Toy Box

We had a garage sale back in April, and honestly, we probably could stand to do another.  I am always finding things in my closet, in the boys' toy box, in the kitchen, in the garage, and in the basement that I completely forgot we have and that I realize we probably don't need.

 

Eventually, we will need to move, and how annoying is it to pack and then unpack a bunch of stuff you don't need?  What's even more crazy is that there were (okay, honestly, still are) some things I've kept because I've said to myself, "Well, I should keep this because when we have a bigger house, I'll need to have something to fill it."  Seriously, what am I thinking?  I guess it hasn't occurred to me that I could either not buy that big of a house, or I could put things in that house that I actually like and would use.

 

Today, my clutter frustration was targeted at the boys' toy box.  Who knew how many toys could accumulate in two and a half years?!

 

I'll admit that we are not good about making the boys pick up their toys that have been tossed throughout the house before they go to bed, and once they are asleep and it is quiet, the closest place to the toy box for all of those trucks and blocks is a pile outside of their closed bedroom doors.  Now that just seems pointless, so usually they just end of staying strewn about the house.

 

The other frustrating thing about the toy box, is that the toys don't even fit.  It takes a small feat of engineering to balance the last ball on the top of the pile.  Also, now that Owen thinks the toy box itself is a toy, it takes just one second for the whole thing to get dumped out and him to be curled up inside.  For some of the toys stuck at the bottom that is the only chance they have to see the light of day.

 

Well, today, I went through the toy box and made the tough decisions to evict a few of its inhabitants.  The broken, the duplicates, the boring, and the choking hazards all into an old moving box.  Somehow the cardboard box that was bigger than the toy box is full.  The toy box still has plenty of fun in it, and I'm confident that the boys won't even notice.  Actually, I'm sure they'll enjoy being able to find some of their favorites a little easier.
 

FYI:  Chuck the Truck and a few other had never been able to fit until now.