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