Kindergarten Kids - The Holiday Aftermath

Problem: 

With the huge influx of toys, games and rubbish during the holidays, your house may seem messier and more cluttered no matter how organized you are. You have to get rid of the old to make room for the new, but how do you decide what gets the boot?

Solution:

There are several different ways to separate the keepers from the get-the-hell-outers.

1) Anything your kids haven't played with in two months or more, get rid of. (They'll tell you they'll miss it. They won't).

2) Check for repeats. These aren't always obvious. I mean, in my case they are because twins. So sometimes I'll get two headband makers, when I really only need one. For those who have kids of different ages, choose the one dancing Mickey you like the best. You don't need 2006's version and 2012's version, even though they're "different."

3) Let your kids open their own presents, and give away the unopened gifts (unless you are sure your kids would love the toy or game if they would just give it a chance.)

This seems cruel, but it's not. Like, my kids could not care less about little "action figures." (IDK what we call them these days). Bratz, My Little Pony, Littlest Pet Shop. They don't even open the boxes, and the ones I've pried open have just made a huge mess in my house and no one has even played with them once.

Now, if you don't open these well-meaning gifts, you could return them for something your family would enjoy, or (what I usually do), you can donate unopened boxes of stuff to people who can't afford it. Then they get something new, which is always rad.