Monday, June 21, 2010

Toy Story: Nightmare on My Street

I really didn't want this to be a complaining post.

After all it is a beautiful day, the sun is shining, and we have soccer camp and VBS all week long.

Sounds fun, right?  Well, that depends on how you look at it.  If I choose to embrace the sunshine, I also have to embrace the 97 degree weather and humidity that comes with it. 

If I choose to embrace the fun activities my kiddos will partake this week, I also must think of the wrangling of tired boys that will accompany the infusion of fun.
Are you a glass full or half full Mommy?  Hmmmm?  Good question.

What is really causing my post to tilt towards Whiny Mommy is the abundance

of itsy bitsy toy parts that live throughout my house.  I have been trying to eradicate them all weekend long and obviously they are growing in number and feeding off of some type of alien power source.  OK., that was more Sarcastic Mommy than anything.

I put my frustrations about our toy dilemma to the true test of whether I'm just going plain losing it.  To get some feedback, I did what many mamas and papas do these days, I put it to the facebook status test and guess what?  I am not alone!

Almost a dozen of you, my wonderful friends, yes you, commented that picking up the Legos, the Barbie shoes, the McDonald's toys, and the Bristle Blocks, (those things really hurt when you step on them, btw) is just too much to bare at times.  I felt less whiny, more apart of something bigger than me, bigger than the Power Ranger sword that I stepped on just a few minutes ago and then threw away. (Don't worry it was broken and had been taped and retaped)

I now feel a part of a toy removal revolution.

Many of you suggested I throw away all of those little parts.  This is hard for me.  As a child I kept all my games neatly stowed with every part in place.  So when a friend told me she throws away Lego parts found under her boy's beds, I just have to marvel at her bravery.  I keep thinking how expensive a throw away and what if you need that one piece of Lego for something grand or to finish that space ship just right?

McDonald's toys I often throw away at the car wash when no one is looking, but many make their way into our home and when you have three boys, those things multiply like the rabbit our older son now wants for his birthday.  That is, of course, another story.

Thank you friends for helping me to see that I am not the only one living in what can sometimes seem like a toy story of disarray.  Those little parts may give me nightmares now, but I am currently working on my left hook straight into the trash.  Nothing but floor space...

2 comments:

Cindy said...

Ha ha! That made me laugh. :) As we were packing up and moving, I established a "missing parts" box. It's a smallish Rubbermaid box with a lid that snaps. In it I threw every miscellaneous toy part that I came across...from toys I knew I'd already packed. So as they start playing with things, and are looking for something, my plan is to let THEM shuffle through the "lost and found" for what they need. We'll see how that goes!

Mommy Message said...

A missing parts box is a great idea! I have organized our toys so many times as a mom of almost 9 years now. I think I'm burning out, but I can work with the box where the boys have to match parts to the toys... Mommy Genius!