hide-n-(sensory)-seeking

Well, I didn't actually get rid of 90 things in 30 days. It took me 40! I have continued adding to the piles and can now say that, though it took me longer than I had hoped, I DID FINISH! Here is a run down of the twelve last challenge items/groups (I only had nine left to collect, but i gave myself a penalty of adding three more things!): 1.) 3 porcelain dolls that have been sleeping in a drawer for nearly a year for their own protection (two of which were already broken which is all the proof I need that we are not a porcelain doll family) 2.) My nursing pump. 3.) Broken and unused outside toys. 4.) Two old pillows that just lump up terribly when washed. 5.) Several school items that we had borrowed from my sister were returned. 6.) Old coloring books, full spiral notebooks, dried up markers, broken crayons, and pencils were thrown away. 7.) One baby gate. 8.) Cleaned out old and expired pantry items. 9.) Broken plasticware, lids with no containers, a few containters ...

Day 24  (I know, I'm behind, several days have attacked me at once lately) 1.) Used to be a cute purse, now it's a mess. Actually, now it's gone. 2.) So hard to decide that our precious disc spin is simply beyond saving. Good bye dear friend, we love you, but it looks like we will have to eventually replace you. For now though, your are taking up more precious space. 3.) We are passing back our wooden puzzles to the littlest cousin. Hopefully with all the peices. Eventually :/

Day 22 1.) The kitty house that the kitty destroys nearly everyday. It's too flimsy for our house. I'd rather get rid of it and get him a more sturdy scratching post since he sleeps on the couch or with Grace most of the time now anyway. 2.) This is only a partial picture of the many old and non-reusable school books, but mostly notebooks that we pitched this week. We buy 'em cheap and use 'em faster. 3.) Two closet organizers that don't work at all for our closets. They are just sitting around, and I think it's time they found a new place of work. Day 23 I don't care if this officially counts or not. It's my challenge,  so I am making it count. And it's a HUGE weight of my list of stresses. 1.) We switched dance schools. Grace has been in dance since September and while they put on an impressive "show" at the end of last year, we have come to realize that instruction is not the priority of the establishment.  Nor is treating their ...

Day 21 1.) Two toddler sleeping bags. My big kids outgrew these a while back, but I really resisted separating the pair. They were a gift at my baby shower for Grace, so I really wanted them to stick together and to help make many more happy memories for other little people. So, I'm giving them to Auntie. They will be there as the littlest nieces and nephews grow and get to make memories at Auntie's house. And in that wonderful way, I'm not really giving them away at all! (But they still count here. They did leave my house!) 2.) Nana went home with an extra blanket today. I'm glad it can warm her knees instead of sit on a closet shelf. :) 3.) I love the fabric and colors on this dress, but it is the most unflattering (to me) thing I may have ever put on. To even begin to hang right on me, I would have to grow about four inches. Ha! I'll get right on that. Or I could just give the thing away. Yeah, think I'll just go with that option. 

Day 19! 1.) A couple of magnet writing boards the kids don't play with anymore. We had three, Grace insisted that she loves them, so I let her pick one to keep and the other two are moving on now. 2.) A cute supply box I got when we bought Zak's Kindergarten curriculum. It has served us well, but has been moatly empty and unused for a while, and its longer size makes it difficult to fit in the places we would prefer to keep it. 3.) Zak's m&m dispenser he bought at a garage sale. He thought he would like/use it more. I'm so proud of him for letting this one go voluntarily! Ok, we're doing good! 11 more days, 33 more things. Coming soon...my bedroom. EEEKK!!!

Day 16  1.) A bunch of learning cds we unfortunately never used and they have sat around for three years now. Part of me says you'll use them, you will! But the practical part says, we don't even have a working cd player anymore, just move on. 2.) A velcro toss game we lost the ball to a long time ago and these were buried At the back of the closet.  3.) A couple of dollies who need a new mama, they are currently being neglected here. Day 17 1.) If I had to give up my egg cartons then Victor has to give up his "back up collection" of plastic cutlery from various eateries. I saved a handful of the really sturdy ones but the rest are gone. It's ok, Babe, just rip it off, like a bandaid. 2.) A bag of Fuzzy Sticks that a friend of ours will enjoy more than my kids who have had these on their top shelf for months. 3.) A basically new dehumidifier that we bought in our camper days, but has been stored since we bought our house. To the pawn shop ye shall go. Day ...

Day 15!!!! 1.) A couple of bath boats that have simply been adrift for too long. Hopefully will get much more use in Gummy's tub than ours! 2.) More shoes! These ones are Kit's. Can't believe she's outgrown these already!  3.) Kit's little pink wagon. :(  It's sooo cute, but she doesn't use it anymore. It's been housing naked dolls, several of which will be spotlighting tomorrow's post (fully clothed, by the way). Good-bye little pink wagon. Hello more free floor space! I'm halfway there! Yippie!! Only 45 more things to go! 

Day 14 1.) Fun little books that assist kids learning to read. We returned these to Lela since Grace is now reading like a pro! 2.) An old glasses case that has been buried under stuff for over a year.  3.) More kids clothes. (And still the drawers won't close!)

So we had a pretty busy weekend, most of which was spent trying to find studs to hang up our new shelves. Not even remotely kidding. Bob Villa himself would have been puzzled to say the least. Argh! So frustrating!  But Us vs. Wall finally ended with us getting four wonderfully functional and space saving shelves installed without demolishing the walls, which was briefly considered at the height of aggravation.  Nevertheless, the purge continues, so... Day11! 1.) Wii protectors that we never use and have been sitting in a drawer since Kit ceased using them as chew toys. 2.) Some wax scent things that I bought about four years ago and have never used because they are too perfume-y. 3.) By beloved egg cartons. I hate throwing these away, but I had way too many. Victor commented that they may be the gateway to future hoarding. Bye bye egg cartons.  *** Day 12! 1.) We have stuffed animals coming out our ears! So I told the kids to pick two each. Thankfully there were ...

Day 10! 1.) Bottle rack I never ended up needing to use. 2.) Grace's shoe skates that she wore until her feet were literally folded up inside them and she still insisted that they fit. 3.) My pretty shoes that broke the first time I wore them, and...my ugly shoes. Good riddance ugly shoes, you no longer have the excuse that you are comfortable. 

Day 9! 1.) Baby xylophone going to my chunk-a-monk nephew. 2.) Baby activity center, also going to him. 3.) Shoes that Zak outgrew this year. We're making progress! 

Day 8! 1.) Litter pan that the cat has outgrown. 2.) Package of Spanish Moss that I don't plan on using any more. 3.) Bike bag that has been sitting in the closet for two years.

Day 7! Cleaned out the bathroom today and was happily surprised at how little we had to get rid of! Way to go us! 1.) Expired medicine.  2.) Miscellaneous stuff, like make up cards, expired sunsceen without a lid, and an air freshner that aggrevates my allergies. 3.) Hair stuff that none of us girls like, and a few baby headbands to be passed on. Yay! Wow, one whole week!

Day 6! 1.) A can of paint in a color we are NEVER going to use. (Sad, cuz it was supposed to be so pretty.) 2.) Baby clothes to be passed on to a sweetie pie!  3.) A cute pool toy we never actually got to use, also going to that same sweetie pie. So far so good! But we're still working in Easyville, the road hasn't gotten very bumpy yet.

Day 5! 1.) A lonely shape sorter that Kit refuses to use. 2.) A Trouble game board that has no pieces anymore because Grandpa threw them all away because they are made by terrorists who want to kill little children. 3.) Make up that is just sitting and not going to get used because the colors make me look far more sleep deprived than I already look, which lets face it, I don't need any help in that direction. Happy Sunday everyone. Stay warm. Drink hot chocolate! 

Day 3! 1.) Sunshade, wrong size, lost reciept. Yes, I know, let's just not go there.  2.) Clothes that Grace has out grown. 3.) Cute rocking chair, love it, but it just takes up space. Hard one to choose, but know it needs to go. (I'm gonna hear about it from Zak, of all the kids!) Day 4! 1.) Toddler bike, rarely used anymore and taking up space. 2.) Parts to a ceiling fan we no longer have. 3.) Popcorn maker that hasn't been used in over 3 years. The box is getting full! I think we'll be making our drop-off on Monday! Yay!

Day 2! 1.) A coffee grinder I don't need anymore. 2.) A cute winter jacket that just came wrong size wrong season. 3.) All the shoes Grace grew out of all at once in what seemed like one week. Woo Hoo!!

Junk! Stuff! Treasures! Whatever we call it we have way too much of it. And I intend to lighten the load. Starting today! I hereby challenge myself and household to get rid of 3 items (or item groups i.e. make up or bags of clothes) a day for the next 30 days! That's 90 items and collections eliminated from our cozy, but little, and sometimes crowded space! Some days will be easy. Others might be a little more painful. Some things will be big, some small. Some old, some not so much.  I make no promises to post my progress every day, but I will attempt to photograph and list the items for each day and compile and post regular progress reports. I am setting aside a donation box, and once a week I will take it to one of our local second hand places to give many of these items a new home. A lot I will also simply be throwing away. Some I will be setting on the side of road for any takers. Hopefully, after 30 days, I will have far less clutter, and more ener...

I was soooooo close!   But of course hardware came between me and my goals.   When it came time to move Kit's bed in, Victor, understandably, wanted to reinforce the joint where the frame and legs meet. This needed doing, I know.   "Okay, but you have to hurry! I'm on a timeline here! And I'm running out quick!"   Victor is not one to be rushed when he is reinforcing, or...ever really. After he FINALLY finished, we go to move it in. HA!   Thwarted again. There is no way to get this thing through our sliver of a hallway and around the 9 million corners that are contained in the 14 feet between our living room and bedroom. Nuts!   Disassembly required. Victor finally gets the bed in the room, but of course discovers upon reassembly that now the joints where the frame connects to the head of the bed are not strong enough for an elephant to jump on and so also need to be reinforced.   So now it's 12:30, and I'm typing while h...

Well, I plead illness.  I felt terrible last weekend. Then, Kit was sick for several days. So a lot of things got put off this week.   On Monday though, my sweet Mom came down and once again saved me from being drowned by the laundry. She also did several lessons for school with Grace which freed me up to tackle a pile that has been sitting (and growing) on one corner of our bench for weeks.   I didn't get any pics of that one though, sorry. But it consisted mainly of boxes that contained items set aside for giving away, misplaced toys, several user guides to miscellaneous appliances, and a lot of items waiting to be hung up (I detest hanging things up, I have no idea why, but it is seriously my second least favorite chore, my least favorite being ironing. Oh the irony!!)   Well, that was the first, and last productive day of the week. Kit came down with what I am now 99% sure was Roseola. But her fever broke, and stayed gone in time for us to sti...