toy room

The other day I went into the toy room deciding it was time to clean-up.  I usually have the boys clean it on a regular basis (you should hear Kekoa's protests, "Mom, you always make us clean").  After neglecting it for weeks, many visitors passing through and attempts of my aunt cleaning it up (she has Down's Syndrome, so clean-up means putting it wherever there is space), it was a disaster. See?

I bet half of you didn't realize there was a baby laying on the floor - it seriously was so much worse than even the picture looks.

It took us days to clean up (we'd work on it then need to leave or get tired, then it get messy again).  We finally finished today.  Hooray!

I realized in cleaning up that there were many things that were just mess toys and not play toys.  Meaning, they are just tossed around rather than played with.  I had an idea that stemmed from something I saw at my sister's house.  I got a large piece of paper and wrote things for the boys to do.

It isn't fancy at all -  I am sure some could make it look amazing with those vinyl cut-out things, but I have accepted the fact that I am really just a functional kind of person most of the time.

I brought the boys upstairs and explained it - if they get bored they can choose and activity on the sheet.  I emphasized that they need to clean-up after each activity.   I am hopeful that it will be a good thing for all of us - that the boys will enjoy their toys more and be motivated to clean up after themselves. We'll see . . .