Makin’ it: Stuffed animal storage facility

Today I must share my family secret: my kids collect Webkinz. We have 42. If you had told me this would happen, I never would have believed you. It’s a little obscene. This picture shows only a portion of them.

Webkinz are stuffed animals — though Scarlett and Julian will correct you if you use that term — that come with a code that you input in an online account that allows you to “play” with them online. Let me repeat, I did not think this would ever happen to me.

The Webkinz are everywhere. All over my house. Each has a unique birthday which gets acknowledged by our family. They play hide and seek frequently, and thus, it is a rare day that we can actually locate all 42 of them. Rather than accepting responsibility for losing a Webkinz, my children claim the (permanently) hidden ones are “on vacation.”

Even before Webkinz arrived in my life, small stuffed animals drove me crazy. The bright side is that my kids actually play with them. The dark side is that there’s no where to put them away. They don’t stack neatly.

I came upon a solution that might work for some of you if you are also drowning in stuffed animals.

I bought a shoe cubby at Target.

I instructed the kids that the Webkinz must be in their apartments every night before we go to sleep. This has been partially successful.

I’m filing this tip under “Making it” because it’s an inexpensive piece of furniture and assembly is very much required. I did break a sweat.

Those little buggers have a home now, so I am happy.

Is putting together a shoe cubby in your future? Need a different hands-on project? Check out our list of DIY activities for moms.