Lego Storage boxes: how to organise your expanding collection

This week we have been debating; yes, debating; the conundrum that is 'how to store our increasing collection of Lego sets.'

I came to the conclusion; after working out that if I was to invest the £39.99 it would cost for a Lego Sort and Store head, which look amazing but seem horrifically over priced for what is essentially moulded plastic; that I would need to actually buy at least 3 storage heads. One for Princess Peppa's 'Friends' range, one for Little Miss George's Marvel Hero and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle ranges and three for my shop. Yes three. Apparently they only store 1000 pieces and if I ever do demolish the shop (which is unlikely) it had 2,182 pieces.

It seems a hugely extravagant solution to a basic storage problem.

So what about the Lego storage heads that just store, and don't sort?

For my money the space for storage is just too big. How do you rummage through and find the small pieces in such a deep container?

Teaching children the value of money

Our children are spoilt. There is no getting away from it. It doesn't matter how many times we try and remind them how lucky they are, they are still spoilt.

I worry about the value, or lack of value, they place on things.

I also worry about how it's possible to teach them the value of money and the relative size of different numbers, when actual physical real money hardly exists any more.

Virtual money vs actual money

My daughters have a shop set up in the playroom. (It's huge, and I blame my mother.) They also have a till. On numerous occasions we have started playing shops only to get to the payment point when, after happily asking me to enter my plastic play credit card into the machine, and happily asking me to put my code in, they confusingly try and give me, the customer, some cash. I think they get confused having witnessed the phenomena that is "cash back".

So how do you explain that usually it's up to the customer to pay the shop? And even more confusingly, how do you explain that the card machine actually mysteriously transfers mummy's money to the shop?

Amazing (HUGE) Wooden Toys!

My daughters are incredibly lucky to have both sets of Grandparents.

They are even more lucky to have both sets that both spoil them rotten! I have a rubbish memory, so couldn't tell you exactly how spoilt, or not, I was personally, but I am fairly certain I wouldn't come close to my two girls in the 'being spoilt' contest.

My girls are now 4 years and 6 years old respectively.  The youngest turned 4 this weekend.  She received all manner of gifts, from us, from her family and from her friends.  By far the two biggest gifts, and I mean biggest quite literally, were the 8 foot trampoline that it took my husband and I four hours; in the garden, until 11pm at night, in the dark; to construct.  It was worth it for the look on her face when she aw it!

We thought that the 'construction' involved for this birthday was finished.  Not so.  I should have known better.

My mum (and dad; though I don't think he has much say in the matter) have a lovely tendency to buy large single gifts rather than a selection of smaller toys.  The slide and see-saw/bouncy/roundabout combo that are both gracing our garden both came from them.

This time they outdid themselves.  They bought my younger a village shop.

A village shop that takes over half of the room!

You should have seen the look on my husbands face as more and more of it was constructed yesterday afternoon by my husband and dad together (amazingly they didn't punch each other). 

As it happens, we've been able to move an entire IKEA storage unit out into the loft, as the contents are now all in the village shop.  It does provide some fabulous storage.  It took us all most of the afternoon to rearrange the room to accommodate it though.  My mum left us to it, giggling as she went.

But the thing I like most about it, is that it's wooden, not plastic.  So much better, don't you think?

Are Toys Over Packaged? So much for "Buy. Rip open. Play."

We treated our youngest to a toy at the weekend.  Before you respond; yes the eldest was also treated to a toy.  But it was the youngest's Peppa Pig branded Museum truck with dinosaur that caused me to exercise my frowny face.

After ripping through the taped cardboard box my daughter was somewhat perplexed to find the Truck screwed to it's cardboard box with a plastic plate (see picture).  

That's right.  I will stress that again.  Screwed to the box.  

It's a good job she hadn't tried to play with the new toy whilst we were still out.

Only another 20 minutes later; after I'd tracked down the screwdriver (still hiding away after the excesses of its last trip out of its little toolbox house) and I'd managed to unscrew the two screws, could she actually play with it.

I don't understand.  

Frankly, if I was so intent on stealing Peppa's Museum Truck I don't think undoing two screws once 'dI got it home would put me off.

Secondly, I thought we were in a world that is trying to cut down on excess packaging.  So these extra plastic strips screwed onto toys help how?

Finally, why bother with the box at all? 

What do you think?  Are toys over packaged?  

Could you get them out of their boxes easily at Christmas?

Tupperware is NOT just for food!

I absolutely need more Tupperware.  Not for food, but for toys.

I use Tupperware for food all the time.  Batch cooking is definitely a good plan when you have two children under 6 years old, so the freezer is full of various labelled up meals - bolognese sauce and lamb hotpot are the current favourites.

But at this time of year, when you are desperately trying to work out where all the new stuff is actually going to live on a daily basis, Tupperware is used for toys.  Honestly.

Got a new dolls head for hairdressing practise?  Great.  With all the accompanying hair slides, brushes, tongs, bobbles and ribbons?  Pop them into a Tupperware box.  Nice and tidy.

Got some new jigsaws?  Lovely!  Nothing beats jigsaws inside on a cold winters day (except maybe a quiet glass of sherry and "It's a Wonderful Life" on the TV). 

But if it's a child's jigsaw (a Disney princess one for example) I bet the box came with more than one jigsaw actually in it.  Fine until you take them out of their plastic.  And then those dots on the back of the pieces are only of help if you haven't got at least six others with the same dots already! 

Tupperware saves the day again.  Nice and neat. 

It's handy that the local Chinese takeaway delivers its food in perfect size plastic boxes.  I don't even need to buy new!

Baby kit I just can't do without!

There's one particular gadget that we just can't do without in our household.  We have two of them (one per child) and I'm tempted to purchase another two (one for the bathroom and one for the landing).  Each one is branded with whatever your choice of current favourite TV show might be (we have "In the Night Garden") or a particular range (and "Farmyard friends".)  They are very child safe.  Can be dropped on numerous occasions and still seem to work.  They are chargeable, but then wireless.

Has anyone guessed yet?

They are torch-style night lights.  Or night lights that transform into torches?  Click here to see an example!  Essentially they are chargeable cone shaped torches that sit, upside down, on a round base.  The light is low enough to be perfect for night time, but bright enough to facilitate a nappy change should one be required.

Because they are completely portable you can put them anywhere, and the kids can pick them up and move around safely at night.

Genius invention.  So I thought I'd share.

Discovered another one this week too.  Little straps to hold babies socks on!  Too late for me, but enjoy!

We'll add it to your Christmas list dear!

Our elder said to her dad, "can I have a car please?"

"I think we'll need to ask Santa Claus" was his swift reply. It was August.

She regularly flicks through the Early Learning catalogue pointing at toys and saying "we've got that", "I want that one, Mummy", "And that one, Mummy". "Got that". "Got that". " I want that one, Mummy". So we started trying to manage her expectations. "If you've been a good girl you might get one or two presents off your list. We'll write a list for Santa when it's nearly Christmas." The delaying tactics seemed to be working, and she'd definately got the idea that she won't get everything she asks for.

It's surprising how much a three year old thinks though. Last week her dad told her that if she's a very very very good girl she'd perhaps get three presents off her list. There was a short pause.

"Daddy", she said in that drawn out way that children have perfected, "if I'm a very very very very good girl, can I have four presents?" Caught by surprise, he laughed.

"Yes dear, if you're a very very very very good girl you may get four presents at Christmas." There was another pause.

"Daddy". She said again.

"Yes".

"If I'm a very very very very very......." He interrupted;

"No!" he said laughing "No more than four presents, because Santa has not got enough room in his sledge."

"Oh!....OK" she said (with amazing acceptance).

Another pause.

"Daddy, if you're a very good boy, will you get presents for Christmas?"

"Yes dear, I hope so".

"You'd like a Barbie wouldn't you Daddy, and then you can share with me."