Bursting at the seams?

[linzoid]

How much stuff do your kids have? My house is bursting at the seams! They still manage to get bored too. I have 2ds age 4 and 7, i have a cupboard in my kitchen full of puzzles and games, playdoh and pens etc. They have a bedroom each and both are full of stuff. I mean do kids really need all this? I hate clutter, minimalist is how i like it but that doesn't happen once you have kids does it? Does evryone else find that their house is just full of, well, stuff?
ahh well perhaps i just need a bigger house (i'll keep dreaming)

Someone suggested something to me a couple of months ago that I thought was a great idea. At Xmas and birthdays when they get huge amounts of stuff, why don't you let them open all the presents (or not??) but then take away over half the toys and every month or so bring out a 'new' toy? Maybe that would only work with younger kids, but then again maybe not. I think it's a really good idea personally and am going to try it myself. They always get too much to play with and this way they play properly with a few things and then every month or so, for a while at least, they get 2 or 3 (or whatever) new toys to play with and keep them interested.
You always need an 8 bedroom house when kids come along no matter what though!

Yes, yes, yes! House is overrun with toys, and we have a toy room!!! When I was expecting DD (having already got DS) we bought next door in the hopes that this would solve all our clutter problems - but no! It seems that it actually breeds and has now taken over both houses, and the garage, and the shed, and the attic.....

I am getting a bit stressed about this and have started by throwing things away, but it doesn't help that DH is a horder of EVERYTHING including empty cardboard boxes. And I am in the process of sorting toys that can be got rid of (Charity shop/toy library/children's nursery ) - but have just had birthdays for both children and the toys seem to have increased by about thirty times!

Ho hum! I'm sure it will all change when they leave home (in about 15 - 20 years time!!)and I give them all their own stuff to take with them, like my Mum did with me. Come to think of it that means she has loads of space at her house that is just a nice size for lots of cr*p.....

Forgot to say that we knocked a big hole through so two houses are now one.....

our house is just not big enough for all the toys so we`re thinking about getting a chalet for the garden and make it into a play room and also put our sofa bed in there,it will solve the problem and also the idea of putting the in-laws in there when they come for 2 WHOLE WEEKS!!!really appeals to me

Having moved around a lot with DH's work I have concluded that houses are like Handbags: if you have a small handbag you fill it and if you have a big handbag you fill it!

I have to fight my way into the (so called) Study at the moment but eventually DH or I will fall over something and a mass tidy up will occur. Until then I just force the door shut each evening!