domesticali

Joanna said…

Right there with you. It seems like no matter how much cleaning I do, I'm still knee deep in toys.

dee said…

I so know that feeling, I have to wait until they are all sleeping to clear the stuff out. And even then it has to go straight to the trunk or else they find the bag in the garage and start sifting through it!

caroline said…

I usually have to wait until my son is out at school before I can bag stuff up for charity or rubbish. But I have become such a hoarder I can't really blame him for wanting to keep hold of things.

laura capello said…

i've already had many crying fits over the concept of bringing more crap into the house.

i've been telling people gift cards, that way we can get stuff like art supplies as we need it. because this is just getting ridiculous.

Anonymous said…

funny isn't it, we all talk about the disposable society, but actually I think we're raising a generation of collectors. We have a big box of used egg boxes and kitchen roll tubes, for goodness sakes!

Anonymous said…

and it just isn't toys...it is recylced boxes they make into toys. My boy is obsessed with making a box city. Great I thought. But now I have to sneak used cardboard boxes into the bin when he isn't looking. I have one spot in the garage where they are packed to the ceiling!

We too have a playroom, thankfully it is downstairs away from the living area so I can forget about it most days..

Getting craft supplies is a good idea, or if you have lots of relatives see if they can chip in to buy just one thing instead of lots of little things.

Are they old enough to choose one of their toys to give away to charity?

And, that other play room is great!

grumpy said…

Save the world - stop buying plastics.

Anonymous said…

I'm sure toys multiply in the wee small hours of the morning when no-one is watching. I too often get the idea that they're taking over our house. I have a space in the back of my wardrobe where outgrown toys await their fate. If Amy notices they're missing I can quickly retrieve them without giving the game away but if a month goes by without a word then that's it - into a black sack and down to the charity shop they go! Have a great time in Bath this week - it's a nice city to just wander around.

Sasha said…

Hoovering? Dysoning doesn't have the same ring to it, does it?

Thanks for the reminder, it IS time to sort through all of the plastic junk and pare back before the next batch of plastic junk comes from the relatives!

I don't give stuff to my nieces and nephews, we give shares of stock via One Share. It's not an experience but it does give them something that they will appreciate more when they are older. And most of the adults in my family don't exchange gifts except little homemade treats, I love that part of the season, making the treats.

Anonymous said…

hear hear!

I'm having to brave the toy graveyard that is the playroom sometimes soon. We're moving in three weeks (we finally have a date) and oh boy will toys disappear...

those naughty removal men...

Anonymous said…

Trying to cul out toys myself, although for us it's mostly which toys are "baby" toys versus toddler toys.

Thank you for the wonderful organizer! Love it!

joyce said…

i know what you mean!

Anonymous said…

Just had a fit today from my son over a rug I had given away years ago. Drives me seriously insane. seriously

Soo said…

We're planning a big clean out of toys as well, it's amazing how much you can collect in just a couple of years!!!

Anonymous said…

Yes yes, double yes. Bea's only 3 and she's my only and still we are rearranging our house to accomodate a play room cause the toys have spilled into every room.

I cull continuously and it sometimes gets me into trouble with her, but nothing too serious yet. My mom said so much of my old toys that I know have - I came predestined for too much.

I've requested a low volume Christmas on all fronts. We shall see.

Anonymous said…

Okay, her room looks really great, but I don't see any books, or big toys or any hoppity hop balls, or, or, or... Hmmm...maybe I don't need all this stuff, but it's the big stuff that I find hard to make look nice in the toy room. We will soon be going through our toys as well. I've always thought books were a good alternative to toys - and our boys love them.

Unknown said…

No kids, yet, but I'm quite a hoarder myself, so I can only imagine it will get worse. We were once given a 'movie box' by some friends. It was 2 movie ticket vouchers, a tube of pringles and a box of chocolates in a nice gift box, which I now use to store tree baubles in. It was inexpensive, and didn't make more mess and chaos, and the box was even useful once the food was gone. Otherwise Oxfam does those things where you give money to a specific project and get a gift card to give to the person on whose behalf you donated. New food experiences sound good too. You could make your own gift certificates and make them for a meal at a favourite restaurant and let the receiver pick the date. the year I got Nigella's domestic goddess book I made everyone cranberry curd and pineapple chutney, but one doesn't always have time for such things, nice though they are.