A Refreshing Change

Target is running a special this week on the cube storage unit that we have in our living room. I decided to buy another one, so that the kids could find their toys easier and the bigger ones currently scattered around the floor or shoved in a corner would have a home. So at 11 last night, I put together the new one and sorted through toys. I removed broken toys, stored unused baby toys, and put others in a pile for a garage sale. Now the toys, puzzles, and games look MUCH better.

Last week I discovered an AWESOME website. Simple Mom has great tips on spring cleaning, time management, kids, organizing, etc. At one point, she referenced another website called Keeper of the Home, specifically the entry on quiet time bins. This idea inspired me to make quiet time bins for John since he's often not taking a nap. At this point, I'm storing John's quiet bins on top of the new cube storage unit. He helped make the labels using letters I won at last year's Flip Flop Crop.

Here is a glimpse inside the bins. I have 3 books in every bins (1 Christian-based book, 2 others). For my own sanity (and to clear out the car bin), I also added 3 cars to every bin. This may change later...we'll see.
Monday - coloring books, notepad, colored pencils, crayons
Tuesday - dominoes and memory (He often plays with these by himself and they get scattered all over. This way, they're stored in one place and played once a week. If we want to play together, we can pull them out of the bin.)
Wednesday - train tracks and trains (I think I'll be changing this one since he kept getting upset today about putting the tracks together and the trains falling off.)
Thursday - felt pieces
Friday - puzzle
I'm going to be adding more to some of these and occasionally rotating what's in the bins, so if you have other ideas, let me know.