Saturday, June 14, 2008

Leave it and Loose it!



House Rule

All toys left in the floor are subject to the possibility of ending up in a landfill!

My girls are pack rats for all those misc. junk toys. Birthday party favors, Mc Donald's toys, if it comes with itty bitty pieces that can be broken or lost, they have it! I refuse to repeatedly pick up toys out of the floor. The girls know they are not supposed to leave toys laying all over the house. I can't stand stepping with my bare feet on little sharp toys. Little tiny Polly Pocket accessory's, marbles, rings you name it, are always finding there way all over the house. They are nothing but a choking hazard to Jacob (Aka vacuum lips), who searches for them on a constant basis. I feel like I am always nagging at the girls to pick them up and find them a home. They are old enough to keep them where they belong, yet refuse out of pure laziness. Therefore, If I see anything and pick it up more then twice it automatically goes straight the the trash. There's no warning or no announcement, it's just Gone! I swear Madisen has a photo graphic memory or something because nothing gets by her. She has 1000's of Polly pocket pieces all just crammed into drawers , and if one tiny shoe gets gone she knows it. She'll be in her room digging and hunting for one rubber shoe forever. Then the questions start ; Have you seen...? I can't find...? I just remind her, If she would keep things where they belong this wouldn't happen. Maybe once they run out of toys (that's a joke) they might learn their lesson. Until then it ends up just being a good way for me to weed out the population of the misc. toys!

19 comments:

  1. I wonder if that would work with my husband.

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  2. I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one with a direct path to the trash can!

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  3. Half the time my kids put that tiny toy crap they get in b-day party bags and so on straight in the trash. Especialy bouncy balls. I hate bouncy balls!

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  4. I hate bouncy balls. I throw them away every chance, I swear my kids are bouncy ball magnets.

    Johnina, AKA Vacuum Lips, let's hope that name disappears before high school LOLx4 ;)

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  5. I am the anal retentive mama! God love ziploc bags and cheap tupperware. I have it everywhere for every little annoying thing.

    Also, for Polly Pocket crap- a little set of drawers (with about 20 drawers) like the kind that fisherman use for their lures and hooks and stuff. Works great. Now if the girls would only remember not to mix tiny shoes with tiny shirts and tiny purses!
    Told you I was anal!

    www.swirlgirlspearls.blogspot.com

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  6. I have two grandsons and they know when "grandma" helps clean that anything left on the floors is fair game for the trash. Usually all I have to do is say. "Do you mind me sweeping up al these toys?" and they scramble to pick them up. If they're not home I just sweep them up and pretend that their Mom picked them up. Mean Grandma.

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  7. That worked great with my 8-year-old. My 6-year-old, not so much. When it was time to clean up her toys, she was like, "Let's just throw them all away."

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  8. ok...this is what I did with all of the toys that my Huey and Dewey wouldn't pick up, I told them that if I see any toys that are not picked up they will be going in the big black plastic bag and be tossed out. Their responce was "Not the black bag!" I really didn't throw them out but they thought so. I would put it in the gargage and bring it out when they learned to pick up. They did and it worked.

    I say to them "Black bag" today and they laugh.

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  9. I try and stick with my toy rule. My kids never throw anything away!!
    Happy Fathers day!!

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  10. Sooo. I haven't been on this blog thing in ohhhhh... Two months.. BUT. I just added a new entry today, with a promise to myself that I'd be more dedicated to it.. ANNND I mentioned you in it!! Not to sound creepy or anything haha, just was talking about blogs that I found online that I really enjoy reading, and so that's where you came in! So that's it. Your children are gorgeous, and you seem very blessed. =] Oh, and you left a comment on a blog I wrote a while ago, and I don't know if I ever thanked you for it, it was very sweet of you. So there you go, thank you =] Keep up the happy days!

    ktg.

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  11. My daughter is the same way! ugh! I hate that little crap too. I throw those McDonald's toys and anything like that out whenever I get the chance. Of course if she sees me do it, it's the end of the world because it was her favorite toy. If it was her favorite she would know where is was and put it away so it don't get thrown out. :)

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  12. Oh dear, I can't tell you how many times I've injured my poor bare feet stepping on one of my brothers' toys left carelessly in the walkway or the living room floor.

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  13. Swirl Girl, I'm just as anal we have all that stuff, problem is the girls don't share my trait. Therefore, none of them are being used, unless I do it!

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  14. oh, you are JUST like me. BUT if I say it twice - not the trash - it goes to the garage sale table. They have to look at the toy and no matter the tears or pleas, the toy is gone!

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  15. be sure to let us know how this is working out for you. I remember my parents doing it to me and with school out on thursday I'm going to need something :)

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  16. great idea. I think that I am going to try it.

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  17. I used to threaten the same thing, but they I know I would go out and buy it again if asked so now I get a box, put everything in it (clothes, too) and send it to the garage. After a frantic week of looking for an iPod or PSP or favorite shirt I bring back the box, dump it in the middle of the floor and they all gather around reclaiming their treasures. Unfortunately, I only do this when it gets really bad...I should just do it on a daily basis and then maybe they would really learn to be responsible for their things.

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  18. Same exact rule in our house. The second time I pick it it up, I toss it. You go Sista!

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Girls could you PLEASE give our guest some space. Take your brother and go play. Sorry,it's hectic here, what were you saying?"...

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