There it was in my Facebook feed, a picture of my 7 year-old nephew holding up a $60 box of Star Wars Legos he wants for Christmas with a remark from his father saying he was thinking of starting a GoFundMe account for Christmas.  Yes, his dad was joking.  But the price of those little plastic bricks?  Definitely not a joke.  Legos are expensive!

My brother-in-law’s comment got me thinking about just how expensive toys can be, especially with the holidays coming up.   Did you know that recent studies show families spend an average of $1,000 dollars per child per year on toys?    With new toys coming out throughout the year, and changing interests of the child, many of those toys don’t get played with very long.  (I know we have a few toys that the kids really wanted, but that have only been played with a few times.)  Being able to rent those toys would mean a huge savings to a family.

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Pley.  All opinions are 100% my own.  

That is exactly what mom Elina Furman, co-founder of Pley, thought when she started the company.  Imagine a company that is like Netflix for toys; that is Pley.  For as low as $20 a month, your child gets to play with new toys each month.  So, if your child really wants to build the Millenium Falcon Lego set, but you know they won’t play with it afterwards?  Now they can build it, show it off, and when they are finished you simply send it back and receive a new toy.

With Pley, your children are never bored. It’s like Christmas every month.

Instead of spending your money on toys your child will be bored with in just a couple weeks, being frustrated each time you see it collecting dust on the shelf, Pley is a gift that keeps giving.  Not only will your children enjoy receiving new toys in the mail, but you’ll appreciate having less clutter when it comes to toys that aren’t being played with.

Pley has toys for everyone from preschool age and up.  Imagine 400 sets of Legos to choose from, all at your fingertips, including those hard to find sets and discontinued ones.  (My son is super excited to find they have some of the Monster Hunter Lego sets he is interested in.)   Their catalog also includes K’NEX and a variety of robotics and educational toys.

Want to learn more?  Check out Pley’s website to see how easy it is to give Pley as a gift.  You can also follow Pley on Facebook for all the latest news.

The next time my brother-in-law shares a picture of my nephew with yet another Lego set he would love to build, I’m going to suggest they check out Pley.  In fact, I may have just found the perfect Christmas present for him this year.

The post Give Your Children Christmas Every Month! first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

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.

For those who celebrate Christmas, the holiday shopping season is officially in full swing.

As you wander the aisles, looking for that perfect gift, I’d like to point out some real winners I’ve seen in the toy aisles this year…

Get your credit cards ready, because I know you are going to want each of these for your own!  (Pictures contain affiliate links for your convenience!)

The first on my list comes from the game section.  Surprisingly it’s been out for a couple years now.  (How have we not scooped up this gem for our game collection?)

What am I talking about?  Why it’s Doggie Doo!

Kids can spend hours of fun making the dog poop and then racing to scoop up the “feces.”  Not sold on the idea yet? Why, your little Fido also makes terrific gassy sounds before relieving himself right there on the kitchen table.

Maybe you prefer a different game, one not dealing with doggie doo-doo.  You’re in luck!

The commercial for this next one just makes shivers of joy run up and down every mom’s back!  

If you are lucky enough to wind up with Gooey Louie under the tree, the kids will get to take turns pulling a “gooey” out of Louie’s nose until someone pulls the lucky (or unlucky) one out that causes him to sneeze his brains out.  Have a little one who likes to pick their nose?  Now you can let them to pull out pretend snot instead!

Maybe you have an animal lover?  Might I suggest a dog from Potty Pets?

This little cutie isn’t going to play fetch, and you don’t have to scoop up after her, but she does pee!  Right there on the floor.  Isn’t that cute?  And I’m sure her soft, pretty fur will remain dry and clean after each “incident.”

Even Barbie has delved into the world of pet bathroom needs.  When Barbie takes her dog Taffy out for a walk, she gets to scoop up the little brown pellets of poop Taffy leaves behind.

Look!  Barbie even comes with a cute pink pooper scooper!

I could probably go on, but I know you are all anxious to make your orders so these terrific finds will arrive in time for the big day.

Got any others I should add to my list?

The post Toys I’ll Skip This Christmas first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

It’s that time of the month.

No, not THAT time… I mean the time where I am overwhelmed by…

TOYS.

They have taken over 1/2 my kitchen table with newly acquired Legos.  (Okay, I admit, I am the one who told them Legos had to be played with at the table…but I didn’t think they’d take up residence there and never leave.)  Strawberry Shortcake and friends have another corner of the table.  Their craft/school table is cluttered with various cars, books, and dress-up jewelry.

The living room looks like every boy’s dream:  monster trucks, Hot Wheels, superheroes…. pretty much everywhere.

And then I entered my daughter’s room…

Wow is all I can say.

Why is it that little girl toys always have so many itty-bitty parts????  And how do you organize all the princess castles, Barbie cars, Littlest Pet Shop play sets?

I’s love to store some of the stuff under her bed, but it seems My Little Pony has already claimed that spot.  I am pretty sure there is a village-worth of ponies in the under the bed drawer.

About once a month the toy-chaos gets to me, and I find myself looking around for anything they haven’t played with recently that might “disappear.”  The problem is, they play with it all.

At one point today I called my sister, knowing as a mom she’d understand.  I was actually hoping that her 21 years of parenting and dealing with toys would give her some wisdom to share with me.

After ranting to her about how I had just spent 20 minutes trying to figure out a better way to organize all the Barbie paraphernalia, and telling her that I just wanted to show my Peanut where all her stuff was now, my sister started laughing….  She knew before I even said it that my little girl didn’t care how it was organized.  There was no, “Oh, thank you, Mommy” moment.  In fact, I almost had to drag the child in to show her the Barbie box and the drawer that now held all the dolls.

My mind is still churning, trying to find a solution (other than just pitching it all out, which was sounding pretty good to me earlier today)….

Thankfully this usually only hits me once a month, and tomorrow I won’t be driven nearly as crazy by the mess.

But, since I know it will hit me again eventually, how do you contain the toys?  I’d love to hear your suggestions!  In fact, I’m thinking of sharing all the wonderful ideas you leave in the comments section in a future post.

The post S.O.S. — Save Me from the Toys! first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

A few days ago Hello Kitty invited all the fire trucks over for a playdate.  Hello Kitty’s mom, Barbie, told the fire trucks they were being too loud, so they had to go outside to play, “I’m sorry, fire trucks, you are too loud!  You’ll wake the elephants up.  Can you go outside to play?”

Then the trucks got muddy and had to hose each other off. 

And just this morning the cars from the movie Cars invited Rapunzel over to their home under the kitchen table.  And who should appear?  A big, giant snake!

Have no fear, the snake was actually friends with the cars.  And soon Rapunzel was reading it a bedtime story while it sat on her lap.

I love watching the kids play together; their creativity always makes me laugh.

What great crossovers happen in toyland at your house?

The post Fire Trucks,Rapunzel,Cars, and Giant Snakes – Oh My! first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

I have to say both my kids love  noisemakers of all kinds, from kazoos and whistles, to the fancier electronic toys.  This is especially true with my son.  What is it with boys and noise?  They seem to go hand in hand; the louder the better for him, as I learned when we banged on pots and pans a few days ago.

When we go to the toy aisle at the store, he is immediately drawn to the cars – any car he finds, even Barbie’s if we’re in that aisle.  But the ones he seems to especially like lately are the ones that make noise.

There is only one thing I wish toy makers would do when it comes to these noisemakers.  I wish they would all come with an off button.  The noise doesn’t bother me too much when they are actually playing with the toy; it’s when the toy goes off all on its own.  We have several little trucks that make sounds when pushed, and it seems the slightest vibration sets them off sometimes.   It can happen at the most inopportune times – like when I’m rocking the toddler before bedtime.

*Post written on behalf of your friends at U.S. Toy.

The post Kids and their Noisemakers first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.