Got kids? If you do, chances are you have clutter too. Many parents, myself included, follow the old 'forest for the trees' principle--if you concentrate on the kids' stuff, you can't see what a mess your whole house actually is! Well, now perhaps it needn't be that way. An interesting article from the San Mateo Daily Journal helps put matters into perspective.

Kids, they say, seem to have the most stuff. Between what they bring home with them from school or the yard or wherever else, along with all the gear necessary to raise a wee one (not to mention the things the child simply HAS to have because everyone else in his or her class has one), it's more stuff than a parent can ever imagine having had as a child.

Conversely, the kids usually get the smallest rooms in the house, save the bathroom. All that stuff in such a small place is going to make clutter, or spill out everywhere else and clutter that space too. If you're like me and live in a small space to begin with, the tips in the article, such as using clear (labeled!) plastic bins and making sure you get furniture that serves more than one purpose (see: my pack and play is a bed and a place to play) might be just what you're looking for--amid all the clutter, that is!

Pic of what would look like my fridge if it were covered with baby stuff instead by Wm Jas.