I want a toy-free space!!!!

[Twoboos]

There are toys in every single room in our house. Even the master bedroom - right now there is a princess/castle tent in there. Last night I stepped on a tiny dog. I am starting to hate toys, especially in my bedroom. I have no adult space!!!!

We do not have a playroom/finished basement. There are toys in the kitchen, sunroom, family room (legos and dollhouse furniture currently covering - COVERING - the floor), dining room (ALL the blocks??), both DD's rooms, the bathroom they use, halfbath, DH's study, computer room. I try to keep everything stored, but they take it out to play with, then do not clean up without a fight.

I just told them to keep right on playing and I would clean up after they went to bed. While I was holding a trashbag. This led to major hysteria, as you can imagine.

Hmm, come to think of it, there are no toys in the laundry room. Maybe I should make that "my" space. Wonder if I could fit a folding chair in there. I think I am losing it.

[WatchingThemGrow]

"toy-free space???" what is that????????:confused:

[KpbS]

Any way they could share a room and put 90% of the toys into the other room--a playroom?
We just moved to a house and I declared one room (supposed to be an office) a playroom. DH thought initially it was a lousy idea but he is LOVING it and so am I. Before our house was just as you described. I couldn't stand the open floor plan b/c I felt like it contributed to /caused our constant toy parade.

[infomama]

We turned our formal dining room into a play room. Best decision we made in a while.

[kijip]

I get you. It would drive me bonkers. If creep happens here, it does bug me.

We don't have a playroom and our common areas stay pretty toy free (though T could use his own darn library) but my approach is brutal. We get rid of things (either permanently or to garage storage for F) early and often. Fighting over cleaning up here means that there is too much and some goes...T even says this to us now, LOL. If it's too big a mess to clean up himself, it's too big a mess to make.

[g-mama]

Katy,

I just wanted to tell you how much I loved seeing your new signature. That was my mom's favorite song and she died while I was pregnant with my 2nd son, Benjamin. His middle name is Francis because of that (would've incorporated her name into his if he'd been a girl) and I remember singing it to him when he was a baby and it made me happy and sad all at the same time. Thanks for the sweet memory and hope you're doing okay following the loss of your mom.

[MamaMolly]

I get you. It would drive me bonkers. If creep happens here, it does bug me.

We don't have a playroom and our common areas stay pretty toy free (though T could use his own darn library) but my approach is brutal. We get rid of things (either permanently or to garage storage for F) early and often. Fighting over cleaning up here means that there is too much and some goes...T even says this to us now, LOL. If it's too big a mess to clean up himself, it's too big a mess to make.

I need this tatooed on my eye lids so I see it with every blink. I recently weeded out a lot of DD's toys and she plays better with less, but I could and need to go so much farther.

We have toys in the living room, her table and chairs (and crayons, paper, markers and playdoh) in the dining room. THe kitchen is pretty much toy free but it trickles in. I also declared my BR a toy free zone. I dry DD's hair with my dryer in our attached bathroom I let her keep small figety toys in one drawer in there.

Upstairs I kept toys out of her bedroom but like any other kiddo she can turn anything into a toy. So today I got to pick up about 20 or so hairbows out of her bed. Sigh.

Less is more, less is more, less is more.

[arivecchi]

"toy-free space???" what is that????????:confused: :hysterical:

[kijip]

Katy,

I just wanted to tell you how much I loved seeing your new signature. That was my mom's favorite song and she died while I was pregnant with my 2nd son, Benjamin. His middle name is Francis because of that (would've incorporated her name into his if he'd been a girl) and I remember singing it to him when he was a baby and it made me happy and sad all at the same time. Thanks for the sweet memory and hope you're doing okay following the loss of your mom.

Thanks. My Catholic mother was a member of the Secular Order of Franciscans so I have been reading a lot of Franciscan history and beliefs in the aftermath of her death. We incorporated the Prayer of St. Francis into most aspects of her funeral and into the inscription on her urn and grave marker. It's definitely in her memory that I added it to my signature here. It's something I need to work on, LOL.

[Twoboos]

<Sorry I can't figure out the double quote thing!>
Katie Said: "If it's too big a mess to clean up himself, it's too big a mess to make."

THIS is my mindset. Especially when DD2 wails "But I can't clean it up Byyyy Myyy Sellfffff!" Gee, you had no trouble getting all this out, maybe you have too much stuff.



but like any other kiddo she can turn anything into a toy.

Yes, this. yesterday we somehow lost a whole package of brand new hair elastics - I have NO CLUE where they are (except for three), because they were played with - AAARRRGG!

[frgsnlzrds]

I hear you. I have more toys in my house than a daycare. Time to have a garage sale or pass them along!

[lizajane]

could the sunroom be the playroom????

i am SO excited (i am mean. sorry, i shouldn't brag. but here i go...)

i am moving rooms around (AGAIN!!!) so that my office/sewing room/lizajane baby "headquarters" can be DOWNSTAIRS in the basement with the guest room and a bathroom, so the kids will have NO reason to go down there unless they are waking grandma when she visits. they didn't ever GO into the playroom when it was in the basement, so it totally defeated the purpose and crap ended up all over the house.

the playroom will be in the "first floor master" (master my heiny! it is terrible as a bedroom! long story) which is where i can hear them, monitor them, etc and KEEP THEM OUT of my living room, where they MOVE FURNITURE on a daily basis and twist my curtains around legs of tables. YAY YAY YAY!!!

a friend is painting the downstairs room- almost done- and then i can start really moving stuff around!!! and the kids are going to MIL and FIL's for the first week of august so i can GO CRAZZZZZY cleaning out toys and sewing supplies!!! whoo hoooo!!!!!!!!!!

[crl]

I second the sunroom as playroom. That's what we did in our last house and it worked quite well. We put all toys back in the sunroom/playroom before bed everyday.

Our current space is much smaller with no "extra" rooms to be the playroom. So DS' toys and books are all stored in his bedroom. I have one decent size bookcase in his room and if it doesn't fit on that, it gets stored away. We rotate things out of storage periodically. Limiting the toys definitely helps with clean-up.


Catherine