Unpacking
Today I was reading Rachel's blog about unpacking and thought of my own boxes still sitting packed in my attic... 15 mos after our move.
And yes, many of them are labelled "junk", "crap", and "whatever". I even have one labelled "junk drawer", which, obviously, has the entire contents of the junk drawer at our former house. I look in it and see things that might be useful.... like the button that goes to my sons red sweater. But I really need to get honest with myself and face the fact that I will never sew it back on. I'm just not good at that stuff. I have to accept the reality that I would rather my son wear a sweater missing a button than sew. I wonder where that puts me in the running for the Bad Mother of the Year Award.
What baffles me about this isn't so much the need I felt to pack it all (I was 9 mos pregnant and I think that must count for some kind of temporary insanity reprieve), but rather why I can't just throw them away now. If I haven't needed anything in the box for 15 mos, odds are that it isn't very important.
So today I decided to become motivated and purge some of the "junk" from our attic.
The first box I went to had all my old college papers. I looked through it and read some of the things I wrote. Gee, who was that girl? Did I really think such intellectual thoughts? Some of the things I wrote I really didn't even understand anymore LOL. I guess gestating and lactating take more brain cells than I realized.
I couldn't get rid of it, though it serves no purpose. I figure one day my children can find it. I imagine them reading it, "Gee, Mom had a brain before we turned her into a blathering idiot, incapable of uttering a complete sentence or remembering her children's correct names" ;-)
Then I found some puzzle pieces that I had neatly placed in a ziploc bag. I have no idea where the other 99 pieces are that would go to these orphan puzzles pieces. That was easy to toss.
But I am sure I will now find the remaining pieces.
I found a very old pocketbook which had copies of my college transcript and my LSAT scores. Further evidence that I did have a working brain once upon a time. I resisted the urge to turn them into iron-on transfers and put them on the front of a t-shirt.
So at the end of the day I filled two big black garbage bags full of "junk", lots of forgotten stuffed animals, broken bits to toys, old McDonalds toys, toys I never really liked to begin with, seasonal decorations that haven't been out for years, old magazines and toy catalogs of the children's that were half missing.
Hmmmmm, I am sensing a pattern, most of the things I got rid of didn't even belong to *me* LOL. Maybe I'll have the kids help me go through my things and let them get rid of what they think I don't need.
I have told my husband if we ever move again I am taking nothing with me but my toothbrush, and even that is up for debate.
And yes, many of them are labelled "junk", "crap", and "whatever". I even have one labelled "junk drawer", which, obviously, has the entire contents of the junk drawer at our former house. I look in it and see things that might be useful.... like the button that goes to my sons red sweater. But I really need to get honest with myself and face the fact that I will never sew it back on. I'm just not good at that stuff. I have to accept the reality that I would rather my son wear a sweater missing a button than sew. I wonder where that puts me in the running for the Bad Mother of the Year Award.
What baffles me about this isn't so much the need I felt to pack it all (I was 9 mos pregnant and I think that must count for some kind of temporary insanity reprieve), but rather why I can't just throw them away now. If I haven't needed anything in the box for 15 mos, odds are that it isn't very important.
So today I decided to become motivated and purge some of the "junk" from our attic.
The first box I went to had all my old college papers. I looked through it and read some of the things I wrote. Gee, who was that girl? Did I really think such intellectual thoughts? Some of the things I wrote I really didn't even understand anymore LOL. I guess gestating and lactating take more brain cells than I realized.
I couldn't get rid of it, though it serves no purpose. I figure one day my children can find it. I imagine them reading it, "Gee, Mom had a brain before we turned her into a blathering idiot, incapable of uttering a complete sentence or remembering her children's correct names" ;-)
Then I found some puzzle pieces that I had neatly placed in a ziploc bag. I have no idea where the other 99 pieces are that would go to these orphan puzzles pieces. That was easy to toss.
But I am sure I will now find the remaining pieces.
I found a very old pocketbook which had copies of my college transcript and my LSAT scores. Further evidence that I did have a working brain once upon a time. I resisted the urge to turn them into iron-on transfers and put them on the front of a t-shirt.
So at the end of the day I filled two big black garbage bags full of "junk", lots of forgotten stuffed animals, broken bits to toys, old McDonalds toys, toys I never really liked to begin with, seasonal decorations that haven't been out for years, old magazines and toy catalogs of the children's that were half missing.
Hmmmmm, I am sensing a pattern, most of the things I got rid of didn't even belong to *me* LOL. Maybe I'll have the kids help me go through my things and let them get rid of what they think I don't need.
I have told my husband if we ever move again I am taking nothing with me but my toothbrush, and even that is up for debate.
3 Comments:
Did I ever mention how I HATE HATE HATE moving? LOL We still have boxes leftover from our move 5 years ago, I don't even want to know what's in them! Some day I'll get rid of them, but for now feeling overwhelmed enough with day to day living and all our normal clutter.
Very much sympathizing with you!
Karen
Hi. Thanks for stopping by my blog. I wanted to return the favor and ended up reading all of your posts. I love your writing style and all of the pictures. Do you have room for a family of three and a half to share your home ;-)
Cool Blog! If you get a chance I would like to invite you to visit the following Fiction Blog, it is coo to!
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