Project Simplify Week 1: Kids' Things

Well, I have to admit that we took the entire weekend to go camping with Papa instead of staying home to organize.  However, throughout the week things did get done to organize the kids' things:

• The garage that held a ton of unused, unwanted clutter (including old toys and clothing) got a nice new look thanks to Dad-Dad.  Salvation Army inherited about a dozen boxes and bags and furniture items in one huge trip.  Now the only things in the middle of the garage are things we love and things we need for the new baby.
• The kids' paperwork (and ours) is now neatly filed and organized from the three biggest clutter areas in our kitchen.  I jokingly referred to these areas as "control stations" before but they were seriously out of control.  Now with the "tickle file" I posted about last week and the new calendar, we have a place to put important papers and dates.  We have been very good about keeping up the system this week!  I also designated three magnets on the fridge as "art work hanging" and our little artists place their work in the plastic protected sheet to show off their work.  I like this system because it forces them to choose just their favorites to display, thus lessening the clutter and papers falling on the ground, but it also allows us to just pull the pages off the fridge and place them into a binder to keep their as a scrapbook.  I know that we will need to go through the binders periodically to clean out the less loved pictures, but not until we run out of page protectors! :-)

Before:

After:

A clean and organized "control center".

Big Guy's homework supplies.  He also has a clipboard to hold his homework packet now.  He really likes this because he can take it to the table or into the back yard and still have a solid surface to work.

• Our overwhelming shoe clutter in the entryway has now received a newly improved system as well.  I'm not sure it will work for "good" shoes, but those will live in the closet anyway.  Now with this new bench and three cubbies, each boy will have a contained place to keep shoes!  I love how the bins can be washed when needed and hung dry.  I know that as they grow the bins will eventually be too small for their shoes (both size and quantity) but they will be little boys for quite some time still.

I also know that we will need to get into the playroom to downsize as well.  I'm not looking forward to this, but I think that Spring Break will be a good time since we will all be home and the possibility of new summer toys will inspire a couple little guys to part with some older, unwanted toys. :-)  I think we will focus on replacing broken and worn outside toys this spring!

UPDATE: Playroom Before/After Pictures here!!