Mothership Confessional

I spent several hours DEALING WITH MY KIDS' TOYS the other day. I like to rotate their toys, but I haven't done it in several months, and it was way overdue! I'm going to tell you WHAT toy rotation is, HOW to do it, and WHY you should do it! Kids have a lot of toys, and it seems like they never seem to play with all of them and there's never enough space to organize them! With toy rotation, you put at least half  of the toys away, and rotate them out every so often. This controls the mess (to a degree), creates new interest in old or forgotten toys (maybe because all the toys can actually be seen ), and makes for a happier, cleaner home! A lot of my personal struggle with toy rotation is simply the logistics  of it. You'll need to have space to store toys where the kids cannot access them. This could be a closet, basement, a room away from the usual play area(s), or even a locked cabinet. Storage space is something a lot of us struggle with, I think! And oft...

You know, it's really hard to find toys for the child who falls between baby toys that light up and twinkle, and little doll playsets and Legos. What about that 2 year old who isn't a baby anymore but isn't ready for "big kid" toys? Toddlers. Have you met a toddler?! They change their minds constantly  and can be quite destructive! I always struggle with "do I buy Ava cheap toys so if/when she destroys it, it's not a big deal" or "do I buy more expensive, quality toys that will last but risk wasting money if she plays with it twice and decides she doesn't like it". I figured I can't be the only parent who feels this way! We all want our kids to have meaningful experiences with their toys. I'm always on the hunt for just the right toys  that have educational value while also maintaining the feeling of "fun". And especially for that tricky 2 year old...most toys say 3+  or 5+  because they co...