Here's the thing...my kids and I have a lot of stuff; and by a lot, I mean A LOT of stuff. It's not that I am a hoarder (despite what my friends say) it's that I am resourceful. I like to reuse and upcycle stuff other people discount. So that means we end up with a lot of 'trash' that no one else really wants; and they certainly can't understand why its sitting in my house.
Honestly, I do use up a lot of these items, I make quilts and sew dolls for the kids and etc. But, I can't take it to Paraguay. In fact, in order to save on shipping costs, I am trying to only take whatever will fit into our carry on and one checked back (under 50 lbs) per person...in other words...only what the airline will let us take for free.
It has been a process. We have actually been preparing for this for a few months. In August we did a bit of a spring clean early; we went through toys, clothes, and etc and donated whatever we no longer needed/wanted to a local thrift store. Then through the fall I went through household goods (mainly in my kitchen...I love kitchen gadgets and have quite a few) and got rid of a lot of bits and pieces; serving spooks and forks, potato mashers, extra knives, extra spatulas and such....and etc.
Now, though, the time has come for the part of the process I have been dreading (and, yes, avoiding until after the holidays); we have to go through the stuff we like/love and decide what we NEED in Paraguay. Sure, there is some room for a few things we just really really want, but first off we have to get things like clothes, shoes, homeschool supplies, and etc.
So, I have 7 boxes, about half a dozen Rubbermaid bins, and a few old army foot lockers to pack up whatever we want to store or haul off to the thrift store. I am a very sentimental person and I do have a few momentos I just can't bear to part with (like the teddy bear a friend brought to the hospital when Avery was born, the kids' baptism certificates, and etc); these items will go into the army storage boxes (for non army brats out there, these are wooden boxes with metal along all the edges and corners like foot lockers; they are used for shipping equipment and then often reused in con-ex and barrack lodgings) the hard wood and metal edges give us the best chance of these items remaining undisturbed by critters while in storage. The Rubber maids will mostly hold any linens I decide to keep and kids toys; a good portion of linens will be going to the thrift store. I hope a lot of the kids toys will make it to the thrift store as well, but I am willing to store them to prevent upset among the wee ones.
Oh, and as for where we will store all of this stuff....ah, that's where good friends come in. It just so happens that a very good friend of mine recently bought his first home with a nice, big workshop. He works on cars in the downstairs, but there is a loft that is under utilized....so I am getting to haul my bits and bobs up there to sit around for free until we need them again.
So, wish me luck, as I start the final phase of downsizing. I will let you know how it goes.
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