General "pick up"

Most households are like mine, when you're FINALLY ready to call it a night and collapse into bed, you look around and realize there is still crap EVERYWHERE.  I try very hard to maintain it throughout the day but it doesn't always work out that way.  So what I've done is purchased some cute little wicker baskets from Walmart that are under my console table in my family room.  They aren't as tacky looking as plastic bins (which I USED to have out but prefer to have something cuter out in plain sight) and serve the same purpose.

SO under this table I have lined up 3 baskets, one for each child.  And as I sweep through the house at night (mainly the downstairs as I get the upstairs picked up as kids are getting into jammies and brushing teeth) I pick up what belongs to each child and put it in the appropriate basket.  So it's not all "technically" put away but it's at least not laying on the floor (ever stepped on a lego or Matchbox car before???) or cluttering up the couch.  Then the next day when we get home from school the kids are responsible for putting those things away if they're not going to be used.  

Most days I try to avoid having anything in the basket and as long as I'm on the kids about bringing toys upstairs before bed, it works out...but some nights Alex can only carry so many Star Wars guys and cars in his little arms :)  Hence...the baskets, the lazy moms way of keeping the house "clutter free"