Okay, this was a fun one for me. It is always so much more fun to have help for these projects, and for some reason, Ethan was a VERY willing helper. It is not always this way when we purge toys, but this time it was. The clothes issue was a no-brainer for me. We have ZERO storage space for old clothing. When Ethan outgrows things they go in a pile for a dear cousin that gets some use out of them. I only keep what I can wear on Elisa later without making her look too much like a boy. Same story with Elisa. When her clothes are too little, they go in a pile for dear cousin's little sister. They always say, "Mom, this is too little, it is time to give it to Corbin & Natelly." (I have kept their clothes that they were wearing when we got them in our arms forever and a very few of the things that are handmade gifts for JUST IN CASE, but probably mostly because I am sentimental.)
The toys are mostly the same story because of room, but there is always something broken or trashy that we can get rid of it seems like. I have a son who (even though he doesn't have my genes) is just as big or even bigger of a keeper than me. :) He digs in the trash and rescues every empty cleaner bottle/container that he can get his hands on to play in the water with. I can NOT throw away cardboard boxes without them first being turned into trucks, skidloaders, wagons, airplanes, etc. He uses pipe cleaners for just about everything. (making cardboard boxes into carseats for baby dolls, pulling wagons behind tractors after they have lost their hitches, making dog collars, making belts for his little sister so he can lead her around like the animal of the day, shoes for stuffed animals, and on and on and on) Anyway, enough about that. Elisa on the other hand is not so much attached to "junk". She didn't even help or care the day we went through the toys. I told her I was throwing a baby out that was missing an eye-ball. Ethan didn't think that we should, but Elisa just said, "okay!" (it probably helped that her Grandma Dora was here. she was busy bossing G-ma around and G-ma was just letting her. RIGHT UP HER ALLY! She would MUCH rather boss someone around and play house with them than be attached to "things")
Anyway, long story short, we dumped every container of toys and put them all back nicely. We threw out one garbage bag full of stuff. Examples: an OLD floppy disk (remeber those?), chopsticks from our dear friend Yuka that Ethan had been playing with, little cars from an old Life game, helicopter with no propellers, fake credit cards that you get in the mail with applications, pieces of cardboard from previous boxes, used pipe cleaners, appliance manuels that the kids pretend are books, etc.
It was fun to get all the crumbs out of the boxes too. I have no idea how toy boxes can get such dust bunnies in the bottom!
Here a few pics:
ready to get started
before
after
I am still so glad to be doing this and looking forward to next week's challenge. Although I was glad for a little easier week this week. :)
