Family Forum / Parenting / Twins / March 2005

Hi Erin.  :-)

I'm really a neatnik, and while I don't want to burden my children too much
with my own neuroses, ahem ;-), I do think they can benefit from learning
what I can teach them about organization.  It's a fine line.  I don't want
them to feel constrained against playing in their rooms, but I do want them
to know to pick up their stuff.

Bryan (10) made a special request yesterday to be allowed to keep stuff all
over his floor because he and his sisters were creating some sort of stuffed
animal restaurant.  :-D  Of *course* I said yes...and of *course* I was all
uptight every time I looked in, even though it was so darn cute, lol.  Emily
(10) actually taped up what looked like a tripwire from the dresser drawer
to the bookcase, but I was told it was an entry point for the animals.

As far as tips & tricks...for me it boils down to two things:  restricting
the total mass and creating organized places for everything.

shelves

Bryan is the messiest of my kids, because he's a collector of
*everything*--wrapping bows, coins, pieces of tissue paper, Pokemon cards,
marbles, stuffed animals, Magnetix, etc.

Just to concentrate on his setup, I actually redid his room about six months
ago and removed some of the larger containers.  They ended up being
repositories for total junk, and they were just the means to holding onto
stuff that really didn't serve any purpose (not even to Bryan).

He has the following pieces in his room:  bed (underneath is NOT to be used
for storage, since it leads to total chaos, but he does keep an extra
comforter under there), desk (it has a hutch on it so there are two "top"
surfaces, and three drawers), chest of drawers (top is another surface, and
five drawers), bookcase (another surface, plus four shelves), one large
plastic tub with lid that is wedged between his desk and his bed, and one
large plastic tub with no lid for all his stuffed animals.  Tim retrofitted
his closet with shelving and two heights of clothing bars.  In the closet is
also a four-drawer plastic container.

So, stuff that I cherish and would never throw away--memorabilia that
doesn't need daily review (old artwork, photos, Scout newsletters, pipe
cleaner creations)--goes into the container in the closet.  On the shelves
in the closet are his Scouting gear and some out of season clothes.  On the
floor of the closet, in containers, are Legos.

He has large collector card notebooks for his thousands of Pokemon cards.
Little items--marbles, Lite Brite pegs, Pokemon coins, Chuck E. Cheese
tokens, unusual coins, pebbles--go into various cups/cans on his bookshelf.
Bulky items that can't fit elsewhere go in the plastic tub with lid.  Desk
drawers are for the tissue paper and other art projects.

On his desk he has a neat item I bought at Staples, which holds his pens for
school, plus his compass, erasers, etc.  I will say that he does NOT keep
his desk clean.  I will periodically resort his items, but he likes to have
his things on display on his desk, and I am okay with that.  I'm big on the
floor surface being clear.  Even when his desk is clear, he won't do his
homework there.  He always does homework on his floor for some reason.  :-)

As a final note, at least twice a year (pre-birthday in July and
pre-Christmas), I do a big sweep.  That means I go in alone, lol, with lots
of bags.  I throw out old toys that are broken or missing pieces, box up
toys that he's too old for to give to friends, trash the excess of pebbles
and sticks, and generally diminish his overall belongings!!  I never remove
anything he cherishes, and I always keep the items I've pulled on hold
somewhere in the house for at least a week in case I accidentally put
something away that he wants returned.

You mention:

It's possible that having a weekly straightening day becomes too
overwhelming.  I ask that my kids pick up their rooms every night before
bedtime.  It is more work in the beginning (as in, early ages), making them
follow through and having to check that they're picking up, but to me it's
always meant that (1) they get used to falling asleep in a clean room, not a
messy one; and (2) there's no one day when a LOT of time has to be spent on
cleaning.

I have a lot to say on this subject, lol, because I just realized that my
Katie, who's 6 1/2, has a ton of girly stuff (Polly Pockets, Barbies, My
Little Ponies, etc.) and is probably more along the lines of your girls!

I bought her this cool thing at Target.  Let me see if I can find it online.
Okay, it's something like this, only hers is pink & purple:  "Keep your
files and office utensils safe and neat with this Sterilite 4-drawer cart.
It's made of lightweight plastic and has wheels for easy portability.
White/clear. Made in USA. Approximate dimensions: 19-1/4Wx22-1/4Lx38-1/4H"."
.  Catalog # : 670240 ASIN: B0006O0EE2

All her teeny tiny Polly Pocket items and other assorted teeny tiny toys can
be dumped into these drawers!  Easy to clean up.  Tim's going to be putting
up some shelves over her desk in order to have a place for her larger toys
that don't fit in the cart.  I have a second pink & purple sort of cart in
which she keeps barrettes, jewelry, and all that.

I think a lot depends on the kid.  With Bryan, the more "compartments" and
drawers he has, the greater mess he makes, so I have to limit him.  With
Emily and Katie, they are much more organized, and the compartments and
little jewelry boxes and the like provide the perfect place for their
things.

Sorry this is so long!  Obviously it's a subject near & dear to my heart!

Jennifer

Janna 8/86
Bryan and Emily 7/94
Katie 7/98