Despite resistance from my non-linear brain, I like to be organized. I despise clutter and for mental sanity, need everything in its place. However, nothing has a place in my home, because I am unable to classify stuff. In addition, I am genetically engineering to be unorganized. Actually, I believe that my brain is not wired for organization because I overthink stuff too much, like for instance, my kids’ toy bin.
Let me illustrate.
But first I’ll back up.
To my husband, a rose is a rose is a rose. To me, a rose can be pink or red or yellow or too thorny or not thorny enough or grow in a garden or out in the wild and Good God! There are so many different kinds of roses, gardeners must go crazy with all the rose potential out there.
This makes for interesting arguscussions with The Rock. Because I cannot answer a simple question with a simple answer. There are layers and subtext and hidden meanings and what I say and what I meant and hours upon hours of evaluating and analyzing.
Do not even get me started on where I want to go for dinner.
(Do they have vegetarian options?)
(Unless I don’t feel like vegetarian tonight.)
(Then will there be steak?)
(But can I get it well done?)
(On second thought, no steak.)
(OK. Steak. But with onions.)
(On the side.)
(With ranch.)
(Also on the side.)
When it comes to my children’s toys, I cannot deal with all the possibilities, which defies easy clean-up. So when it came to classifying Toots’ and Boogers’ toys, I thought I’d resist my over thinking and go real broad to allow for every toy instance and THEN, we’d all know what goes where. So now where The Rock says let’s put all “people” toys in one bin:
I say, let’s put everything with a face on it in a bin. Which means, these two things co-exist in one bin, making little to no common sense:
Also technically, I have a face, so does that mean I should be put in a bin?
(I am going to pretend you did not say that.)
In addition, The Rock says ridiculous stuff like, “Let’s put all balls in one place!”
And I say, “Screw that! I’ll do you one better! Let’s put everything that’s round in one place!”
Come to find that lots of things are round, and that some of those things should not be toys.
Do you see what I mean?
Pretty soon, all anarchy breaks lose and no one knows where to put anything because I’ve other thought (or underthought?) the whole process.
I really really thought that my “All babies in one bin” idea would go over well.
But then stuff like bottles and milk containers and non-baby-body, but technically baby-detritus found its way inside the bin.
And is it me, or do my kids have creepy toys?
Complicated…but however you organize it, it gets it off the floor, right? I say, go for it!
I agree with Cactus Petunia. At least you have bins and if the babies get mixed up with the balls… well, worse things could happen.
I’m just like you. Everything in it’s place but where to put it and more importantly how to get it back in it’s place when the toddlers are done. Growing tired of the endless mix ups and clean up. All their toys are neatly put up in their closet. We’ll see how that works. Who knows, maybe I’ll end up getting tired of having to get their toys for them. sigh.
As long as there’s no mess, it’s all worth it.
First I agree with the creep factor. And second I suffer from the same type of organization issues of what should go with what. And then finally I say screw it and just start throwing stuff in a bin, now only seperated by kid. And then thinking to myself, Good Night we have too many freaking toys, I need to throw this stuff in the trash not a bin! Or give it to Goodwill.
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Dolls have always scared me. The eyes I think. And the creepy plastic skin. Dunno what I’m gonna do when my baby is old enough to want and need dolls. Scream probably.
Seriously, some days I read your writing and it’s like you’re in my head. Kudos to you for working through all the chaos-induced craziness currently cluttering my mind, btw! My boys have more toys than anyone else on the planet. I’m almost sure of it. It’s obscene, really, and I need 95 percent of them to leave my house (because 23 percent of them are creepy!).
That’s why we just have one big toy chest and everything goes into it…they can dig for what they want. hehe :)
I can’t organize anything, but I do know where all of it is, so I’m just leaving it alone.
And yes, your kids do have creep toys. Sorry, you asked.
The Rock and I would get along just fine.
Toy organization and me? We’re in love. Like lurvey love. Because my dollar bills are all wadded up and stuffed in, my shoes are tossed in a basket, my tupperware is holy hell, but toys? Oh heavenly bins and baskets and labels and photo labels and …
I’m with you on this one. I like to be organized, but somehow with the house it doesn’t happen much like it should.
Gimme a book, classes, photos, schedules, or anything outside of my own personal space and I’m all over it, whipping it into shape.
But at home, forget it.
Although…when LD was a much littler dude, we rocked the bins. Duplo blocks when in Duplo bins. Soft toys in soft toy bin. Books on the bookcase. Cars with cars. Thomas the Tank Engine with other Thomas crap.
And then everything went nuts.
We’re working on it though.
Perhaps we should have a Trading Spaces sort of day where we each organize someone else’s home.
actually, those dolls are incredibly uncreepy to me. but you’ve seen what goes on in my household…
at first, we attempted to keep it simple, “soft things (stuffed animals) go here”, “hard, plastic things go here”, etc.
now there are just bins overflowing with every different kind of junk, but mainly plastic Easter eggs halves. never a whole one.
First off, LOL at MOFM. Oy, the Dollies.
Second, I think you just melted my cauliflower. I just throw everything in a laundry basket, close the door and call it a day.
Oh how I feel your pain….it is such a burden-and noise in our heads!! My husband is a sloppy hoarder, he does not understand everything has a place, everything in its place….clutter is not decorating. sigh My brain explodes everytime I look around our house.
I “thought” about you while I was in SD….helping my son get settled after an accident. He doesn’t understand blogs….lol
Going back up to the first three photos? I would put all of those things in the bin of purple things, which bin would, of course, be purple.
Also? If your children don’t have Baby Alive and Amazing Amanda, then no, they don’t have creepy toys.
Excuse me. I must return to decluttering the bag of chocolate chips in my pantry.
I think that in my last comment I may have split an infinitive or dangled a participle or hacked up a verb agreement hooha, offending E.B. White and/or pissing off Bill Strunk, from their graves. Are they dead?
The English language has been pretty much hacked to death, Cheri.
And do you need help decluttering the chocolate chips?
I give my OCD a holiday from the kids’ stuff [generally – books & Legos are freakishly organized by me] and just provide multiple bins then look the other way.
As far as creepy goes – is that a headless princess in the first toy box? huh.