OK, I’m going to apologize in advance: this post is definitely one of my boring smarmy daily chronicles. But still: I worked hard, and I’m going to write about it.
So today I was a Smart Mama: I planned a few hours kid-free so I could do a rehaul of their room. They’ve been bouncing off the walls a bit lately and I knew we could help them settle. See for me, when I am feeling stymied I love to clean or reorganize my creative space – my sewing room. The kids can’t really do this; it’s up to us to do it for them. I’m a big believer that kids don’t need a lot of toys so much as the following:
1. well-ordered toys that all have an appropriate “home”.
2. a change from time to time – yes, this may include buying toys or, as we did Saturday, getting them from Freecycle or craigslist. Rotating toys also works.
3. a careful and conscious weed-out and flux. In fact, having too many toys seems to contribute more to boredom than a few well-loved and well-tended ones.
Another upside to these practices is that their room is tidy, ordered, and fresh enough you actually WANT to sit with them and play (which they love). We Hogabooms do a room cleanup and restructure for our children every few months. It always makes everyone happier. In the interim, our kids are expected to tidy their toys up in day-to-day play. It works pretty well; they’re only 2 and 4 but keep their stuff maintained pretty well. I brag that Sophie’s wooden puzzles and blocks from before she was a year old still have all their pieces accounted for.
OK, smugness aside, here is what I did:
1. Moved every toy out of their room, swept, stripped beds. Wiped down surfaces with a little water and almond Dr. Bronner’s.
2. Went through every single piece of clothing they own in both dresser and closet; culled every item that was either too small, too ragged, or that I didn’t really like and it was time to admit that (this included some rather scuffed-up shoes). I also did a runthrough on my Rubbermaid tote of clothes the kids haven’t grown into yet (and the ones Sophie is out of but Nels isn’t yet into) to make sure I don’t miss an opportunity to put something out.
3. Did the same process for their toys, making sure there was a “home” for each kind of toy (i.e. no jumbled general toy box).
Here is my caveat: of the culled items, I do not donate toys and clothes to the Goodwill if they are refuse. One of my top irritations is people who donate or try to sell (via yardsale) stuff that is really crap; I guess they don’t want to pay to have it thrown out or they want to feel smugly charitable for donating to those who shop in lesser realms. See, you’ve gotta look at stuff with a fresh eye and think: is this really worth buying or owning? The scuff marks and fabric tears that have developed gradually will be glaring and obvious to a new potential owner. This is another good reason to keep few toys and clothes and keep them in good condition: you don’t have to throw stuff out. At the end of the process, I had less than half my kitchen garbage full of throw-out.
4. Reorganized their space and moved their furniture. They love it when we do this. Since my kids share a room and it’s a small one, so I am always thinking of creative ways to use space: for instance, today I converted the bottom shelf of the changing table (heretofore almost unused) to storing wooden puzzles.
5. Put out fresh linens on beds, re-ordered their art boards, hung a few origami birds.
After the cleanup was done I gave myself permission to merely pick up the rest of the house (rather than deep clean) then head into town for – yes – a new toy purchase. Snooty wooden food for their “new” (Freecycle) kitchenette, and dishes. Needless to say after I picked my kids up, brought them home, cleaned them up, and showed them their new kitchen, they were completely thrilled.
And it’s all worth the state of near-collapse I felt by this early evening. Now I just wish someone would do the same for my bedroom.