I have a five year old, a three year old, and a nine month old. I also have an infestation of toys. My house looks like a toy shop overflowed into it. We have four different types of building toys (Duplo, Mechano, Sticklebricks and Lego)

We have train sets, garages, and cars. We have hot wheels, happy land,remote control toys and a toy kitchen. We have dino land, and a whole host of bigger vehicles lining up in their room. Add to this jigsaws, games, craft stuff, games consoles, a marble run and a garden full of garden toys. We even have a bucket full of toys which don't fit anywhere else. It really is ridiculous!

Added to all this chaos are the baby toys. Rattles and musical caterpillars jostle for space alongside activity centres. We could open a play centre and charge an entry fee.

The truth is I love toys, and I love buying them for my children. The child in me gets really excited by the huge range which are available to buy these days.

I am not completely responsible though. We have three children. That means three lots of Christmas presents. Three birthdays and a whole host of loving relatives wanting to add their toy to our mountain. What grandmother wants to buy clothes or school shoes. What aunt wants to buy swimming lessons.

This bounty of toys stresses me out. I am a control freak and it is impossible to keep it in order. I'm already fretting about the fact that baby Sicily is a girl and with that comes different toys to add to the mix.

On the other side of the coin though is the fact that the toy years are short. Before I know it my children will no longer play with toys. The boys room will become a den of school books and smelly socks. Sicily will be hankering after a hair straightener or the latest mobile phone.

So perhaps for now I should be grateful for the fact that my children have such great options. Who cares if Lego occupies my dining table and plastic robots roam my stairs? Childhood is short and sweet and my children are certainly not spoiled despite their bounty.

What do you think? Has your house been taken over by make believe ? Share your situations and help me feel better about mine.

(Louie is 5, Milo is 3 and Sicily is 9 months old)