Cupboard Love

Stage 1

Gah, can't believe how long it has taken to clear out one cupboard! I had this foolish dream that I would have the whole thing sorted in a couple of hours and be able to spend a pleasurable afternoon on my blog or something. Yah, yah, I should've just thrown everything in the bin, not tried to sort out things which are still useful and can go to charity. 

Stage 2 - some stuff actually 
tidily put back in the cupboard

Why did I want to clear the cupboard, and bring this horror on myself. We reached a stage in family life when people are capable of getting themselves breakfast. The cereals need to be moved from the cupboard they are currently in - which is easy for Mums to get at while simultaneously making coffee on the cooker, frying some sausages and blogging on a netbook - and into a cupboard which is easy for people to access with their eyes half-closed when they have shambled down of a morning. 

OK, maybe I am not going to get round to gluing these things back together after all. Pop them in the recycling. Yes, and the sippy cups, aww, the ones with the little dogs on were so sweet! but I don't think the charity shops will have much luck with sippy cups which have obvious teeth marks gnawed into them. 

Hey, put that box of chocolates back down! it's still in date, isn't it? 

Surely someone could make use of the Disney Princess sand picture shaker maker? OK, I know we have used up all the sticky pictures and the coloured sand has got mixed up together, but if they bought new pictures and sand? OK, yes, you have to write off to some special place and they probably don't make them any more, yes, yes, just put it in the recycling. Don't let me see you do it! that's all. 

We really had fun with all this stuff. 

Stage 3

Hooray, we're done. Mmm? That mess on the top of the dresser? What do you mean 'mess'?!!! Those are incredibly precious Mother's Day and Happy Easter cards and some lego pieces which need to be taken upstairs and some shampoo which has a little bit in the bottom, I'm sure we can use that up.

That mess on the table? Gosh! give me a minute, can't you. Just put the kettle on for a cup of tea, then I'll get onto that lot. 

(In the end this proved to be a four day task! Day 1 - get Piglet to go through stuff and agree to get rid of some of it. Day 2 - sort it and put it tidily back in the cupboard. Day 3 - day of rest. Day 4 - do all the washing up and clearing the kitchen up, sweeping floor etc. after the mess from the cupboard has been sorted. That would be why I could only do it in the holidays, not during a regular school week. In a regular school week, I could've just done it all myself in one day. And Piglet would've learned that things like that magically happen as if the Clearing Up Fairies swoop in and do it while you are sleeping. 'Course, she doesn't really believe in fairies any more after the Tooth Fairy Fiasco, LOL.)