I sewed 2 loops of ribbon onto the corners of a cheap lingerie mesh bag. Then I hung those loops on 2 Command hooks mounted on the wall. Total cost Not the most attractive solution but I've given up on attractive when it comes to kids' toys and settle for organized. I didn't want to pay for a neon pink toy net and this accomplishes the same thing for cheap and I can throw it in the wash if it gets dingy. I've had it up for maybe 6 months and everything is holding up perfectly. When all her toys are in there, it is pretty full!

Amen, Tally Sue! I would also really like to get my kids to rely on each other. If I'm cooking dinner, the 3rd grader has a math hw question, the 7th grader can certainly answer it! Teamwork. That's what I'd like to establish. I have a thing for the shoe organizers that go on the back of doors, with all the clear plastic pockets. I have one in the kids' bathroom, holds various items at age-appropriate heights. DD can see her hair things, and it's so easy to put them away. Brush and detangle spray in pockets right next to each. Easy to reach standing in front of the bathroom mirror. The oldest has his hair gel in the top pocket where littlier hands can't reach it. Kids' cold, headache medicine also in the top pockets, easy to find even in the middle of the night. Each kid also has the shoe organizer on the closet door. Not full of shoes. 9 y/o and 3 y/o share a room, 9 y/o keeps his gameboy, taekwondo belts, wallet with money, in the very top pockets where the 3 y/o can't get them. Now, if the kids don't put the stuff in that safe place, I can't help them. The closets have a shelf across the middle and the top. We put those sterilite drawers on the middle shelf with legos and other small parts, 3 y/o is less likely to get into them. When we have a playgroup of preschoolers at our house while the big kids are at school, I lock the bedroom doors and don't apologize for it. I bring down a variety of age appropriate toys and make sure there is plenty to keep the kids happy and busy. I don't let them into my kids' rooms, it would be a mess, and it's not fair considering they aren't home to defend their turf. It's wouldn't be safe, either, considering the choking hazards of legos and polly pocket dolls.

Oh, well, we've been in our current house since the middle of January, and still not completely unpacked. Mostly just books and vases left to go, still in boxes in the garage. (Plus a few boxes of sentimental stuff that I don't know what to do with.) So I would say, "Don't sweat it too much." Unpack and put away things you need right away, but remember that just because you put it somewhere doesn't mean it has to stay there. The cupboard you think will be just right for storing pots and pans may be the place you decide later on is just right for storing the baking dishes, instead. Or the closet you were going to use for the cleaning supplies works out better for sports equipment. That sort of thing. Be flexible and think how *you* want to use the house. We have a foosball table in our den where the tv is. Works for us right now, but we may move it somewhere else later. Our dogs have their own space that leads outside ... I think the previous owners used it as a breakfast nook. And shelving is always a good idea. I'm a fan of having enough boxes and shelves and cupboards. Having things where you can find them is a big step toward not owning too much - no duplicates purchased in a hurry because the originals couldn't be located. And congratulations! A first house is exciting.

Thank's Sasha's Mommy. Martha is a wealth of information. When our kids lived at home they had under the bed containers for storage, though they were not on wheels. Didn't need to be with carpeted floors. I also use drawer dividers, but not in the bedroom drawers. I do have a fabric "box" with dividers that was meant for ornament storage that I sort my socks in. When Alex was a toddler we lived in a small apartment while my hubby was going to school in Colorado where we used the drawer in the TV stand that was meant to store an Atari game system. Ha ha ha. I think that just dated me! We have pegboard in our daughter's walk in closet, but it was put there since she joined the Air Force a couple months after we moved here so it became my fabric and craft storage room. I am so going to have to use her filing system for extra buttons and yarn that come with clothing though. That is brilliant. I can't believe I didn't think of that since I'm always using photo storage pages for craft storage. I fold my fitted sheets the way she does. Think my Mom taught me that. When I designed our walk in closet, hubby and I built it, I put floor to almost ceiling shelves for our shoes and boots. They don't pull out, but that's not necessary. I could be a mini Martha!