Part 2 with Appleshine (first post here)! After hours of Amelia and Marla’s hard work, Lucas and Lillie’s room is finally organized!! Every item has a home and the placement of toys makes sense (toys they play with more frequently, etc.). They not only organized the toys, but rearranged them in different spots around the room in ways I had never thought of. They helped me with art placement and curated the most beautiful little nooks and displays. The kids and I are in love and couldn’t be happier!
Back in June (seems like a lifetime ago already!), I had the absolute pleasure of working with Amelia Meena – founder of Appleshine, and her assistant Marla, on getting the kids room in order. Appleshine Organization + Design is a full service firm that cultivates an organized lifestyle for busy New Yorkers (hello!!).
The first day they came over the kids room was interesting to say the least. We were approaching the end of the school year and stuff was everywhere. Every last corner was occupied, dolls strewn about, baskets no longer made any sense. Fun times for me when it came to cleaning. After a strategic plan and the purchase of a few new organizing tools, they got to work a week later. After almost 7 hours the kids had an entirely new room. I can’t wait to share photos and more information on what they did and how I am so ready for back to school because I have been implementing what they taught me all Summer.
Around the time they got started I asked if any of my followers over on Instagram had any specific questions on cleaning/organization that they would like answered. I hope many of you find the below (answered directly by Amelia!) helpful. Stay tuned for PT 2 of this post next week where I will share the kids finished room.
What are your tips on getting rid of/storing sentimental items (a special toy, etc.)?
– Designate a Capacity Limit: a box / container / folder the signifies your maximum amount of space for any one category
– Use one large portfolio folder for kids artwork (per school year or per child, depending on space)
– Determine a Memory Box for special items and whenever it gets too full, pluck out some things that aren’t quite as special as others
– Remember – your child will not want to sort through 50 boxes of their baby stuff as an adult; it’s just too overwhelming and, truthfully, they will likely not be as attached as you are. So be okay with keeping a small amount, knowing that one or two boxes of very special items will bring more joy than multiple boxes left unopened and waiting for a whole weekend to go through them.
What are your tips for a shared nursery for city dwellers? Any space saving tips, must have furniture items, storage ideas?
A shared space likely means a small space – simply because it’s divided between two children.
– Only the essentials – or favorites – can make the cut. *Think* – quality enjoyment over quantity of options!
– Move out baby-ish items as soon as the kids outgrow them (and keep in storage if you plan on a another child playing with them later)
– Try rotating toys (ie- keep a box or two elsewhere full of toys that can replace the current ones after a few months instead of have all three boxes worth of toys around all the time)
– Use bins + containers to your advantage: keep them clear or in the same color way (helps avoid visual chaos with too many colors). Label if/when necessary (especially if multiple adults are responsible for keeping the room tidy). And use each container as a Capacity Limit (once the category outgrows the bin, it’s time to pare down!) Tips on getting rid of/donating toys? What do you do when interests change but they might still want to play/hang on to older toys?
Depending on the kid’s age, this could be a great time to teach them about organization through donation / sharing. Explain that they have plenty and others may not have as much so they can give away some of their toys to help other kids. And give them a numbered goal, ie – “Here are 15 stuffed animals, can you tell me which ones are your favorite? (Child picks 5-11 toys). Great! From these ~10 favorites, let’s keep 6 of them.” This technique empowers the child and lets them know they have permission to declare what they like or don’t like.
(*Note: by a certain age, it’s important for a child to take responsibility for their things, as it begins to lay ground work for organization skills and conscious consumerism.)
If the kids aren’t quite old enough to understand, you may have to take a more ruthless approach and declutter when they’re not around. Too often, children unearth ‘old’ toys and they become found treasure. Something they hadn’t touched for months may become their new fave, much to a parent’s dismay. So make the call for them on MOST toys, only asking their opinion on the very special items in qurestion.
This is another time to use a toy rotation system. Keep only a third (less/more, depending on available space) of the toys out. Then box/store the rest to rotate in every few months. Best furniture for small spaces that may also serve a dual function?
– IKEA Kallax is a great piece: affordable, has cute bin options, multifunctions as toy storage, bookcase, clothing storage, etc
– Container Store – Nantucket Bin also has multi-use storage for books + toys, plus it’s stackable so you can accommodate available wall space Any recommendations on child safe shelving and how to store toys on shelves?
– Always affix bookshelves or dressers to the wall to prevent tipping over
– Floating shelves can be a nice, minimal option but don’t over do them and definitely don’t place them over a crib or changing pad
– Use bins + labels to categorize the toys on the shelves
– The bottom shelves should hold ‘dump toys’ (cars, blocks, legos – items that kids like to dump out and play with)
– Upper shelves should hold ‘adult supervised toys’ (arts & crafts, paints, small parts – things you don’t want the kids to get into if you’re not around)
Do you have any recommendations or go-to donation centers/sites for toys/children’s items?
– A Family (or Women / Children) Homeless Shelter is a GREAT place to take donations, as you’ll know they’ll go straight to use rather than to a distribution center.
– Ask your child’s school if they could use extra items (arts & crafts, books, teaching tools)
– Always call ahead before dropping of donations
– Only donate gently used items
– When donating to a large-scale catastrophe, keep in mind the man-power and labor involved in sorting donations. Most Red Cross Donation Events prefer money over physical items. However, they often need unopened supplies: diapers, wipes, bottles, formula, etc. What they don’t need is another Teddy Bear. Any tips on how to control the influx of toys that come in during birthdays and holidays?
– Ask for Experience Gifts rather than physical items. (Ie – horseback riding class, a swim membership, a museum membership, etc)
– Set a monetary limit on a physical gift: “please don’t spend more than $X on a gift for Little Buddy. If you’re feeling more generous, you can always contribute to his college fund.”
– Be vocal about your space limitations: “we are so happy in our cozy space but it just doesn’t allow for many toys. I’m constantly giving things away because we don’t have room for it all. After every gift-giving occasion, we end up donating over half our gifts!” Hint, hint – we don’t need much more!
A big thank you to Appleshine for making this possible!
I remember always being so excited for back to school shopping – new spiral notebooks, pencils, a fresh backpack, a first day of class outfit, new threads – it was such a highlight for me. H&M has always been a go-to for myself and the kids and this upcoming season is no exception. I love that I can always find staples (basic tees, denim, versatile sneakers) to mix and match with fun prints and pieces that I know the kids will love. When dressing Lucas for school I always look for a comfortable but well-fitting bottom and tops I can layer. This is key for Lucas because even as the temperature drops he usually peels off his tops during the school day. This means tees, button downs, hoodies, and light jackets. The same goes for Lillie when we are out and about in the city.
I’m also obsessed with the classical silhouettes and color selection for women. I recently did a huge closet purge and I am slowly adding in pieces to my wardrobe that I feel are timeless. My goal is to be able to reach for anything (with the exception of more formal wear) and feel good about what I’m wearing without too much fuss. This white sweater is one of my absolute favorite new pieces. It can literally be thrown on with jeans, trousers (such as these red ones which I am also head over heels for), or even layered over a dress.
I wanted to tell you about two amazing ways to save on clothes for your family with H&M:
+ H&M Garment Recycling Program: All year round you can receive 15% your entire purchase when you bring in clothing from any brand, in any condition, to be recycled (this means literally any piece of clothing you have in the back of your closet waiting to be donated). From 8/3 – 8/20 you’ll get TWO 15% off vouchers! This program is incredible and was created to reduce the environmental impact of the fashion industry by decreasing the amount of waste ending up in landfills (95% of the clothes and textiles that wind up in landfills can actually be re-used).
+ Receive 20% off your entire kids purchase of $60 or more 7/31 – 8/13 (in stores) and 7/31 – 8/6 (online)
We’re still here relishing in the last few weeks of summer but I’m thankful we got a head start to back to school shopping with H&M!
I first posted about Apple Park back when Lillie Sol was just a few months old. Now that Lucas just started kindergarten (WHAT?!) I was thrilled to work with this amazing company once again. They recently came out with a line of adorable backpacks and lunchpacks for kids and they are perfect for our kiddos who are in school. I let Lucas choose the design he wanted and he chose the raccoon which I think is so so cute! Ok. So what I really love about these new products…
+ the material is water resistant. last year Lucas would come home with spills in his backpack from his water bottle and eventually his backpack became a disgusting mess.
+ padded shoulder straps on the backpack
+ pockets on the inside of the backpack for storing pencils, erasers, etc.
+ they are washing machine safe!
I seriously still can’t believe my baby is in K (all the sappy thoughts will be in another post ;). But I mean, how cute does he look rocking his new backpack and lunchpack? You can shop the entire collection here (I also really love the owl!). Apple Park is giving my readers the chance to purchase anything you like for 20% off for one week with the code LL20. Enjoy and happy shopping!
This post is in collaboration with Apple Park. Thank you for supporting the brands I love and trust!
