Day 72: My library card, my old one that is

My keychain library card was so old. It came apart into 3 pieces, all still attached to my keychain. The library said I needed a new account because they could not issue me a new keychain card and keep it associated with my account. So I got a new one....2 years ago. Man I have issues. Goodbye one thing at a time.

6.21.11

Day 71: my Giant keychain card

So you know the cards that the stores give you on keychains? I am tossing my Giant one today. I took it off my keychain a while ago, probably when we moved to this house. We do not shop there and I have no need for it.

6.20.11

Day 70: 4 itty bitty small containers

My mom sent me 4 containers. She got them at the dollar spot at some drug store. They are large enough to maybe hold a pack of fruit snacks opened and removed from their package. They are perfect for the diaper bag, however, they do not seal and I do not want cheerios crushed at the bottom of my diaper bag, there is enough stuff there already.

6.19.11

Day 69: a diaper bag

This diaper bag is one we got from the hospital. It was the free Similac one. They tried some new design with just one shoulder strap. It always falls off. I used it once or twice. Its an odd shape and not helpful for our needs. Goodbye extra bag we do not need or use.

6.18.11

Day 68: a purse/brief case/diaper bag

It was an all in one kinda thing. My mom got it for me. We actually each got one exactly the same. It was the perfect size to put a file folder in and take it back and forth to work. I had great intentions of turning it into a diaper bag and so on, but the cheap fake leather peeled off the handle leaving the insides all exposed and not cool. I put it in a drawer for almost 2 years now. I do not think I will ever use it again.

6.17.11

Day 67: 2 mugs

So 11 months ago, (when Lydia was born) I received 2 floral arrangements in these smiley face mugs. Actually, I think those were for AB. Anyways, I have photos of them and they are cute. I thought that I could use them for soup or something so I put them in a cabinet, that cabinet got loaded to a box, that box got loaded to a drawer and today they are leaving. They are bulky and the handle sticks out far. We never used them for soup. We actually never used them at all.

6.16.11

Day 66: a birthday invitation

I took a picture of the details with my phone and threw the invitation away. One less thing in my junk drawer.

DONATE: 12 books

I know it is supposed to be 1 thing a day, not 12 but I was preparing my annual yard sale list for the summer and going through AB's books to see which ones we needed still. I am collecting all of the Beverly Clearly books, Nancy Drew, Little Critter and Berenstain Bear books for her (and some others) but anyways, we came across some duplicates or some that we do not need. I will donate them to an amazing place. It is called the Playseum. http://www.playseum.com/

Day 65: A broken puzzle

One of the LMNOP kids broke one of AB's puzzle pieces. this was a special piece that her Memaw bought her and it has her name on it. Oh well. Chalk it up as the cost of a home daycare and a gentle reminder to keep our special toys in our room and not with all the others.

6.14.11

GIVE AWAY: a baby book

Its not a baby book, it is a book about babies. I have a friend who is having a baby and asked to borrow it. She can keep it. It is a very controversial book but it worked for our family. It teaches you how to train your child to sleep through the night. AB and Lydia both did really well with the method. It either is for your family or isn't... don't judge me!

Enjoy it Joanie!

6.13.11

Day 64: a sales ad

We get a free paper every week. Actually 2 every week. We do not want them. We have asked them not to deliver them. I think it is easier for the delivery person to continue to deliver them to everyone instead of trying to remember which house doesn't want them. Any ways, I opened the paper and snagged the coupon supplement but got persuaded into snagging a sales ad for Michaels. It had a 50% off coupon. Lets get real, I am not dragging my kiddos to Michaels when I get off work. And the coupon will expire and I will have the paper still around my house. I should have not even brought it in. Straight to the recycling bin Lori, you know the drill!!!

6.13.11

Day 63: a recipe

A recipe that I had scribbled in a notebook that I recently took out of the notebook and it now has free reign to get lost in my house. I can google the recipe much easier than I can find the piece of paper.

Speaking of the recipe, you should try it. It is a great one to make in advance. It is called dinner in a bag. So what you do is take a bag and put in all the dry ingredients, pre-measured as well as a can of tomatoes and pre-measured pasta. Separately you brown your ground beef or turkey. I do 5 recipes worth at a time. Then when it is time for dinner, you pull it all out and dump it in the skillet. It is a fancy hamburger helper. I think it has great flavor. It is probably more of a winter meal.

Here are the major components (this is just from my memory) the recipe might prove my memory to to not be so good.

A ziplock bag of spices and seasonings

a can of diced tomatoes

a ziplock bag of pasta

a frozen ziplock bag of ground beef. (we use turkey and I cook it in advance)

Here is the recipe:

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Dinner-in-a-Bag

6.12.11

RETURNED: pyrex casserole dish

I finally returned a casserole dish that has been taking up space in my house. Being a pastor's wife, and coupled with the fact that we do not have a church building, anything that is leftover at church ends up being at my house. Please do not hear this as a complaint...I am very happy with my life and even ending up with these misc items. I just need to do better at returning them more quickly. This was from our casserole cook-off in April. All I have to say is Su makes a killer tamale pie! Man it was good!

6.12.11

Day 62: A wooden tray

So my MIL gave me a tray many many years ago. It has a stand that you can set it on. When we moved to our new house, the stand broke. The tray is pretty bulky and it wont fit under a cabinet or anything. I set it on top of my fridge. I thought that I could grab it easily when needed. Well I also have a cd player in my kitchen. we have worship music on 24/7 in our house. A small way we can honor God and fill our hearts with truths and scripture. Anyways, the only logical place to put the 3 piece cd player was on top of the fridge as well. I needed the counter space. The tray held the cd player perfectly but it was in the way when the cabinet was opened so there are a million knocks in the wood. Also, because it has a 2 or 3 inch lip around it, I used it to hold misc things...broken toys, crayons quickly get placed there out of the baby's reach, takeout menus...you get the point. No need to hold on to something that is going to constantly hinder me with my goal....goodbye big bulky tray that should have gone when your stand broke.

Day 61: Blank paper

Who am I kidding? I threw away the blank paper from the previous 2 posts. Start fresh. Move on. Living lighter one thing at a time.

6.10.11

Day 60: Another old notebook from work

I thumbed through another notebook from work. I seemed to be able to thumb through it quicker. Maybe I am "over it" whatever "it" is.

I tore out 4 personal pages and 1 recipe that I had written in there. I pulled out a few more sheets of blank paper and tossed the rest.

6.9.11

Day 59: An old notebook from work

So I have a few files and notebooks and such from my old job that I have just kept around. I am afraid to just throw it out because I am afraid that I will throw away something that I need, some personal notes or something. I guess I have been holding off because of the feelings that come with thinking about my old job. Success, failure, accomplishment, stress...an on and on.

Anyways, today I went through one of the notebooks. Of all the pages, I only found one page with personal notes. I tore it out and set it to the side. I also tore out some empty sheets that I can use as note paper. Good bye notebook and one thing closer to being completely done with my old job.

6.8.11

Day 58: razors

So because of my 2 small kiddos and LMNOP kiddos, for safety reasons I have to keep my razors high up on the ledge, not on the side of the tub. Well, once it is up there, I do not see it (when I am not showering) and I never think to throw them away. When you get out of the shower, your thought is not, hmmm, I should declutter in here. Your thought is hmmm, I should hurry up and get my clothes on before the 3 yr old walks in or the baby needs something.

Yesterday was the pumice, today is the razors. One thing at a time, right.

6.7.11

Day 56: Foot Pumice

Somewhere, years ago (i'm pretty sure it was years) someone (I think it was Dustin) gave me a foot pumice. I never used it. I am afraid if I use it it will get wet and then it will breed germs. I also do not know the proper way to use it. I also do not want to clean the tub afterwards. It just has shifted from the linen closet to the bathroom drawers to the linen closet but as of today...it made it to the trash can. :)

6.6.11

Day 56: an empty sheet of stickers

Along the same lines of the ziplock bag box, I found an empty sheet of stickers in AB's sticker box. I can't expect the 3 year old to throw it away, I guess its my job. I went through her stickers and threw away 3 empty sheets.

6.5.11

Day 55: a ziplock bag box

Who doesn't throw the ziplock bag box away when you take the last one?!?!?! Me. You should have seen that coming. My only possible explanation is that maybe my hands are full (thus the need for the bag in the first place) and my mind never comes back to the box, instead it is easier to shut the drawer with my hips and move on. Oh well, goodbye box. I have a feeling I might see you again, or at least your cousin.

6.4.11

Day 54: A chuckecheese sippy cup

AB got it for her birthday. it has a built in straw and a bobble head. I packed it away months ago in an effort to make space for bottles. I took the box out and looked through it. Found the cup and though, well, lets give it a whirl. I was gonna see if she wanted to drink out of it. When I opened it, the most foul smell filled my nostrils. I cannot imagine how many washes it would take to get it out, even though it looked clean. No thank you chuck e cheese. Good bye.

6.3.11

Day 53: a half filled workbook for preshcoolers

It was given to AB when Lydia was born but was handed to her as more of a coloring book than a teaching tool. When I see how some of it is used up but not correctly or others are empty but the stickers are missing, I feel sad because I am only reminded that I had to focus on the baby and not her. I do not keep things that make me sad. Goodbye half filled workbook that AB doesnt even realize she is missing.

6.2.11

Day 52: A kite

After a week of vacation, not spent at my house, it is time to get back to throwing one thing away a day. I didn't feel it was right to throw my mom's stuff away, although I was tempted. Do you know she had 4 phone books? Who still uses those things?

So since we were away from our garden for a week, we were shocked to see its growth one of the tomato plants needed to be staked. I couldn't find any string. I quickly remembered a kite left over from a 2 pack. We used one but the second one was at the bottom of my shoe closet getting stuck in the sliding door every time it was opened. What did I do? I threw away the second kite but kept the string. Now our tomato plant is standing tall and my closet opens without the misplaced kite in the way.

6.1.11

Day 51: A coloring table cloth

Dustin bought a little coloring kit from a kid in a parking lot back in November. The kit included a book, crayons and a table cloth made out of trash bag like material. It was designed so kids can color. The crayons barely showed up and the kids were annoyed with it. That was December. Why did I just find it in the cabinet in my living room....I will tell you why, because I am a crammer, stuffer and have issues. I feel captive to the thought that I cannot throw anything away, because maybe if she is older, we can try again and maybe she will like it then. (big ling heavy sigh)

I am getting freer and my life is getting lighter...one thing at a time.

Day 50: a $6 toaster

I bought a toaster from walmart 5 years ago. It cost $6. I haven't used it in a year because it stopped working. Well it didn't stop, you just have to push the pop tarts down 3 times to get it to cook all the way. I do not have a problem throwing it away. My problem is why did I hold on to it for a whole year before I tossed it.

Urghhhhhhhhhh!

5.24.11

RETURNED: borrowed camera

I had to borrow a camera to replace the one that I lost for 3 months. tsk tsk tsk. Thank you Zuzka for letting me borrow yours to capture Lydia growing. One more thing out of my house!

5.23.11

Day 49: a WALK tshirt

So when I worked at my previous job, the city it was located in did a walking program. Whichever team walked and logged the most steps won. Our team put forth great effort but did not walk 16 miles a day like the winning team. Anyways, not working with the company anymore, didn't win the competition, don't work in the city anymore, and have plenty of tshirts to sleep in.

5.23.11

Day 48: a 12 year old yellow shirt

I have this shirt that I wore while dating Dustin. Nothing special about it. It did have a nice small collar as opposed to the ring type collar a normal tshirt has. But it has shrunk after 12 years of washing...or at least that is the story I am sticking to. It doesn't fit anymore. Goodbye shirt.

5.22.11

RETURNED: borrowed clothes

So back in March, I was getting ready for a women's retreat and the sink that the washer drains into backed up and I was left with 10 loads of laundry undone. So, no clean clothes for the trip. Fortunately, Ashley brought over some tops and a hoodie for me to take. After the conference, and after the sink was fixed, I washed her clothes. Did I put them aside, in a nice little bag, nope...I hung them up with the rest of my clothes and let them sit in my closet. Why? Because it was quicker to do that? I gave them back to her tonight....2 and a half months later. I need to get quicker with this whole return thing. I have to empty my house, I have to. One thing at a time, I will.

5.21.11

Day 47: a hair clip

This one was found in the car, rusted. I am not sure how it got wet to rust in the first place but it did. Probably from the time that the chick at Dunkin Donuts didn't put the lid on the LARGE iced coconut coffee cream no sugar and it dumped in my car. Am I going to put that in my girls hair, nope. Why keep it?

5.21.11

Day 46: a lid to a pen

why did I keep it so long? just the lid to the pen. not the pen. I am sure I threw the pen away when it stopped working, but once they are seperated, we hold on to the lid, just incase we find a pen without a cap. It never happened. I was not able to reunite these 2. I threw the lid away.

5.20.11

Day 45: spray hand sanitizer

Before Lyds was born, I came across this little tube of hand sanitizer. I thought ahh, this is the perfect size for the diaper bag. Of course it never made it to the diaper bag. When I did find it, I sprayed it and it was not what I expected. It wasn't the goopy gel I have come accustom to, it was more like a water sprayed like hairspray. The cap didn't come off, so I cannot refill it. And, by this point, we just use the full size and stick it in a bottle compartment in the diaper bag. Why do I hang on to all this stuff?

5.19.11

Day 44: Tattoos for kiddos

I am not opposed to the idea of children expressing themselves with tattoos everywhere but I do object to them being on my child. AB had some las summer and man it took me weeks to get it off. We scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed. Someone won these that I just threw away from an arcade and were special, they handed them to me, and I never gave them to her. Instead, months later, I found them and tossed them. Sorry Uncle Joseph.

5.18.11

GIVE AWAY: Baby samples to a pregnant friend

No I did not give her samples of babies to try, I gave her samples they give you when you have a baby. I never used them, not because I didn't want to, but I didn't find them till today.

baby powder

a binki

nursing pads

a one time use nipple and ring for a bottle

breast milk storage bags

there you go. 5 less things in my house. I will get to my goal eventually.

5.17.11

Day 43: 5 newborn diapers

These were unused, but very worn. They were in the bottom of a diaper bag, moved to a bag in the car, probably moved back to a diaper bag, and then back to another bag. The final bag they were in got shoved on a shelf in Lydia's room. Even if these were her size, I wouldn't put her in these. (big sigh) I have problems.

5.17.11

FOUND: drum roll please

MY CAMERA! It was in a bag that I had once emptied the contents of my night stand into and had intentions of going through. My nightstand is full again and the bag was crammed in the closet untouched...that is until today. Thank you to my blog, and my friend Ashley who is making me stay true to my word and continue to toss and post!

5.16.11

FOUND: $3.96

As I have been going from room to room, looking for things to toss, there is a dual purpose to my madness. Of course the first one is discussed in my first post, living a lighter life not cluttered or choked by all the cr*p in my life. The SECOND one is to find my camera. I am missing Lyd's growing up! I have only been using an iphone to capture her every move. Today I found something as I was looking for something to toss and my camera. I found a gift card with a remaining balance of $3.96. Can you say hello dunkin donuts iced coconut coffee cream no sugar times 2!!!!!!

5.16.11

Day 42: labels from toy food

AB has play food. Some are boxes, some are plastic fruits and veggies, but the one I am referring to is toy canned food. A LMNOP kid that is no longer with us (for good reason) ripped the labels off of them just a few weeks after Christmas, which these were one of her presents. I felt guilty because it is my business that I brought into our home and I subjected her to this, blah blah blah. So I kept the labels and was going to tape them back on. Only problem is I shoved them in a drawer. By the time I opened it, I thought what the h*ck? Why did I keep this? This is so silly. Its amazing what time will do. I shouldn't try to salvage a cheap toy so long gone from repair (the paper was ripped pretty bad) and I shouldn't feel guilty for "subjecting AB to this". She has learned so much more than I could ever have taught her if it were just me and Lyds home. And I did take care of business...the kiddo who spitefully did that to her toy was asked to leave (not for that)?

5.16.11

Day 41: a note on the fridge

This was a note from back in October of 2010 when I first started LMNOP. It had a green sticker on it and said LMNOP only, meaning that any food in the fridge that had the green sticker was for LMNOP. You would think the reason I am taking it down is because my family learned not to eat the items with green, but that is not the case. It is another reminder to myself, that I do not follow thru with stuff and this is just another great idea. Don't need those reminders do I?

5.15.11

Day 40: A perfectly good outfit

Don't judge me. I threw away a perfectly good outfit of Lydia's away. It was too small, but that is not the reason. It was a hand-me-down from AB. It served its purpose. But the other day, I was throwing into the laundry and I spotted something on the little footie part of it. I do not even know how to describe what was on it. (nothing bathroom related) but there was this gunky, thick, crusted on, rotten something dried to the foot. I used the best stain remover known to man, said a prayer and threw it in the wash. Needless to say, it did not come off and Lydia or baby #3 and #4 will not be wearing this outfit.

5.14.11

Day 39: a peach shirt

My mom bought it for me after AB was born. Nothing special, just a $4 tshirt from Target. I usually just wear it to bed but I found a picked hole in the back. Does it matter? Nope. Do I need another tshirt to go to bed in? Nope. Good bye old, faded, very worn peach shirt. No need to hang on.

5.13.11

Day 38: Expired coupons

These coupons were not just expired, they were very expired. My mom give me coupons every 2 weeks or so. I do not know why she gave some to me a very pregnant lady in her 3rd trimester, cause those babies went onto a shelf and sat there unopened until, hmmm, lets see 9 months later. they expired May 2010.

5.12.11

Day 37: a feeding guide from Similac

First of all, I have one taped inside the cabinet right next to where I keep Lydia's formula. It is to tell you how many ounces to feed a child and how often based on their age. Well, If you know Lydia, you know she is super small and in the 8th percentile for her weight. Our said pediatrician scr*w the guidelines and feed this child as much as she will eat as often as she will eat. :) I found this one in Lydia's room, nowhere near the formula or her bottles and I do not need to keep 2 of the same chart. Good bye!

5.11.11

Day 36: a polo shirt from my former company

I haven't worn in since I left. Actually I haven't worn in since I left plus 9 months since I left at the end of my pregnancy. That means that since Lydia is 9 months old and was pregnant for 9 months, I haven't worn the shirt for 18 months. It is a very nice shirt with a nice name brand, I just am no longer affiliated with the company and have no reason to sport their logo. Good bye to that chapter of my life.

5/10/2011

Day 35: a strap/seat belt

So a friend gave me a grocery cart cover for the baby to sit in. It is fancy looking, very padded and so fantastic. I not only use it for the grocery store but we also use it for high chairs at restaurants. Her mom made it. I am blessed to have it. Somewhere, somehow she was able to buy a little seatbelt for it. It keeps falling off and I can use the grocery store's seat belt thru the slits in the fabric if I wish (I don't wish, but that's a different story). Anyways, no need for 2 seat belts. Now I do not have to deal with this one falling off.

5.9.11

Day 34: McDonalds Coupons

One of my dear friends brought me coupons to McDonalds while I was in the Hospital. I threw them in the bag with the newspaper from the day Lydia was born, all of the pamphlets, paper work and other exciting stuff. So exciting, I didn't open the bag until a couple days ago. Today is May 8, 2011 and these coupons expired 8/22/10.

Day 33: A brush

Not just any brush, a 3 year+ brush that when I found it today, had enough hair in it to make a wig for a barbie doll. It was crushed under the weight of cr*p that was in the bag. It was dusty. It had dry skin flakes. It was just plain gross. Why have I kept it so long?

5.7.11

Day 32: Black Hanger

I saw some organizing show on HGTV like 10 years ago...when I had cable. Ahhh, those were the days....Anyways, one tip they gave was to have all the same colored hangers. If you open your closet and see this multi-colored multi-shaped multi-sized hangers closet, it can be overwhelming. If you replace it all with matching white hangers, it is much better on the eye and for some reason that has rang true in my life. Remember, I never claimed to be a normal person! I have issues. Today, I was in the closet and found a black hanger?!? Which means that I probably got it from a friend who let me borrow something, however, I cannot remember who it was. I tossed the hanger today. If it was yours, I will give you $.25 to replace your hanger. Or, I might give you $2.00 so you can start transferring all of your multi-colored hangers to white too! I mean, I need more people on my side who can relate with me, right?

5.6.11

Day 31: Black Bag

I bought a duffle bag for my hospital bag when Lydia was born. Well, the duffle bag folds up nicely and goes inside a little black bag. Who stores a duffle bag in a bag? I should have thrown it away the day that I got it but I thought, hmm, I have a special bag for something now. Have I found use for it yet? Nope? But no worries, I threw it away today!

5.5.11

Day 30: Packaging to the Letter L

Still in Lydia's room today. At some point in the pregnancy, we bought a little while Letter L for Lydia. I wanted to hang it on the door. We never did. Then someone else got us another while L. So I thought, I could collect letter L's and hang them on a wall in Lydia's room. I never did. So then I thought I at least need one more because you can't hang up just 2, you need minimum of 3. I took the little one out of the packaging and held it against the wall, liking my idea but that was it. From that point on the L was separated from its packaging and has never been reunited. Did I throw it away like a NORMAL person? No, I have issues. BUT today, it is gone!

5.4.11

Day 29: Baby card envelopes

I found 2 envelopes that we got cards in for Lydia. One had an address on it and I guess that is why I saved it but that person moved to a different country. The other one just had Lydia's name on it; no card. Why do I save this cr*p?

5.3.11

Day 28: Pamphlets

Still in Lydia's room. Today it is breastfeeding and how to give a baby a bath pamphlets. Not passing these on to a friend because when they need to know these handy tips, the hospital will give them the same ones. I am finished with breastfeeding and Lydia has had many baths. I think we are set!

5.2.11

Day 27: Ready to be grossed out? An ear thermometer cover

So back in Lydia's room....in March she had an ear infection and all I can guess is as I was testing her temp in the middle of the night I took the old cover off and put a new one on. Did I dispose of it properly and put it in the trash? No, I had a sick baby. Did I wake up and throw it away first thing in the morning? No, I was exhausted from being up in the middle of the night with a sick baby. In fact, I waited 2 months to find it and throw it away! I hope Dustin isn't reading this! (but if you are, don't be discouraged! there is hope for me! See, I am living lighter ONE THING AT A TIME!)

5.1.11

Day 26: a baby soft, baby pink, long sleeve tshirt

It was mine. It was special. I wore it all the time in the beginning of my pregnancy with Lydia, hoping for a girl. I wore it to India when I went to go play with orphans. I pulled it out this weekend and noticed a stain on the front of it. In a very particular spot. I tried my no-fail stain remover and was unable to remove the stain. there is also a small picked hole on the shoulder. I am not finding a strong enough reason to keep it. I could keep it for PJs or bumming around the house but am finding that I have plenty of those and you might actually see some of those in some post in the near future.

4.30.11

Day 25: A slip of paper

Yesterday I was in Lydia's room with the whole shirt box thing, so I thought I would investigate the shelves closer. On top of her shelves, I found a green slip of paper. What was so important on that piece of paper that I had to keep it?!? It was a notice telling me that the video monitor for Lydia's room has a 10 second delay from the time you turn it on till an image can be seen! Great, thanks for telling me that. I figured it out. I probably just placed it on top of the shelves as I was setting it up. 9 months! I kept it for 9 months. I am not gaining any extra space by getting rid of it but boy do I need to continue to declutter. A green piece of paper for 9 months that was pointless. Who keeps stuff like this!

4.29.11

Day 24: A shirt box

I am throwing away a shirt box today. Its from Khols. I am sure one of Lydia's gifts came in it 9 months ago. It still has tissue paper in it. You would think I was being green by saving it so I could reuse it for a gift for someone else. NOPE! Not the case here. I was in Lydia's room and found it folded in half and crammed under Lyda's shelves. Who thought that was a good idea? Man I need help.

4.28.11

Day 23: 4 Baby/Parenting Magazines

I have 4 baby/parenting magazines. If I have not read them by now, I am not going to read them. I will not pass them along to a friend because anyone who is 1/2 interested in reading them probably already have a bu*tload coming to their house. I have read them before. The information doesn't change much from magazine to magazine and often it is just a bunch of advertisements for ridiculously expensive baby products. I pile them up in my "to read" pile but that is about all that happens to these magazines that come into my home. Goodbye magazines. Thank you for freeing up space. Now, AB's Hilight magazine subscription that she got for Christmas can have some space. Her magazines are read MANY MANY times! Much better trade off.

4.27.11

Day 22: A shirt from the gap

So I have this shirt. It's my favorite color of purple. It is a bit stretchy which is fine 3 years ago but since my body has stretched and yet to return in some places, stretchy material will not do. The collar is smushed a little. Why have I kept this purple shirt when every time I wear it, I find myself having to pull it down because the bottom keeps rolling up and is a huge nuisance? Because one time someone gave me a compliment in it (which doesn't happen often) and because it was from the Gap. Big whoppin deal! Who cares if it was from the Gap or the dollar store. It doesn't fit well and is a constant reminder that I am getting older. I will do all of us a favor. Bye Bye purple shirt.

4.26.11

Day 21: 4 tea light candles

Why did I throw these away? Because I do not use candles much. If I do, they are the kind already in a glass container and when it is done you throw the whole thing away. It is too much hassle to mess with them for me. Why do I have these? A friend needed a couple, bought a whole stinkin bag, took what she needed and left the rest. (like 2 years ago) Where did I find these? On top of my fridge next to the smashed play food. I will be living lighter soon enough; one thing a day! (my poor husband, I think he would like it if I did 5 things a day) I will get there. Thanks bub for being so patient.

Day 20: straps to the diaper bag

So I slammed the door shut on the diaper bag and it broke the clip off the side of the bag. If you know anything about diaper bags, you know that there is the big shoulder strap and then there are the 2 straps that you can pull out of side pockets and make it clip on to the handle bar of the stroller. Well, when I slammed the door, it broke off the clip making the side straps useless and bulky. I am getting better, I only kept these useless straps on for 2 months. Gone now and looking for the next item.

Day 19: a smashed cardboard piece of play food

One of my LMNOP kids crushed a little carton of play food orange juice. I kept it because I was going to tape it back together. I knew it was a bad idea, thus me never getting around to doing it. So it has been sitting on top of my fridge since January. Man I need help!

Day 18: Chocolate

I bought chocolate over year ago when PD was in Kenya so I could make chocolate covered strawberries for a potluck I was hosting at my house. Well, it is time again for another potluck since he is going out of town again and as I was rummaging through my top cabinet, there it was. Well, I think it is best to start fresh. I do not know if it is still good and even if the packaging says its good, you do not know how the aging changes the consistency or how well the chocolate will stick to the strawberry and I surely do not want to find out 30 minutes before guests start arriving at our house. Goodbye old chocolate!

Day 17: Candy form the candy jar

So I thought a candy jar would be nice. If you know me, you know that we do not eat a lot of candy in our house, so it is kinda funny that we would have one. I guess because I never had one growing up, I have always wanted it. Wait till my girls get older, we will have a gum ball machine, a real fancy one. Anyways, the candy I threw away...I actually didn't throw it away. One of my kiddos from church was over and asked for some fundip. I had to give her fair warning. I had the brilliant idea of putting ALL the candy in the jar, chocolate, straight up sugar and then mint flavored. Well, we have the 3hour mints. They ruined the whole jar. The Chocolate taste like mint and the straight up sugar kind taste like mint. She wanted fundip but I told her it was gonna taste like blue raspberry 3hr mint fundip. Apparently that does not matter to an 8 year old, SO I dumped all the candy on her. Well except of course for the mints, because they still taste like mint.

Day 16: Dollar Store CLR cleaner

Calcium, Lime and Rust...my football! Didn't work. Stored it in my linen closet for months and months. Now the inside of my toilet got a nice clean (maybe) and then down it went.

Day 15: An almost full bottle of Prenatal Vitamins

I of course have no need for prenatal vitamins right now. The bottle I am talking of is a fancy prenatal vitamin I bought when I was out of town and left my regulars at home. These are nasty. They are organic or something and do not have the regular coating that eliminate the smell. These smell like straight up pee. I am going to offer it to a pregnant chick I know. If she passes, they on to the trash they go. I cannot donate it to a pregnancy center because it is already open.

Day 14: A cutting board

So I have these flimsy cutting boards that are great for slicing something up and then when you want to put it in the pot, you can pick it up and then curl the sides in and slide the chopped food into the pot. Well, any cook that has been in my kitchen HATES them and always complains because it slips and slides on the counter. Well, I have 4 of these. Today as I was slicing an apple on one, I noticed one of the corners had melted in the dishwasher. Now I have 3.

Day 13: Amoxicillin

Lyds had an ear infection back in March. She took all 10 doses but we still had some left in the bottle. I didn't throw it away; don't know why. So now I will throw it away and I have extra space in the door of my fridge for another salad dressing or something else or maybe nothing.

Day 12: 8 gallon-sized cans of old paint

When we moved in this house over 2 years ago, Dustin did all the painting, in all the rooms. When we purchased the paint, we also purchased these little silver pint sized paint cans to store the left over paint. So in my laundry room, I have stored the 1/2 used gallon size and the empty, waiting to be used pint size cans. Well, Dustin decided to paint the basement and was going through our old supplies and opened the old paint up to see what was inside and to pour it into the small ones. Some of it had dried up because we didn't conserve it 2 years ago. We were able to salvage most of the paint and now in my shelf, I only have the small pints that are nice and neat looking and the old dirty, paint covered gallon ones are out the door! That gave me a lot of space in the laundry room! Thanks Bub.

Day 11: A half used bottle of knock off brand Febreeze

There is a bottle of 1/2 used knock off brand Febreeze that we got from the dollar store. The reason why it is only 1/2 used, is because it just isn't that great. The smell is pleasant, it just doesn't last. The reason I decided to toss this one today is the bottle it is in is skinny at the top but very wide at the bottom. The base is double the size of a normal bottle...taking up valuable real estate in my linen closet. Right now, the shelves are overwhelming. There will be lots of products I will be dumping soon....bought....tried....didn't work....and stored in linen closet because I can't throw it away. Its all about to change.

Oh and my environmental friends, here is something I found in an article regarding the disposal of household chemicals....Most household wastes are safe, can be disposed of safely and most are intended to go down the drain in normal use. The best way to dispose of most household chemical products is to use as much of the product as possible. If some remains, dilute with wa- ter and flush down the drain. Household chemical products should NOT be mixed, so do not put more than one product down the drain at a time.

So, down the toilet it will go.

Day 10: A faded black hand me down tank top

Someone, bless their heart, gave me a faded black hand me down tank top. Not knowing how to say no thank you, I willingly took it, hung it in my closet and have kept it there for years. This was pre-the house we are living in now, which means I packed it in a box and moved it into this house. I never wear it because it doesn't make me feel super. It makes me think, why did I take someone else's junk. They obviously reached a point in their mind where they decided it was no longer good enough for them. Why in the world would it be ok for me? Do they think less of me? Regardless of why it was given, now it is time to say goodbye to it and hello to 3/4 cm more space in my closet (my guess at the width of a hanger)!

I will be weeding out more clothes, why hold on to something that makes you feel less than super?

Day 9: A book and 6 puzzles

WHO IN THE WORLD created the hard back books that have jigsaw puzzles as pages....just a little FYI, it doesn't work!!! The moment you turn the page, the pieces once holding together your hard work, fall all over the floor. The pieces end up strewn about your whole house! Good bye book, good bye to the majority of the pieces, I am sure I will find the missing ones eventually!

Day 8: 7 baby binkis

Today is a small toss but it still is a toss. One thing we bought Lydia new and didn't force a hand-me-down was her binkis. She has outgrown the newborn - 6 month size. If and WHEN we have baby number 3 we will buy her her own as well. I did keep one as my little keepsake but am very happy to go ahead and toss the others. Why hold on to them, I mean seriously, they were taking up valuable real estate in my junk drawer.

Day 7: A bottle of hair conditioner

Not just any bottle of conditioner, today I threw away a bottle of conditioner that must be over 2 years old AND has been in my shower the whole time. (again, using AB as my time marker, I know she was still sleeping in her crib). It was during Dustin's first trip to Kenya. I decided to surprise him and get my hair cut short and my colored. The haircut was ok and the color wasn't exciting (what did surprise him was the amount of money that came out of our account that day).

Anyways, you know how the stylist always preaches agains whatever product you are currently using and how you should buy their product? Well, they got me. I bought the shampoo. Got home, tried it 3 days and it was cr*p. I then went to Sally's and bought a generic fancy shampoo instead. I didn't need conditioner because my hair was short and it always tends to get my hair a little oily. Anyways, there was this sale at Sally's that made the shampoo cheaper if you bought a conditioner too. It didn't make sense to me, I just wanted the shampoo, but taking advantage of the sale, I bought both. And as you can guess, I never used it. I have cleaned around it for 2 years. Every morning when I shower and see it, I think of 2 things, how tight I made our budget that pay period by getting a not so great cut and not running it by Dustin first and I think of how I wasn't strong enough to tell the chick cutting my hair, I do not want to buy her product!

I am a stronger person today than I was then. I do not need to be reminded of that day any more. Good buy 2 year old conditioner that has taken up space in my shower and taunted me.

Day 6: A sports water bottle

AB missed out on one of her friend's birthday parties at an indoor sports facilities back in February. The mom of the birthday boy was great to bring her a party favor, a sports water bottle filled with little goodies like candy, a little popper, a yo-yo, etc. I gave it to AB one night when we were at the bowling alley watching Poppy bowl. It was a welcomed activity and a nice break from her usual crayons and paper or watching a movie on the iPhone. She generously shared the candy, she played with the yo-yo and popped the little popper. At the end of the night, we went home, went to bed and woke up the next AM. She hasn't once mentioned that she would like the bottle it all came in. Does she even know what a sport water bottle is? Does the bottle fit nicely in my cabinet with all of my other nicely stacked glasses? Want to know where I found it? You will never guess....it was in the sock drawer next to the broken sun glasses. Now you are probably beginning to understand why I really need to throw one thing away a day, huh? Hello extra space in a sock drawer. Hang in there I will free you up soon enough. Give me a couple more days!

Day 5: 4 pair of broken kiddos sunglasses

One of AB's grandmothers gave her a party favor pack of heart sunglasses. It was very thoughtful. There of course was enough for AB to play with and share with her LMNOP friends as they were playing dress up. One of my more rough clients who is no longer with us, found pleasure in over extending the glasses and watching the pieces pop apart. It was of course just to get a reaction out of her and a reaction he sure did get. (by the way, he is no longer a client)

So I held on to these for a number of reasons. Number 1 it came from a grandmother, which makes anything more special. Number 2 it was "stolen" from her by a not so pleasant little boy that I subjected AB to by having him as a client in my daycare. Number 3 I was sure I could repair it for her since I felt so guilty.

Ok, it has been in our sock drawer for two months now. She hasn't asked for them. I am sure it was a 4 for a dollar pack. AND I am sure her grandmother got it on a discount and paid less than a dollar. I'm taking my sock drawer back! Good bye broken sunglasses. Good bye guilt that I feel when I see these. Hello to new memories when we play dress up!

Day 4: A pair of shoes

A super comfortable pair of shoes, I didn't may more than $20 for them and I am thinking it was actually closer to $10. I bought them 4 years ago (its easy to measure years cause you think Pre-AB or Post-AB). These were pre-AB. Any ways, I got them wet once and the black coloring bled to the tan part of the shoe, but I over looked that. Yesterday, I puled them out and thought, oh, I haven't worn these in a year. I got excited and slipped them on only to see the huge hole on the left shoe. I remembered then why I hadn't worn them. Why did I not throw them away a year ago when I first discovered the hole? Because I told myself I couldn't throw away such a comfortable pair of shoes. I will keep them for when I go outside in the back yard, or when I do yard work. I must be free of this "lie" in my head not letting me get rid of anything. I have to live lighter. So, good bye shoes...I have a feeling you are not the only pair I will be throwing away.

Day 3: A Nail Scrubber for the bath

I must say that already day 3 into the challenge, it is proving to be a bit harder than I first imagined. My linen closet has 5 shelves, I quickly scanned the shelves and it wasn't till I reached the last shelf till this item popped out at me. I have so many reasons to keep all of these things I "need". It can almost be described as a game of Jenga, the first few items are going to be easy but soon, I will need to give more thought and consider a strategy and do it with much thought...if I really am going to live lighter.

So, AB has this little brush used for scrubbing toe nails and fingernails, but it is starting to turn a dark brown and I am sure that can't be good. I could wash it in the dishwasher if I wanted to sterilize it I'm sure, but she never hardly used it and it is just one more thing for me to take out of the tub before I can take a shower. Goodbye nail scrubber thing or whatever your name is.

Day 2: Lip Gloss

Today, as I was looking for something to throw away, I came across a thing of lip gloss. It was given to me by an old boss for my birthday. He actually didn't get me the lip gloss but a gift card to the Body Shop. I found out that the only reason he got me the card was because he saw flowers on my desk. The flowers came from Dustin but he thought that they actually came from my other boss so he felt obligated to get it for me. Anyways, the lip gloss always had a bad taste and I didn't use it often. How long ago was this? February 2006. Not to mention the fact that my mom gave me 3 things of lip gloss for my birthday this past February. So there ya go! Good riddance.

Day 1: A baby blanket

I am throwing away a baby blanket today. It was given to me 4 years ago, right before AB was born. It is a padded quilt for the baby to lay on the ground. It is from another country and is beautiful. The only problem is that after I washed it, the lining separated and slid down and bunches up in a corner. That means it doesn't lay flat, it is impossible to fold and has not been used in forever. I didn't want to throw it away because it was a gift and because it was from another country. I don't even remember which country it was and I only saw the person who gave it to me once or twice after AB was born. So, today, I throw it away.

So here is where I am coming from...

I have a great life. A perfect family. I quit a stressful job, started my own business and get to stay home with my kids. I love my husband. He loves me. I love Jesus. He loves me. Why in the world do I struggle with feeling "choked" or overwhelmed or not knowing where the heck to start? I am far from a hoarder, I can get my house close to a magazine cover if you give me a 20 minute notice. But please do not look in our closets, or under my bed, or heaven forbid you look in my nightstand. Anyone who has ever been to my house knows about my sunroom.

WHY AM I LIVING THIS WAY? I am way to busy to be able to just make a Saturday off and just go for it so in my mind if I can't do it all at once, I won't do it at all. That makes sense....NOT. And I also feel that this clutter is keeping me from other tasks...like thank you notes from the girls for Christmas gifts. Well, now that it is April, I officially will not worry about that but then I feel guilty, more overwhelmed and like I cannot breathe.

So here is my goal:

I am going to throw one thing away a day and write about it on this blog. If I share why I was holding on to it or what was going on in my mind, maybe it can free me up a little and also inspire someone else while I am at it. I KNOW I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE IN THE WORLD LIKE THIS!!!

Imagine my life after 90 days, 180 days, or wow can you imagine my linen closet after I throw away 365 things. We all could live with a lot less, some of you just don't know it yet.

For all of my environmental friends, I will take proper measures with chemicals and such.

For all of you who think I am wasteful, if I feel there is true value in it, I will put it on my curb with a FREE sign.

For those of you who think I shouldn't throw anything away, maybe you shouldn't read this blog.