So, where have I been? Well... besides the fact that Morgan is going on Day #3 of a very mild case of the flu - Thankfully, it is mild because he had the flu shot - it has been busy, busy around here...
After I finished completing my preparation for my presentation at the MOMS group, I dove right in on my next project - as always, scrapbooking has been put on the back burner again. You could say that "Oprah Made Me Do It!" Once in bed on Monday night (March 2), I began flipping through the channels and stopped on Oprah and that is when it all started! The episode was entitled Simplify Your Life - The "What Can You Live Without? Experiment". Oh my goodness!! Oprah challenged families to follow several rules over the course of a week: No computer. No eating out. No car (a little extremely for my taste). No TV - spend that time doing a family activity. etc. etc. One challenge she gave another family with children was to have the children each pick out 5 toys to play with for the week and then lock up the rest. That is when it hit me square between the eyes... Ours kids have lots of toys and I know/knew that - Most of them are educational based, but still way too many toys. Mike and I have tried to be careful and never buy them toys outside of birthdays/holidays, but still we have way more than we need... Are you getting the point - too many toys!!! The more I thought about it the more I realized that I could count on less than two hands the toys that Rylee and Ryan play with: crayons, cars, train set, books, kitchen/play food, musical instruments (guitar, drumsticks), games, and outdoor toys. Thinking back, I realized that they do far more climbing on things and running through the house than they do even playing with their toys. This realization led me to the latest task... Getting rid of all of these toys. Now, I didn't get rid of all of them, but I did do some very serious cleaning out!! Thankfully, one of the local churches is having a children's consignment sale next week so, it was a very timely project! What better way to get rid of the toys, give to charity, donate, and get a little money back. It has been a little bittersweet as the Little People, wooden blocks, Lincoln Logs, board books, etc. are moving to new homes and that means my children are growing up! I must admit that it has been only a few days, but they seem to be more focused in their play and seem to be getting along much better. Let's hope it continues and it is not the flu affecting them in a bizarre way!! A lesson for the young and old - I am taking note!
After I finished completing my preparation for my presentation at the MOMS group, I dove right in on my next project - as always, scrapbooking has been put on the back burner again. You could say that "Oprah Made Me Do It!" Once in bed on Monday night (March 2), I began flipping through the channels and stopped on Oprah and that is when it all started! The episode was entitled Simplify Your Life - The "What Can You Live Without? Experiment". Oh my goodness!! Oprah challenged families to follow several rules over the course of a week: No computer. No eating out. No car (a little extremely for my taste). No TV - spend that time doing a family activity. etc. etc. One challenge she gave another family with children was to have the children each pick out 5 toys to play with for the week and then lock up the rest. That is when it hit me square between the eyes... Ours kids have lots of toys and I know/knew that - Most of them are educational based, but still way too many toys. Mike and I have tried to be careful and never buy them toys outside of birthdays/holidays, but still we have way more than we need... Are you getting the point - too many toys!!! The more I thought about it the more I realized that I could count on less than two hands the toys that Rylee and Ryan play with: crayons, cars, train set, books, kitchen/play food, musical instruments (guitar, drumsticks), games, and outdoor toys. Thinking back, I realized that they do far more climbing on things and running through the house than they do even playing with their toys. This realization led me to the latest task... Getting rid of all of these toys. Now, I didn't get rid of all of them, but I did do some very serious cleaning out!! Thankfully, one of the local churches is having a children's consignment sale next week so, it was a very timely project! What better way to get rid of the toys, give to charity, donate, and get a little money back. It has been a little bittersweet as the Little People, wooden blocks, Lincoln Logs, board books, etc. are moving to new homes and that means my children are growing up! I must admit that it has been only a few days, but they seem to be more focused in their play and seem to be getting along much better. Let's hope it continues and it is not the flu affecting them in a bizarre way!! A lesson for the young and old - I am taking note!
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