Outdoor Stew. An Easy Toddler Activity.

It was an overcast day, and my toddler was restless. I needed to find something to occupy his time. I looked around the yard and spotted his bucket. Then I saw the hose.

So bucket + water = hours of fun.

We first added leaves to watch them float. Then he found a stick to stir the stew.

Then we added:

sticks
flowers
dirt
rocks
pine cones
bark

We went for walks to collect things then he would have fun dropping them in and stirring it all up. This free activity kept him occupied for hours, and it still does!

What outdoor activities have you done with your toddler lately?

Just take my stuff please!

I have two boxes of books, two boxes of misc. things, a garbage bag of stuffed animals, and a mile long list of other things to donate that are just sitting around...waiting.

I don't drive. It's awkward to have someone else donate my stuff and get a receipt and/or take me to do it myself with a toddler in tow, and it's complicated to coordinate a time for my husband to do it since he doesn't wake up early enough to get to the local thrift shop before they close. I'd rather donate stuff there because they do so much for the community, they need donations, and they would appropriately take care of my former things.

I have a porcelain doll that my grandmother hand made especially for me when I was young. It's beautifully made...but it's ugly. (there, I said it!) I don't want to display it or store it somewhere forever. I want the local thrift shop to have it because I just know they will find it a proper home.

But the other things. I'm about ready to pack up hubby's car and politely demand that he drop them off at the local Goodwill truck on his way to work one afternoon. Having these things hanging out in my house for over a month in purgatory is starting to stress me out. Ugh! And the free magazine subscriptions! Why did I sign up for so many? These dead trees full of ads sit mostly unread on bookshelves in "I'll get to it one day" skewed piles, and I feel a twinge of guilt when I look at them.

Alas, no donation centers pick up at my location. Giving stuff away is complicated.

Don't leave behind too much stuff.

I have too much stuff. You have too much stuff. There is just too much stuff. I can't remember exactly how I came across simple living and minimalism blogs, but I'm glad I did. In a way I guess I always had a bit of "minimalism" in me. I never liked shopping, and I hated malls. I often felt guilty or "bad" for buying something for myself other than basic clothes and food. And yet, I still had a lot of stuff.

I remember standing in my closet one day, and I was struck with the thought: I don't want my husband and baby to have to deal with all my stuff when I die. So much of it is useless, and I wouldn't want them to struggle with sorting through the obvious junk from the stuff that they feel like they'd need to keep because they believed I treasured it. 

Just because I own something doesn't mean I treasure it.

What an odd thought to think. Why would I then bother spending money on something or keeping it around (if it was a gift)...if it didn't bring me joy? Why would I expend precious mind space on useless clutter?

What brings people to hold onto 10 bottles of expired nail polish? Or shelves of books they will never read? Or a medicine cabinet of medicines and vitamins they will never take? Or clothes that will never fit again?

The more you think about it the more absurd it feels. And for the items that exist in our homes that we don't use...how many people in our communities are in need of those items? These could be winter coats. Food we don't like. Baby clothes.

If you take anything from this post it is this: Don't leave behind too much stuff for your loved ones to have to deal with. It will be hard enough for them to deal with your permanent absence. Don't add another layer of pain and confusion on what stuff to keep and what to give away and what to give to another family member, etc. You'd be wasting their grieving time with your junk.