Toy organization

It never ends, the constant cycle of toys...children pulling toys out, mom yelling to put them away, then children crying "I can't! I don't know where they go!" I am sure I am not the only mother facing this daily drudgery of toys. As a result I am always on the look out for great toy organizing tips, so I thought I would share some of my own tips. One of the many benefits of boys is the toys are all the same for each boy. It pretty much boils down to Legos, Hotwheels, Bionicles (lego like figures), balls and guns. 

With 2 little boys in one small room I had to stretch things a bit. Here is what I came up with......

 First of all, it's not toys but it is every so important for my sanity. 2 of my boys have these organizers. It is nice to not have all the last minute running around for school clothes or socks. This one is very simple but I like it better than the other one because it has 8 cubbies instead of just 5. As I do laundry I load each cubby for each day of the week. The top cubbie is for belts and ties. Then they go Monday thru Friday plus one more day with room for shoes on bottom. Mondays are typically laundry day so it is nice to have the extra day in there in case I have gotten backed up on laundry (I'm sure this never happens to you but it is a regular event around here). Shirt, pants, socks and sometimes underware all go in the slots. Come morning the boys know exactly what to where and mom knows they will come out with nice MATCHING school clothes on. One of the first days of school for our oldest dad was content letting him go to school in a pj top, odd shorts and tube socks. IT WAS NOT A PRETTY SIGHT! I came home from a night shift and saved the poor boy from permenant social damage. Yeah, needless to say we are not into fashion. Jeans and a t-shirt will do just fine thank you.

 I originally wanted to get a pretty blue or green bin but when I returned to Walmart of course they were out, only to return a couple weeks later AFTER I had gotten this one. Still, it works just the same. Each drawer has an assigned toy, legos, hotwheels, little tykes etc. I am trying to get the boys to put the toys in the correct bin, this way it is much easier to say "it goes in the _____ bin".

 Above that are the shelves. This wasn't exactly what I had pictured but it's what I could find in our stores. I already had the colored baskets. One for sidewalk chalk, playdough, and one for game systems. Now when the boys want to do sidewalk art they just take the basket out with them. When they are done, they know right where to put the basket. EASY PEASY!

 Of course not every toy fits into a 'category' so I added a basket for the odds and ends.

 When I saw this on PYP for only $25 I had to jump. It is great for the boys to just toss their squirt guns into...

Looks like more than just guns and big toys are being tossed in...*sigh*... I did say toy organization was an ongoing process right?! Still, I think we are getting there. I was at least able to make beds and vaccuum without stepping on a lego! That is success in my book!