"Here comes the sun da da da da"... I think... I hope... wait a minute... Nope. "It was just my imagination!!" Would whoever stole the sun PLEASE bring it back... we all miss it very much.
I am recovering from the flu. Still nursing the hip. Thanks to everyone who has sent me a note to see how I am doing - I love you guys! I am now back to cleaning out closets and drawers and crooks and nannies. Have to be very careful to not move the "wrong" way and also to rest often! My recent "episode" has pushed our schedule back a little, but we'll get there. And in the mean time, getting rid of stuff is so liberating!!
To help you understand what I am "up against" in this cleaning out and downsizing operation, I must paint you a picture of our situation. We have a large 2 car garage which is packed full -- side-to-side, front-to-back, and almost to the 20 foot ceiling, with STUFF. There is a little path I've maintained to weave our way through. Our lawn mower clings tenaciously to a tiny spot in the very front. The patio furniture stayed out during the wonderful Alabama winter we had. The folding lawn chairs are in the trunk of my car. And nope, our cars have never even SEEN the inside of this place which they thought was designed just for them. They also got to experience the wonderful winter weather!
Now before you accuse me of being the ultimate packrat, let me explain... There are 3... yes I said 3... households crammed in this 1900 sq house. My mom, who is 72 years young, moved in with us 3 years ago when I was very sick which I appreciate more than she will ever know. But with her came her "stuff"...
She had already moved from her home of many years to an apartment, which made her go through and get rid of many things, but you wouldn't believe what she had squeezed into that 1 bdrm apt!! Of course she had things stored at my house too (including her out-of-season clothes), in case she "needed" them. So when she moved in with us, we had 2 of everything - I'm sure you can imagine. She looked at it as a temporary thing, and so didn't want to get rid of anything. That has been 3 years and one move ago...
Add to all this the fact that we've saved things over the years for my now 21 yos. That boy could move out tomorrow and only have to buy groceries! Finding the things that are "his" would be tricky, but it's out there. Plus, he is an electronics junkie -- I have no idea how many mixing boards, computers, stereos, etc are in my garage.
He finds junk and brings it home with a big ole smile on his face, as excited as a little boy who has found a lost puppy, and repairs it and takes parts from this to make that... His talent is truly incredible, but if any of you have someone like this in your family, you know just how much STUFF they have. He is in for a rude awakening when he does move out and all his little toys have to go with him!! The only thing I can think of that could be worse would be someone who works on cars and has junk cars everywhere. Not that uncommon here in Alabama, actually!
Anyway... as I said, we basically have 3 households of stuff in one home, plus all the toys my 9 yod has. She is a stuffed toy collector, and currently has well over 500... I stopped counting when we hit the big 5-0-0! She loves them, each one has a name and a personality and a "history". I must say she has done very well in sorting them for the Yard Sale... especially the ones which were mine (very few) or her brother's (more - my Mom never threw anything away!)... wonder why it is easier to get rid of things that aren't yours?? lol
I am being ruthless in my purging of stuff, but am having to go through ALL the stuff to find my stuff to purge! Add to it that each time I delete something, my mom or my son are like... "I might need that"... Sheesh! But when we hit the road, what I leave will be up to them to dispose of! (Insert evil little laugh here!)
I have to say that sorting through the beautiful little clothes that were my daughters just breaks my heart. Knowing a) what I paid for them (and what I'll have to sell them for!) :-P and b) that she is growing up and not my "little one" any more just tears my heart out! I can just see her in each little outfit as I place it in the Yard Sale boxes... (sniffle, sniffle)
On the homeschooling front, she has been in a "workbook" phase. While I was hurt, she would bring her books and pencil to my bed and would do page after page. We also played lots of games, which she loves. She takes the workbooks by "spells" as my Mammow would have said, and will work industriously until she finishes a book. Then she may not pick up another for a while. That is the beauty of Lifeschooling... allowing your child to do what she wants typically results in more and better "outcome" than forcing her to do that in which she is not interested. At least that is our experience - it was the same with my son!
OK... more cleaning, purging, sorting and stacking! "I think I'm going to Katmandu!" :-P
Have a great day! :-)
