Dear Friends and Family,It's a new year. And, I'm beginning another round of my clutter diet. The goal? I am going to try and have 52 things meaningfully leave the mouse pad this year. It's a purposeful decision to remove something that has found a home in our home. I'm evicting unwanted tenants.There's different questions different people use to gauge what should stay and what should go. There's do I still love it, does it serve a purpose, when did I last use it, etc. My guiding light question will be knowing what I know today, would I buy this today?The List (most recent departures listed first):
- I've been sick for three days now and so I'm going to focus on something small for today. My friend Pete offered me $50 for my four year old crib and mattress. P's slept in it almost every night since she was three months old so we've gotten full usage out of it. It'll be a little sad, but she loves her big girl bed so I guess she's ready for the change.
- We had a small refrigerator sitting on our landing. It used to be in Mr. mouse's office until they moved offices and sneaking a refrigerator in got too complicated. Then, we used it for parties on the deck, on occasion. However, it's latest use, gathering dust while sitting on our landing for the last four years, didn't seem like its best use. So, when we learned the nursery room that P stays in when I go to church needed a refrigerator, we dropped it off.
- I'm writing about clutter because sometimes it's easier to focus on a small thing than to try and process a storm going on around you. And, I am truly getting rid of something so I have the slight endorphin rush from progress against clutter. This one is almost comical. I have 12 Disney coffee mugs I bought in 1994 so almost twenty years ago. Actually, I bought close to two dozen mugs, but donated a batch some years ago and kept only my favorites. The colors are them are really nice. The feel of them is really nice. I haven't used one ever. They're still new in box. I found a friend of a friend who has a car with a vanity plate of Disney Lover. I am going to give the last 12 mugs to her. I am still sad to have these mugs leave the house. I don't use them. They sit above my stove in the cabinet. They need to go. Would I buy them today? Possibly, if I came across them somewhere. The problem is, I don't think I'd come across them anywhere today. So, I guess I couldn't or rather I wouldn't buy them today. Be strong, mouse, let them go.
- The next two are almost trivial. I almost feel guilty counting them. Yesterday, I went into a bin of light bulbs we had and I found a plant bulb from the pile of random bulbs that sit in our garage. I brought it into work and gave it to my friend who now uses it to light up the plant I gave her. (see below, second from bottom)
- I brought a bag of P's swim diapers to school. We've been most excellent about managing diaper inventory and diaper transitions to not have spare diapers, but swim diapers are a different story. On numerous occasions, we bought a pack of 12 to use one at the hotel pool and brought 11 home. Since P doesn't need swim diapers anymore and since we forgot to bring them to my sister who does, I brought them into school and gave them to the two year old room, for those times they might need them.
- Apparently Mr. mouse got motivated. Out went a cable modem box, an old telephone, two routers, and "some other stuff."
- It comes out of the woodwork. Clutter. I decided to donate a unitasker. I have a sandwich maker. It makes sandwiches. You butter the outside, you put something yummy and meltable on the inside. You wait the requisite amount of time and voila! Golden brown and delicious on the outside, hot and gooey on the inside. Except, a pan and our bacon press does the same thing. And, I don't eat many sandwiches with cheese. And, the sandwich maker makes is a little too brown on the outside. Still, it's childhood memories headed to Goodwill.
- More clutter coming out of the woodwork. I peeked inside a cabinet we never use. I know that all of the stuff in it needs to eventually make its way out of the mouse pad. For today, three plastic cups with a baseball logo on one side and a supermarket logo on the other are going to Goodwill. We'll never use these cups. I didn't even know we had them until I looked into the cabinet.
- And, at the last minute, I decided to add the bagel slicer to the things headed to Goodwill. If the bagel is that hard, I'm not sure I want to be eating it. Why do I suddenly feel two rounds of 52 won't be enough?
- Erin, at work, LOVES the aqua globes she got from me as a white elephant gift. I have one more box of three in the basement. I think I'll bring them in today for her. I hope that's all of the aqua globes we have in the house. I'm beginning to think Mr. mouse has hoarder tendencies. I hope he never spirals out of control.
- useful, just not for us: two winter coats
- baby gear: two baby gates
- baby gear: three baby gates
- books: five or more kid books
- toys: two noise makers
- toys: Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders
- toys: elephant pull toy
- toys: peg puzzle with farm animals
- toys: two bags of blocks
- useful, just not for us: house plant
- useful, just not for us: exercise ball
- junk: 15
- useful, just not for us: 14
- toys: 11
- baby gear: 7
- odds and ends: 3
- books: 2
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