Q&A Friday: Clutter and Children's Toys 

 

 I just began participating in a blog group that posts on topics a few times a week.  The group answer's questions from readers on Fridays, which is referred to as “Large Family Living Q&A Friday’s”. This weeks question is:
 "How do you manage with so little in the bedrooms? toys, clutter, etc? ~ Kristen" 

I know that in our home, it was very hard at first to manage. We had clothes and toys galore! When we had time and opportunity, my husband and I would go through bags and boxes and declutter the garage and basement. In the home, we would box up things we weren't currently using and pack them away.  We donate a lot of clothes and toys throughout the year, so we keep that type of mess that way.
Last year, we relocated back to Pennsylvania from Ohio. We had the opportunity then to go through and get rid of things we didn't need any longer and things we no longer wanted. I have a Freecycle account, so I placed a post on there and people came to took what they wanted (it was already outside at the curb). 
Now that we have 5 children, we realize how important it is to have less of some things. I typically use paper plates and cups to cut down on the dirty dishes. They kids have a large hope chest style toy box downstairs and a small Step 2 toy box in their bedroom. The toys that can't fit nicly downstairs get taken up and put away. Every 6 months or so, we go through the toy boxes and get rid of any broken toys and make more room.
When it comes to actual "clutter", I have a catch all "junk drawer". Let's face it, you have some clutter you just need - invitations, monthly bills, lists of all sorts, etc... So all my clutter goes there. When it comes to all our clothes, I so wish we had a clothes room like the Duggar Family. We keep what we can in the dressers and then the rest get hung in the closets. I need to purchase a larger washer and dryer though. The set we have no came with the house, and they are small, so my laundry backs up often. Wonder how much a laudry lady would cost me? :)