Decluttering and Simplifying - Toys got to GO

At some point the house is so filled with toys that the kids never play with you feel its time to purge the house of the excess. This is my task today, only issue, my daughter doesn't want to get rid of anything. She's now trying to prove to me that she will play with her toys. She likes to collect stuff and this is a really bad habit to have, especially at such a young age. I really want to teach her that stuff isn't that important and that you don't need to collect stuff to be happy.

I need to get rid of the clutter and simplify our lives. We've been so weighed down and I'm hoping that if I clear out the house of the excess it will bring a new lightness to our lives too. It seems as though the more clutter we've amassed the more disorganized and frustrated we've all become. I'm hoping by clearing out the house and becoming more organize the family will be more productive

The kids toys are a large contributor but so is my scrapbooking paraphenalia. Everything is in rubbermaid drawers and bins, however it feels like the house is bursting at the seems as everything doesn't have a hidding place. I would love some built ins to give everything a home but that's not going to happen anytime soon. The only other option is to prune our stuff and get rid of what we don't need.

As I watch my daughter play with her Barbies for the first time in ages I find myself thinking, oh but what if she wants to play with her toys later. I need to take a reality check here, what does she play with - her stuffies, xbox, nintendo ds, computer, and her brother. The Dora stuff hasn't seen daylight for over a year and the little people haven't been played with for a longer period of time.

Time to clear out the house and I know when I do it will feel like we've got an extra 200 square feet all of a sudden. It's easier to do this then move, that's for sure.

Some Websites you may find useful when organizing your home and the kids toys:

Easy 2 Organize - everything you need to know about organizing your home and life.

The Survival Guide - a great article that gets the whole family involved in the task.

Best House Cleaning Tips - One room at a time is this mother's advice

Parentree - Ideas on Organizing a Playroom