Otherwise known as pick up your crap, I am not your maid!
Between our snow days and state of emergency days, we had lots of time together....with each other and our crap. And by crap, I mean piles of useless, dusty, pain in the ass to keep around stuff. We have "crappies" on the breakfast bar, on the couch, on the other couch, on the chair, on the floor, on the dresser, in the closet, on the kitchen table, on the vanity in the bathroom, on our night stands, the only area sacred enough to be crapless is the HUGE GRAND PIANO IN THE LIVNG ROOM! (I can guarantee there will be future postings about this @#$%^&* piano!) We have so much crap hanging around, our crappies have crap!
I used to be the girl who could find a receipt for gum that I bought in the 5th grade, but couldn't tell you where I put the the bill for my car payment. I used to be the girl who held on to scraps of paper with pithy comments to use at a later time. I used to be the girl who saved books for years after I read them. I used to be the girl who kept things because I was somehow attached. I am here to tell you, that girl is long gone! In her place is a lean (hardly), mean (you tick me off, you betcha!) get the crap out of here machine!
I reached my breaking point about 18 months ago and went on strike and I thought it would end within a week, month at the latest. Well apparently I am not the only stubborn person living in my house (how rude!) and our standoff lasted until about 3 weeks ago when I issued my Declaration (ultimatum) of "PUT IT AWAY, OR YOU CAN BUY IT BACK AT GOODWILL!" I said that in 3 weeks time if there is something you want, you had better put it away, or you can find it at Goodwill. I pictured a mass stampede (our mass is 3 total, so not so much a stampede as a meandering) of racing around the house making sure all prized possessions were safely stowed away. Well apparently I have been all smoke and no fire about this and was not taken seriously. Each day I announced the countdown and still no action, except for Hubby's sudden interest in the garage and throwing away my Fathers 50 year old Scouting Uniform, backpack, canteen and a spare booster seat. I rescued them from the trash and was a tad heavy with the sarcasm when I told hubby he did a good job clearing out the garage...OF MY STUFF (and to get to it, you had to remove 12 tons of his wire, tools, wire, wire, wire, tools, wire, and did I mention wire?)
Well the snow days hit and we were at the end of the countdown and had nowhere to hide. I pulled out big black trash bags and starting loading them up. I handed one to my son and sent him to his room with a mission to put everything that was not being used in the bag. He filled that bag, I gave him another, he filled that, and 6 bags (huge 30 gallon lawn and garden bags) later he paused. I took another bag and filled it with items from his closet and mine. Hubby is still not really a team player with this and does not have any bags to his name (that he is aware of...shhhhh!).
The state of emergency is lifted and hubby hears the call of work beckoning, I however saw my golden opportunity! I grabbed bags and filled them until they could hold no more. The bags have cd's, stuffed animals, books, slippers, toys, bath towels, dishes, shoes, pants, other bags that were stuffed with things. All in all I bet there are 20 ish bags that are making their way to Goodwill each time I take Nathan to school (today being the first in a week).
I have been patient, I have begged, I have cried, I have sulked, I have been silent, I have raged...NOTHING worked. I have taken matters into my own hands now. NOW, if you leave a glass on the counter, it goes in the recycle bin. If you leave a book laying around, it goes in a bag for Goodwill or Freecycle. If you leave your clothes on the floor, they go in a bag for Goodwill. If you leave your socks on the living room floor, you will find them in the piano bench. If you leave your empty can on the counter, it goes back in the fridge. If you leave your video game on the floor, you have one less video game. If you leave the vacuum in the middle of the living room floor, you will find it out back on the patio. Since asking (words) did not work, I am taking action (bagging it up) and putting it where I choose (to hopefully illustrate a point). Why can't I put a pile of (clean) underwear in the pantry and have a piano bench full of dirty socks and old mail if you choose not to put it where it goes?
So next time you are in Goodwill and you see a naked family, stop and say hello won't you, and please help me find my blender, so I can buy it back.
Between our snow days and state of emergency days, we had lots of time together....with each other and our crap. And by crap, I mean piles of useless, dusty, pain in the ass to keep around stuff. We have "crappies" on the breakfast bar, on the couch, on the other couch, on the chair, on the floor, on the dresser, in the closet, on the kitchen table, on the vanity in the bathroom, on our night stands, the only area sacred enough to be crapless is the HUGE GRAND PIANO IN THE LIVNG ROOM! (I can guarantee there will be future postings about this @#$%^&* piano!) We have so much crap hanging around, our crappies have crap!
I used to be the girl who could find a receipt for gum that I bought in the 5th grade, but couldn't tell you where I put the the bill for my car payment. I used to be the girl who held on to scraps of paper with pithy comments to use at a later time. I used to be the girl who saved books for years after I read them. I used to be the girl who kept things because I was somehow attached. I am here to tell you, that girl is long gone! In her place is a lean (hardly), mean (you tick me off, you betcha!) get the crap out of here machine!
I reached my breaking point about 18 months ago and went on strike and I thought it would end within a week, month at the latest. Well apparently I am not the only stubborn person living in my house (how rude!) and our standoff lasted until about 3 weeks ago when I issued my Declaration (ultimatum) of "PUT IT AWAY, OR YOU CAN BUY IT BACK AT GOODWILL!" I said that in 3 weeks time if there is something you want, you had better put it away, or you can find it at Goodwill. I pictured a mass stampede (our mass is 3 total, so not so much a stampede as a meandering) of racing around the house making sure all prized possessions were safely stowed away. Well apparently I have been all smoke and no fire about this and was not taken seriously. Each day I announced the countdown and still no action, except for Hubby's sudden interest in the garage and throwing away my Fathers 50 year old Scouting Uniform, backpack, canteen and a spare booster seat. I rescued them from the trash and was a tad heavy with the sarcasm when I told hubby he did a good job clearing out the garage...OF MY STUFF (and to get to it, you had to remove 12 tons of his wire, tools, wire, wire, wire, tools, wire, and did I mention wire?)
Well the snow days hit and we were at the end of the countdown and had nowhere to hide. I pulled out big black trash bags and starting loading them up. I handed one to my son and sent him to his room with a mission to put everything that was not being used in the bag. He filled that bag, I gave him another, he filled that, and 6 bags (huge 30 gallon lawn and garden bags) later he paused. I took another bag and filled it with items from his closet and mine. Hubby is still not really a team player with this and does not have any bags to his name (that he is aware of...shhhhh!).
The state of emergency is lifted and hubby hears the call of work beckoning, I however saw my golden opportunity! I grabbed bags and filled them until they could hold no more. The bags have cd's, stuffed animals, books, slippers, toys, bath towels, dishes, shoes, pants, other bags that were stuffed with things. All in all I bet there are 20 ish bags that are making their way to Goodwill each time I take Nathan to school (today being the first in a week).
I have been patient, I have begged, I have cried, I have sulked, I have been silent, I have raged...NOTHING worked. I have taken matters into my own hands now. NOW, if you leave a glass on the counter, it goes in the recycle bin. If you leave a book laying around, it goes in a bag for Goodwill or Freecycle. If you leave your clothes on the floor, they go in a bag for Goodwill. If you leave your socks on the living room floor, you will find them in the piano bench. If you leave your empty can on the counter, it goes back in the fridge. If you leave your video game on the floor, you have one less video game. If you leave the vacuum in the middle of the living room floor, you will find it out back on the patio. Since asking (words) did not work, I am taking action (bagging it up) and putting it where I choose (to hopefully illustrate a point). Why can't I put a pile of (clean) underwear in the pantry and have a piano bench full of dirty socks and old mail if you choose not to put it where it goes?
So next time you are in Goodwill and you see a naked family, stop and say hello won't you, and please help me find my blender, so I can buy it back.
