Toss Out 25 Things

A bin full of junk... 2 children... 10 minutes...

I follow a blog called Raising Homemakers and today's guest blogger was Darlene Schacht. I've read some of her articles in the past but I never knew she had her own blog. It's called the Time-Warp Wife and I absolutely love it! Anyway, today she wrote something that inspired and challenged me called, Toss Out 25 Things.

Now, by all accounts, anyone who knows me well, knows that we don't have a lot of toys in our home. Don't get me wrong... we do have toys. In fact, in our humble opinion, we have plenty. I'm also the kind of person who doesn't like clutter. I'm not a pack rat and I enjoy purging every once in a while. It's been wonderful since we moved because we got rid of so much (by way of garage sale and simply during the packing and moving process). There's something very cathartic about having 'just what you need.' Darlene refers to it as "living lean" rather than "lifestyle obesity". I don't know about you, but in my sometimes hectic world, the 'less is more' theory brings me peace.

I know we just purged a bunch of stuff before our move but I was challenged to do even more. I sat the girls down and explained how some kids don't have any dolls or toys to play with and if we aren't playing with them, we should cheerfully bless someone who would love to have it. They quickly agreed and we started going through their toys once again. The girls chose the items themselves. I asked them for 25 things but it quickly became over 40. It also turned into a counting game. :) Just imagine if we did this in every room of our house (at least once in a while)?

I've also been challenged recently to spend more time engaging with my children, rather than letting them use toys as a means to pacify themselves. This of course, is nothing new, but it is a challenge for me because one of the greatest benefits of having twins is the fact that they can so easily entertain each other! I've also been trying to let them spend lots of time in the great outdoors. This could mean the park, on hikes, or simply playing with dirt on our back patio. I think being out in nature promotes imagination, creativity, and wonder. It also produces a healthy respect for creation as well as our Creator. When I think about all the time I spent outside as a kid... some great memories, too!

All challenging, inspirational, and very GOOD STUFF!