Decluttering

I have spent the last couple of months decluttering. It must be the season for cleaning and organizing. I am tired of toys, books, crafts, clothes, cleaning products and other random things lying around in the wrong spot.

A while back, I read an article about a mom who took most of her kids' toys away in an effort to encourage more creativity. I thought it was a bit harsh since many toys were probably truly loved. My guess is that those special toys stayed. So, one day, when the girls went to school, I went through every single toy in the house and threw away two big bags full of junk and put everything else in its special place. I also took every Schleich animal and put them in a plastic bin in storage. Now, I do NOT buy toys for the girls (aside from a couple for Christmas or birthdays)... Okay, I sounds like a horrible mom. I just really haven't had a need to buy them any toys. If they want something, they ask for it for Christmas or a birthday or save up money themselves to buy it. However, there is no lack of toys here. I was pleasantly surprised that only one toy was discovered missing that had been thrown away from two bags.

In my quest to declutter, organize and eliminate unnecessary things, I learned a couple of things about the girls.

#1 The special things that they love the most were a lot of the things Aaron and I gave them from our own childhoods. Those were things that they had already been given a special place in their bedrooms.
#2 They treat the toys that they bought with their own money much better.
#3 Some broken retired toys mean too much to be thrown away. I guess I have a couple of those myself.
#4 My girls really don't have that many toys. They just have a habit of getting them all out at once. ;)
#5 Half of the Barbies that they play with are mine from the 80s and that the clothes are not interchangeable.
#6 Corinne likes to label everything and her room was already very organized.
#7 Caitlin is pretty indifferent about toys and is more interested in collecting random things/treasures from around the house. She has a container full of "fuzzballs" that are actually baby dinosaurs and she told me I better not open it because they bite everyone but her. She also loves filling notebooks with drawings, doodles and words copied from books.
#8 Corinne loves rocks, science experiments and reading. I never really paid that close attention to her collections. She is fascinated by all things nature and science. Her AG doll means nothing to her, so it is put away But, I will not touch her assortment of collected rocks or experiments.

I had read that article and was really worried that the girls had too many toys and maybe their imagination was suffering because of it. Last night, on Shark Tank, one of the business owners mentioned that parents, on average, spend something like $1500 per year on toys for a child. Really? If this is true, I must have had a severely deprived childhood and I'm doing the same for my girls.

Appreciated

I woke up determined to NOT be sick. So, I went about my normal morning routine pretending to feel fine. I even made french toast in time before Corinne needed to head off to school. Lately, I haven't had enough time for much more than cereal or oatmeal. The girls even began to worry that maybe I should not bother making anything special in case we would be late for the bus. I told them not to worry, that I would make it in super speed and I did. They sat and enjoyed the somewhat special weekday morning breakfast and both thanked me, telling me that I am a "great mom." 

After Corinne went to school, I took advantage of the time I could spend with my little one. The one that is still at home half of the time - my Catie Pie. I realized that very soon, I will not have her spunky morning energy pushing me along in the mornings. That next year, she will be off on the bus with her big sister early in the morning and I'll miss that time tremendously. We read a story together called "Polly and the Frog." It is one of her favorites at the moment. Then, we came up with every possible scenario when kissing a frog might seem appropriate. We also played a dozen rounds of "Mermaid Beach." I think I won once. She told me that she thinks God lets her win because she asks him nicely to let her. Hmmm

Aaron is away tonight, so I promised the girls a special "girls night." I was hoping this involved dinner and a movie at home followed by board games. But, instead after beaming with pride when the girls brought home report cards with all A's and wonderful comments, I told them we could do whatever they wanted (within reason). They chose the Chinese buffet followed by Family Fitness Night at the elementary school. So much for resting at home. ;)

Now, when we go to our family fellowship dinners at the church, I notice that most of the kids eat the "kids meal" which is chicken nuggets, applesauce, etc. It seems to me that most kids are fairly picky eaters. I am not sure what we did, but our kids are about as far from picky eaters as you can get. And what do my kids get at the Chinese restaurant? Octopus, Squid, Clams, Frog Legs, Sushi, Spinach... I LOVE it. Caitlin was disappointed that they didn't have any mussels to eat. They both love just about any healthy food out there aside from Corinne's strange aversion to cooked carrots and neither are very fond of mushrooms.

Family Fitness at the school was really pretty fun. There were 8 stations with 7 minute sessions each. Caitlin's swim instructor was heading up the Swimming Safety table and she was so excited to see her there. And even more excited when the instructor told all of the kids that Caitlin is already an expert at swimming safety rules. I really enjoyed the Yoga station and want to find a class at some point for myself.  It was fun to watch the girls learn self defense moves, too. 

At home, I decided to let them both sleep in my bed. It is a real treat for them. They never ever sleep there unless Daddy is away and I feel like losing a bit of sleep. I don't even attempt to sleep with them. They both end up on top of me and I'm unable to move. So, I'll be sleeping on Corinne's bed tonight. After we read our bedtime story and said our prayers together, thanking God for all of the little things, Corinne looked at me and said, "Mommy thank you so much for everything you did today. Thanks for taking us out for dinner, for Family Fitness at the school and for letting us sleep in your bed. You didn't have to because you were sick. You are a good Mommy." Wow, it just hit me that I am one lucky person. Everyone wants to feel appreciated every now and then. Today was my day for it. 

My Little Swimmer

I woke up feeling the chill of the bedroom air and wanted to stay warm and cozy in my bed. Oh, how I love the warmth of my familiar bed. I could have stayed there for hours. Okay, not hours, but maybe 20 minutes? Then, comes the sound of a harp from my iPhone. This should be a peaceful relaxing sound, but it has been transformed into an irritating sound meaning "Wake up!" and "No more sleep for you!" Moments later, I hear a pitter-patter of little feet nearing my bed. Caitlin appears for her good morning hug and snuggle and I spend a few more minutes enjoying the morning peacefulness until she directs me to get up and that her belly is grumbling for breakfast.

My body has needed some extra sleep and did not want to pull itself out of the bedroom after being miserably sick with a cold. I have also been waking every 4 hours to care for orphaned hedgehogs that need hand-feeding. The combination of the two has been exhausting to say the least.

After waking Corinne, collecting school necessities, picking out clothes and pulling together a halfway decent breakfast in my tired stupor, I didn't realize that today was another COLD COLD morning. Luckily, I had remembered hat and gloves for Corinne anyway as we pulled out of the garage in the 5 degree van. This kind of weather makes me want to stay in bed and watch old movies. This is not the kind of weather that makes me want to take Caitlin to swimming lessons. But, that is just what I did.

As we were driving to swimming lessons, Caitlin seemed extra happy and giddy. I think the Mommy and Caitlin drive makes her feel extra special. It is something that only Caitlin gets to do. Swimming lessons seem like a special treat to her. Corinne doesn't do it and she knows that she has one upped her sister in this department. Luckily, the pool area was over 80 degrees with 87 degree water. I spent the time soaking in the warmth and the joy while she swam. She focuses and works hard to do better, improve her strokes, jump farther and swim faster. Her instructor says she wishes all kids had her attitude with swimming. Caitlin says "I can do anything if I try." It makes me so proud. On the ride home today, she said she wants to enter a swimming competition and win a trophy and with her attitude, I'm sure she will.