I have too much "stuff" (there are a lot of words I could use here - junk, crap, etc!) Not me exactly, my kids. Seriously, I could run a day care out of the toy room closet! After Christmas and two birthdays, there is truly not a place to put some of the "stuff"! But heaven forbid I should get rid of the "stuff" they don't play with. I know, I'm going to but it will have to be on the sly. So here are two new year's resolutions:
1 - Teach my kids to be giving and generous (please post suggestions on how to do that).
2 - Give the kids savings account numbers to the family as well as several other save the starving children options and ask for contributions to those accounts (I think college could be paid for. Spare me the lecture on how much fun it is to get gifts, I'm feeling Scrooge-ish and I just want to vent)
Off I go to continue my quest of finding a home for all the "stuff" that is cluttering my house. And to those of you who are reading this and contributed to all our "stuff" thank you for loving my kids, but could you try to love me a little more:)
"And remember, it's for posterity so be honest." ~ Six-fingered man in Princess Bride
8 comments:
I only have one and already feel that way! I can't imagine what 4 looks like! Maybe next year for Christmas we'll have to do the college savings thing since you won't be together.
Oh I soooo am in the same boat with you. It doesn't matter what I say or do, the toys keep coming. We have some they got for CHRISTMAS and they're already forgotten. UGGH!
I keep telling myself that we're going to adopt an angel for Christmas and let the kids help with that- find someone who's only wish for Christmas is a pair of shoes so they don't have to duct tape the old ones together and let them see how well off we really are. I think this year I'm going to do it for sure. My brother did college plans for the kids, and honestly, I doubt they even noticed 1 less "physical" gift- they were still banking.
If you find the solution, let me know- because I'm searching too.
My kids have always cried and pouted when I have gone in to find the castaways. Ezra even remembered the 3 McDonalds toys that went to DI and would complain to me that I made him so sad when I took them.
So this year I took EVERYTHING into the living room and told them to only take what they could clean up themselves back to the room. It really worked! I got rid of 3 huge garbage bags of stuff. It was almost harder for me that it was for them. (I was strong and kept my mouth shut- I did sneak some stuff into a keepsake toy bin that went to the basement for baby visitors)
My kids are like me- motivated more by laziness than being a good person. :o)
Tell your parents and parents-in-law the ONE toy only rule! Period! If they want to give more, tell them you will be giving them to some other deserving child.
When things get out of control, I tell the kids to go into their rooms and choose 3 toys they want to give to Good Will for some other little child.
I keep the toy closet locked. They are welcome to play with anything, but just have to ask and put away everything else. It they don't play with something for a while, sometimes I'll just get rid of it.
Good luck!
My Grandma actually buys the girls savings bonds for Christmas and birthday and I LOVE it! They have enough junk and it'll at least be a little something when college rolls around...that is another idea if you don't want to mess with giving out account numbers! She gives me $25 and I go to the bank and buy a $50 E bond and we're done! They're in the fire safe until they need them - it's awesome! Good luck with the 'junk' too, I'm feeling the same here! I keep joking with Ben that our walls are caving in because there is seriously not an inch of usable space anymore at our house it seems like!!!
Our playroom is the same - just baskets of toys. My big problem with 3 boys is all the cars I have in my house, they are everywhere!!!
Hey you..I am so not gonna give over advice cause well I was coming here to read everyone elses:) how is it going?
What we do every year is donate our unplayed with toys to "kids that have no toys" or I call it the D.I. or Savers. It was really rough the first couple of times, but now I have CJ coming to me with unwanted items all the time to donate. Try it out. We also would pre-amble it with "this makes more room for new things!". Just a thought.
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