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Toys, toys and more toys! How many toys do your kids really need? What rules can you put in place to keep the kids and the house from being overwhelmed? It's all part of "Toy Overload," and it's being discussed in many Circle of Moms communities. How do you avoid this explosion, especially around the holidays? Here are some options for reducing and decluttering the toys in your home.

Reducing The Amount Of Toys

1. Give Non-Toy Gifts

When a birthday or holiday is approaching, family members will likely hit you with the loaded question: "What does your child want?" If your house is already overflowing with toys, this is the perfect time to explain to them the kinds of gifts that would be better than toys. A member named Erin has plenty of responses to question, including gift cards to the zoo, passes to a local pool, donations towards ballet or gymnastics classes, or punch cards from a kids gym nearby, any of which wil enable a child "to have fun all year-long," and not just on her birthday or during the holidays.

The protest from grandparents and other well-meaning relatives usually involves having something for your kid to open and play with on their special day. Christy N. shares the perfect solution for making gift cards fun to open: "One year my daughter did get a gift card ... it was wrapped in a bunch of tissue paper and put in a Chuck e Cheese lidded cup with a straw. They tied a ribbon around the cup and wa-la, [my daughter] had a gift to open!"

2. Pre-Holiday Purge

A very popular Circle of Moms member suggestion is to get your kids involved in purging old toys a few weeks before the upcoming holiday. Crystal L. makes her children pick their favorites, which are usually the newest, and donate the rest. 

Holly, who has daughters, does toy purges with each of her girls before their birthdays, giving as many as possible away to make room for any new ones they might get.  But even when there's no birthday or holiday on the horizon, you can always do a purge of toys that are no longer played with, or that your kids have outgrown developmentally. Lydia F. has several systems and rules that she shares for keeping toys from getting out of control. Number one on her list is something you can do on a weekly or monthly routine: "Throw everything out that has missing pieces and is broken."

3. Donate To Charity

Kids can learn to appreciate what they have when they donate their gently used toys to a charity or shelter. Since having too many toys is very much a first world problem, many moms use the opportunity to teach their children about helping others. As Holly reports, "I figure having the girls go through all their toys with me and giving away a good portion of them teaches them the spirit of giving and also teaches them about moderation and sharing." And Emma B. has discovered that her daughter really enjoys seeing her toys go where they're really appreciated.

Maria P.'s kids were stubborn about not wanting to give away even the toys they weren't using, so she took them to a local orphanage so they could see the need first-hand: "After being there, they decided to donate the majority of their toys and felt really good about it too."

Reducing The Clutter Of Toys

1. Rotate Toys

One of the most popular suggestions by moms on how to cut down the clutter is to rotate toys on a regular basis. This keeps a majority of toys in storage most of the time, and makes them seem 'new again' every couple months. Chantal S. has a simple system that works well in her house: "I put all the toys in four containers and alternate monthly."

Rotating also helps Sharon M. evaluate which toys to get rid of: "Anything that doesn't get attention when it comes back out goes away for about six to eight weeks. If it still has no love, then it's gone.

2. Sorting And Storage

If the sentimental side of you can't bear to part with toys forever, a more permanent storage solution might be the best way to get them out of your way. Ellen D. found that boxing them up and putting them in storage helped with the clutter.

The first step is getting large bins for sorting toys, then figuring out which toys are really worth keeping out. Nannette L. suggests getting the kids involved in every step: "I purchased bins for toys that he always plays with and bins for toys that need to be disposed of. You could also add another bin for the toys that you wanted to keep. Put the 'keep bin' in storage, the 'play bin' in [your child's] room, and [donate] the dispose bin."

Another member, Mel C. has a great idea on how to reduce the amount of toys at your house without getting rid of them completely: "Always keep a stack of toys at grandparents' or friends' houses [if] you visit often! Tell the child that it will stay at their house and you can play when you visit!"

Image Source: Upsilon Andromedae via Flickr/Creative Commons

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, POPSUGAR.

We put up our tree this afternoon during that delightful window between the afternoon naps and dinner. The tree is named Herbie the Fourth. We found him this morning at our local Boys and Girls Club. He is a perfect height for our apartment, and he has a nice, full shape. He is also perfectly scrappy - with more than a few dry needles.

Our Very First Tree

In 2008, we found Herbie the Original on Myrtle Avenue in Brooklyn. He was our first Christmas tree. I'm not sure why we waited until 2008 to get our first Christmas tree. My husband and I had been living together since 2004, and we got married in 2006. We had been trying to get pregnant for what felt like a long time by December 2008. So perhaps we had started to think of ourselves as family in a way that we had not before.

Because we had not ever put up a Christmas tree together, we had no ornaments to decorate the tree. My husband and I went to the Union Square Holiday Market to see what we could find there. It feels funny to buy Christmas ornaments, especially for your first Christmas tree. My husband and I both think of the ornaments you put on your tree as little homemade pieces of your family's past. They come from a box in your basement, not a store (or a tent in Union Square). But there we were, at the beginning of what would become our own family's "past," at the Holiday Market looking for ornaments that would feel right.

We decorated the tree that night, and when it was time to top the tree, we did not have a star. We had a taxi - which seemed right for our New York Christmas Tree, Herbie.

About a month later, we found out I was pregnant with our little Fraggle Bug. 

In 2009, we did not get a tree. We were completely immersed in first baby time, which meant I didn't know what month it was for several months.

(Here's another example: we were out for a beer with friends about five weeks after Bug was born. One of the friends mentioned wanting to watch the World Series. I asked who was playing. He asked if I was kidding. The Yankees had won the World Series that year.)

Herbie Returns

In 2010, we got a tree again: Herbie, Jr. We played Christmas music; we decorated; we made a video of decorating. The taxi topped the tree.

In 2011, we got Herbie, III. We found Herbie, III on Clinton Avenue in front of a church near Lafayette. We had Bug in the stroller, Squish in a carrier, and my husband walked Herbie, III several blocks home to our apartment. We played Christmas music. I tried to get Bug to make some ornaments with me. We made sparkly pipe-cleaner candy canes, a construction-paper-ring chain, and several snow flakes and Christmas tree cut-outs. Squish sat in a bouncy seat, and Bug helped me to decorate the tree, topped by our taxi. My husband took pictures. Squish had arrived only two and a half months before, but that night of decorating stands out in my memory as one of great peace, calm, and warmth.

A Family Tradition, Firmly Established

Today, we found Herbie the Fourth. When Bug woke up from his afternoon nap, my husband started the Christmas music and the boys and I started to decorate. We reached into the box (from the basement), unwrapped the ornaments, and started to hang them on the tree. After several false starts I realized we were going to need some snacks this year. After my husband supplied the crackers for Bug and Squish, the decorating went into full swing.  Soon enough it was time to top the tree, and Bug said he wanted to do it. My husband lifted Bug up to reach the top, and Bug (my little Bug!) put the taxi at the top of Herbie.

This morning, my husband and I pointed at our tree at the same time and asked each other, "What about that one?!?" We smiled and looked at the tree together, and I said, "Yes. That is our Herbie." I have thought to myself that perhaps I should give the tree a different name every year. After all, every year it is a different tree. But this year, when Bug topped Herbie with the taxi, I realized our tree will always be named Herbie.

Image Source: (my photo)

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, POPSUGAR.

There comes a year in every household when formerly firm believers in Saint Nick begin to doubt his validity. While you certainly don't want to still be keeping up the guise when your tots become teenagers, no parent wants to take away the magic of Christmas for their kids at too early of an age. What to do if you have a little Santa doubter in your house this Christmas? Show him evidence that the man in red is the real deal, of course. Gone are the days when a handwritten note and some reindeer tracks by the fireplace would suffice. It's 2012, and Santa's gone high-tech, with apps, websites, and phone tricks aplenty to keep little ones believing. Here are five of our favorite resources for keeping the Christmas magic alive for at least another year. Ho, ho, ho!

• Catch Him in the Act: In just three easy steps, you can create a photograph of Santa in your very own living room. Snap a photo of your Christmas tree or fireplace with your cell phone, add in one of iCaughtSanta's Santa pics, and share with your kids. Oh, what fun!
• Show Your Kids a Video Made Especially For Them: Tweet Telefonica 02's YouTube and Twitter Santa with the hashtag #02santa, and he'll create a personalized video for your kiddos — and upload it to YouTube in time for Christmas!
• Schedule a Santa Skype Session: Dublin-based Santa's Video Calls allows mom or dad to schedule a 10-minute Skype session for their little one to chat live with jolly old Saint Nick!
• iChat With Santa: Santa's Video Chat allows you to record your own message, then disguises your voice and simulates a video call from Santa himself.
• Track Santa's Journey From the North Pole: NORAD has been tracking Santa for close to 60 years, but the site's become tech-savvy, with complementary apps and Bing map features.

Each year I dole out holiday gifts made in my kitchen. Homemade granola packaged all pretty, a plethora of jams and jellies, hand-picked and labeled bay leaves and dried (from my garden) herb mixes. I almost always make too many cookies, loads of peppermint bark, and if people are lucky: limoncello, eggnog or other inspired liqueur.

Instead of spending tons of money on gifts, I spend my time creating goodies in my kitchen. Vanilla extract is a perfect gift! The trick is: it needs to hang out in the jars for a few months to develop its color and flavor. Even though Christmas is just around the corner, you can still gift your friends and family 'vanilla extract' this year in the form of a DIY kit. (And while you are at it, make some for your own kitchen so in a few months you have your own vanilla extract!).

Get a fun little basket or container and fill it with: a jar or packet of vanilla beans (Costco sells them for less, as do bulk bins at your market). Label them. Add a fancy jar and lid to make the vanilla extract in and a bottle of vodka. Write up instructions for making your own vanilla extract using the recipe below, and tuck into basket. Add cellophane and ribbon, cute labels and a friendly message. People will love knowing how to make their own vanilla extract!

Homemade Vanilla Extract Recipe

In a bottle: add a dozen vanilla beans and fill with vodka. Cork and let sit for a at least month; I sometimes add 1-2 T of dark rum to add color. Also: you can use the soaked vanilla beans later for cooking/baking. Vanilla extract keeps for years and years—just keep adding vanilla beans and topping it off with vodka. (Or next year: simply decant into small bottles and give as little gifts).

Other Holiday Gift Ideas

• Brownie making kit in a jar
• Pasta making kit (with recipes)
• Seeds culled from your own seed-saving/garden (I am giving arugula, fennel and nasturtium seeds this year)
• Truffle popcorn making kit (I gave this last year)
• Homemade marshmallows
• Homemade chocolate-coated spoons (to stir hot chocolate or coffee)
• Christmas cookies
• DIY vinegar making kit

Image Source: Janelle from Talk of Tomatoes

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, POPSUGAR.