What do I do with all this STUFF?

Yes, we have way too much "stuff" in our house. My mother oh-so-kindly made a handwritten list for me:
- stuffed animals
- toys
- books for children
- towels
- covers and blankets
- pillows of all kinds
- tee shirts for boys
- things on tables and shelves all around the house
- food items in pantry
- coats and jackets for all seasons on the coatrack

(Gosh, thanks, mother).

Ok, so going under the presumption that indeed, we have "too much" of any of this (and yes, we do have too many stuffed animals and toys, but we actually use the blankets and pillows!)...how do I get rid of it?

I can go through and throw away the actual trash. But plenty of this stuff is in good shape, and I'm sure someone can get some use out of it, without just dumping it in some landfill.

I don't have the time or energy to post everything on Craig's list or eBay, much as David would like me to do that. (He'd also like me to categorize all of our credit card spending for the past year...)

Big Brother Big Sister can take clothing and toys, so I try to have bags ready whenever they call.

But really, old boxes of food? I'm talking OLD. Some of these things moved into the house with us 9.5 years ago! I'm such a pack rat, I hate throwing things in the trash.

And right now my garage and basement are both full of things "to be gotten rid of", such as a broken sewing machine, old car seats (David refuses to believe the "rule" that you shouldn't use a seat older than 5 years, so he won't let me throw them away), an ancient ancient double-stroller. Things I can't really donate, not in good conscious, but where the heck do they go?


****

Last night was Micah's camp Bunk Night. I picked up Sam early from his camp, and we actually got to Micah's camp on time (as opposed to last year, when I got hopelessly lost and we were 75 minutes late). Swam at the lake (a tasty brown color...I really don't want to think about it...), and had our picnic on the field before the bunk performance in the ampitheater.

During the picnic and show, I got to sit with a friend of mine, whose son is in Micah's bunk (they were buddies in nursery school). D's son played ball with Sofia in the lake and they both had a blast. D's daughter is also enthralled with Sofia, and D was watching Sofia's other adoring fans (we have a lot of friends from school and shul at this camp).

D had a great observation: it's not specifically that the kids are enthralled with Sofia "just because". It's because, when you pay attention to her, Sofia devotes her entire bundle of energy and enthusiasm to you, and it's that pay-back that attracts the other kids. I love thinking about it like that. D said that Sofia is so generous with her attention, it just makes the other kids feel great about themselves.

Here's a slightly sleepy Sam, after a long day at his own camp, waiting for Micah:


Sofia watching the Show:


Micah singing songs:


My scraggy kids: