Abundant Heart

Katie's bedroom, before the big clean up:

After the abundance of Christmas loot our seven-year-old made off with this year, from generous aunts and uncles and grandparents and cousins and friends, it's time to weed out some of Katie's old toys.  In previous years, Katie's been hesitant to give up her stuff, even after I've complained to her that if she hasn't played with her baby rattle since she was eighteen months old, maybe it's time to get rid of it.  This year I got smart and added a little detail to my offer.

"What if we give the toys you've outgrown to a poor little girl or boy whose parents don't have enough money to buy them lots of toys?" I said.

Katie's eyes lit up.  "Or an orphan who has no parents or a homeless child who has no home," Katie suggested.  Katie's a sucker for a sob story.  The worse, the better.  It's wonderful to see her shift her interest from an abundance of material possessions to an abundant heart.

I agreed to help Katie sort through her old toys and decide which ones to donate to charity.  Please let me know if you have suggestions for a great charity that will take used toys.  

We're taking bets now for how long it will take Katie and me to clean her bedroom.

What do you say?

a) two hours

b) two days

c) two years

d) the two of us give up before we finish

***Update***

Amazingly, it only took us 1 hour and forty-five minutes to sort through Katie's toys and clean her bedroom.

About half-way through the big clean up:

After the big clean up:

Thanks to Uncle Chris and Aunt Dale for the TMNT toy organizer.

And no, we didn't just move all the junk to the kitchen table.

We can now see Katie's bedroom floor!

And this is the out-grown toy Katie has decided to give to another child:

"I can reach the real sink now, Mom.  I don't need a baby sink anymore."

I think I'm sorry to see it go more than she is.  I hope the new child loves it as much as Katie once did, and as much as I still do, remembering my baby playing with it.  What seems like just yesterday.