As many of my friends already know..... I have a problem with 'hoarding'. Ok... so, it's not so bad that you can't walk around my house - but... at times, it
*might* have been close. lol
In general, it's just *really* hard for me to move on - especialy when it comes to the kids things. I literally cry over every single outfit they grow out of - I can pick
up ANYTHING my kids have worn, tell you where and when I bought and where and when they wore it... no, seriously. I want to keep every single thing... I think partly because may be if I can hold onto those items that are linked to memories that are BYG* (*that means Before Yoga Girl) - then for a brief moment I can hold onto that toy, or that shirt and just kind of live in that moment.... if only for just a second. It's really hard to try to let go when I've already had to let go of so much.....
But alas... we already have the *biggest* storage unit we can rent and... it's nearly full. :( So, in spite of what I really really really want to do (which is push pause on this life so my little babies will stay little just a little longer....) - and keep everything they ever pooped in, got dirty in, played in and partied in.... I had to accept that most of it had to go.
Months ago the kids went through their toys and a certain number were taken to the house we're staying at. Trying to fit ALL. OUR. STUFF into one small bedroom was.... a challenge to say the least. Then I went back through the toys and made a pile for storage and a pile for a Garage Sale.
Today was the day I have been dreading.... it was Garage Sale day.
I lined up all their toys, all of The Girls' Princess Dolls and a few of her fancy dolls, The Boy's Toy Story, Cars
and Superhero toys.... clothes... piles and piles of Easter dresses and t-shirts and TONS of skinny jeans... the Boy LOVES him some skinny jeans.
Crazy kid.
The morning was going ok... I guess they repeated my View episode, so lots of people showed up saying that they had seen me that morning on TV. Many people had been seeing our sign for months, or they saw it on facebook. I was fully expecting something negative to happen... which - toda, at least, I seem to have gotten a pass, but... there's always tomorrow. lol
Most people were nice... but a few people just... well - they pissed me off. You can CLEARLY see the sign where my husband HAS left us. OBVIOUSLY times are hard.... and this woman pulled up in her giant SUV with her husband and two teenage kids. She picks up a few things, some candles, a table cloth - and then she wants to pay me $3.00 for $8.00 worth of stuff. What.......? I kind of skirt the issue and she INSISTS that I "giver her a deal".
So I said, "I tell you what.... I will take your $3.00 for that stuff - BUT - I see you still have a husband and since *I* don't - I'm going to ask that you leave him behind and you can keep your $5.00... I think that sounds fair."
The husband started laughing and the wife dug out the extra $5, thanked me and went to her car.
After that, I put up a sign which read: "NO discounts or haggling. In light of our current situation, please be respectful of our very reasonable prices. Thank You."
Sadly... I had to point to the sign a few more times... because - NO, jacka**, I'm not wiling to accept $1 for the Gymboree shirt that STILL HAS THE TAGS ON IT! lololol
It was hard... and then at points it was easier..... then the CUTEST little girl showed up - I *swear* she was the cartoon version of the little girl in Toy Story 3 that ends up with all the toys.... she was all decked out in mis-matched jewlery and sparkle shoes and a bright green tutu topped off with long, dark brown pig tails. She was about three and totally, utterly in love with one of The Girls' Cinderella dolls.
The Mom found some cute clothes and then saw the Tinker Bell potty seat... coming down to her last few dollars - she had to choose between the potty seat and the doll... she went practical and got the potty seat.
The little pig-tailed girl was crushed... I swear they dropped down in a frowning shape around her face.... so I ended up chasing her down the driveway and giving her the Cinderella doll. I mean - if The Girl can't have Cinderella.... well, Cinderella deserves to be loved and I was pretty sure that the pig-tailed girl was going to love that doll for a very long time.... so I just gave it to her.
Shortly after that an old couple drove up and stopped at the end of the driveway. The old lady in the car yelled to me that she had seen me on The View this morning and that she wanted to stop by. I walked to the end of the drive and leaned over to see her and the husband and I said, "Hello".
Then the old lady said, "I saw your story on The View today and I wanted to come over - he's been doing that to me for the last ten years.... and everyday his lies break my heart. But, I'm not like you, I'm not brave enough to leave him and I don't have family to live with or money to fall back on... I'm trapped.'
And then she started crying. My hand to G*d - that actually happened.
The husband was still sitting there (in the driver's seat I might add) - and I asked him, "Are you proud of yourself? Is that how a real man acts?" He shrugged and just looked at the ground.
They drove off and the woman yelled that she would be back tomorrow.... I thought to myself - yeah, you'll be back tomorrow assuming he hasn't buried you by then.... what the hell......?
So the afternoon went on with shoppers and kids playing in the piles of toys..... and a older man came - he was looking around for a while and he settled on a Spiderman hat. It was a $1.00. He was clearly of modest means, and he said that hat was for his Grandson. He said that his Grandson was four years old and loved Spiderman and he really wanted to buy something to support me because the boys father had left a few years ago - just decided he didn't want to be a Dad anymore and left......
The old man said, "That little boy saved my life - and he's my reason to live everyday."
"Of course," I said, "Grandkids are the best!"
"Well," the old man explained, "I've had lung cancer three times in ten years... never smoked a day in my life, but I got the cancer anyway.... but I always make it through because I have to raise that boy on my own - I'm all he's got, so I gotta' stick around, you know?"
I looked around the garage sale and the only thing I had left was my beloved Spiderman fold out couch. The Boy was barely one when I bought it for him. I had thought he could sit on it to watch TV and then I could fold it out for naptime while I edited images during the day. The Boy LOVES that couch. It's one of those items from your childhood that you *always* remember because you spent so many hours sitting and playing and sleeping on it..... but it's a bit stained and the zipper/sleeping bag part broke on it years ago - so I had it priced at $8.00 - though I was hoping it wouldn't sell because I didn't really want to part with it.
But.... listening to the man, who was by now showing me pictures of his treasured Grandson from his wallet - I saw the couch. I walked over to it and picked it up, pulled off the price tag and handed it to the man.
At first he refused to take it... but then he saw tears streaming down my face and I told him... "this was my favorite thing of my sons - I watched him grow up playing on this couch but he's too big for it now, crushing the sides when he stretches out. It seems like the perfect thing for your Grandson... and I just want someone else to use it and love it - and I want someone else to watch their boy grow up on it.... so - it's yours."
He waved as he drove off... and I just sat and cried. Because life just isn't fair - and having to say goodbye to all these things because of something someone else did... it effing SUX. :(
But in the end ... today wasn't about the money I made (which isn't even enough to get one of the kids into Disneyland ... lol) - instead, it was about the things I gave away.
Having said that - I'm not giving any stupid greedy hagglers a penny discount dammit.... it's $5.00 - just pay the lady and go home. lololololol
Be sure to tune back in tomorrow for Day Two.....
*might* have been close. lol
In general, it's just *really* hard for me to move on - especialy when it comes to the kids things. I literally cry over every single outfit they grow out of - I can pick
up ANYTHING my kids have worn, tell you where and when I bought and where and when they wore it... no, seriously. I want to keep every single thing... I think partly because may be if I can hold onto those items that are linked to memories that are BYG* (*that means Before Yoga Girl) - then for a brief moment I can hold onto that toy, or that shirt and just kind of live in that moment.... if only for just a second. It's really hard to try to let go when I've already had to let go of so much.....
But alas... we already have the *biggest* storage unit we can rent and... it's nearly full. :( So, in spite of what I really really really want to do (which is push pause on this life so my little babies will stay little just a little longer....) - and keep everything they ever pooped in, got dirty in, played in and partied in.... I had to accept that most of it had to go.
Months ago the kids went through their toys and a certain number were taken to the house we're staying at. Trying to fit ALL. OUR. STUFF into one small bedroom was.... a challenge to say the least. Then I went back through the toys and made a pile for storage and a pile for a Garage Sale.
Today was the day I have been dreading.... it was Garage Sale day.
I lined up all their toys, all of The Girls' Princess Dolls and a few of her fancy dolls, The Boy's Toy Story, Cars
and Superhero toys.... clothes... piles and piles of Easter dresses and t-shirts and TONS of skinny jeans... the Boy LOVES him some skinny jeans.
Crazy kid.
The morning was going ok... I guess they repeated my View episode, so lots of people showed up saying that they had seen me that morning on TV. Many people had been seeing our sign for months, or they saw it on facebook. I was fully expecting something negative to happen... which - toda, at least, I seem to have gotten a pass, but... there's always tomorrow. lol
Most people were nice... but a few people just... well - they pissed me off. You can CLEARLY see the sign where my husband HAS left us. OBVIOUSLY times are hard.... and this woman pulled up in her giant SUV with her husband and two teenage kids. She picks up a few things, some candles, a table cloth - and then she wants to pay me $3.00 for $8.00 worth of stuff. What.......? I kind of skirt the issue and she INSISTS that I "giver her a deal".
So I said, "I tell you what.... I will take your $3.00 for that stuff - BUT - I see you still have a husband and since *I* don't - I'm going to ask that you leave him behind and you can keep your $5.00... I think that sounds fair."
The husband started laughing and the wife dug out the extra $5, thanked me and went to her car.
After that, I put up a sign which read: "NO discounts or haggling. In light of our current situation, please be respectful of our very reasonable prices. Thank You."
Sadly... I had to point to the sign a few more times... because - NO, jacka**, I'm not wiling to accept $1 for the Gymboree shirt that STILL HAS THE TAGS ON IT! lololol
It was hard... and then at points it was easier..... then the CUTEST little girl showed up - I *swear* she was the cartoon version of the little girl in Toy Story 3 that ends up with all the toys.... she was all decked out in mis-matched jewlery and sparkle shoes and a bright green tutu topped off with long, dark brown pig tails. She was about three and totally, utterly in love with one of The Girls' Cinderella dolls.
The Mom found some cute clothes and then saw the Tinker Bell potty seat... coming down to her last few dollars - she had to choose between the potty seat and the doll... she went practical and got the potty seat.
The little pig-tailed girl was crushed... I swear they dropped down in a frowning shape around her face.... so I ended up chasing her down the driveway and giving her the Cinderella doll. I mean - if The Girl can't have Cinderella.... well, Cinderella deserves to be loved and I was pretty sure that the pig-tailed girl was going to love that doll for a very long time.... so I just gave it to her.
Shortly after that an old couple drove up and stopped at the end of the driveway. The old lady in the car yelled to me that she had seen me on The View this morning and that she wanted to stop by. I walked to the end of the drive and leaned over to see her and the husband and I said, "Hello".
Then the old lady said, "I saw your story on The View today and I wanted to come over - he's been doing that to me for the last ten years.... and everyday his lies break my heart. But, I'm not like you, I'm not brave enough to leave him and I don't have family to live with or money to fall back on... I'm trapped.'
And then she started crying. My hand to G*d - that actually happened.
The husband was still sitting there (in the driver's seat I might add) - and I asked him, "Are you proud of yourself? Is that how a real man acts?" He shrugged and just looked at the ground.
They drove off and the woman yelled that she would be back tomorrow.... I thought to myself - yeah, you'll be back tomorrow assuming he hasn't buried you by then.... what the hell......?
So the afternoon went on with shoppers and kids playing in the piles of toys..... and a older man came - he was looking around for a while and he settled on a Spiderman hat. It was a $1.00. He was clearly of modest means, and he said that hat was for his Grandson. He said that his Grandson was four years old and loved Spiderman and he really wanted to buy something to support me because the boys father had left a few years ago - just decided he didn't want to be a Dad anymore and left......
The old man said, "That little boy saved my life - and he's my reason to live everyday."
"Of course," I said, "Grandkids are the best!"
"Well," the old man explained, "I've had lung cancer three times in ten years... never smoked a day in my life, but I got the cancer anyway.... but I always make it through because I have to raise that boy on my own - I'm all he's got, so I gotta' stick around, you know?"
I looked around the garage sale and the only thing I had left was my beloved Spiderman fold out couch. The Boy was barely one when I bought it for him. I had thought he could sit on it to watch TV and then I could fold it out for naptime while I edited images during the day. The Boy LOVES that couch. It's one of those items from your childhood that you *always* remember because you spent so many hours sitting and playing and sleeping on it..... but it's a bit stained and the zipper/sleeping bag part broke on it years ago - so I had it priced at $8.00 - though I was hoping it wouldn't sell because I didn't really want to part with it.
But.... listening to the man, who was by now showing me pictures of his treasured Grandson from his wallet - I saw the couch. I walked over to it and picked it up, pulled off the price tag and handed it to the man.
At first he refused to take it... but then he saw tears streaming down my face and I told him... "this was my favorite thing of my sons - I watched him grow up playing on this couch but he's too big for it now, crushing the sides when he stretches out. It seems like the perfect thing for your Grandson... and I just want someone else to use it and love it - and I want someone else to watch their boy grow up on it.... so - it's yours."
He waved as he drove off... and I just sat and cried. Because life just isn't fair - and having to say goodbye to all these things because of something someone else did... it effing SUX. :(
But in the end ... today wasn't about the money I made (which isn't even enough to get one of the kids into Disneyland ... lol) - instead, it was about the things I gave away.
Having said that - I'm not giving any stupid greedy hagglers a penny discount dammit.... it's $5.00 - just pay the lady and go home. lololololol
Be sure to tune back in tomorrow for Day Two.....
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