With two little boys, we’ve been very very lucky that toys get used twice as much. But it has also been a little difficult to shop for them for birthdays and holidays because no one needs anything.

But with grandparents, friends, family, and parents all buying for them, it had just gotten out of hand. (I have a post coming about Christmas.)

For birthdays, we’ve suggested that in lieu of gifts guests bring a donation to the food bank, a children’s shelter, and just forego gifts completely. And this always works, and we’re so glad that our friends are willing to attend parties to celebrate and know that a gift is not necessary.

After I decided we needed to clean out the toys, I got the boys involved.

Hudson and I decided to have four different categories: donate, storage, KK & Poppie’s house, and RC & PC’s house.

For the donate category, I decided to include things that were either duplicate toys or just don’t get played with. We had about six plastic lions. For a while, Hudson’s favorite animal was a lion. So he got a lion in his stocking or a lion in his Easter basket. And the lions just kept on coming. So we donated a lot of the things that weren’t getting played with.

For the storage category, we included things that are played with, but decided to move toys into a rotation. So the boys won’t have all of their toys at all times. But every couple of months we will bring things out of storage and re-introduce them. We have done this a few times before with some toys after we moved. We brought them back out five months later and the boys went crazy over their “new” toys. Hiding them and bringing them back out is a great solution for us to keep things fresh and new without buying all new toys.

For KK & Poppie/RC & PC’s house (the grandparents), this worked out well. These were toys that they still really like, but don’t always have to have at home. And Todd’s parents and my parents are kind enough to keep our kids overnight and like to have toys at their houses for the boys. So we went through and decided on some toys that could be left at their houses and they’d play with them when they visit.

All of this has helped a lot with creating a more organized play space for the boys, and have more of an idea of what they actually have. And it’s just made it a lot more fun for them to play.

Their favorite toys are their train table, their Legos Duplos, and puzzles.

I want Hudson and Hayes to enjoy playing with their toys and have fun while still being able to take care of their things. We have a different plan for this year’s Christmas, but just like with my closet, any time we get something new, we get rid of something else.

It’s all a work in progress, and my kiddos definitely have the “gimmes” just like every other kid.

What systems have you found that work for you and your kids?

This post is Day 16 for 31 Days of Creating White Space

 

Over the last four plus years, we have accumulated a lot of toys.

Toys for every age and milestone our kids have reached. Toys as gifts. Toys on the random trip to Target. We have tons of books, too, but I’m okay with books. I’m not okay with all the toys.

And you know what’s funny? The same way that I wear the same clothes over and over again and have lots of clothes I never wear, my kids play with the same toys over and over again.

And the clutter and accumulation of toys just leads to messes. They will dump out an entire basket of cars just to find the one car they actually want to play with.

We have some really fantastic learning toys, but we also have a lot of useless toys and duplicates of toys. At one point I was buying two of everything so the kids wouldn’t fight over it. And you know what? They find something else to fight over.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Luke 12:34

I have made a plan to get rid of more than half of their toys. Why?

-One-

So they take better care of their toys. When they don’t have as many toys, they’ll appreciate the ones they do have and take better care of them. They’ll actually have a mental inventory of what they have.

-Two-

With fewer toys, they’ll become more creative. They’ll be imaginative with their toys, and come up with new, fun ways to play with them.

-Three-

Maybe they will actually play with their toys instead of just dumping them on the floor. Right now, they’ll dump out a basket of little superheroes just to look for one. Then there are messes that take up their play space and make it more difficult to actually play.

-Four-

They’ll become less selfish and have less of a sense of entitlement. They need to hear the word “no” and know what it means to wait for something they really want, and even save for it when they start getting an allowance.

-Five-

The most important thing is teaching them that toys do not make them happy. Material objects are not the source of happiness. And learning this at a young age will help them a lot.

Tomorrow I’ll talk about how exactly we’ve narrowed it down. What we’ve saved, donated, put in storage, etc.

Have you ever had a great toy purge?

This post is Day 15 in 31 Days of Creating White Space  

 

What do we do when the lack of white space is filled with good stuff? Really good stuff.

Trips to the park with friends.

Soccer practice. That is fun for everyone.

Nights out with other couples.

The greatest outfit you ever tried on… and it was on sale!

Toys for the kids that were exactly what they wanted and put the biggest smiles on their faces.

Half-off books!

A set of gorgeous heirloom dishes that were passed down two generations.

Even your weekly Bible study.

None of those things are “bad” things. They’re all actually good things.

But, for me, they can become white space stealers. It all depends on how they make me feel.

A closet full of great outfits that were on sale isn’t so bad, but when I think about how many items were never worn and how much money was spent, I don’t feel good about it.

Soccer practice is great when I saw my boy smiling and running around with his friends. But then we’re rushing to eat supper and Hayes is crying and it can really mess up the rest of our night.

A trip to the park with friends is always a good idea. We get out of the house and get to run around. But when I find myself saying to my boys, “Hurry up. Get it in the car. We have to hurry,” I know that it wasn’t a good thing. All the hurrying we do steals my white space.

And even on those mornings when we’re rushing off to school so I can get to Bible study on time, I miss a lot of the joy. I want to be at Bible study, but the rushing around and hustling my boys along leaves such a bad taste in my mouth.

None of these things are bad. But if doing it all makes me feel anxious, it’s probably not good for right now.

I like to say yes. We’ve covered that.

But I don’t like rushing around. I don’t like looking at my precious, cheery little 2-year-old and asking him to hurry up.

I don’t like looking around and seeing every surface covered with toys, books, frames, and magazines.

It’s all just too much.

Too much good stuff.

And that just means it’s just not good for us for right now.

This week I’ll be talking about some of the things that we love that need to be reevaluated to give us back our white space.

What good things do you have in your schedule, home, or life that are stealing your white space that you’d like to reclaim?

 

This post is Day 14 in a series called 31 Days of Creating White Space.

In protecting the Sabbath (which has not always been something I strive to do, but I’m working on it now), I see it as a way of stopping to rest and thank God for what He has done in my life. To focus on the good and thank Him for those things. And to recognize that all of the good is because of Him, not because of me.

Choosing to create white space throughout the week is my way of stopping to let my family members and friends know that my relationship with them is more important to me than plans on the calendar.

Part of the reason that time seems to fly by so quickly is because we’re just rushing around and not doing what we can to make memories. And since the beginning of this 31 Days, I’ve tried to make an effort to make memories. Not by over-scheduling, but by being intentional. Doing new things. Playing new games. Enjoying each other’s company without too much noise.

Here’s a little Instagram dump with some of the really good from this past week.

This week, there was a whole lot of good. Todd was out of town this weekend on a much-needed golf trip.

The boys and I had the opportunity to spend an evening at a friend’s home with her kids.

While sitting and working at Whole Foods while the boys were in school, one of my very best friends walked up with her precious children and we had the unexpected opportunity to visit for about twenty minutes. It was a bright spot in my week.

Hudson, Hayes, and I didn’t turn on the TV at all on Saturday. We played Candyland, hide and seek, and danced around to “I would walk 500 miles, and I would walk 500 more.” We went to the park and played and ran.

A dear friend unexpectedly called to let us know he was coming in town for 24 hours. And because our calendar was clear, we were able to have supper and lunch with him and spend lots of time catching up, and he got to meet our kids!

Hudson and I watched Home Alone and I got so much satisfaction hearing his roaring laughter. So so pure and sweet.

I’ve been praying a lot about this series that God will help me complete it, but continue to give me words to share and things that He has laid on my heart about simplifying, creating margin, and resting in Him.

I hope you all have a great day of rest!

This is Day 13 in a series called 31 Days of Creating White Space. You can read the rest of the posts here.