40 Days/ 40 Bags Update With Photos

My boys' closets were the biggest purge.  I had collected too many hand-me-downs. Because of the spread of ages (and preferences) here, there are many things that just don't work to be handed down. I went through each of their closets and with the older ones helping, asked them, "Are you ever going to wear this?"  Matt answered NO to about 90% of his closet, no kidding.  And I loved it, because if an item is just never going to be worn, what is the use of it taking up space?  With the younger kids I do purging on my own-so much easier and quicker.

Here is the closet in the room where 3 boys share.  It's nice and big and very practical:

Here's Patrick's section:

We hang all shirts and do pants and shorts in the drawer underneath.  The baskets hold a couple of pairs of pajamas in one basket and undies and socks in the other.  Patrick has grown SO much this winter.  He will just make it till warm weather with his long sleeves and pants.  I am going to buy a few basic t-shirts and plain khaki shorts for summer to keep it very simple.

Here's Matthew's area.  He has space for some toys etc. in the back, but the system is set up the same:

And Andrew's:

In the fourth area I have lots of sizes of sport coats and dress shoes and uniform things stored in this area, and in the drawer below this area I keep soccer/baseball/lacrosse equipment and uniforms that get handed down:

Here is the room the 3 younger boys share.  I had the room repainted this winter, and I painted the beds white myself.  Matthew and I found his desk on Craig's list-I think it was $30?-and I painted that white also.  The shelves are from Home Decorators, quilts from Pottery Barn.

We had some big experiments figuring out how to make one space work for 3 boys.  We moved Matt to his own area in our basement at one point and I hated it.  It just didn't feel like he was a part of the family so far away and spent too much time alone.  So we moved him back up (I swear he was a bit relieved although he begged for his own room) and I decided to turn the shelves out into the room to create a little barrier to give him his own separate space.  This also works with the different bedtimes because he can keep a little clip light on longer and not disturb the younger kids.  

I think the key to having kids share spaces (especially three!) is to keep things very simple and uncluttered and have very defined spaces.   The kids separate book shelves:

Matthew's space:

I made their names with those cardboard letters you can get at craft stores and scrapbook paper.  Trace, and then decoupage.  Sticky, but easy:

My dad built these underbed storage boxes on wheels and we keep some special toys in these:

I only included this photo because look at that gosh darn silly face in the corner.  He had to be in every photo.

Here's Isaac's room.  I bought him some much-needed new bedding.  The quilt is from Overstocks. (I love that site by the way-I always find great deals!)  For all beds in our house we do a fitted sheet, a cotton comforter and a quilt on top of that.  It makes bed making very simple and very washable.

His closet purge is back here.
Lots more to show you next week.