The holidays are over, and the living room floor is littered with new toys, all needing a home.  Just how do you organize toys?    Today I’m going to share with you some of our very simple toy storage solutions!

Organizing Stuffed Animals:

Stuffed animals — they are everywhere!  And, when it comes to toys, it is never easy to talk the kids into getting rid of stuffed animals.

There are all kinds of storage ideas out there for stuffed animals, from bean bags you can stuff them in to nets that hang on the wall… The problem with those is that if they are hanging in a net, the kids can’t get to them easily.  And in a bean bag my kids are likely to dump them all out, and not pick them back up, looking for just the animal they want.

My solution?

A clothes basket in the closet!

At the start of the school year, when they had super deals on brightly colored clothes baskets, the kids each got one for their larger stuffed animals.   We made a deal:  they could keep as many animals as they could stuff in the basket.

My son has another, smaller basket for his Beanie Baby-sized stuffed animals.  My daughter has a stool that opens for her to put hers inside.  We have similar deal with these small stuffed animals — they all must fit in the container we bought.

The nice part is that they can find the animal they want, and generally they are pretty good at tossing the rest back in the basket.  (I have found the easier it is for kids to put the toys away, the more likely they will use it.)

Organizing Toy Collections:

When it comes to collections of similar toys, like Hot Wheels, construction trucks, animals, and princess dolls, we use clear storage containers.

I love these clear storage drawers for containing several similar collections all in one spot!

We have a set of these drawers in the living room to hold our massive animal collection, dinosaurs, and other shared toys.  The clear drawers make it easy for the kids to see what’s in each of them, and because they don’t have lids, it is easy for the kids to toss in the toys once they are finished playing.

My son has a set in his room to hold tractors, construction trucks, and other vehicles.  What I really like is that the top is the perfect place for storing larger items, like Hot Wheels mini track sets.

My daughter also has a set of drawers in her room, perfect for containing the miniature princess collection, Polly Pockets, and more!  And all those tiny accessories that make those toys fun to play with?  We put them in zip-lock baggies, right inside the drawer, making it easy to find when she wants to play.

Storing Larger Toys:

What about those larger toys, like the endless princess castles, Littlest Pet Shop homes, etc.?

I found these great plastic shelf units that fit inside each of their closets.

I love that the castles and other larger toys no longer are sitting on the floor, waiting to be tripped on!

Barbie Doll Storage:

I have tried numerous ideas for keeping the Barbie, and similar-sized dolls, contained.  From clear storage containers, to a storage drawer under the dresser, they always seemed to be everywhere!

I have seen this idea, using an over-the-door shoe storage bag all over Pinterest.

I finally decided to give it a try, and I’m so glad we did!  Finally, she is no longer dumping every doll out to find the one she wants.  With clear pockets she can easily see all the dolls, even the smaller ones.  The dolls in the picture aren’t Pinterest-perfect in how they are all lined up, but they are off the floor, and that’s all that matters to me!

Looking for more toy storage ideas?
Follow There’s Just One Mommy’s board Organizing and Cleaning on Pinterest.

And be sure to check out my post on how to get preschoolers to clean up toys!

Have a way to organize toys that works for your house?  I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!

The post Simple Toy Storage Solutions first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

I’ve got so many posts I’ve been wanting to write, but something about the start of a new year and organizing…  I’ve learned when the motivation to get organizing hits, you just better go with it!

One of my latest spots that needed organizing was our book center.

The sling back bookcase was great when the kids were toddlers because it let them see the covers of their favorite books, all at their eye level.  (And it wasn’t as tempting to climb as a traditional book case.)  But, our book collection has far outgrown its cloth pockets.

Both Peanut and Monkey have a crate of books in their room, there were books on the closet shelves that I rotated in periodically, and then there was a stack of books in MY closet, just because I’d run out of room.

We needed a change.

And then I remembered the little bookcase I had in my classroom years ago, the one covered with all those boxes full of memories and lesson plans.  It was just the perfect size!

Once I brought it upstairs and started shelving the numerous books, I realized something.  Picture books come in a variety of sizes!  It would be so much easier if they were all one standard height!

After several adjustments to the shelves, I came up with a solution.

At the very top of our bookcase I decided to place books I want to showcase each month.  I’m thinking they will mostly be seasonal, for instance, Valentine’s Day books in February.  And I know our Dr. Seuss collection will be gracing that top shelf come March!

All the larger books are on the bottom shelf, the taller ones rest so their spines face upwards.  (And, yes, I tried to put all the ones from the same author — like our Dr. Seuss collection — all together.)

The paperback books went in a couple magazine holders I had picked up from the dollar section of my beloved Target store.  One magazine holder has the shorter, more square books; the other holder has the “standard” sized paperbacks.

All of the animal books (we have quite a few) went into a clear plastic shoe box.

When I arranged the books I even found a place (finally) to put the Leapfrog Reader books.  For years now they have sat on the end table in the living room.  They finally have found a home with the rest of the books!  (Yeah!!  Definitely time for a happy dance over here!)

Both my readers have been enjoying looking through their books in their collection this week.  And I’m enjoying having the space back in my closet!

I did keep a crate of books in each of their rooms.  Most of the car and truck ones are in Monkey’s room, while Peanut has all the Fancy Nancy and princess books in her room.  I think it’s important that they each have books that are just their books, which they can enjoy during quiet time in their rooms.

One area of the house organized!

How are the children’s books organized at your house?  Are they all in one spot, or do you have them in multiple areas?

The post How to Organize Children’s Books first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

Toys.  If you have little ones, you know how the toys can seem to take over.  Blink, and Hot Wheels are parked all over the couch.  Turn around and doll house furniture litters the floor.

Just how can you get preschoolers to help clean up?

1. First, make sure to have kid-friendly storage.  Clear plastic bins or storage drawers make it easy for kids to see what’s in them.  Labeling them (use pictures for non-readers) allows children to know which toys go back in each container quickly and easily.
2. DON’T tell them they need to pick up ALL the toys.  (Even if they need to eventually)  That can be overwhelming to a small child.  Instead, start with one type of toy.  “Put all the dinosaurs in the dinosaur drawer.”  Once that set of toys is picked up, you can move on to the next set.
3. Turn clean up time into a game!  Grab the timer, set it for 5 minutes and race to see how many toys you can put away before it goes off.  (You can sweeten the deal with a mini reward for successfully getting the toys put away before the timer goes off.)
4. Have a princess of your own?  Tell her you are going to play Cinderella!  Jump into the role of “evil step-mother” and tell her what toys to pick up and where they need to go.  As a reward for cleaning up, play the Fairy Godmother later on and let her go to the ball, where she can dance with you as the prince!
5. Got a car-lover on your hands?  Have him race the cars to their correct location.  Ready, set, go!
6. Have some music lovers?  Turn on the music!  See how many toys you can put away before the song is over.  Or, find fun ways to dance the toys to their correct location.
7. Ignore the desire to “fix it” if something isn’t put away just right.  Think about how you would feel if you cleaned up and then someone came by and “fixed” it.

Have a tip that works for you when it comes to getting the toys cleaned up?  Leave it in the comments!

The post How to Get Preschoolers to Pick up Toys first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

First, I want to thank each and every one of you who helped me start off my spring cleaning by giving me that push to get rid of some items that have been lurking in my closet for way too long.  (Things from high school, over 20 years ago…Wow!)  (Thanks especially to The Dose of Reality, A Happier Girl, Chris Carter of the Mom Cafe, Jacklynn of the MamaMama, Cathi, Susie of Homemaker-Mom, Ginny Marie of Lemon Drop Pie, and Single Mom in the South for your comment help!)

I took the advice from those who commented on that post, and it all got donated.

Not only that, but you helped jump start a HUGE clean out of the closet.  I tried on over 20 pair of dress pants that I haven’t worn since teaching, pulled out sweaters that have seen better days, and even found a blue velvet dress in the way back of the closet that, let’s face it, is never getting worn again.

Well, maybe it will be worn again…  Just not by me!My daughter found the dress, and fell in love with it.  It’s the perfect length for dress up, so it is actually going to stick around, just not on a hanger in my closet.

I also found a black poncho.  Are those things still popular?

When I put it on my daughter, she asked, “What is this, Mommy?  A lampshade?”Got to love it!

All said and done, A LOT of stuff left my closet.  Nine pair of pants, 5 sweaters, various shirts, all the items from my last post, and a couple pair of shorts that were in a storage bag in there.Yes, that is a pair of elastic waist pants there and some plaid ones that my sister said I should only wear if I play golf.  (Another reason I’m thankful to talk to my sister on the phone, she has better fashion sense than I do!)  Oh, and don’t you just love the black and white, silky, paisley blouse?  Yeah….

The final result?  A more organized closet with clothes I might actually wear!

Notice that box on the shelf in the corner?  That has my wedding dress…  Maybe it will be worn again in another 20 or so years….

When’s the last time you went through your closet?

The post Cleaning out the Closet — What Got Donated? first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

The 7 inches of snow that fell this past Wednesday was gone by Friday.  And as much as I like snow, I am definitely ready for spring!  Time to open up those windows, air out the house, and get some serious decluttering going on!

Are you with me?

Please say yes, because I’m actually asking for your help with this first round.

It’s my closet.

Several times a year I go through and try to get rid of things.  But, honestly, there are items that linger in those back corners that haven’t seen the light of day for a loooooong time that i just can’t seem to get rid of.

Some of them are things I wore back in my days in the classroom, and I keep them in case I go back to teaching one day.  (Hey, I don’t want to have to spend a bunch of money on a whole new wardrobe just for work!)

Here are a few pieces that I pull out every time I go through the closet, and they still linger…  I’m asking you to help me decide, do they stay or do they go?

Ready????

Our first contestant is this floral dress with one of those Mandarin collars.  It used to have these huge shoulder pads (if that tells you anything) that I cut out of it.

The next two are denim dresses.

I have quite a few long skirts and dress pants…probably half of them need to go.  But here’s one skirt that keeps sticking around for some reason…. It is red and blue plaid with a super high waist and I’ve had it since high school.  (Did I mention I have the top that goes to it somewhere still?)Finally there are the suit jackets.

Yes, suit jackets.

When I decided I was going to teach, my mom went crazy and bought half a dozen different suit jackets for me.  I guess she thought they’d make me look more mature.  One of them was blue velvet.  Yes, you read that right.  I passed that along the last time I cleaned out the closet.  We’re down to just these two…

Okay, so there you have it.

Do I keep any of it?  Or does it all get donated somewhere?

The post Cleaning out the Closet first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

I really wanted to do it right (part of why it’s been put off, I’m sure), so I pulled all the boxes out from under the stairs and went through ALL of them.  I made a pile of stuff to donate/try to sell and a pile for trash…

Usually this is when the kids come in to play and find all sorts of things I had hidden away, and suddenly my piles are all over the house.  This time around they found a few old McDonald’s toys, which (thankfully) kept them occupied for quite a bit while I worked.  And then they took a walk with Daddy, which gave me time to box up all that stuff that needs to just leave our house!

Before putting anything back under the steps I used the shop-vac to suck up all the cobwebs and other goodies.  I also made sure every box was correctly labeled with what was inside.  Every. Single. Box.

I really should have taken a before photo so you could really appreciate what it looks like now.

There are 2 bags of stuff that will be leaving come fall, when I can try winter coats/boots on the kids, find out what no longer fits, and take stuff to sell at the consignment shop.  (Woo-hoo!)

Now to tackle all those boxes of books and other paraphernalia that are against the back well in the basement…  (It’s never done, is it?)

Oh, and did I mention all the cardboard boxes that I found along the way that need to find their way to the recycling center?

What’s the one area in your house you put off cleaning?

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