it's been a while

OK, so I realize it's been a loooong time since I've posted anything to this blog. (but is anyone actually reading it, anyway? no one ever comments, so I truly don't know.....) For the past month we've been battling The Crud, which has made its rounds through our house twice, causing fevers, massive quantities of snot and some very unhappy kids and parents. Only the dog has managed to escape this one.

Apart from that, which has kept us pretty busy, we've been continuing our quest to cull our stuff. Just this morning we were in what used to be known as our basement, and which lately has been "the place where we put stuff we don't know what to do with but we can't throw away". A massive, massive pile of stuff has expanded to fill not one but two rooms. A pile of kids toys/clothes/gear that is taller than me has taken up residence in Dominic's shop. How does this happen?

We regularly make donations of old clothes and household items, we post stuff on Craigslist or the Twin Cities Freemarket and during the spring and summer, there is rarely a month that passes without me putting an assortment of stuff out on Lyndale with a "free" sign on it... but still, the mountain is there. Looming. Creating anxiety. So, rather than spend this sunny, almost-springlike morning outside with the now-healthy kids, we spent our time in the basement, sorting and culling. Oh yeah, and sniping at each other. We have grown so stressed out and overwhelmed by all this stuff that we can barely even work together to sort through it. We disagree on what to do with stuff, which storage bin to put it in, and even-I kid you not, when to move it upstairs/to the garage/to the shop. Now, or in an hour?

I'm re-reading a great book, "The Power of Play" by David Elkind, and it's making me really think about the toys in this house. He makes a strong argument for developmentally-appropriate playthings, in limited quantities. (Do we really need 10 puzzles?) He says kids should be allowed time to just be, and make their own fun, their own toys. Kids can be overwhelmed by too many toys, that 'abundance breeds contempt' and reduces the number of toys that are truly special to kids: with so many to choose from, why choose a favorite? There are too many toys that just do things for them...Push a button and one thing happens. Put the card here and this is the result. There are so many toys with "just one way to play' and kids need more open-ended toys, toys that encourage freedom of thought, freedom of movement, and freedom of imagination. I couldn't agree more. I want to keep the toys that bring my children joy, that are fun for more than just a day or two. I want to keep the toys that engage their senses, encourage their imagination. And, of course, eco-geek that I am, I want to phase the plastic toys out of this house (more on that in another post, for now check out this link.)

I'll let you know how it goes. And I'll be sure and tell you when the garage sale is.