A Latte of Stuff

42.  That's the number of coats, jackets, and vests I counted in our hall closet this morning.  I added 4 more this afternoon.  All for our family of 5.  And we live in Atlanta, it doesn't get that cold here.  This is just an example of the amount of stuff we have around here.

In the last several months, we have come close to finishing our basement renovation/completion.  The result is that we all moved to new rooms with new closets.  That means that I got to empty the contents of every closet and storage space in this house.  The capacity of children to squirrel away little items is amazing.  I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of happy meal prizes, game pieces, legos, lite brite pieces, pokemon cards, stuffed animals, barbies, and more legos - just to name a few.  I have consigned things, given them away, packed them away, and filled many trash bags.  And yet, we still have over 42 things hanging in the hall closet.

Here's my latte of stuff - wait.  I know it's easy to buy that one small item or let small kids bring home a random freebie from a store.  Don't even get me started on the goody bags from birthday parties.  But just wait before you say yes to that small purchase.  The items that seem so insignificant will soon fill entire drawers or storage bins.  Save yourself the sorting hassle, tell your kids that they actually will be able to live without one more Bakugan, My Little Pony, or whatever the toy of the moment is.  Instead save your money for a venti soy chai, or whatever latte you prefer.

An Easter Latte

I really want the picture, you know the one, kids all groomed in beautiful new clothes for church on Easter Sunday, Mom and Dad who don't look exhausted or frazzled. I know it sounds superficial, it's a picture that I've seen many times today on Facebook. But that is just not the reality of Easter for my crew. For one thing, our puppy ate Charlotte's new Easter sandals about 5 minutes after I got them out of the box, and Mason can't stand to wear anything with a collar. I also find that church with my whole family on Easter turns out to be a long and crowded event with kids who had too much sugar before 9:00 in the morning thanks to the Easter Bunny.

The perfect Easter picture didn't happen today, but that is alright. Instead of getting everyone fixed up for church, Rob and I walked to an outdoor 7:15 service at our church while the kids woke up to check out their Easter baskets with Grandma and Grandpa. They waited till we got home to hunt for eggs in the yard. We went out for breakfast and then had a family trip to the park on an amazingly beautiful day. We then spent the rest of the day at home, kids played with friends while Rob & I did a few more house projects (a latte of stuff is coming soon).

Next year I'll try again for the picture. We now know not to leave new sandasl unattended. But if it doesn't happen that will be ok. I feel pretty good about the quality of Easter we had at our crazy house, and today, I didn't even have a latte. Happy Easter.