10 Tips for Toy Storage {Organizing}

I know toys. With the day care, we have lots of them! It’s a constant job to keep it organized, clean and manageable. My system continues to change but here are my tips for de-cluttering and organizing toys in your kids’ playroom or bedroom.

Does it look bad?? Not really, it's what I call organized chaos.

1Sort. 
Keep parts and pieces together. Do this often so you know where things are. Also, you’ll see what’s getting played with and what’s not so they can be got rid of. Avoid all those little odds and ends that collect and lie all over. I find twice a year is a good time to sort a child’s room when I go through clothing for the new season. If parts are missing, it’s time for the toy to go. No one wants to play with it if it’s not complete.

2Kids help.
Kids can very quickly learn what goes where. Label everything! I love to use my Silhouette and photo printer for labeling. Then kids know where things go. If you do clean up with your child, they learn how you want it. Get on the floor and show them. Say “Where does this toy go?” or “Put this car in the car bin.”  Soon they can do it themselves. Songs or games work! We have 4 different songs we use for clean up. Sometimes we set the timer to see how fast we can clean up. Give an incentive such as, going outside or cleaning up before snack time. On a difficult day, I may say “everyone pick up 5 things”. Generally they pick up more than 5 each. Don’t expect your child to clean up alone. It’s overwhelming and it doesn’t help to nag.

3System.
Color coordinate your storage to your room and label. Baskets of any type will work as well. I keep an eye out for coordinating baskets from Goodwill and the Dollar Tree, Target, Wal-mart, anywhere I can find that will make life easier. It seems like you can never have too many!
Open baskets and shelves make it easy for little ones to help themselves and return the toys when they are done.

Consider your space. How do YOU want it to look? Find a way to create it so you can enjoy the space as well as your child.

4Recycle.
Peanut butter jars are perfect for a collection of small items. They are clear so you can see what’s inside but it also keeps smaller ones from getting the lid open and dumping. Can’t get better than free! Before you throw it out, think “how can I reuse this?” So many creative ideas for storing craft supplies in baby food jars, etc.!

When it comes time to get rid of toys, use Craigslist and Freecycle. Garage sales can also teach kids valuable lessons.

5Rotate toys.
Store some away so everything isn’t available at once. About once a month rotate the toys so the others get played with. Or if need be, on a rainy day or when things aren’t going right, you can bring out something that will be “new” and entertaining again. You’ll also be picking up less.

6Less is More.
To a kid it’s not, but sometimes telling or passing on wish lists to grandparents and friends of what your child really needs or wants for birthdays and holidays avoids overload. Before special occasions sort out toys to donate to make room for the inevitable new gifts.

Don’t get caught in the trap of “buying something” for your child just because you walk into a store. Teach about needs vs. wants and how to save and wait for something special. I find we sometimes need to talk to our child about a toy he thinks he wants. How will you play with it? Do you see how easily this could break? Do you think it really will work the way it says it will? One year our son got several toys from friends at his birthday party that were so disappointing.  Buy quality, not quantity.

{I admit we used to throw away some McD’s toys before even leaving the restaurant because we didn’t find them desirable. Now he’s too aware!}

7Supervise Play
Sometimes a “free for all” play time is fine, but other times, it needs to be supervised. Such as: “Yes, you can play with this but then it must be cleaned up before we get anything else out.” It keeps pieces from being lost and teaches responsibility. Make sure toys are age appropriate.
It can be helpful to show a child how to play with a toy. Sure, they can usually figure it out, but they may be able to play with it longer or differently if you sit down and interact with your child.

8Broken or low quality toys.
If it’s broke, fix it or get rid of it. Broken toys can be dangerous and take up valuable space. If you see something that’s not being used, pass it on or get rid of it. If you don’t like HOW it’s being played with, it needs to go. Research toys before buying them to see what the reviews are or if there are recalls on older toys. Amazon is great for checking reviews.

9Routine
Having a set routine at home works. Clean up before snack, after lunch, before nap, before bed, etc. Be consistent. If you have the expectation, it will be easier, most of the time!

10Think outside the box.
Use all your space. Lots of floor space? Use baskets, bins and shelving. Wall space? Wall shelves, clip up puppets or doll clothes.  Put bins under the beds, up on high shelves, use dressers or whatever you have. Make the most of whatever space you have. It doesn’t have to be expensive! I re-purposed this easel to separate an area, hang dress up clothes, store books and hang up displays. On the other side, stuffed animals sit on the shelf. It originally came from a garage sale but was going unused in the basement.

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“Convenient, clean, easy ….color” {just laugh}

DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT EVER squeeze a dot painter! LOL Paint was not coming out so I squeezed it on a paper towel in attempt to get it going, and purple paint hit all three kids so I had to wash their faces, hair, 2 walls, the floor, the table, the booster chair, the kids chairs, the rugs, the stove, my clothes, the counter. We all were in shock, like someone got shot and we were splattered. What a mess! But it was so funny!

Reality hits…

There’s stuff on top of stuff to do…

• laundry from our trip: which is in the garage, bedding and all because I don’t even have room for it in the house.
• dishes
• paperwork
• child care organization stuff
• Daily everything….

But glad that even though the work is overflowing my desk, sink, baskets, house, our hearts overflow even more. It’s so worth it.
*No, I don't read at my desk! It just got set there and I didn't realize it until Stormy sat up there and I took the picture.

Pictures From Brett’s Camera

Brett received a camera for his birthday from Gramma & Grampa R. and he’s taken a lot of pictures already this week. Here’s one from his birthday on Sunday:

Mario & Luigi

Neighbor man’s car

Comic page he likes

Friend that comes after school

Another day care friend – I like the setting he found for this one.

Me getting M off the bus

Mosaic on the wall at the school where we have our 4-H meetings. He loves this “punk setting”.

Many of Stormy of course!

I’ll continue to post his photos from time to time.

Ginger Golds

Ginger Golds are usually the first apples available in the fall. It is an early-season and short-lived apple that doesn’t store in controlled atmosphere well so they are available for just a short time. <sup>*from produce oasis

*from Wikipedia:</sup> Ginger Gold is famous as the apple that Hurricane Camille brought forth. Camille brought devastating floods to Nelson County, Virginia in 1969, and the orchards of Clyde and Frances "Ginger" Harvey were badly washed out. In recovering the few surviving trees around the edge of one Winesap orchard, another tree was found which Clyde Harvey recognized as being different. It was planted with the rest, but was found to produce yellow rather than red fruit.^[2] An extension agent identified the parents as Golden Delicious, Albemarle Pippin, and some other unknown variety.^[3] The variety was eventually named after Clyde Harvey's wife.

When compared to a Golden Delicious, this apple is more tart, with a milder apple flavor.

I was surprised to find such nice looking apples at Wal-Mart, plus a variety I haven’t heard of before. They’re so good, I hope you can find some near you.  Not only do they taste great, they are beautiful as a centerpiece on the table in this wire basket I found at Goodwill and the tray I painted.

Happy Birthday Brett! {9 years}

Our Brett is 9 years old today! It’s hard to believe he went from this….

to this!  He’s amazing in every way and we love him so much!  He’s smart, funny and so cute. He always makes us proud and we’re so blessed to have him in our lives.

These are a couple pictures from our family session with eXcite Imaging on Labor Day.  We’re excited to see the rest!  Love these two!

It’s hard to see him grow up so fast, yet, every bit has been GREAT so we can’t feel sad.  There will be lots of special times and memories ahead with him through the next 9+ years. 

Here he is before school this morning. Completely wound up and silly but he knows he has to give me a good picture or else! He’s wearing his new shirt from Auntie Julie. He thinks it’s pretty cool and was wearing the hood before he left. I love the style & color on him too.

Tonight we will probably do a little celebrating after football practice. I love little celebrations on a weeknight.

Brett’s Mario Kart Birthday Party {9 years!}

Today we celebrated Brett’s 9th birthday a few days early. He turns 9 on Wednesday. It was a big weekend with lots of prep but I wouldn’t have it any other way.   Grandma R decorated the cake for me so that was extremely helpful!  We did have some technical difficulties with the filling on the top layer & sliding…well that happens. Brett was absolutely thrilled and it tasted yummy! Yay for leftovers.

I love the colors and Mario theme. To be honest, I know *very little* about Mario Kart but Brett’s a big fan. A friend so helpfully suggested looking at Target for the racers & then I found the figurine set. Just what I needed!

Just for fun, I made marshmallow pops. The other jars contained chocolate and powered donuts and Mini Oreos. Sometime I’d like to do cake pops but I really didn’t have time for all that. As it is, I had to dismantle my day care, get ready for overnight guests, prepare meals, clean, etc.……………………..!
What a great weekend and birthday party for our little man. He’s an amazing kid and we love him so much. Can’t believe he’s almost 10 though!!

Wordless Wednesday {Last Night}

3 Healthy Bathroom Habits for Kids {Self Help Skills}

I've had some new kids join my group {of 2-5 year olds} the last few weeks and one thing I see consistently is that kids need to be taught simple bathroom routines. Sure, they might have potty training down pat, but basic habits need to go along with that.

1. Close. I want the lid closed for several reasons – I don’t want to look at it open {who does?}, the little kids are less likely to play in it and the cat stays out. Also, did you know, closing the lid keeps germs from flying around the room when the toilet is flushed.  (Don't keep your toothbrush on the back of the toilet or on the edge of the sink near the toilet! Ick!) It’s just a good habit.

2. Flush. Why not insist the child flush every time? They are capable and should do it every time. Why should someone else do it for them later? It’s a responsibility and it’s courteous.

3. Wash. This is so necessary. Every. Single. Time. I insist on it. Once a parent told me: My bathroom is so clean I don’t worry about it. I believe her home is immaculate {she didn’t work and brought her child to me so it should be!} Not only does the child touch the toilet, other surfaces in the bathroom, but also his own body and possibly fluids. Eww. What about teaching healthy habits? He won’t always be at home.
Some kids I have to tell every single time. Others catch on right away. I do think some of these things start at home and can start habits that will last a lifetime.

Oh, it’s so good when kids are encouraged to be independent and taught self help skills! It’s a big part of my job.

Here is a nice guide for self help skills: All By Myself.  Of course each child develops differently. If we give opportunities for kids to learn self help skills and enough time for them to try, they will learn important skills, develop confidence and build self esteem. Resist babying a child that is old enough to do something on their own. The goal is one day to have independent people and little people can do a lot of things now! I find it eventually makes life easier if you invest the time to teach them.

Taking Care of Books

I just love this book I came across on Kindergarten…Kindergarten… It’s a printable book {she did such a great job creating it, really cute!} you can make to teach kids about taking care of books. It’s something we talk about at circle time or story time and my group is very concerned if we have a book with writing in it. And I’m always repairing books…sometimes just due to wear, other times from page tearing.
I can’t wait to show it to the kids! Brett even was intrigued. 

It was fun “defacing” the book and making it look like a little someone did it. Marker & pencil.

On these two pages I used paint. Maybe got a little carried away…

Stickers, glue & paper and ripping on the next page. I taped up some of the rips because that’s what we do.

I think this book will be very popular and the kids will really learn from it.
We also talk about the cover, the spine (like we each have and it holds us together), back cover, title, author, illustrator. I teach kids to put the books on a table, not the floor and to put the book on the shelf carefully, with the spine out. Usually I put them away because my group is young and we have a lot of books. During clean up time the kids stack books for me to put away later.
I put up this “Parts of a book” poster by our bookshelf and the kids can name the different parts or we can talk about it when we sit there.


***Several years ago I bought an inexpensive binding machine from LTD Commodities. They have them again! Only $17.95! It's something I use very occasionally so I can't say how long it will hold up but it's nice to have and the price is right.

Pillsbury Pie Crusts

Surely you’ve all heard of them, EXCEPT MY GOOD FRIEND JEANINE! LOL  I just had to laugh Saturday night when I decided to make a blueberry pie and remembered J saying she had never heard of them. “Do you live under a rock?” is what comes to mind!

See, this is what they look like except 2 rolls of dough come in the box. {I already used the other one.}

All you do is open the pie crust package and unroll the crust into your pie plate. Then you do you edges all fancy except I don’t know how to do that very well so do it however you do it.

Then, because you saved so much time on your pie crust, you can move on to other things like making the part that really matters, the filling!

In this case the topping is also very important since it’s a Blueberry Crumble Pie. It’s really good, I’d recommend making it. Another friend, Alaina, so kindly passed this recipe on a while back. Thanks, it’s a keeper!

Blueberry Crumble Pie

A crisp and crunchy crumb topping is the perfect match for a juicy berry pie filling. You can substitute fresh, wild blueberries for the more standard, domestic cultivated berries in this pie. These intensely flavored wild berries are usually available during the heat of summer.

Ingredients:

• 1 recipe Basic Pie Dough (see related recipe at
    left)
• 3/4 cup plus 5 Tbs. all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup plus 1 Tbs. granulated sugar
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 8 Tbs. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 3/4-
  inch pieces
• 5 cups blueberries

Directions:

Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 400°F.
Roll out the dough and transfer to a 9-inch pie dish. Refrigerate until firm. Line the chilled piecrust with a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Fill with dried beans, uncooked rice or pie weights. Bake until the crust dries out, about 15 minutes; to check, lift an edge of the foil. Carefully remove the weights and foil. Reduce the heat to 350°F. Continue to bake until the crust is lightly browned on the edges and dry-looking on the bottom, about 5 minutes more. Transfer the crust to a wire rack.
Increase the heat to 375°F.
In a large bowl, stir together the 3/4 cup flour, 1/3 cup of the brown sugar, the 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 1 tsp. of the cinnamon and the salt. Scatter the butter pieces on top and toss with a fork or your fingers to coat with the flour mixture. Using your fingertips or a pastry blender, work the ingredients together until the mixture forms large, coarse crumbs the size of large peas. Set the topping aside.
In a large bowl, combine the blueberries, the remaining 1/3 cup brown sugar, the remaining 1 tsp. cinnamon and 4 Tbs. of the flour. Stir gently to coat the blueberries evenly. Sprinkle the remaining 1 Tbs. flour and the 1 Tbs. granulated sugar over the bottom of the prebaked crust. Pour the filling into the crust, spreading it evenly.
Sprinkle the topping evenly over the blueberry filling. Bake the pie until the topping is golden brown and the blueberry filling just begins to bubble, 50 to 60 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Serve at room temperature. The pie is best served the day it is baked. Makes one 9-inch pie.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma, Essentials of Baking, by Cathy Burgett, Elinor Klivans & Lou Seibert Pappas (Oxmoor House, 2003).

See how that ready made pie crust simplified things? {Maybe I shouldn’t give away all my secrets…}  I’ve made pie crusts many times and it’s not really all that hard but believe me, this is easier. Just had to give you a hard time Jeanine! 

*The 2nd time I made this pie I used a lot less {about half} butter, whew that’s a lot.