Organizing Bags

So if you've read my blog for any amount of time or well even just this week (lol) you know I have this obsession quirk about keeping all things similar contained in one place. As many of you know this isn't always easy when you have kids. I have noticed that as my kids get older their toys get smaller so in an effort to keep all those little pieces together I use a lot of ziploc baggies. I like them for a number of reasons some of which include; they set boundaries for the kids and make cleanup easier for them, they are clear allowing you to easily see what is inside and they come in a number of different sizes which is helpful. However there are some downfalls to the baggie idea. This first being that using plastic baggies is obviously not a great idea for small children for safety reasons and the other is that they don't take a lot of abuse and quickly can get worn out and have to be replaced.

So when Lara my Lazy Organizer friend asked if I wanted to review the Organizing Bags she designs I jumped at the opportunity because I had a feeling they were going to be right up my alley and I was right! Let me just tell you that these came in ever so handy last week when I completely went through and organized the kids rooms from top to bottom to make room for all the new Christmas toys.

I enjoyed these bags immensely for reasons similar to the baggie idea plus more:

1. they work great for containing "like with like"

2. they are clear on the front so you can see what is inside
3. they are durable and reusable
4. the zipper is on the side rather than the top which means that you can actually fit more inside since the inside stays the same size and doesn't get narrower at the top like a baggie does. It also means you can access items stored near the bottom quicker and easier (a plus for kids)
5. two sizes to choose from which is very nice
6. the bigger size bag has a handle - great for kids to carry around their toys (especially great for travelling)

7. not a safety hazard

Take a look at some of the ways I used them:

to organize my son's pirate men collection

to organize my daughter's Barbie petshop collection

to organize my son's Klutz pirate ship building collection (this set didn't even come with a box so I was really happy to have this solution to keep all the pieces contained)

Finally I created this diaper changing kit to keep in my church bag along with my bible, church library books, snacks, etc. This really works for me because it means I don't also have to bring the diaper bag with me and now if I have to take my son out during the service I can just grab this bag (love the handle) and go and my two older kids can keep the church bag with them since it contains their snacks/books.

To purchase these bags and to also see the different ways Lara uses her bags you can visit her site here or click on the link in my sidebar. Thanks for a great product Lara!