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I have a few pet peeves in life. Nothing too major, nothing too out of the ordinary. I dislike rude people. The sound of folks slurping their food drives me insane. And I loathe the sight of clutter. In my world the first two are easily manageable; I avoid boorish individuals as best as possible and I remind my husband not to make sounds while eating. But dealing with the clutter eludes me. I am losing a battle that has only just begun.

When it was just Tim and I living on a boat, the mess was minimal and consisted mostly of laundry and dishes. As our family grew to include a dog, we happily gave up a cupboard for puppy chow and doggy toys. But with the arrival of one and then two children, we suddenly realized that life was never to be the same again. We were about to lose our somewhat organized abode.

(photo courtesy of Heather Lochner)

As we all know, kids need stuff. Diapers. Clothes. Toys. Bottles. Bouncy Chairs and Jolly Jumpers. I wanted it all and had a hard time realizing that I couldn’t have it. I even insisted a glider chair be put on the boat and threw a fit when my husband strung up a hammock instead. Tim was patient with me. He watched silently as I collected more items and never commented on the piles of stuff that had accumulated. He waited as only a husband can, because Tim knew, soon I would break. He knew the stuff around the boat would drive me insane. He knew and then I knew, we didn’t need it all. More to the point, we couldn’t fit it all.

At first glance, the non-nautical eye will see ample storage opportunities. The inside of our boat is lined with cupboards. But don’t let fancy woodwork and pretty door handles fool you. These are not your typical cabinets. They are tiny. They are narrow. And they attract mould faster than a pool of sitting water. They are my Achilles' heel, my constant reminder that despite my best attempts to hide action figures, balls and baby-dolls, there will always be a mess lurking in the shadows.

So, what is a clutter-phobe to do when storage is the problem? Get creative I say! The first thing we did was get rid of the gun cabinet. Yes, you read that right. This boat was outfitted with a gun cabinet. After we got married, it became our wine unit and is now an arts and crafts storage centre. Amazing what a few shelves can do. We also ripped out the washing machine (circa 1950s style) and that is now our coat closet. Our old coat closet now has Ikea hanging shelves in two different sizes and stores all of Lucas’ clothes. Aidan’s clothes? They are in small drawers that once housed all of our paperwork, pens and miscellaneous junk.

If an item of clothing is too small, it is off the boat. If the kids refuse to wear it, bye bye. Too big, off to the storage locker until they grow. There is no room for the “maybe they will wear this” clothing item. Wear it or lose it. It may sound harsh, but that is the reality of living with limited space.

As for the parents, life gets a little trickier. My wardrobe is seasonal. Off-season items are stored in our locker. This, for the most part is fine, except when the weather turns unexpectedly and I am caught in a heatwave in the midst of winter. My light-weight clothes are stored, so I sweat it out in turtlenecks and fleece. That’s when I grumble rather loudly at my husband.  I also love my shoes and purses and have had to get creative. Tim has no idea how many of these items are hidden onboard in secret compartments. I just have to remember where I put them and to pull them out and make sure mildew isn’t growing on them.

(photo courtesy of Heather Lochner)

The real issue is the toys. As infants it was easier – stuff was smaller and we needed less. I found a collapsible excer-saucer. The Jolly Jumper hung from the handholds on the ceiling. The play mat folded up and I could store it away. But now, the kids have toys, big toys. We have a Hot Wheels track, trains tracks, dolls, doll houses, and action figures. Add to that books, play dough, puzzles and Lego and you're talking a whole lot of clutter.

To be truthful, it has taken me a long time to come to grips with the toy situation. I tried denying the kids toys – but grandma quickly stepped in to fix that one. I tried denying there was clutter. But that only lasted a few hours. So, I am looking to find a solution. So far, I have found that Rubbermaid bins work. We have a plastic toy chest in our main living area that houses the “in” toys. In our bathroom, hidden in a closet, are a couple of other toy bins. When toys in the salon stop being played with, I switch them up. New toys come out, old toys go into the bin. If there is a toy that never gets played with, off the boat it goes. Like the clothes, there is no room for an unwanted item.

(photo courtesy of Heather Lochner)

I have also found space-friendly toys. My son has a car garage that folds up. My daughter has a miniature pack-and-play for her doll that comes apart when not in use. We have a mesh, collapsible basketball net. We have a fold-up cloth castle. You get the picture. These items are out there. It is just a matter of finding them.

As I alluded to, we also have a storage locker. It's within walking distance from our marina and I store toys there as well. Basically though, the most useful thing I do to avoid clutter is to clean up. Each night toys are put away and nothing is left out. It gives Tim and I a chance to evaluate each toy and make sure it is still played with and not broken.

Lastly, for those large items that I think the kids cannot live without, the marina has a communal lounge where there is a small space allotted for toys. It has a toy kitchen, bowling pin set, a tiny pool table, and a few ride-on toys. All kids - marina members or guests - can use them. Oh and I would be remiss if I didn't mention our "garage". We have a small storage on the dock that houses our stroller, Lucas' bike, Aidan's run-bike and all of our sand toys.

Creativity and ruthlessness are the names of the game. Children can be raised in small spaces. You just need to be organized, creative and be able to give toys away.