A Peak in the Boy's Closet

When we were in PA I had the opportunity to help Alicia get the girl's room ready for Elizabeth's arrival. (The plan at this point is they will be traveling August 27th!!! If you missed the post about sweet Elizabeth you can check it out here.) Now I will tell you I thoroughly enjoyed this as the nesting process in anticipation of a new baby holds a dear place in my heart - I LOVE it!! I also love organization.

So that gave me an idea. I thought I would document what the little boy's closet looks like now. I want to remember every detail of our lives with our little ones. In the process I will share some tips that have really worked for us when it comes to organizing all those toys. I love seeing other peoples ideas.

This is a picture of the whole closet. I like to get as much 'stuff' out of sight as possible. This changing table works great as open shelves to store toys and fits perfect in the closet. The three baskets on the top shelf next to the books hold sheets, baby blankets, and baby toys. The big basket on the floor holds the boy's blankets during the day. Cruz makes his own bed every morning and since he is still in a toddler bed he puts the blankets he covers with in this basket - makes it easy. Of course I take care of Luis'.

We used cute contact paper to cover the shelves.

These baskets and signs have been the key to the children feeling like they can do a good job of cleaning up. They know exactly where every thing goes. I used clip art to make the picture and word part and then pasted it onto scrapbook paper (the green dots). My mom has a laminater which made them very sturdy. Then with a hole punch we made a hole and tied them on with some ribbon. These signs have held up great for a year and a half now. When we did the signs for Alicia we found contact paper specifically for laminating. It is not near as stiff but it did a nice job. We have five baskets marked - Cars and Trucks, Trains, Tractors, Dishes and Food, and Other Toys.

Another thing that has helped keep toys organized are some simple drawstring bags I sewed. We have one for Cruz' tools, one for small wooden blocks, and one for a set of Lincoln logs that build a farm. We keep these in the 'Other Toys' basket.

When I was helping Alicia we started by cleaning out the closet and while doing that I realized that her needs were a little different than ours. She has a walk in closet and does out of season shopping so her big baskets are labeled - Emma Too Big, Emma Too Small, Elizabeth Too Big, Elizabeth Too Small, And Camping Clothes. She also has some smaller baskets marked - Diapers, Sheets, and Blankets. We found some cute baskets at Lowes that are purple (small) and green (big)- cute. The toys they keep in their room all fit in one large 'rubbermaid' type container and some small plastic drawers that sit on the floor. (the drawers were of course also marked with signs - you know, just so the kids can clean up their own messes - we are teaching responsibility:)