Buckets-O-Junk

We have a lot of toys. Probably too many. They have just accumulated as the months and special events go by and now with Will so close in age to Lili, it has been hard to let anything go...or even put anything away. I keep thinking, "Well, Will will probably play with that in a couple of months. Why put it in storage if I'm just going to have to get it out again?" So there everything sits... Recently I decided that something needed to be done. We either need to pack some things away, if they aren't being used or donate to friends who are having little ones. I've been attempting to observe the kids, to see what toys they gravitate towards and which ones they hardly touch...and my conclusion is..........they prefer the buckets-o-junk. Not the award winning toys that cost a fortune...or the ones you painstakingly chose after wandering the aisles at Target for hours and hours. They like the crippety-crap...the Happy Meal toys from McDonald's...the $1 store specials...the random pieces from other toys that Mom is too lazy to put back. I don't get it! Not only do we have 1 bucket-o-junk...we now have 2. One for upstairs and one for downstairs. Lili and Will (yes, Will participates in the fun these days) will sit for HOURS and take out all of the crap...inspecting/playing with each piece as they do...then put it all back...then take it all out again...inspect/play...put back...and on and on and on... The cycle is vicious...truly vicious...

Here are a couple of pics of our buckets-o-junk, just in case you need a visual. I had to put Lili's purse on top of one of them, so y'all could see Will's newest infatuation. He LOVES the sparkly silver and pink purse with the stars dangling from the zipper. I can't say Drew is thrilled, but even he has to laugh. The kid will roll wherever he needs to to get to that purse! I should probably post a pic of him holding it too....wearing the sunglasses Lili likes him to put on him... She won't let him wear his navy blue crab sunglasses...he must wear the pink, plaid ones...according to Lili....