It's bound to get messy again, so I thought I would post some pictures of our playroom before disaster strikes. I just spent 2 full days cleaning this room and organizing all the toys and their many, many parts. It never ceases to amaze me how many toys our kids have. Thanks to generous grandparents, aunts and uncles, and a mommy who just can't resist, we now have enough play-things to open up our own store. The fact that we have enough toys to warrant a playroom in the first place is rather troublesome to me.
Click to enlarge
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE having a playroom. Before we moved here it was impossible to keep the house in order. There were always toys out...everywhere. The playroom has made it possible to see the floor in the family room again, so I love the playroom. I just think our society as a whole overindulges kids. Most houses these days are built with playrooms/bonus rooms to accommodate all the toys. Just look at the Pottery Barn Kids catalog and they have pages dedicated for organizing and storing things in your playroom.
I am the worst culprit too! Not only do I love dreaming of how much fun our kids would have with new toys, I am horrible at giving them away (to Goodwill etc.). This is in part because, there always seems to be a younger sibling coming along who could still get lots of use out of the toys. Mostly, however, it is because I am just too sentimental for my own good. Growing up, we didn't have near the amount of "stuff" that our kids do. We also never threw things away unless they were broken, and even then duct tape and super glue came along to save the day.
My husband, on the other hand could, in one fell-swoop, eliminate most of them and would do so with a huge smile on his face. I have pulled things out of the Goodwill box on numerous occasions because they were pieces that belonged to some toy or game.
Don't even get me started on toys with small parts. For now the boxes and boxes and boxes of Legos from Uncle Andy are in storage until my kids are older and better at picking up after themselves.
Which brings me to ask the question "How do YOU get your kids to clean up after themselves?" I am in the process of creating a system that I am hoping will help our kids learn to put their toys away. I am basing it after the public library check out (old-school style) and this system. I'll let you know how it turns out.
Once I have implemented this "system" I intend to go around the house each evening and inspect for toys. Any toy left out will be put in "jail" for a month (or maybe a couple weeks??). When the month is up, they will have to "pay" me to get the toy back.
By the way, the above question is not a rhetorical one. I would love to hear how you get your kids to pick up their things. Well, I better go...I am predicting that Hurricane Natalie is about to strike, followed by Tropical Storm Zander. Wish me luck!
5 comments:
Playrooms are definitely nice, in that they can keep the rest of the house
looking picked.
Another nice thing about living in the country is the natural playroom that
comes with the great outdoors. Your children will have lots of room to "play"
outside and breathe relatively clean air.
I know myself growing up in a rather rural area there were always "chores" to do
of one sort or another. Of course, I had an added benefit of growing up on an
island and the beach was literally just a stones throw away.
Then there is always the extra "pets" that you have in the country, I am talking
about the wildlife that just does not exist in more urban areas.
Well, I hope that you are enjoying blogging; it is fun to read your blog and to
see your pictures. Somehow I knew that blogging would be a good outlet for you.
Love ya,
Dad
What no blog yesterday. I did not do one either. I must have come down with something. I got up about 0800 and was back in bed by noon and did not get up until 1800. Then back to bed at 2100 and slept until 0800.
Sometimes one just needs to take a day of, even though I am not working I am working.
Well have a good day!
Dad
Yes, love those playrooms! Although I haven't figured out how all the toys just keep trickling downstairs still...hmmmm.
I like the way you hung all the dress-ups up. Ours are in tubs and you always have to dig thru them to find anything. I might have to get some hooks.
I am going to do some chalkboard paint in our playroom. Have you done this before or know of anyone elses experience with this paint? I hope it turns out good.
Don't you feel like you are constantly organizing and going thru their endless toys? I do. And, Alyssa...I Katie am also guilty of being sentimental of their toys and wonder if their sibs might want to play with their handmedown toys too. I am way too sentimental. It's real hard for me to get rid of their stuff. I think I am just in denile that they are growing up, plain and simple.
BTW, we also have those bean bags. Cute, huh? Where'd ya get that huge leaf?
The huge leaf is from IKEA. Love that place. It was used as a canopy over Natalie's bed when she had a ladybug room. I am so excited for IKEA to open up here (PDX) next spring!!! I already have a shopping list a mile long.
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