Have I mentioned how much I hate packing. I seriously hate it so much. I not only don't like to do it, I'm not very good at it. I have been told that I tend to hold on to things that I don't need to hold on to. They don't even have to be nice things, but stupid things like magazines. I have a hard time throwing them away. I always feel like I should give them away instead of throw them away, so I keep them. All my adoption magazines I save just in case there is something I need to go back and read one day. Stupid I know. I keep stuff that I don't know what to do with. My knitting that I took up for one weekend a year ago and haven't touched since then, yep I have a hard time giving it away. I mean what if one day I want to take up knitting again, and by take up I really mean, learn for the first time.
Staci has been coming over every week and helping me pack. Really she walks around bossing me around and telling me what to bring her while she takes over. It works. She knows how to pack, I don't. She has made Aaron very happy. Each week he comes home to see all he has done and he smiles. I have maybe packed four boxes and she has the boxes she's packed stacked so high in my dining room. I need her in my move!
I often get sidetracked when packing. I come across something that I don't know what to do with. For example tonight I was going through stuff in Story's room and found this at the bottom of a pile of baby dolls that she never plays with:
To you this seems like a normal ole stuffed animal. To me I see memories. I stopped and picked it up and remembered that this was the first gift I received after I found out I was pregnant with Cayden. My mom bought this for me. How could I possibly get rid of this? It holds memories for me. BUT it was at the bottom of a pile of toys that Story doesn't play with. No one plays with it. No one ever has. Will my mom be offended if I she knew I gave it away? Am I throwing away memories if I give this to goodwill? Or, do I pack it, move it, try to find a new home for it and in another year find it under a kids bed and have this conversation with myself all over again?
I'm making big steps. I'm purging of stuff.
Mom, please forgive me but I'm giving your bear away. Some kid will be super happy to have it. I am not holding on to stuff that isn't being used. I will not hoard. I will share.
(I'm trying to talk myself into believing that it's okay to give this sweet, cute, sentimental bear away!!!!)
stop bloggin- go pack. i am so proud of you. you have come A LONG way!!!! until next week- keep packing: your goal: office desk, laundry room, kids toys, aaron’s studio. you can DO IT! “with God, all things are possible” heheh!
hi jamie,
be encouraged as i also hate packing and am not good at it. we live overseas and every time i have to pack in texas, my mom does it for me. when i read how you and your friend work (you standing around bringing her stuff and her being the boss) i was reminded of what it is like with my mom. she has a packing gift and i do not. i get anxious when i have to do it….so much so i kind of freak out. i can pack for trips and travel with no problem. when it comes to packing for moving, i freeze up and freak out.
you are not alone friend!
mandy
Boy do I understand. I finally had to ask my sister not to buy me things that just sit…it was getting to the point I was/am trying sooo hard to have less…I am overwhelmed by my more…does that make sense?
screw the boxes. packing in walmart bags work JUST fine. 🙂
you’re doing great! just think–this time next month it’ll all be over!
ginger – don’t bring up those stupid wal mart bags around bush and jimmie. they still curse me for that move! but hey i had a 3 week old baby!
staci i am not kidding when i say i wish you were here right now. not to help me, but to see what i’ve done. almost completely PACKED story’s room! no lie. no lie. no lie. working on boys room next. it is so easy when they are asleep. i throw away all the crap and they can’t even argue!
We live overseas too and it’s been good for me to learn to live in a smaller space and look more at what we really use. That’s the bottom line of it, isn’t it? What we USE. I’m like you and tend to hold on to things, even if I don’t use them or because I *might* need them one day. I’ve given myself a one year rule with a lot of stuff – if I haven’t used it/worn it in a year then it needs to go. If I tell myself I need new clothes, then I remove what I’m replacing, like t-shirts or tank tops or shoes. One in, one out. If I feel like I might still want it I put it in a bag in a closet for a while. If I find I’m really not wearing and don’t miss it, then it goes. I won’t let myself buy 4 pairs of cheap flip flops anymore because they’re cheap etc.
Part of what’s helped me let go of stuff is that we moved from one house to another on the mission property and it gave me a chance to really separate our stuff from the mission, and to look at what we really used. I also like the feeling of having a little breathing room in the house and find I start to get a little twitchy now when things feel cluttered. Just remind yourself of how nice it’s going to be to move into the new house, and to put things away and to start fresh. It’s a good feeling.
Leslie you are totally right. The funny thing is that when we moved to Austin we doubled our space and now we are so full of STUFF. Now we are moving to our new house we are losing space, downsizing. I love downsizing. We have always known when we moved from our fabulous rent house we would downsize. Now we are. It is fun for me to purge, but OH SO HARD. I know this sounds dumb, but I feel as though if I might need it and I throw it away that I’m not being wise with my stuff. I KNOW TOTALLY backwards thinking . 🙂
the sad thing is that I am going through my kids room and they are doing the SAME thing. I can’t tell you how much JUNK I threw out of their room. UGH. gross.
Jamie, I’m exactly like you. Last week I watched an episode of Hoarders: Buried Alive and it completely freaked me out. The next day I was so inspired to purge! If you can find it on your TV it might give you some inspiration.
Oh my gosh. I feel the same way about the crap at my house. I hold on to magazines and knitting stuff for the same reasons as you! We are moving crosscountry (to Sacramento, CA) this summer and I am dreading going through all of it! I’m glad to know that purging the junk is freeing for you.hopefully I will have a suceess story at the end of our process. 🙂
ha! i need inspiration. BUT i just went through my kids room and seriously I think I threw away more junk than I packed! They are just like me! that was an eye opener!
I can totally relate! If it were not for my mother and my sisters and gracious friends, I would have lost my mind many moves ago! (Or maybe I have … that would explain a few things, ha!)
Jamie, take pictures of sentimental things. Write a note about why it is sentimental and put in memory books. Much less to lug around!! I have moved alot and this is always hard for me but I do alot of purging and it feels so good after!! Own your stuff son’t let it own you!!
ruthie