Back to the basics

Well our play room in the basement had gotten so out of control that I couldn't even walk down the stairs without feeling angry (I wish I had a before and after pictures to show you). The boys would make such a mess that they were overwhelmed when they tried to clean it up...... hence me yelling, them crying..... you know the routine (I hope). When they went out skiing with Kenyon last week I spent a couple hours in the basement with a few trash bags and several rubbermaid bins. I threw a lot of toys in the garbage, but everything else I packed away in bins designated for my springtime garage sale (growing larger every day), and a couple of bins for the boys to "earn back" if they showed me that they could put the toys away that I left out. The only things I left for them were: books, trains and train table, the plastic basketball hoop and three balls, a bin of legos and two mini-trampolines. Go figure that now I find them actually PLAYING trains!!! My spoiled American children. You know they have too much when they're not terribly disappointed that the majority of their toys got taken away. A lesson for the future.

Anyway, this is what I'm planning for future toys.... this was emailed to me and I think it's great!

I also saw this and I'm quite sure that our four boys as teenagers will think of this... we'll have to keep our eye on them!!!