On Friday, together we went through all of her clothes. If you read the previous post you will discover that we found out she had a lot more clothes than she thought - quite a few outfits she completely forgot about! I have a remedy for that, but that's for another post.
Saturday, I decided to tackle the beast. When I walked in I decided to sit in her chair and make a game plan. As I looked around the room, I have to admit it really wasn't in disarray but just full of stuff. I hear all these horror stories of teen bedrooms and the disaster that they turn into...I don't think I will go through that with her. I did babysit for a family that their children weren't even in school (or maybe they were just in school) but I would find moldy apples, sippy cups with mold or curdled milk, and just disgusting things. The only complaint I really had was that her bed was being used as a hamper.
My first project was her "TV" area. It has a nook that is big enough for a small tv, as well as, some books, and any other small odds and ends she decides need to go there. Underneath there is the "Game Cabinet". It houses most of our board games. I didn't touch this area as the doors to the cabinet are in need of some major TLC. Next there are 3 drawers that seem to have been a catch-all. They are smallish in size but when I dumped the contents onto the floor I wash shocked at how much they actually held! I think I threw away 75% but was able to put most of what was left in other locations.
Next the bed area. Her bed is a trundle and underneath are three drawers. Those drawers I did not touch and here is the reason (s). There are stuffed animals, jewelry, and electronic learning toys in them. I wanted to make sure that she was here to go through them either with me or on her own.
The next area was the biggest problem area. We bought a stair step storage unit from IKEA in hopes that it would help organize her toys. Instead I think it has caused more problems. Why? Because it seems to be a catch-all for everything - clothes, stuffed animals, more clothes, and books.
Somehow I filled one trash bag of trash or broken toys, three shopping bags full of clothes for donation and one large box full of items to take on our vacation for family. Although the room still has that way-too-full look,