Playing is such a serious matter...
... when you're two, or four. The little ones don't do much sitting and staring into space. But then, neither do I, I suppose.
I'm glad we kept those toys from our children's childhood.
There's been a lot of publicity recently about a recent book on decluttering. I wouldn't say that we live with clutter, but on the other hand, we're not minimalist. For example, you can see a shelving unit behind Granddaughter that has completely useless items on it. But I like them, my bits and pieces of glass and china, and from what I gather, the decluttering lady guru says that's all right - if they give you joy, which they do. There are, however, items of clothing in my wardrobe that I seldom, if ever, wear (there's a bit of fantasy involving being able to fit into things that I haven't fitted into for some years). I should probably discard some of these.
Is it impressive or embarrassing? - I can't decide - that we're going to the wedding in May of a young man whose parents' wedding we went to 25 years ago, and I still have and occasionally wear the blouse and jacket that I bought for that occasion. The skirt acquired a tear some years ago and I did throw that out.
I think I might not bring these items back into service for the approaching wedding.
It looks like homey clutter and I like that! On the other hand, several of my counters and a few rooms are just plain messy and I need to work on that. :)
ReplyDeleteI"m not sure how I found your blog, but I do enjoy reading it, and all the more since we, too, became grandparents. I think a lot of this "minimalism"/decluttering is driven by having bought fashionable items that are now not this year's fashion so out they go. We came from a different era, when a young couple built up household items slowly, many of them family cast-offs, and expected furniture and kitchen devices to last many years. As for clothes, yes a few favourites deserve their place in a closet, and a couple of "I'd like to fit that again" pieces are an incentive!
ReplyDeleteYour grandchildren look lovely, happy little people. Our 9 month boy astonishes me with how he learns new things every day - wonderful to watch.
Lucky children to be able to play so creatively when they come to visit you. We have the farm toys from our children`s days and our two little granddaughters get the farm arranged across the floor as soon as they arrive.
ReplyDeleteMinimalism? OK for some but not for us!
Probably a wise move......
ReplyDeleteI like to have my 'stuff' around me, because they are all there for a reason.
Play is very serious, and just think how much is being learned at the same time!
I keep everything. It's hard to part with stuff. Recently I sent a load of teddy bears off to Goodwill and it was one of the hardest things I've ever done.
ReplyDeleteVirginia hit the nail on the head with her comment ". We came from a different era, when a young couple built up household items slowly, many of them family cast-offs, and expected furniture and kitchen devices to last many years" - very true.
ReplyDeleteAnd Jenny almost quoted me when I wrote on another forum that my husband's garage is a mess but that's the way he likes it, and my craft room looks like a mess to him but I know where everything is and am not parting with a single thing!"
I don't have a problem parting with clothes, as I have a simple rule that keeps the wardrobe in check: Something new in, something old out.
I sent 3 full black bags to our local charity shop on Friday. Clothes. Things I have not worn for years and will never wear. I have no idea why they were still cluttering my room. But they are gone and I could do this again next week and get rid of more and never notice the absence. Not that I have a huge wardrobe to choose from, I just never throw old things away! That has to change....
ReplyDeleteHaha - I think that's impressive! I have a few articles of clothing like that myself vi think my family would say it's embarrassing though LOL!
ReplyDeleteI have way too much stuff. But, almost all of it gives me joy. That's why I have it! I need to learn how to be less joyful - for the kids' sake!
I am impressed by the fact that your precious shelved items have remained intact. Did you have to move them out of the way at their crawling stage?
ReplyDeleteI hate the idea of paring everything down in that regimented way - sometimes the pleasure of finding something you haven't seen for a long while, and rediscovering the pleasure that might have worn off at the time you put it away, is too precious to risk for a 'tidy' house.
ReplyDeleteImpressive, not embarrassing.
ReplyDelete