Lolly's room

Yesterday we had some time at home so I coerced DinnerDad into a impromptu playroom tidy.  The girls had a ball, and I managed to clear out the cupboard in there which has annoyed me for ages.  The thing with leaving fewer toys and activities out is that you end up with having to store heaps of things, and I just hadn't finalised the storage stuff (still haven't quite, but getting there!). 

Here is the playroom, which will be Lolly's room eventually when she no longer sleeps with us :D

I packed away our other two Little People buildings, we have a farm and a house too, I figure she'll think they are both awesome again in a couple of months when I bring 'em back out.  Here's the storage unit against the wall. 

This was Smash's, and needs a coat of paint after many years of service.  I've culled a lot of toys from here, now there is a dress up drawer (which may need to expand as she gets older!), a nature draw with shells and rocks, many of which her Nanna collected for her, a drawer for puzzles, a drawer for storing whatever we have from the toy library this week, and a train set drawer.  I managed to get it down to only one drawer for plastic crap!  You know, McToys, bits of things, crappy stuff she seems to like to play with occasionally. 

This is inside the built in cupboard.  We've got Lol's clothes and some shoes (like the mystery sock pile on the top of the clothes' storer - lol) up the top are the spare paper rolls for the Ikea easel, and the swimming stuff.

I've got a heap of plastic crates (ah...Ikea, how thee supplies storage!) and now have 2 activity crates for storing stuff that isn't out for Lolly to do now, stuff I'll rotate into circulation.  That's the two crates down the bottom.  I'm lucky in that Lolly has never shown interest in poking in the crates, if she did I'd shift them out of reach.  In my new work crates are different kinds of scoops, tongs and spoons, some Styrofoam stars, different pom poms and what-nots for sorting and pouring, little jars, that kind of thing.  I also stored all her colouring pencils and crayons and stickers, I just found there was too much out and she never did any of it, probably too overwhelming AND too familiar.  Up the top there I've also got box for storing toys and things that are more for when she is a little older (some Cuisenaire Rods I picked up last week on sale, some box wheels, and some small peg boards that has too small beads for her as yet, that kind of thing).  I already had a box for painting and a general craft box (on the other side not pictured).

On the wall near the door I've got two small bookcases. 

They're just black Ikea ones we already had, so not the most beautiful pieces of furniture.  Ignore the blue crate and the bags, they're for storage in the shed :D  One bookcase is obviously for books (and I put her sticker and colouring books here too), I added the other shelves yesterday for more toddler work and play!  Along the top is our music bag, one of our drums, and a bell (Snail LOVES this bell, she seriously played with a bell and a balloon for an hour on Friday, nawwwww).  The top shelf has Lolly's number puzzle, and a peg basket with wooden pegs.  Under that is a number book that has textured numbers that Lolly has been very interested in lately (it reminds me of the sandpaper numbers in Montessori) and a washing up bucket.  The bottom is just storing our basket of plastic and wooden play food, and a basket of small books Lolly enjoys.  I don't think I've got the perfect system in here yet, but we'll swap some things in and out to see how it goes.

And here is some realism - how I got this long post written at 7am (when we are normally asleep, thanks for that, Lolly!) - feed the kid buttered toast, put Backyardigans on the telly, and computer it up on the couch!  lol