr old, Calvin would explode if he had that! I also hear you on teaching your children to put their toys away in a certian place. Our toddler cleans up every night before bed and actually enjoys putting toys away in their place. He has certin spots on a shelf in our living room and in his room where toys go…kind a OCD, but it works.
gwen February 16, 2012 at 9:12 am
i was just thinking about sending a request to show how you organize coopers toys! thanks! my son is 2 1/2 and we have most of his toys that he plays with in our living room in 2 of the small expedit shelves. are all of coopers toys in his bedroom? do you have some in other parts of the house? i’m always struggling to keep the house from looking like romper room!
you rule!
Tracy February 16, 2012 at 9:25 am
We keep 90% of the toys in his room. I have this thing about having toys in our living room. I DON’T LIKE IT! They eventually get spread throughout the house but they always go back to his room.
I love lists, Friday! › shutterbean February 17, 2012 at 12:03 am
[...] week on High Straightenence, I sort out & organize Cooper's toys! It's a fun mess. Like what you read? Get updates for free! ‹ Highlights from the Alt [...]
Lauren February 17, 2012 at 3:44 am
I have to know where you got the firehouse. I have a little guy who would love that! Thanks!
Nicole February 23, 2012 at 4:01 pm
Oh, I really liked this post. As my toddler-man becomes more of a toddler I’m obsessed with seeing how other’s organize toddler-space. It’s challenging and intimidating. It’s also nice to see it’s a messy PROCESS for everyone
HomeFries | Progress Report February 29, 2012 at 8:33 am
[...] KID’S TOYS: [...]
Jay February 29, 2012 at 2:53 pm
So stealing your masking tape sharpie labelling idea, it looks rustic! I like.