The Mess and the Challenge

One of the major frustrations in having young children is having toys all over the place. I remember with relief, the time I cleaned the girls' bedroom out and realized-they don't play with toys anymore. I could get rid of all that cluttering crap! What a relief. But now that I have a toddler, I find the mess slowly creeping in. Of course, I had intended only to buy high quality wooden toys that wouldn't be an eyesore, but even wooden toys make clutter, not to mention that other people buy plastic stuff. Please note: battery operated annoying stuff has a tendency to "disappear" for long periods at a time, along with Disney stuff. My kids are really too good for Disney. Okay, okay, we do buy into Harry Potter stuff, but I have to draw the line somewhere. On Christmas, Karl's dad laughed with devilish delight over the annoying Cars book he bought Liam. He even said how much it was going to drive us crazy. It was very noisy with lots of buttons and no real literature or educational value at all. I don't know why he was so excited, because it's our house, and Karl and I frequently "lose" the book.

So, now I am left with this mess and a need to clean it up! The problem isn't just the way it looks. The mess makes it hard for Liam to figure out what to play with, and it's hard to clean around. I can't wipe down a baseboard if it's covered in toys. This leads to a buildup of crud in the corners. Since I already live in an older house with rough dusty edges and baseboards separating from the wood floor, it's a little gross.  So I  really feel the need for organization.

SO....Stay tuned to see what I do with all this stuff.

My baby isn't so babyish anymore... He still drools, though. Look at that sweater...