Just When We Thought It Was Under Control..

With James being free from all restrictions, one of the first things I did was pull the bin of toys we'd taken away from him last month and return them to him.

Big mistake there.

He is ecstatic at the new variety, and you can tell that he must remember some of them.  He immediately became reattached to some old favorites.

But now our living room is a disaster zone.  Even more so than before.

We are out of space.  Completely out.

So, it was time to invest in some new furniture.  My solution in the past has been book cases, filling walls with them and stuffing everything we needed on to those shelves.  But now the bookcases are crowding us out.  I've actually lost my dining room to them.

Last Friday, we ordered a new media center.  It will be placed on the wall our TV rests on, out of James' reach, and we will be putting everything there: Blu Rays, DVDs, and all video games.  Believe it or not, this will remove the 2 large, 5 shelf bookcases in the dining room, the 3 shelf bookcase on one wall in the living room, and a 4 shelf DVD rack near the TV.

Once those items are gone, the best part of this transformation will occur: I get my dining room back!  Which means the table and chairs we've crammed in James' room (he doesn't play in there, so it made sense months ago) will come out, and his room will gain space as well.

And we are looking at toy box type thing for the living room.  We still prefer him to be with us, so we need something that will hold his things, and maybe have a shelf for bigger items and books.

Does it matter if it matches the rest of the living room?

Nope.  At this point function will beat style, and once he is older and can play in his room then it will be moved.

So, if anyone has any suggestions on the best way to organize the toys, please leave me a message or link in the comments.  This is a purchase we plan to make in about 4 weeks, so no rush, but it has to be the right one because we plan to live with it for years to come.

Once it's all done, I promise pictures of everything.  I'll even get some before shots of the disaster.

Do you have any other suggestions for getting a little more organized?  Maybe an app to help with grocery lists or reminders?  I'd love to hear about those too.  Another part of my problem is that I have a stash of note pads and post its, and they make my desk shabby looking.

Are you in need of help with your organization?  I'd recommend visiting this month's Live Well Lived Panel at BlogHer and taking a look at what others have used and would recommend.  Make sure to join the conversation with your own question and tips - you never know what you might learn or be able to help with!

And of course sign up to win this month's sweepstakes as well!