Why is it that right after Christmas is over, I always feel like running away from home? There is simply too much crap to deal with. Way too many new toys, way too much laundry from our travel, and way too many crabby kids.
So, what are my resolutions for next year you ask???
Next year I am rethinking this. I am putting it in writing right now. There will be many fewer gifts for the kids, I will ask anyone that "has" to buy them presents to think small, few pieces, and practical. I do not want to spend days and days sorting packaging, directions, paper, tags, and small pieces. I do not want to listen to constant bickering over items which cannot be found, shared, and figured out.
This is the first year that Kevin and I have forgone gifts for each other. We each bought something we needed/wanted, and a navigation system for the car. My roomba is not able to even wade through the mound of stuff that needs to be put away, so I guess it will be a while until we know if it really works. I am very happy we took this approach, it makes me happy to have less stuff. (In fact I am striving to purge the closet this week to the bare basics) Simplify, simplify, simplify, that is what I am needing. This will be how I might avoid the padded cell.
1 comment:
We did the same about 5 years ago. When we got to the point that we had to take two vehicles in order to get all of the gifts home (this was only for ONE child) we decided that enough is enough. So just a few gifts from the grandparents, a few from mom and dad, and a few from Santa. No one ever complained. With both kids birthdays and Christmas within five weeks, we were just getting overloaded. And we became very conscientious about what we were buying. Nothing large, nothing with millions of pieces, limited things with batteries, nothing with obnoxious noise, nothing messy, etc. The fewer/smaller/more practical gifts really encouraged us to focus more on why we were celebrating vs. what we were getting. In November we also sort through the toyroom very thoroughly and get rid of a ton of stuff. I tell the kids that if they don't get rid of some of the stuff they don't play with that there will be no presents since there is not room for anything new. They are usually very happy to donate their stuff. Start now while they are young and won't understand the difference :) Also, as the kids get older their 'toys' get so much more expensive. Fewer is much easier on the pocketbook! We did get our Wii this year and it has provided us (all of us) with some great entertainment. This is the first video game system that we have allowed since you cannot just sit and stare at the tv while playing. It's not for the intense gamer, but sure fun for us amateurs! Hope you have a great New Year and that the girls have arrived home safely. Take care!
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