Cold Morning

Once again, I have wondered off and forgot to post on here. Who would have thought?

It is a freezing Tuesday morning, -20 freezing cold morning. Im so glad I don't have to leave the house in the mornings. No cold car trips to the bus stop for this Momma! Winter is here, we have 2-3 inches of snow that came a week or so ago and hasn't left yet.

Monday Morning Temp

 

First Snow

With all the snow and cold I have been inside a lot! Im still trying to organize my house. But on a good note I have taken probably 6 garbage bags and several boxes full of clothes and toys to donations!!

In an effort to tame toys before Christmas I have started a toy rotation program. I was always skeptical of this because I thought my boys would freak out when it was all gone.
I actually told them that Santa came to visit and that it was Santa's idea because they didn't clean up their toys and he wanted to try something new to see if they deserved new toys for Christmas. They cant get mad at Santa, right?
But just like all the webpages say, they didn't freak out. They didn't cry, they didn't yell. 

They played!!!

They played better than I have seen in a long time and they fought less and enjoyed the toys!!!!!!!
And they actually put them all away every night, because it is not so overwhelming. Now if I can just keep up my end of the deal and switch the toys.





 
 
 

Before, as you can see we had way to much stuff. I had tried to separate it all and keep it in the boxes.
But that just looked horrible and they never actually opened the boxes to play.










 

I separated it all into like categories and then boxed it up and put them all in the bottom of the linen closet. I left out a few toys on the bottom to work on the ABCs and the big Legos stay. 
 After:




Rotation #1 castles

 

 

 

It has been almost 2 weeks and the kids are still cleaning up and having fun with the toys. Not I need top get them changed out before they lose interest. 

My next project is coats and shoes (as you can see in the background). Since winter is here and it is cold cold cold, Im really trying to get the coats we don't use and get them to donations so they can be keeping someone warm this winter instead of laying on my floor.