I have been on a little bit of a "purge" spree lately. No, I am not barfing. I am just getting rid of stuff that we don't need. Throwing it away, giving it to the D.I. (Deseret Industries, a thrift store for those of you who may now speak "Utah"), or boxing it up and putting it in our basement out of my sight. It can get tricky, especially while trying to thin out the piles of toys around here. Arden caught me gathering up a bunch of old baby toys, and grabbed a bunch of RATTLES and said that she loves them and wants to play with them and I CAAAAAN'T give them away. Seriously? Rattles?
My kids have also destroyed their fair share of books. I have no idea how these books get so thrashed....oh wait, yes I do. The kids look through them over and over (and over) and drop them and throw them and stand on them and sometimes even take bites of them. We pretty much use them until they fall apart, and then I chuck them. I was going through the huge pile of books on Arden's bookshelf (while she was at preschool, of course), and taking the ones that were the most destroyed. I came across these two books:
In case you can't see, the spines on both of them are nearly completely gone, and soon they will disintegrate completely. Also notice the bite mark on the bottom left corner of the top book. Additionally, at some point a year or two ago, Arden was "helping" me clean things, and completely doused both of these books in hand sanitizer. They were very clean, but also became pretty sticky. Some pages stuck together and then ripped, like this: 
(I actually skipped this page when I read this book to Cora, because I was afraid that the "Phantom of the Opera" look that this little girl has going on might scare her.)
(I actually skipped this page when I read this book to Cora, because I was afraid that the "Phantom of the Opera" look that this little girl has going on might scare her.) .
I brought these books, along with the others in the pile downstairs to throw them in the recycle bin. For some reason, I took these two books out of the pile. These were Arden's favorite books to read when she was a baby. I probably sat in her room, rocking little baby Arden in her rocking chair and reading these books to her a hundred times at least.
.
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I miss those days.
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But keeping these books isn't going to bring those days back, so why can't I throw them away?
.
Is this how "hoarders" start?
4 comments:
I wouldn't worry too much about being a hoarder if you are getting rid of all the other books. I wonder if there is anything you can do with the books, like find a page in good condition and frame it or something. Then you aren't hoarding - you are recycling!
It's OK - Just yesterday Nate Berkus told all of America that there is a little bit of a hoarder in all of us. So - you're normal! And I am SO glad that someone else's kids have an "APPETITE" for reading. Poor little eaten books...
I feel alot better after reading your blog. I though my kids were the only ones who completely destroyed books. We even have a chunk taken out of the side of one where the boys have chewed on it.
Not to worry, my dear. If I hadn't "hoarded" a little bit, many of the toys your kids play with at my house or emergency clothes would not be here. Maybe your grandaughter will love to see the book that was her Mom's favorite when she was a baby.
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