The trash collectors

I don't have much time to write this post, I know big surprise. So it is void of any pictures or examples but I've been meaning to write about this for a while and I don't want to forget so here goes....

My kids (and husband) are trash collectors. Not of gross used diapers or old food or anything but almost of anything else. When Eric and I first got married I remember him taking things out of the trash that I had thrown away and asking me why I threw it out, be it clothes, knick knacks, old CD's, anything. I thought it was the most bizarre thing. Like, why would he look in the trash in the first place? I never do. I just throw my trash away, eww I don't want to look in there. Anyway I've kind of gotten used to it now. In fact, I'm sure he already knows this but if I don't want him to know I've thrown something away I make sure to put something else on top of it in the trash so he won't see it. Sometimes I forget. Like today for example I threw away some old Easter eggs, the plastic kind because they had been through a bunch of hunts and Easters and I had bought some new ones so I thought, out with the old. Three minutes later he was asking me why I had thrown them out. Ugh.

I am so out with the old all the time. In this way Eric and I are opposites. When I buy a new shirt, I go through my old clothes and get rid of ones I don't wear anymore, I'm sure you're getting the point by now. Well, this was all fine and dandy. Eric and I came to an understanding of each other. Then we had kids. I NEVER thought this could be genetic but they both totally do it. Bianca hates it when I throw things away. She's constantly pulling things out of the trash. Old ribbons from packages, even boxes from amazon shipments. The reason I thought to do this post was because when I went to get her pajamas out today I found an old box I had told her to get rid of hiding behind her dresser. Little turkey! What is it about these things? I know Eric hates to waste and puts sentimental value on "things" more than I do, now our kids do this as well. I thought at least Wyatt was a man after my own heart. If you don't use it, get rid of it. Not so. The other day I put one of the many pictures he draws into the trash, he pulled it out and said, "Mommy, why did you throw my picture away!?" I gave the same answer I give to Bianca and Eric on occasion, "Oh, I'm sorry, it must have fallen in!" Some of you may be thinking this is mean but C'mon! You can't keep everything, right!?
Now I have come to an understanding of the children as well and spend many nights cleaning up school papers (aka, throwing them out) after the kids are in bed. That being said, I do keep a lot still and definitely have my scrapbooks and baby books full of memorabilia, including pictures from Wyatt. At least when they look back on those when they're older they will be happy those ones didn't get thrown away, they will probably remember them too! These people! Ha!