Shrinking Houses…..

When we bought this house a little over twenty years ago, there was lots of space and a place for everything. Now, when I look around, I see nothing but chaotic clutter everywhere and there is no place to store it. Even the basement is fully jammed packed. Either the house shrunk or I think it’s time for a huge overhaul! I am stocking up on trash bags to fill up every chance I get.

How did all this clutter start? I’ve been thinking about it and came to the realization that Barbie was at the root of it. That’s right, the Barbie Doll. If you have girls, you know exactly what I am talking about. Girls get “into” Barbie right away, maybe from the age of three or four. This is due to the Saturday morning cartoons that watch which bombard them with Barbie images from the moment they learn to watch television. There wasn’t a Saturday that went by that one of my girls didn’t fly into the kitchen, after seeing one of her commercials, and asking for a new Barbie. I would ask, “what is wrong with the other 20 Barbies you have?” They answer, “Those are not cool any more!”

Having two daughters, that means I have to get two Barbies for every occasion. I can even list you some of the ones we have had here over the years: Doctor Barbie, Veterinarian Barbie, School Teacher Barbie, Babysitter Barbie, Boom-box Barbie, Barbie on a bike, Cowgirl Barbie, and on and on and on. But, that’s not the end of it. Barbie needs things too. She needs a house, a sports car, a horse, clothes, friends, family members, pets, pool, a McDonald’s where she can work, the list is endless. By the time the girls were 6 and 8 years old, I felt like we were living in Barbie’s house and not the other way around. She had taken over and all I could do was surrender! And that was the beginning of the end.

We have accumulated so much stuff over the years it is absolutely ridiculous. I dread having to go through it all and decide what can go and what should stay. To be honest I feel like throwing it all out and starting from scratch. If I could win the lottery I would walk away from the house and everything in it, and maybe just take our photos and important papers. Why can’t I win the lotto??? Sigh.

In a way I’m glad we didn’t buy a bigger house, because I’m sure I would have twice as much stuff to get rid of. If your house looks like it’s starting to shrink, get some trash bags now, don’t wait until you are thinking or moving to throw it all out.