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The toys have taken over!

I'm so overwhelmed! Brooklyn deals with it by playing with whatever she wants and leaving it on the floor...in whatever room in the house she happens to be in.

I've been stewing over this for several days now, and I think I've come up with a plan to deal. Now obviously there is nothing new in this plan. It's all about taking what others say and customizing it to work for you. Here is what I'm thinking:

Brooklyn's toys can be divided into the following categories: Little people/barbie, dress up, home living "baby", home living "kitchen", puzzles/games, and art/school.  So this weekend, Brooklyn and I are going to sort her toys into those categories. We will then sort each category into "favorites" "donate" and "storage". The donated items will be donated to needy children or the trash (depending on the condition of the toy), favorites will be put away in her room and playroom (which are already semi organized to accommodate these categories, it's just overwhelmed by the volume), and stored items will be boxed and labeled, and put in the attic or garage until spring.

I'm thinking we'll use the fall/spring seasons as our switching point for several reasons. 1) this is when we sort through clothing, so it's easy to remember. 2) It coincides with Christmas and birthday -- a good time for evaluating our toy needs, replacing the old with the new, and the outgrown with the age appropriate. I'm also hoping we can use this opportunity to deal with character issues such as stewardship, taking care of our things, gratitude, being thankful for what we have, and assessing needs vs. wants. 

That's the blue print. We'll see how it plays out in the coming weeks!

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