I spent most the day off-line but had to check a freecycle message, which was with my e-mail so I had to see the comments to my blog, which brought me here - LOL. All sucked in!! & I was all ready for bed!

Tonight we put a pile of the kids' toys for donation. A lot of nice stuff actually. who knew...

Mostly baby stuff. The 18-monther has long outgrown!!!! teethers, baby toys, etc. We didn't do big on paring down the toddler toys. I Argued to get rid of some ABC things since they have so many alphabet toys that are really the same in the end (Say letters, sounds, etc.) but dh wanted to keep so oh well. We made a decent dent. we decided by summer there will be a lot to purge, that baby is starting to outgrow. Works out nice to go through every summer (birthdays) and winter (christmas). We purged more than they got for christmas, which is for one a small miracle. But is good!!!!

& I Feel good about it. Looking around, besides the 2 little push carts and the giant dinosaur, they really don't have *that* many toys. I am always big on not getting them too many toys and I have been a little worried since all my Big Monkey says anymore is "what does this toy do?" LOL. He said that about a stuffed animal and I Was thinking - oh lord!!!! I try so hard to get un-busy toys that are not electronic, but somehow all he has is a lot of busy electronic toys. I have been feeling a little down on my failure to keep material excess out of my house (& struggling how to keep it out when I don't buy more than 5% of it myself - thank you grandma and great-grandma).

But I am looking around and they don't have much. & I am rather pleased (they have a ton by some standards all the same). the baby's room just has baby toys which are mostly on their way out - leaves a couple of stuffed animals and that's about it. Big Monkey has a huge pile of milk carton blocks, some cars and toys that are too dangerous for baby, and a couple of his first toys - a garage and farm set. Oh yes & a basketball hoop, helicopter, and one of those floor mats that is a road one one side and a railroad on the other. That is his room as far as toys. For the most part he has a small toybox and his room looks pretty bare when the toys are away. IT is filled with furniture (2 beds & a desk too) but that is another story - hehe.

Most of the toys are downstairs and I Couldn't even dare to list but they all fit in a large bin - plus a few larger things. OF course the play doh and endless crayons and happy meal toys, and books and puzzles, fill the cupboards (I just told dh we have no need to EVER buy crayons this life - lord knows where they came from - I think grandma is big on crayons - LOL. something else I have never bought. sHould probably start donating those too...).

So I guess by some standards this may be a lot. But I Went to a playgroup recently and this woman lived in a 2-bedroom duplex and had toys EVERYWHERE. IT is just insane. Another friend the same with her tiny 2-bedroom house - the toys are just on overload. Can barely walk in the kids room - just filled with toys, and the living rooms filled with toys too. So today I am feeling a little better that my goals to limit toys have worked somewhat. Or is it just that we have so much more space it all looks smaller????? Hmmmmm... No - we have like 1/10 as many toys. This seems to be the middle class norm, which is extra amusing with all the "whoa is me I am so poor" talk. So as usual we are way ahead of all that nonsense, yet we truly do have too much excess and much to work on - what it comes down to. So what if we have it way more under control than most people we know? Doesn't mean we can't improve...

Well, not much to share on the recipe front this weekend. Dh ended up working late saturday on the movie so did last-minute hamburger helper. Big monkey had seen it at the store and wanted it, and dh humored him because it was on sale I guess. I Said - blech - that stuff is disgusting. But he made up "philly cheese steak" hamburger helper saturday and it wasn't bad.

I made my franks and beans today for lunch. Cut up about 6 hot dogs. (BEcause I like to have a couple left over mostly). cook the hot dogs in a skillet, add drained pork & beans, and ketchup, and wala. Serve it with buttered toast. THat is about usually how I cook - not the healthiest meals - but still beats fast food by a mile. dh is always there doling out the fruits and veggies which I would not have a clue how to approach the way I Was raised - hehe. HAd some salad and apple slices to round it out thanks to him.

HE made a pretty simple casserole for dinner - will post the recipe once I can scan it! Beef, tomato sauce, noodles, is about the jist. Cheese too. Well, you'll see!