Grand Plan Challenge - Week 10

This week's official challenge - the Kids' Rooms!  And printable checklist.

Oh, I know some of you are dreading this one.  Kids' rooms seem to be the black hole of organization.  No matter how much you organize, stuff gets lost, never to be recovered.

So here is my recommendation:  PURGE.

I promise that your kids might miss the toys/clothes initially, but will totally forget soon.

About twice a year, I hit my limit on toy capacity and have a purging frenzy.  I sell what I can, give away the rest (or trash the junk!).  My kids do not miss the Happy Meal toys, the broken crayons, the ruined books, the 1245th doll accessory that they never play with.  I try to keep classic toys - blocks, trains, Little People, toy food, trucks (for the boy), Barbies and Ponies (for the girls), Lincoln logs, duplos, etc.  Toys that encourage open-ended play.  We keep a few of our favorite games and puzzles, but those that have sat for a while gathering dust get tossed.  Or if they have too many pieces that can't seem to get put away.  It's just not worth my frustration.  My kids are never bored (partly because of our types of toys and partly because I put them to work if they say they're bored).  Your kids will appreciate the extra room for play when they have less to deal with.

Encourage and challenge your kids.  Teach them to be generous with their less-used toys.  Tell them that they may keep a toy (or toy set) and get rid of two.  You keep the power of veto, of course.  You might be surprised with what they choose.  Let them see you take them to a women's shelter for kids who have nothing.  They should receive the blessing of giving too!

Clothes are hard too.  My kids destroy clothes.  It happens when you live on land and "outdoors" is one of the toys around here.  For that reason, I don't spend a lot on my kids clothes, no point when it might be destroyed next week.  But we do have a lot of clothes, because by the end of the season, we may not have much that's still wearable in public.  So I'm with you on this one.

Do your best.  Start with the obvious - broken, outgrown, torn, stained, etc.  Then do more as needed.

Keep us posted on your progress and if you are stumped, ask here!  We might have some answers for you!