Cleaning House

I've been culling through the massive amounts of toys around here the past few days in preparation for a garage sale this upcoming weekend. I have collected many, many toys throughout my 10+ years of babysitting. And many of them have been delegated to high shelves, the basement and many far-off places because of one reason or another. Either small pieces, or toys that seem to end up in mouths, toys of destruction and many other various reasons. Irritating toys in one fashion or another.

As I empty out these shelves and containers full of never-played-with-toys, I am refocusing my attention on the toys that do withstand the many ages and stages of the kids here. The Fisher Price toys are always a hit. A good quality toy that is geared to many ages. I'm never disappointed with Fisher Price.

But what I'd like to shift the focus onto, is educational toys. Toys where kids are learning as they play. I'm questioning the Wii system as well. It seems like a way to encourage some physical activity as kids have fun at the same time.

Every fall, I relook at the schedule we keep around here. Often I look at what we are doing ... and then I keep doing the same thing! But I am always reexamining our days. And in my quest to 'up my game', I think I should incorporate more learning and physical activities into our daily routine.

It's easier said than done. Because of the varying age groups, it is hard to follow through on my ideas. I have quite a few young ones at the moment; a few headed off to preschool; a few more off to kindergarten. That is what has always stopped me in my tracks before - those different ages and stages, varying schedules, nap times and interests of the kids I have.

I need to look and shop a little smarter. Starting with the educational toys for all ages ... and adding some physical dimension to our days. Something we can do despite the many variances in our days.

It is time to do some smart shopping and planning ... and restructure our days in a way that the kids can get the most out of their days here.