{Applause inserted here.}

She can play without a companion for about 20-30 minutes. Mid-afternoon has become a time for dolls, littlest pet shop, and other rainbow-colored shenanigans.

I am often right next to her as she plays. For real, I could play next to her for hours but somehow I grew up. Dinner and responsibilities cut in and I can only give her short bursts of playtime. Which is good, I guess, but I’d rather play than just about anything. Except snacking and napping. Am I a kid or what?

Molly playing with my dolls from childhood

Molly aka Rainbow Brite

Molly feeding her doll

Love,

Jess

I have been sorting, tossing, labeling and basically trying to do a complete overhaul of my family’s belongings.

Today I started to tackle the kids’ toys, with the ever-helpful assistance from a friend with special home-making skills, of course. Yikes!

Yikes! That is the only word I can think of to express how I feel about the enormity of the task and the amount of possessions.

I am feeling the urge for the simple life…or at least the well labeled life! I feel peace coming soon…..

And to think, there was a time I verbally said, “I don’t think Ryan has enough toys!” – Okay so he was only 3 months old when I said that. Still, 4 1/2 years later….Yikes! (this photo only shows what had been in storage in the garage – I still have the room, closets and the playroom!)

My family has gone through a loss this week. My Uncle Wayne passed away from cancer. In the midst of grief and funeral planning  a few bits of joy came across my kitchen table to take my mind off of the heavy topic of death of a few moments.

Neighborhood pal Mason and my son Ryan share a treat.

Time does fly!

In an effort to ‘clean sweep’ the garage this week I unearthed some lovely things that have been hidden far too long.

My childhood minature tea set, a plastic lamb I played with while in my Grandma’s tub, and my Mom’s hand sewn Barbie clothes from the 60′s.

Neat Pete has an app on his iPhone to take panoramic pics.

We rescued the living room after a long day of disaster. It felt very good.

• Note: I’ll spare you the real before photo of our pre-attic closet disaster,  and go straight for the cute photos of how to make room for the play room. I know, it hurts my before-and-after loving gene, not to have documentation of my over burdened and buried craft table, and general dumping ground for stray belongings, but I will move on; mostly because I did this “transformation” on such a whim I forgot to take a photo. Most of you have already skipped to the rest of the blog post by now anyway.

1. Pile. Is it just my house or are your toys fertile and multiply? (kids’ room)

2. Sort. Plastic bins, plastic bins, plastic bins…oh sorry, I was busy rehearsing my organizing mantra. Isn’t my little helper so cute? Give, keep, sell…give, keep, sell…give, keep, sell…oops, there I go again!

3. Claim. This room is one 4 year old lying down by one 1 1/2 year old lying down. Nice square footage. I’ll take it; have my people talk to your people.

4. Gather. Move stuff around, aka fluff your nest, it is so much fun!

5. Conceal. Hi there attic! Wanna play hide-n-seek? Okay, you hide first. Good.

6. Learn. Making room for the play room includes making room for learning. The vintage ABC and 123 quilt was hung in my nursery when I was a wee one. Are the 70′s considered vintage yet? None-the-less, the vintage quilt, aka attic concealer, is a great tool for learning and general cheeriness.

7. Sit. {whimper, sigh!} Why did I let this a.dor.a.ble step bench be cluttered in old taxes and fall decor for waaaay too long? Well, no guilt, just pleasure now. I love the littleness of this space! Place a few books around to promote reading.

8. Add a family photo board in the playroom. It provides friendly faces to look at when Mommy  puts the baby-gate up outside her own room and instructs everyone it is now “Play Time” just so she can blog. er…I mean, because when kids look at the familiar faces, it encourages family connectivity, creativity and community.  Yeah, that’s it!

9. Relax and enjoy your hard work! Play!

My new star lights. They twinkle. They said twinkle on the box. Before I paid for them wish I would have seen the word, twinkle. Sorta pretty, the little eye spasms they are.

Ry helped me bake some White Chocolate Peppermint Scones. It was given to me as a dry-mix Christmas gift. Super Yummy. So Yummy, the Y in Yummy is staying capitalized.

FYI: I am seeing the Nestle white chocolate red and green swirls chips on way-clearance everywhere. They are totally worth the buy.

**growl**excuse me, I think I need to go downstairs and eat more right now!

If  you have convinced yourself, I only spend my evenings staring at tiny bulbs and gorging myself into near sugar shock in peaceful quiet bliss. Let me correct you.

It’s noisy here.

WALL-E joined our family post-Christmas. Grammy Lu and Papa Den’s Santa sent it in the mail. The Elves said it had fallen off the sleigh. He is buzzing around our home very nicely. Thank you elves!

The above photo is of Molly’s love-hate relationship with WALL-E. She runs away when he gets too close but she never stops talking to WALL-E. We even have to say good night to him before she’ll go to sleep.

Speaking of noise. Sack race anyone?

Last night, at the final Christmas party of the year (Hi Aunt Karen!), I received a few reusable Target bags filled with lovely, fun treats and movies (yes, for future nights of staring and gorging). Little did I know that the bags would be so…how do you say?…useful?

Ry hopped right out of his Target bag as he rounded the corner.

Some of my photos can be so soothing, inspiring, and pleasant. Don’t be fooled. The noisemakers, as V from V and Co. calls her children, are always nearby.

3 weeks and 2 days ago Neat Pete and I sorted the living room toys with a fine tooth comb. Some toys went to the garage sale others went to the trash can. We split all the remaining toys among four 36 gallon plastic storage bins. Then we sent ‘em packing to the garage without child permission.

Ryan did not notice.

Okay, did you catch that? Yes, for 3 weeks and 2 days our family was missing 144 gallons of toys with no more than one comment. Two days after the original purge Ry inquired about his pirate ship. To his request I said

The ship is not here right now. Use the couch for ship instead.

Pirate Ryan losing his first mate Molly to the depths of the seas. She tipped over as soon as I snapped the photo.

Our goal is to create a rotating Bin-A-Week toy schedule to keep the mystery alive for otherwise ignored toys. Each bin contains a variety of battery toys, books, small manipulatives and theme sets like animals, doctor and music.

Today Ryan fell back in love with Duplos. Molly with her purse.

It is like Christmas. TSP is underway!

I think if I were given free rein over the house I could reinvent most of my life using a shovel, scissors and paint. Too much TV, plastic, sticky floors, loud toys, where’s this?, where’s that?, fast food, more TV, icky colors and dirty socks. Still we have lots of love, time and fun its not all bad.

I want to avoid frustration because I love living freely and not tied up in sad little knots. I will need a project to cure my creative home executive fix. I need simplicity. Too big I’ll get lost. Too little and it won’t help. I need The Simplicity Project (TSP).

My heart is brimming with inspiration but alas my eyelids are drooping from fatigue. My brain is overflowing with joy yet my hands are heavy laden with work. Balance, pace and commitment will all be involved with TSP.

Three steps to creating TSP

1. Big plans that are fluid. I must be flexible, easy-going and in motion.
2. Little spaces that are solid. I may not be able to move my actual house but our foundation in Christ is solid.
3. Happy hopes that are steamy. I will lift my desires upward. Seeking Him who strengthens me.