This week I’m participating in Simple Mom’s Project Simplify. Â It comes at a great time for me since I’m in baby prep mode and have many areas of the house that I want to conquer. Â It fits right in with my Insane Goals. Â Today I’m sharing progress I’ve made with Grace’s new room, her art supplies, and toys in the living room.
Living Room Toys
  
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve taken a “before” photo of this bookshelf! Â It has been a crazy mess forever. Â The worst part was the basket on the top shelf.
There was all kinds of craziness in that basket: crayons, coloring books, combs, Grace’s medications like Tylenol and teething relief, my digital camera and USB cords, lotion, a clothes hanger, trash, and MORE!
This space was organized by:
- Completely emptying that catch all basket and replacing it with an empty one that will be used for baby toys.
- Moving all of Grace’s stuffed animals to her “big girl” room.
- Moving her puzzles to the top shelf along with some other toys that had been kept on the floor.
- Finally throwing some things out (like the “fuzzy pet” she made in Sunday School – it was a piece of felt with eyes).
Art Supplies
  
This is a small shelf in our mud room that quickly became a catch-all space. Â Before I started purging it held play dough, finger paint, at least 10 containers of bubbles, two picnic blankets, a rain poncho, kite, and more.
This space was organized by:
- Deciding that it was only going to be for art supplies and nothing else!
- Swapping out the baskets and bringing in a lazy Susan.
- Moving all of the bubbles to my “gift box.”
- Adding Grace’s crayons, markers, and coloring books so all her art stuff would be in one place (and not in that dreaded basket in the living room).
The bag of white stuff in the after photo is actually biodegradable packing peanuts. Â Do have any ideas for craft projects I can do with Grace?
Grace’s “Big Girl” Room
  
This was the guest bedroom and catch-all storage room. Â The closets were filled with boxes from when we moved in. Â Grace seems to love the room, but we’ll see how she really feels about it when she sleeps in it for the first time TONIGHT!! Â EEEK! Â Do you have any advice for how to survive the night!?!?
This space was organized by:
- Completely purging and reorganizing the closets, which involved gathering things for garage sale and moving items to the attic or office.
- Switching the twin bed and futon.
- Dressing up the room with Ikea bedding and lamps, changing the futon back into a couch, turning shower curtains into window curtains, and adding some storage bins under the couch.
I’m thrilled to have each of these spaces reorganized.
Are you participating in Project Simplify? Â I would love to see your before & after photos!
Great job on the cleanup! We have a room for both of my kiddos, but they are actually still in with us. Luckily our bedroom is huge so my daughter has a little bed in the corner which works for her. I am thinking about possibly moving them into their bedroom this summer, but not sure if I will be able to cope 😉
Awesome job! Grace’s room looks great! Switching kid’s rooms and beds always seems like such a huge deal, but I’ve found that it usually goes better than I expect – usually because I expect the worst – and the kids adjust much more easily than I think they will. I think most kids are pretty adaptable, and it’s us parents that get all bent out of shape! 🙂 Good luck with the transition!
Everything looks great! When we moved keeping a bedtime routine was the biggest key for us.
Nice work, Rebekah! Enjoy your new room, Grace!
Love the organizing photos. You got a lot done! I particularly like the way you spruced up your daughter’s new room. It looks beautiful. I’ll be checking back in to see how the big “move” goes. I have to do the same thing with my youngest and I’m nervous about how it will go.