Stay-at-Home Parents

When we had one child and approximately 2,000 toys, we had several large toy boxes throughout the house. My philosophy was "the bigger the better." Each one held a huge number of toys, one was an old cardboard moving box that was bulging on the sides. Heaven help you if you wanted Batman's left boot, which was buried deep in the rubble.

When we had two children and approximately 6,000 toys, I had the idea that we should separate them into categories. One toy box had the super heroes, another had the cars, another had building blocks and such, and the big cardboard box was retired and replaced with a big plastic box.

When we had three children and approximately an infinite number of toys, my passion for organization kicked into high gear and I bought some storage units and started filling the bins and baskets with toys. Not quite obsessing into alphabetical order, I did however get some enjoyment out of separating dolls and doll clothes, Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers, and cars, trains and anything with wheels.

I'm not saying the toys all stayed organized or even that they all got put away at the end of every day, but my toy storage solution was a saving grace to me as a stay-at-home mom who lived, ate, slept and worked inside the house.

You don't have to be an organization freak like me to get excited about organizing your kids' toys. Take a trip to Target or your favorite store and take a look at what's out there now. Online stores like Clutter Free Kids can give you some great ideas.

Now get those toys picked up!