Okay, so I am big into storage. No, huge into storage. Of anything. And everything. I firmly believe that every single thing in our home should have it’s place. It’s home. It’s resting place. And if it doesn’t? And I find in on the kitchen island? Or the stairs? Or the floor of my bedroom? Say “buh-bye….”

And so, the greatest conundrum of parenthood, for me? Where do the toys go? What do I do with them at the end of the day? So that they are not visible? Not in ‘tripping and stubbing the toe’ territory?

Here are some excellent options. Ranging from cheap to full-on luxury…

Hable Construction is my newest obsession. We’re using the ‘storage boxes‘ in Coco’s bedroom, two of them, to help corral her books. I’ve been eyeing the adorably simple prints for months now, and I’m just having the toughest time committing to one. But I think, in the end, we’ll go with the ‘Sweet Pea.’ We’re working on her room now, and it’s green. (And if you go to Cookie magazine’s website and set up an account with them, you can get promo codes for many sites and products, among those for the month of September is Hable Construction, 25% off. But the code expires on September 30th, so if you’re interested, best get on it…)

And Three Potato Four is the shop where I finally located those rather tough to find vintage wooden crates. Perfect for storing books, toys, my husband’s collection of plugs and cords that he can’t seem to part with.

And then, head on over to The Container Store. The ‘Calypso Trolley?’ Good-looking. Portable. Reasonably priced… For me, it’s the white one. Four of them. Lined up in the playroom, along the wall.

Or, you could opt to go really retro, and outfit a little girl’s bedroom with several of these vintage wallpaper boxes to catch the odds and ends that just float around: hair bands, lip goo, random goodies. Fantastically chic. Although I do admit that they’d look even better on my bedside table, to house my nighttime lotions and potions, the book I’m reading, my eyeglasses.

And then there is the Land of Nod. While I usually find their goods to be overpriced for what you’re getting, the strapping baskets here? Spot on. Really. You’ll find these same exact storage baskets elsewhere for upwards of three times the price you’re going to get them here.

So, now that the toys have been put away, the question becomes what to do with all of the nighttime books? The art projects that cannot be taped to a wall? Because I hate clutter. I despise stuff. I detest detritus. And life with kids? Is full of all of the above. Listen, it’s in my nature to want everything to have a home, remember? I like organization. I enjoy structure. I love… neatness. And so, while I may just fly by the seat of my pants and go to sleep on a Wednesday night without having swept, vacuumed and mopped the floor underneath the dining room table, I will not retire for the evening without making sure that all books, games, toys and art supplies are in their place.

In the girls’ rooms? No toys. I believe that bedrooms are for slumbering. No televisions, no telephones, no toys. Just beds and books. But the books? Are threatening to run us out of house and home. Particularly in Pea’s room. And so I knew that we needed something substantial. A little nightstand, a simple bedside table? Not going to cut it. We need shelves, storage space. And so, our solution, from Wisteria. The French Industrial Console Table. It will sit next to Pea’s bed. And house baskets to organize her loose photographs and greeting cards, letters, general correspondence. This child? She saves everything. Must be genetic, her Dad is the same way. Oh, and of course, it will also store books and art projects: her collection of homemade pinch pots, her paper mache bowls, the collection of little wood jewelry boxes she’s become addicted to decorating. And the console, a little unconventional, no? Well, that’s us. Just a little bit off. Unexpected.

Everything must grow with us, with our family. I’m not into ‘throw away.’ Disposable? No, not here. I am fairly sentimental, appreciate longevity and love to put my own personal ‘spin’ on the classics. And so, this console table for Pea’s room? It needs a reading lamp. Years ago, I found a lamp at an antique market in Fort Worth. Made of resin, I think. A vintage-looking piece; a Frenchman holding a market basket filled with produce, a little boy at his side. Painted white. I got it for $40. A true bargain. But over the years? I’ve had at least half a dozen lampshades on it. And none of them worked. To the point that I was beginning to regret ever having bought the lamp in the first place. And then? I found the shade. For the lamp. A very retro wallpaper lampshade, out of Florence. As in Italy. It’s from the same Etsy shop that has those fantastic wallpaper boxes I mentioned above. The shade? It’s in pink and yellow and green and white. Pea’s colors. Floral. Modern, and yet borne of the 70s. My 70s. The decade of bell-bottoms, “Free to Be You & Me,” The Ramones, disco, “Sonny & Cher,” Billie Jean King, Nixon, Patty Hearst, pet rocks and mood rings.

I could go on and on, reminiscing. But I won’t. Although, one last thing? While we’re at it? This nightlight, with a butterfly? It’s perfect for my little mariposa, Pea…