Starting the clean-out

A few years ago, my family decided to create individual online wishlists for holidays and birthdays. While "off-list" gifts are fabulous and very appreciated, these lists gave people an idea of somewhere to start. A couple of weeks ago I started to work on lists for the boys. And then I ran into a problem.

We've got too much stuff. Trying to find things to put on the boys' lists was really tough. They are both so very fortunate to have a LOT of toys. They also have a mama who is pretty picky about the kinds of things we have in our home (we avoid licenced characters, lots of plastic and electronic toys for the most part). What I realized is that it is time to do some cleaning out of things we are no longer using.

On the way home today Max and I were talking about our excess of toys. We also were discussing the fact that there are lots of children who are much less fortunate. And you know what? He came the conclusion I was hoping he would. Yup. We should give some of our toys to kids that don't have any.

So, after dinner tonight, we decided to get started. We began by tackling the toy box full of stuffed animals. The boys got to choose their favorites and put those back in the box. The "leftovers" were then lined up and we set a number that they thought they would be reasonable for keeping. There was some heavy discussion, negotiations, and trades. But at the end, we had a small bag for donation. The hardest part is letting go of my attachment to some of them.

This weekend we're tackling the playroom. I hope I'm a little better at letting go - because the boys have got the right idea....