I need ideas....

[Beach Mama]

Hit me with your toy and craft storage ideas ladies (and gents)!!

At the moment we have an Ikea Expedit that has about 4 tubs in it with things like train tracks, blocks, puzzles and Mr Potato head type stuff. Then another 4 boxes with things like paint in one, more puzzles etc. In Izzys room there are 2 tubs with musical instruments and other bits and bobs, and one tub in lounge for the end of day pack up.

Our dining table is now a craft table. In my infinite wisdom I bought one of those cardboard, 8 holed, A4 shelving thingys for all the craft stuff. I has stuff on top underneath, around it and has literally taken over the end of the dining table which isn't huge.

SOOOO what do you do to keep it neat and everything in it's place and not feel like the whole house is just a blooming play centre. I had someone here the other day who has older/adult kids and I had cleaned all morning, and as she was leaving she goes, Oh I remember when my house looked like THIS - it won't last forever. I was actually thinking OMG imagine what she would have thought if I DIDN'T clean and tidy up first

I try to keep limited stuff out and as summer approaches I will be able to pack some stuff away but I have had to keep them out because we have been so housebound. I know what I would do if I redesigned and reno'd this house again but the builder (DH) isn't too keen.

[Mak]

I have given in to it a bit recently as all I seemed to do is clean up! However I have a few big plastic tubs with lids (quite big) and we have one each for all the craft stuff, the puzzles, the playdo and the toy kitchen stuff. These get stacked up and put against the wall. I don't really sort things out properly but the lids make it all look organised and the kids can still get to things easily! My sister also suggested that the kids learn better with access to all the stuff and actually set things up so they can go from one to the other - so I shouldn't keep packing it up (yes she was trying to make me relax)! You sound pretty organised tho! xxx

[River]

What I found helped me immensely was giving up the notion of it being 'organised'. I always wanted it to be perfect - this type of toy in this crate, this type in the next - as a result nothing got cleaned properly because the kids wouldn't do it and it was always too much for me on my own to keep it orderly. Then I went to the 'as long as it's away' philosophy. And it's working for me now. I have bought some tubs, those plastic toy bins (which look like real bins) and when the place needs a clean up, I scoop everything up and dump it in without worrying about what goes where.

I do try to keep the craft stuff separate from the toys, but craft stuff, I don't try to get all the pen lids back on, I don't worry if they are loose in the box instead of in a pencil case, I don't worry if the lid of the glue isn't found right away or if there's cut up bits of paper going back in the box. It all just goes in.

Every now and then I'll spend an hour and give the tubs a good clean out - which generally halves what's in there lol, as the rubbish and broken stuff goes to the bins.

Of course my kids are a bit bigger - Ziana is 11 and Brielle is 10 now, so they can clear up for me, but even Jessalyn is 5 and Kassidy is 3, so they are getting past the seek and destroy age a little bit too.

Chin up, it really won't last forever. Gosh I hope not anyway

[Beach Mama]

What I found helped me immensely was giving up the notion of it being 'organised'.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.........
Ok ok maybe I need to stop being so...dare I say it, anal about it. The kids are ok at cleaning up but with our help - trains will go in one tub, blocks in another and I try to stop them from getting too much at once. Iz is pretty good, J will tip up tubs for no other reason than to tip them up. Arrghh.

The craft stuff baffles me though - they do alot and love it but I just don't think it can be packed away so I might have to leave it be for now I guess. I want my dining table back waaah. Not sure what else I can do with 6+ colouring books, kinder square,s A4 paper, felt, glitter, glue of numerous types, ribbons, stickers, foam stickers, crayons, pastels, textas, pencils arrghhhh the list goes on ....that stuff has to go somewhere!!!!