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Saturday my boys went to the great North Country to plant trees on our hunting land for a few days. I missed ’em, but GAWD it was nice to have them out from under my feet for a few days! Once they left, my plan got rolling. It was to be the weekend I cleaned, and dejunked and cleaned some more. Some folks might call it Spring Cleaning. I call it “making complete sh*t go missing without interference“. Let me explain. Both my boys are pack rats. The only difference is one is 6 and one is 43. Both have an extensive collections of books/magazines that will never get read, projects that will never get done, and toys that I SWEAR breed at night (there’s Happy Meals toys in the corner right now, and I’m sure they are making plans to start a new Development right next to the dinosaur toy box).
All of this pack-ratting takes place in a house less than 1100 square feet and we are a family of four. The key to my sanity (and to keep from being profiled on Channel 10 News as the “hoarder family on Memorywood Drive”) is to purge, and purge often. With kids it’s a little easier. Even since Prince Jakey-D was little and a toy got broken or ignored for awhile it became “Lost in the Woods” (code name for “I threw the frickin thing OUT“). Many a broken, crappy, where’s-the-parts-to-this-damn-thing toy has gotten Lost In The Woods. He’s the only kid I know that can ride along with Daddy to get milk and come back with two singing pigs and a bag of plastic army guys. Which may explain why we are broke all the time too. Well, this weekend LOTS of stuff will get Lost In The Woods. Trust me, he won’t even notice what’s missing.
Princess Sara-Boo is easier. She just doesn’t play with much. If she’s not playing with her Big Bro’s extensive collection of toys, she’s amusing herself by ransacking the house and leaving trail of havoc and destruction. Needless to say, she’s pretty easy to shop for.
I’m not exempt from this excavation either. Into the donate bag went tons of hair pretties from when I had long hair, many half used containers of eyeshadow (I haven’t worn eye shadow in about 15 years)and my collection of brand new colored tights that I’d rather gouge my eyes out with spoon than wear. In the TRASH went decaying mascara, receipts from Christmas ’06 and an odd assortment of unspeakable products from..um…ahem….our “baby-makin days”. Wow! I’ve emptied an entire dresser drawer! What shall I organize in it? Maybe something crazy like SOCKS.
All of this pack-ratting takes place in a house less than 1100 square feet and we are a family of four. The key to my sanity (and to keep from being profiled on Channel 10 News as the “hoarder family on Memorywood Drive”) is to purge, and purge often. With kids it’s a little easier. Even since Prince Jakey-D was little and a toy got broken or ignored for awhile it became “Lost in the Woods” (code name for “I threw the frickin thing OUT“). Many a broken, crappy, where’s-the-parts-to-this-damn-thing toy has gotten Lost In The Woods. He’s the only kid I know that can ride along with Daddy to get milk and come back with two singing pigs and a bag of plastic army guys. Which may explain why we are broke all the time too. Well, this weekend LOTS of stuff will get Lost In The Woods. Trust me, he won’t even notice what’s missing.
Princess Sara-Boo is easier. She just doesn’t play with much. If she’s not playing with her Big Bro’s extensive collection of toys, she’s amusing herself by ransacking the house and leaving trail of havoc and destruction. Needless to say, she’s pretty easy to shop for.
I’m not exempt from this excavation either. Into the donate bag went tons of hair pretties from when I had long hair, many half used containers of eyeshadow (I haven’t worn eye shadow in about 15 years)and my collection of brand new colored tights that I’d rather gouge my eyes out with spoon than wear. In the TRASH went decaying mascara, receipts from Christmas ’06 and an odd assortment of unspeakable products from..um…ahem….our “baby-makin days”. Wow! I’ve emptied an entire dresser drawer! What shall I organize in it? Maybe something crazy like SOCKS.
Over at simplemom she is having a Spring Cleaning Party May4-15 and I am IN! I plan to share my progress the next 11 days in hopes of reclaiming my castle and making it liveable again. It’s amazing how fast CRAP accumulates and sneaks up on you. Before you know it, you’re balancing your dinner plate on a weeks worth of school papers and magazines because the dining room table seems to be ground zero for all paperwork that doesn’t have a home. Join the party and cheer me on!
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Oh…I’m jealous! I want some our stuff to get ‘lost in the woods.’ Only two small problems. 1.) I’m lazy and 2.) we don’t live near any woods. I guess I’d have to say that our stuff got lost in the back alley.
Loved your writing…off to poke around some more…
Forgot to get over here yesterday but wanted to tell you I was thinking of you and sending you (((Hugs)))
Our house isn’t big enough for all of the shit we “collect….” I wish I had your fortitude!
Thanks for visiting my place! Us moms need all the support we can get… Life doesn’t seem to be getting any easier!
Good luck! I could stand to do some purging myself. I like to micro-purge by throwing away toys that are left scattered on the floor. I promise, they never even realize they’re gone!
You go girl! I have the EXACT same problem at my house. My husband has PILES of paper, magazines and files in the dining room and in the living room (aka The Man Cave). Every so often I go through it and PURGE! Truthfully, I think he is secretly glad that I do this, because is just incapable of throwing stuff out! Don’t even get me started on the basement.
I find it so hard to get started on this – but once I do, I can’t stop. I love organizing! But I don’t get many opportunities now that I have toddlers in the house. If only I could send everyone off on a trip for the weekend…
I like “Lost in the Woods.” My Mom was complaining that she wants to do this too but my Dad doesn’t want to give anything up (like the broken VCR). Perhaps I’ll have to suggest to her that she send him out of town and make sure some things get Lost in the Woods while he is gone!
Nice job so far!
Good for you taking on the challenge! I don’t even have the energy to think about taking something like that on right now. We’ve got so much crap around the house (and yes, much of it is mine) I wouldn’t know where to begin!
SOunds like Princess Sara-Boo is very similar to Finn in terms of wreaking havoc on the house. Ugh!
So, good luck with it all and we’ll look forward to the updates!
getting lost in the woods is a great idea ;0) great job filling your trunk!
I am the queen of black garbage bags and this is my favorite thing to do…purge! And I would NEVER do this with my kids…maybe the older ones when it comes to clothes, but that’s it.
A kindred spirit! I love sneaking through my kids’ rooms with a garbage bag while they are at school. 99% of the time they never notice, but every once in awhile I get a little over-zealous 🙂
my husband must be realted (lol) You are too damn funny. I love the idea of “lost in the woods.”
Way to go! Quite the collection there.