Hot Spot #3

Hot Spot #3 is another easy-ish one for me: Kids' Toys and/or Clothes. Apparently I'm already working hard to keep toy clutter down. It's second nature to me to put away toys Alice doesn't play with and bring out "new" toys every once in a while. She loves opening a "new" box for quiet time. Robert's baby toys are put away, too, now that he needs more than something to hold and suck. The boy likes action (bonk bonk bonk, climb and run, topple, throw), manipulation (on and off, in and out, open and shut, push and pull), and noise (banging objects together). The less it looks like a toy, the more he wants it. He plays differently than Alice did at this age, but that's a blog post for another day.

So! My goal for this week's challenge is to face all those out-grown clothes. It's time to revisit "the pile." Whenever Alice or Robert outgrows something, I throw it in "the pile" under a table in Robert's room. Alice sometimes rummages through it to find new outfits for her dolls. It's helpful for me to let some time pass before assessing an item's future. If Robert was wearing that romper yesterday, I still feel it's useful...even if I never really liked it, even if it never really fit well, and even if it's a little stained. I can't be objective about it because it still smells and looks like my own kid! Distance helps a lot. I pulled out a bunch of newborn stuff from Alice and couldn't believe the condition it was in! There was no way I wanted to put Robert in half the stuff I deemed useful 3 years ago. Here's the plan for "the pile":

I will only keep items that I genuinely like (i.e. I would buy it in its current condition)

I will only keep items that fit my diapering choices (i.e. adios slim pants and all 0-3 mo sizes)

I will give away everything else (very few items are good enough for me to consign, anyway)

In addition to tackling "the pile", I'm finally going to work through my mending/alteration pile. Most of the items are kid-related, anyway (hemming pants, converting holey pants to shorts, long sleeves to short sleeves, etc.)

There. That's the plan. Let's make it happen.