Top storage solutions

by Sandy Maple (Subscribe to Sandy Maple's posts) Oct 3rd 2008 9:00AM

Categories: Baby Essentials, Kid Decor & Style, Shopping

After a brief hiatus, ParentPicks is back! This is where we take full advantage of your wisdom and experience and ask you to share it with other parents. Whether you have one child or six, chances are you have come across a product, an idea, or a solution to a problem that is just what another parent is looking for. This month, let's see if we can dig out some great storage solutions for kids of all ages.

From birth to college, it seems that kid's lives are all about the stuff. And unless you live in a mansion with a children's wing, you know how all that stuff tends to take over the entire house. How do you keep it under control? Have you discovered the world's best toy box? A simple and stylish way to keep art supplies organized? What about all those stuffed animals that seem to multiply like rabbits?

Having just moved into a much smaller home, I am personally on the edge of my seat awaiting your great ideas for conquering the clutter and taming the toys. Send me your solutions and in two weeks, I will be back to share your picks with our readers.

Comments (1)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

LS 10-03-2008 @ 11:58AM

This isn't so much "kid-related" as it is a "mom's sanity saver"...

I'm a cook and baker by hobby. I had TONS of family recipes, and four bookshelves (and counting) full of cookbooks. But it was getting to the point where I wouldn't cook because I couldn't remember which cookbook held my favorite bread recipe, or which oatmeal cookie recipe was that awesome one from the last time.

So I broke down and bought Mastercook Software (made by Valusoft, I believe). I spent several days (yes, DAYS) inputting all my favorite recipes, adding categories, tags, putting in all those notes that I had in margins, and even scanning in pictures.

Then I printed them all out, put them in page protectors, and inserted them into a pretty (plastic covered) three-ring binder, complete with dividers.

Now, when I want one of those go-to recipes, I know it's in that book. I weeded out a lot of the un- or little used cookbooks (those ones that you buy as a fundraiser, and then never look at), and kept only those that are pretty, useful, or have sentimental value (like Grandma's).

I whittled a four-shelf, ever-growing monster down to a two-shelf pleasure.

And the best part is, if I need to go back and correct or change something in the recipe, or I need a nutritional analysis, or need to print out a copy for someone else, it's a bing-bang-boom-done proposition.

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