Kids' Rooms: When Mess Takes Over

Have you ever typed into google "messy kids' rooms"? 

You know I have. I highly recommend it if you want to feel totally amazing about yourself. Unless of course your kids' rooms are like the ones google found below and then...hmm. No comment.

via Apartment Therapy

via 94.3 The Point ("Jersey Shore's Hit Music Channel"!)

Full disclosure: as I write this my kids' shared room probably doesn't look too far from these images above (We're moving soon so I just don't go in there anymore). And an old childhood friend recently reminded me that as a teen I had a "floordrobe" not a wardrobe. 

BUT, when I look at these pictures the first thing that comes to mind is "Get rid of some s***!" When kids have too much stuff it's a distraction, it's hard to manage, and inevitably this is what you get. What do kids really need? A pile of cardboard boxes, some tape, and a mountain of legos. Hours of fun.

Below is a photo from The Selby and what I like about it (aside from the tutus. duh.) is that it is real, but not chaotic like the pics above. There's a fine line between living like a hoarder and living with the messiness that busy family/work life brings. Three cheers to Todd Selby for always shining a spotlight on real homes, not ones staged for the camera that make us all feel a little bit bad about ourselves.

The desk and dresser below were in my children's room in LA and I love them because they are messy and a bit cluttered, but still fun to look at. At least I think so.