As I snuck down the stairs with a big red sack (it was an old Target bag, the giant size) thinking nobody would notice, I made it as far as three steps before lights started flashing, a loud helicopter noise began and sirens went off. My son appeared out of nowhere going “Hey! What’s in the bag! Is that my toys?!”
You see, I was in full Grinch mode and yes, that bag was filled with toys.
Old, crappy, broken beyond repair and never played with anymore toys. But not broken enough not to have the attack helicopter suddenly activate while I’m trying to haul them away to the trash.
And suddenly, that bag with filled with the BEST TOYS EVER, and my son didn’t want to get rid of anything. He even decided to take the helicopter, with its sad broken propellers, to dinner with us.
He got SO many toys for Christmas, and he already has a ton, that I felt he could do with a few less and never miss them. So I made two piles- one with unbroken toys to give away to friends with younger kids, and another for the trash. The fact that I was using a big red sack for the trash toys made me feel like I was doing a reverse Christmas and sneaking away with the toys instead of bringing them. Just like the Grinch.
I’m happy to report that the bag did eventually make it in the trash, minus one old, broken, noisy helicopter. And he hasn’t missed a thing.
Categories: Mom Life
Geek Mamas 
when my sons were younger, I would dump out their toy boxes and the bins in the toy room and have them make the keep, toss and donate piles. We did this twice a year (before each of their birthdays). I found it a painful process, but when they had a roll in the process they were more realistic about what to keep and toss. We also made a big deal about taking the donate toys to goodwill or other donation center and talking about children who don’t have as much as them.
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We are working on that. I tried recently and he told me to just throw it all away 🙄😂
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