Productive Day? Not Quite!

Today I intended to go grocery shopping and also hit up Lowe’s about our garage door (which the HOA is demanding we repair). Unfortunately, the kids went crazy this morning and literally dumped out every single toy they own on the upstairs landing. I should have taken a picture but I was so ticked off I couldn’t see straight.

I told the kids that they were not allowed to come downstairs until it was all cleaned up. I figured they’d get bored and would eventually clean so they could come watch TV or something. But no – today was the day my kids let their imagination run wild. They were up there for FOUR HOURS playing. With nary a fight in sight. So in a way it was blissful, but on the other hand, I wanted to go run errands today (but without MY having to clean up their mess). At some point I threatened them with every child’s nightmare: If you don’t clean this room I’m going to get trash bags and get rid of it all myself!

Finally, sometime around 2 p.m. I grabbed two big trash bags and headed upstairs. It still looked the exact same as it had at 10 a.m. They saw the bags and hesitantly asked what they were for. I said, “We’re going to go through every single toy you own and get rid of at least half. Maybe more.”

CootieBoy fussed a bit (he thought the “half” we were getting rid of was his “half”), but then they kind of got into it. I would hold up three Barbies. “CootieGirl – which one do you want?” She would point, and it would go in the toy box, the other two in a trash bag (before you think I’m throwing perfectly good toys away – these Barbies were practically bald since CG cut their hair, and their faces were also covered in pen since she “drew” makeup on them). “CB – which car do you want?” He’d pick his one of three. It went well, and as I said, while they protested a bit at first, by the end they were putting everything in the trash bag – even stuff I wanted to keep because I knew they’d regret it.

I’m pleased with the end result: CB’s toy chest is almost empty now, and of his six cubbies, two are practically empty and one now belongs to CG and her smaller toys. In CG’s room, her closet floor is visible for the first time in ages and her deep side table drawer now houses three things: her tea set and two dolls.

I know the “toy dump play” is not over – but at least now they’ll only be dumping half the stuff they dumped before. The other half is in the garbage, and there’s a small percentage of stuff I’ll be sending along to my sister’s kids.

No, I never made it to the grocery store (Denis headed out a minute ago) and I’ll have to go to Lowe’s tomorrow, but it was still a decent day.

Tomorrow is my interview – I’ve got to crisp, clean resumes printed out and ready to go. I’m still nervous and excited about it. I haven’t interviewed in three years – I’m out of practice!!