Is it possible to have a tidy house and happy dc?

[thesockmonsterofdoom]

serious question, whenever I go to other peoples houses they are always tiday, mine has toys in every available corner. I am very clean and tidy, organised person but I just cant seem to come up with a system for all the toiys. I tried outting them in the dc's rooms but then they never get played with, the dc very rarely play in their rooms even though they have lovely rooms.
I dont mind I would rather they had their toys around them but I get fed uop of looking at pink tatt all the time.

[JustKeepSwimming]

Get some large wicker-type baskets (or whatever you like/suits the house) and get them to chuck everything in at the end of the day, then shut them and save your eyes

[mloo]

I think it helps if you like tidying up, or if you have DC that easily enough train to tidy up.
Er, I don't qualify on any front.

[eandh]

I do (although have done a huge clean today but the dd's are at my parents for the weekend

But I do keep the house tidy, it does help that they have a playroom with huge pine cupboard and then plastic boxes, dd1 is not a keen tidier but dd2 loves tidying they tend to get one set thing out in the afternoons (dd1 at preschool in the morning) so often they'll have the kitchen and play food out or the animals/zoo etc I do tend to leave colouring bits on the dining room table all day (well until tea time then everything is tidied up they have dinner, watch tv, bath, story and bed so no need for any more toys out)

[thesockmonsterofdoom]

just noticed how bad my typing was in op I was thinking about something that looks nice as a toy box rather than actual toyboxes but dont have any spare funds. I am trying to turn the dining room into a playroom of sorts but all the toys wont fit in there, i think my dc have too many toys tbh.

[thesockmonsterofdoom]

theya re fairly tidy, it's just that every available corner has a dolls pram or cot or something that is too big to tidy away in it.

[eandh]

the cupboard I mentioned has a shelf in it so lots of stuff fits in there plus 3 drawers on side so all playfood goes in one, colouring bits/paper/fuzzy felt etc in another and all small play figures etc in another, we got it for £30 on ebay and its fab and I dont mind if it gets a bit wrecked by the dd's as it was a cheaper piece of furniture (I am obsessed with decluttering and sorting every 3-4 months then I put stuff in the loft if they dont ask for it within 6 months it gets sold or occasionally if age specific stored for dd2)

[eandh]

Do the dolls prams fold down as the ones the dd's have fold so we have one left up in the playroom but the other one is folded underneath dd1 bed and if they both want to play with a pram I just go and get it. I have found myself stopping buying specific toys because logistically there isnt anywhere to store 'big' stuff

All board gamnes etc are on top of my wardrobe and I get them down (dd2 is only 2 so if she gets her hands on them we lose pieces) dvds are kept in a seat thing int he lounge that lifts up. Babies accessories are all in the babys travel cot or in the pram bag and I keep alot of the pots/pans for the play kitchen in the oven/dishwaher bits of teh kitchen

[thesockmonsterofdoom]

all the stuff for the play kitchen is in the kitchen somewhere, if I put the dolls prams down I would have nowhere to put the dolls. Also have a dolls bath, a fantastic walker thing that I am hoping a frien will buy off me as it is massive but lovely. easel which would fold flat but if it is left out they play with it all the time for a few minutes at a time so qwould drive me mad putting it up and down. We have a side board type thing with all the jigsaws and that kind of thing in, we have a table in the lounge that has one playset on and I try to change it every few days. The back of the sofa is stuffed full of pop up tents and fold down card castle and that kind of thing.
I try to clear out what they dont play with but they seem to play with everything at some point.

[Cadmum]

I don't think that it is in my case...
The sad thing is that it is not possible to have a messy house and a happy mum here either.

I hope that we can come to some kind of compromise SOON!

[JustKeepSwimming]

these ones look OK? and not too pricey.

But the big stuff is just part of having little ones i've decided.
As they get older they don't play with big stuff so you can get rid/sell/whatever.
If i think of a friend's DS who is 7, he plays with a mini-computer game, the size of a pencil case

So all the prams, cars, tents, etc. are short-lived.

i hope.

[Jojay]

Our toys live in the conservatory off our living room.

In the evenings I chuck everything out there, shut the doors and draw the curtains - Voila!!

[thesockmonsterofdoom]

Oooo they are nice, I really like the big ottoman type blanket boxes, I have a space under the bay where we currently have 2 pink IKea tables that would house a lovely toy box and save me from the pink.
I should just enjoy it really it wont be long till they wont come out of their bedrooms anyway and we dont see them for days except to demand food.

[JustKeepSwimming]

what do you mean by ottoman? which ones?

I know in +/-10yrs all we'll get is a grunt and ashoulder shrug as they drop their coat on the floor and head upstairs to their pits bedrooms!

[JustKeepSwimming]

[CarGirl]

I think the key is to having fewer toys and def rotating what you have and putting some of it away in their rooms.