Previously:
To add some floor space, I reoriented the ikea cube shelf to stand up on its end. (If you do this with yours, remember to anchor it to the wall so it doesn't fall!)
I like how these bins look, the fact that they hide tons of toys, and that they were a decent price, but the design leaves something to be desired. They are made from thin chipboard, so I'm constantly reminding the kids to pick up the lids so they don't get smushed. Also, the little bolts that hold them together are continually coming unscrewed and causing the sides of the box to sag.
I'm thinking of another solution, but for now, I just gather up the pieces and put them back together whenever I find them lying around.
I bought the white boxes about a year after the orange ones. While I was putting them together, I used my glue gun to dab a spot of glue onto the end of each bolt after I screwed it together. The white ones have held up much better, so it seems to have helped. If you buy these for use in a kids room, I would highly recommend adding this step.
I took some time this week to go through the boxes, make sure they weren't over loaded, and get rid of some toys the kids weren't playing with any more. I also grabbed too-small clothing and put them in bags to sell for the next JBF sale.
No wonder they were having so much trouble keeping their room tidy! Where does all this stuff come from? I think it multiplies like the loaves and fishes.
With all this out of the way, the room seems bigger. We emptied a whole box, so I brought in the play food, which I'd been storing in the garage for a few months. (I love rotating out some toys, so they feel new after a while.) They played with the food for several hours, and served some truly creative/disgusting entrees. Sausage banana pizza, anyone?
