In today's age of global turmoil, in-fighting, social upheaval and, let's be honest, complete and utterly baffling, mind-numbing ignorance in our political world, there's at least one thing we can all agree on. Kids are just the worst. Wait, what? Is it just me? OK, I'm kidding (really!). While I've decided not to bring another hungry mouth into this world, there are a small handful of kids out there that are pretty cool.

For some reason, perhaps my advanced age (still hovering under a half century), I have this odd desire to spend a little time with kids who are old enough to speak but still too young to fully understand the world they are about to inherit. I think I'm fascinated by their focus on those more important things in life like: Are all the pieces to this puzzle in the box? Am I going to have enough Lincoln Logs to finish the roof? Is it ever going to snow so we can skip school and go sledding? For now, I'll have to rely on my friends with kids (you know who you are) to continue my research.

If you are a parent to small kids and you are selling your home, I can appreciate the challenge you have in front of you. While in most states it is frowned upon to toss your kids into the dog crate during a showing, there is still the matter of the chaos of kid clutter (and you all know how I feel about clutter!). There is no real reason to hide the fact that you have children. Honestly, if the potential buyers were under the impression that you did not, in fact, have kids, they would likely assume you were simply out of your mind and had some sort of obsession with animal crackers and juice.

One of the secrets I have picked up from kid-toting sellers is the convenience and utility of those short, long, wheeled, plastic containers. These things are simply amazing for sliding under the bed for discreet toy and clothing storage. You can use these as an easy way for helping your little ones clean up their room before a showing. And they are incredibly useful for storing seasonal clothing. We actually use these ourselves for seasonal clothes storage and have them stowed away under the guest bedroom bed. It keeps the limited closet space more available for current clothes and, if you're like me and have a horrible memory, it's like getting a newly refreshed wardrobe every season! (Now what was I talking about?)

Oh yeah: kids. Speaking of refreshed, seasonal wardrobes. A good friend of mine incorporates the storage bin strategy in a slightly different (read: brilliant) way. She, like many of you parents, realized early on that her kids have more toys than FAO Schwarz. Instead of trying to find space for all of them (and storage) she simply rotates them out. After finding a suitable place in the basement (you can use the attic, storage unit, garage, etc.) she simply rotates the toys out every few weeks. Obviously you can keep the "main attractions" handy, but the majority of those second tier blocks, games, cars, etc. can be rotated to renew the interest and keep things fresh. The little voice in my head is telling me you should also wrap them up like gifts, but that sounds irresponsible (albeit brilliant!).

"While storage bins, attics, basements and garages are all fantastic places to hide (store) stuff, the reality is you simply may not have the space," notes Badger Peabody & Smith Realty (formerly Badger Realty) agent, Linda Walker. "Smaller homes and apartments tend to limit the locations we can put things and force us to be more creative," she continued. One of my favorite solutions for this is to hide the items in plain sight. Sure, action figures, tea-party sets and Stretch Armstrong are all super cool, but it would be much cooler if your potential buyers didn't have to step on or over him to get to the kitchen. Using a hollow ottoman, some decorative woven baskets and even a hutch (are they still called that?) to store these items works really well. They are super-handy as they are part of the home décor anyway, yet their utility is invaluable.

I just wouldn't feel like myself if I didn't close out this article by encouraging you (and your kids) to cull out some of the stuff you/they have. This is a great opportunity to teach kids about the value of "things" they really want and use, and the joy of recycling and giving to others. Help them make piles of things they want to keep, things that should find a new home and things that simply need to be tossed. You could even reward them for every item they choose to donate, maybe by giving them a new toy? No, wait! That's doesn't sound right!

Kids are awesome (or so I'm told). And selling your house is challenging enough. Here's hoping some of these suggestions will help you tidy up the home for the showing (and just in general!). Nobody is asking you to clean and organize your home to the nth degree just because a potential buyer is showing up. But eliminating that chaotic kid clutter will be a big step in helping them envision your home as their own and, you know, filled with all of their own kid's clutter!