UsedEverywhere.com

Don't Stop Giving

We’ve been working on a few projects to assist people and organizations in need.  As part of this, I launched a plan to purchase items from our Used sites and donate them to various charities.  I was not expecting the response I got from agencies who heard what I was doing and called me up with requests for donations.  And I was certainly not expecting the level of need – everything from furniture to dish towels.  Several of the people I spoke to were volunteers – giving their time for a cause they believe in.  That’s inspiring.  Lots of us can write a cheque, but to give time is very special and I pledge to  give more from now on.

One thing that I kept thinking about is how hard it must be for those who work and volunteer for these organizations to see this need on a daily basis and have to accept it.  I guess no one really accepts it, but it’s hard to imagine what seeing the affects of hardship is like close up, let alone being in that position yourself. 

I had the privilege of delivering armfuls of wishlist items to a transition house.  My daughters came with me and upon leaving, I was left with the duty of explaining why transition houses are needed.  How do you explain to a 7 and 10 year-old in their language about abuse and suffering when they’ve never had reason to consider that it exists?  How do you answer a question like “But why would a dad hurt his wife or his children?”  As I explained why sometimes moms and kids need to leave their homes because they’re not safe there, my older daughter was very serious and empathetic.  My youngest piped up from the back seat that she’d “just kick him in the balls”.  I don’t mean to make light of this subject, but it was a moment of levity that we all needed during a very difficult conversation.

I’d also like to mention the kind and generous people that I met during this project that either donated their items to me or threw in some extras.  It was much appreciated and it once again reinforced my belief and faith in my community.

We hope to continue to give back to our communities by helping you donate to people in need and encourage sellers to do the same.  What about posting wishlists for registered charities and non-profits similar to the ‘seller’s lists’ so that people can check out what might be needed by members of their communities and connect through our sites?  Maybe you have some ideas – so please comment on this post if you do.

One last thing.  Just about every charity I spoke to said the same thing…”We get lots of donations at Christmas, but it’s the rest of the year that we struggle”.  So keep that in mind if you have things in your closets and garage that are collecting dust and can be used by someone else.  There are families in need all year long so let’s work together to help them out.

 

What do you get when you cross 4 kids and 5m of snow?

So as we wound down from the Christmas chaos which in our family equates to overeating and wanton imbibing, we took in a few days of skiing at Mount Washington.  For those of you who live on Vancouver Island, you know what an amazing week it has been.  For those who aren’t from the Island, Mt. Washington (check out the news story) had its moment of fame this week as it boasted a base of over 500cm – currently more than any ski mountain in the world.  Hence the look of all-consuming glee on my husband’s face – similar to the smile of a little girl locked in a room full of puppies and rainbows.  I think I heard something like “what an epic ski, dude”.  Well not really, but if he was 20 years younger and 2 kids lighter, he probably would have said that.

Now I don’t ski…because of two strongly held lifelong principals.  I hate heights, so ski lifts are out until 5-point harnesses become standard to keep everyone safely secured 30 feet above the ground.  And I don’t participate in any activity that makes me move faster than I can run.  I figure this will spare me from any horrendous collision injuries or simply dying from fear because I’m going too fast.  My kids make fun of me and my husband just shakes his head in embarrassment.  Whatever – TLC hasn’t called me yet to do some show on weird fears and phobias so I can’t be that bad.

So Tuesday was a big day and a crazy morning as everyone got ready for the day on slopes.  We were the guests of my brother and sister in-law and their 2 young boys – age 3 and 6.  So picture if you can the frenzy around getting 3 adults and 4 kids hopped up on Honey Nut Cheerios dressed for a day of skiing.  My two kids and their 6 year-old cousin did surprisingly well getting themselves organized.  But watching my sister in-law get their 3 year-old swaddled in layers of ski gear was like watching someone put socks and lace-up shoes on an octopus; only the octopus could speak and come up with very eloquent arguments as to why each item was totally unnecessary and unbearably itchy.

When they all came in for lunch, red faced and beaming, it was pretty entertaining to listen to the banter between a 3, 6, 7 and 10 year-old as they boasted about how deep the powder was and how hard they could ‘shred their turns’.  Even more entertaining was the uncontainable pride on their papa’s faces; I may have even seen a welled-up eye.

Needless to say after a full day of skiing topped off with a few runs under the lights, the kids were completely spent.  They could barely eat, let alone summon the strength to beat on each other; papas were spent too, sleepy and sore in front of the hockey game…all without a care in the world save thoughts of the next day of skiing in the deepest powder on the planet.  Life is good…really good.

UsedEverywhere is Giving Back

So as we near the holidays, the spirit of love and giving is in the air.  I notice that as usual this time of year, most people seem generally happier.  I seem to get more smiles and nods  and “have a good day’s”.  Strangers are way more tolerant of my kids.  I’m way more tolerant of my kids.  It’s nice.

And every year at this time, I’m reminded of how lucky we are as a family – we really do have everything and for that, I’m so very grateful.  But along with those happy thoughts come feelings of empathy and a little guilt as I think about those who are not so fortunate; I ask myself what I can do to help people out who aren’t so cheery this time of year.  Two years ago, we gave money to charity in lieu of gifts but I still felt disconnected from the act of giving.  So last year we handed out cups of hot apple cider and dog treats to everyone walking on the trail on front of our house on Christmas day.  We had carols playing and at times we had big groups stopped at our table – total strangers, people and dogs alike – mingling, chatting and even singing.  There were even a couple of teary ‘thank-you’s’.  But what amazed me was that so many people seemed surprised that we were giving just for the sake of it.  You know what?  That was the best Christmas day ever.  Maybe it was because we spent it together.  Maybe it was because we made people smile.  Maybe it was because it had nothing to do with anything but the moment.

So this year, aside from giving personally, I wanted to do something bigger and use my position at UsedEverywhere to help make some lives just a little bit better.  We have the stuff and there’s definitely lots of need, so we decided to see what we could do to help out local charities and non-profits. As I said we have the stuff, so we’re buying items from our Used sites that these charities need to run their programs.  A new non-profit has asked us for some office furniture to get them started and we’re helping out a couple of women’s shelters and families starting over with some household items.   It seems insignificant to buy dish towels for a shelter, but things like this are desperately needed by organizations where every penny is paramount to helping those in need.

So you may hear from me if you have things posted for sale on our Vancouver Island sites and look for our posts on our Facebook page and UsedVictoria Facebook group if we need your help.  To those of you who have already contributed to our wish list – thanks.  A few of you have been exceptionally generous and donated items as well – very much appreciated.  And as long as people are out walking their dogs on our neighbourhood trail on Christmas day, we’ll be out there handing out dog cookies and hot cider – just because.

Buying Gifts – New or Used?

We seem to be talking a lot lately about buying gifts for Christmas and whether it’s OK to buy used (pre-loved) ones or even new ones from a Used site.  Here are my thoughts on the subject if the recipient is not a close friend or family member:

1. Buy only new and unopened items. I’ve bought new items (hostess gifts and presents for children I don’t know well) from UsedVic to stock my “I forgot to buy a gift and we’re due at the party in 1 hour” box.  These are small items that I like to keep on hand for last minute events or poor planning on my part.  This box is stocked with those nifty one-of-a-kind $10 items – like candle holders, seasonal platters and kid-crafty things. The Used sites also have lots of ads for homemade and handcrafted items that make great gifts.
2. If asked don’t hide the fact that you bought the gift from a Used site.  Besides, why is this any different than buying a item on sale?  Or buying something from the “Clearance” section at PotteryBarn.com.  Something has to be pretty fantastic for me to pay full retail price – gift or not. Like the fabulous must-have leopard print Calvin Klein coat I bought a couple of weeks ago.  I paid full-price but from a discount store, so that’s kind of like getting it on sale.
3. If you think the recipient would be offended, don’t do it. Err on the side of caution.  But I personally wouldn’t be buying gifts for someone who’d get her panties in a twist over a gift purchased through classifieds instead of a major department store.  My kind of person appreciates the thought and the deal.

If the gift is for someone you know well, a used (and maybe imperfect) gift is perfectly acceptable.  I do it all the time.  In fact a gentleman bought our old BBQ to give to his son for his Birthday.  He was going to replace the burner and tadaa! – a perfectly good BBQ.  He bought it from us for $20 and the burner cost another $40 so I think that’s a win/win/win.  His son gets a BBQ, he didn’t pay retail, and it’s not growing moss and housing a family of rats our deck.

Used sites are a great resource for buying electronics for my kids.   I know those gifts will be lost/broken/eaten/melted long before they die of natural causes - so I can’t justify spending a lot of money on them.  That 5 year-old iPod that looks like it got ran over by a car is perfectly fine for my kids.  I’d rather pay $20 and know that I’ll likely be replacing it within 6 months than spend $220 and have the kids so scared they might break it that they don’t even use it.

My friends and family expect things from UsedVic.  They love the kooky gifts I find – like the Margarator from the summer of 2009.  The Birthday hamster for my daughter.   The Birthday TV for my husband.  The DS, the DS games, the model cars, skis…all gifts for friends and family.  If anything it takes more time and thought to search out the perfect gift from a Used site than it does to go to the nearest Future Shop.  It’s more fun too!

Don't be Such a Good Parent

I got some great parenting advice last week.  An acquaintance asked me about how my knee was doing and when my surgery date was.  I told her that I go in for surgery next week and that Christmas will be pretty low key this year because I’ll be off my feet for the weeks leading up to it.  She said “I have one piece of advice.  Be helpless and do nothing.  Don’t be such a good parent.”  She recounted that one year she was laid up at Christmas and didn’t do anything – no decorating, no baking - so her kids did it all.  The moral of the story was if we do things because we assume our kids can’t, they never will.  Sometimes it takes just not doing something to prove to them that they are capable.

So they can do all the Christmas decorating this year.  I (begrudgingly) will have to accept that my thoughtfully colour coordinated reindeer and glittery balls won’t end up in their perfectly designed pre-designated spot.  Only the bottom 4 feet of the tree will be decorated and the garland with mini lights and tulle won’t be perfectly spaced on the stair railings.  I just won’t invite Martha for dinner this year;  she never comes anyway. 

And maybe I’ll get a bell…you know the little brass ones that people used to use to summon ‘the help’.  The kids can take turns being ‘on call for Mama’; they can bring me juice.  And they’ll have to look after themselves a bit more over the next few weeks; I’m even thinking of getting my surgeon to sign the list below.

For the next 3 weeks, Sharene CANNOT:

1. Pull or push anything with a motor. 
2. Do any bending, stretching or twisting.  That gets me out of everything else.
3. Cook (just on principle).  They know where the crackers and peanut butter are.
4. Lift or carry anything heavier than a glass of wine.

They’ll figure it out.  There is no reason why the kids can’t make their own lunches, put away their clothes and feed the pets.  They don’t need me to pour juice and put away their socks.  The only reason I do it is because it gets done the way I want and there’s less risk of mess to clean up if they do something themselves.  Take the gingerbread house for example; I’ll set them loose on the assembly and decorating.  Yes, there will be icing EVERYWHERE and those horrible little coloured sprinkle things in every crevice and corner but they’ll have fun and best of all – I won’t have to do it.  Plus it’ll keep the dog busy for hours afterwards cleaning up those horrible little coloured sprinkle things from every crevice and corner.

Bottom line is that the kids are capable, very capable if you let them.  I might even let them to cook the turkey this year.

My Lunch with the Joy Luck Club

My weekly blog is late.  That’s because I threw out what I planned to post and wrote a new one.   I was going to write about buying used or pre-loved gifts and why that’s a good thing, but I decided instead to tell you about something that happened in my life today.

I took my grandpa for lunch, and for anyone who has an elderly relative, knows how much effort goes into simply getting ready and getting there and getting back.  Now I know.  My mom and dad usually take my grandpa out for outings and now I really appreciate how much time, effort and patience that takes.  But that’s not what I want to write about.

I sat at a table with four old friends – 3 of them almost 90.  They grew up together decades ago in Jamaica and then left the Caribbean for other lands only to meet up again late in their lives in Victoria.  I imagined them way back when sitting at the cafeteria table in their school  uniforms, making jokes and whistling at the pretty girls.  Today wasn’t much different except they probably had one good ear and half a dozen good teeth between the three of them.

Once we finally got settled, they starting talking about the old days with such clarity that it could have been last week.  Most of the time my grandpa can’t remember what day it is or how to use the remote, but he remembered people and events of his childhood like he was telling the events of earlier in the day.  

They talked for ages about the people and places from 75 years ago – the Jamaican accents becoming more pronounced as the conversation wore on…throwing in the occasional word that I needed translated.    My Grandpa’s friend then recited a story about a day spent at Lover’s Leap -  a high lookout over the south coast of Jamaica –  and how a group of teenage boys scrabbled down the cliffs to swim but found only a small rough beach at the bottom.  They tried to swim around some rocky headlands but couldn’t as they were getting battered by the waves.  They gave up and climbed partway up the hillside; it was dark by then and the people in the town of Pedro below by now had heard of the group of silly schoolboys stranded on the cliffs above.  He said the fisherman in the village climbed up with torches and led them down to safety.  There they were offered a few glasses of rum and put to bed in the fishing huts for the night – exhausted by the day’s misadventure.  When I got home, I took a look on Google maps and sure enough, Lover’s Leap, the rough beach and the town of Pedro were exactly as described and how I imagined them to be. 

My Grandfather’s friend has very poor eyesight now.  He told me that he golfed for 50 years until his eyes went.  I said something like “that’s too bad” and he responded with “It’s OK.  Not being able to see has opened up a whole new world for me”.  Then he lifted his hands and said “These are my new eyes.  We have to be thankful and positive about what we do have, not depressed about what we don’t”.  Words of wisdom from someone who has seen it all and lived an extraordinary life.

I left that lunch exhausted from the sheer effort of getting my Grandpa there and back, up and down stairs, in and out of the car, in and out of the bathroom, yet felt totally uplifted by the conversation.  These gentlemen have lots of reasons to be morose – failing health, lost wives, lost friends, aches and pains, diminishing independence – but not them.  Together they turned into those handsome young schoolboys all over again…gossiping and laughing, completely caught up in the memories of a different time and place.  I’m sure when they all settled in for their afternoon naps, they dreamt of those happy times too.

On a side note, thanks to the ladies at Purple Garden restaurant for your patience and help.

Tale of the Tooth Fairy

My children will one day hate me for writing about them but until they can read at a grade 7 level and navigate their way through a computer, I’ll keep using them for content.

Any of who know me in person know that for the last couple of weeks my 7 year-old (the naughty one with elfin ears and a cheeky smile who greets her father with “w’sup pup?”) has had a loose front tooth.  We have been calling her ‘Snaggle Tooth’ because as this thing got looser it pointed almost straight out of her mouth like a narwhal tusk and gave her an uncanny resemblance to a much younger Nanny McPhee (minus the wart).  Anyways, as I was making dinner the other night the girls came running into the kitchen and my eldest announced that she knocked her sister’s tooth out by accidentally kicking her in the face.  Turns out they were wrestling…go figure.  They were both laughing and showed me the blood and wee tooth.  Then to prove the story, they showed me the mark on her foot left by the tooth.  I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t be laughing if someone kicked my tooth out….loose or not.

There are few things that bother me.  But heights and anything to do with teeth are on the very short list of things that turn my stomach and require deep breathing exercises.  So before I got too woozy, I asked them to go upstairs and clean up the mess and put the tooth away (they love chasing me with bloody little baby teeth).  When they came back downstairs, I’m not sure who was prouder – the kid who finally lost her tusk or the kid who kicked it out of her little face.

Then as always, I forgot to tell the Tooth Fairy.   Sometimes it takes a few nights for her to come by or she comes when they are eating breakfast because she  “had too many teeth to pick up in one night”.  One tooth sat for 4 nights under my daughter’s pillow and finally she said “I know why the tooth fairy hasn’t come.  My window was closed.”  She opened it up that night and I awoke the next morning to excited screams coming from her room.  I was confused because I was quite certain that the Tooth Fairy had forgotten to come by again.  That was when my eldest walked into my room and said “Don’t worry. I took care of it”.  That was a pretty low moment for me as a mom.  I’m not sure if it was because I forgot again or because my 10 year-old knew I would forget.  Someone should design a tooth Advent calendar – it would have 20 pockets (one for each baby tooth) and it would come stocked with  token gifts.  Then as the teeth fall out, they can help themselves to their prize so parents like me wouldn’t have to worry about remembering to make the late night swap.  I bet Martha Stewart makes one.

Our Tooth Fairy is pretty cheap too.  She doesn’t leave any denomination that comes in a bill.  And boy do I ever hear about it when little Suzie tells my kid that she got 20 bucks for her tooth.  I told my kid she’d have to lose a lot more than a tooth to get 20 bucks in this house.  She then wanted to know what would it take; a toe, a pinky finger?

In all seriousness, we have a pretty happy house.  There is lots of laughing and poking fun at mom, but we also know when to be caring, love each other and appreciate our lives.  Today, please remember why November 11th is important.  We spend so much time fussing and worrying, complaining and blethering that I think we tend to forget about the big things.  In reality we’re pretty lucky to be able fret about bad hair days, late buses, lost homework and leftovers again.  So take a moment and remember and be thankful.

Buy Cheap New or Expensive Used?

I want to buy a new couch for our TV room.  We have 2 matching love-seats right now which I love, but they are a bit small.  It’s a tad squishy for all four of us to watch movies in comfort.  Invariably someone ‘accidentally’ pokes someone else which results in an ‘accidental’ kick and that’s not even the kids.  Football Day is also little uncomfortable – four dads sipping tea, perched forward on red microfibre to avoid getting too close to what may be considered a snuggle. 

So we’ve decided to start looking for new couches.  My quandary is this…do I buy cheap new furniture or  expensive used stuff.  I mean if I have $500 to spend – do I buy a new mediocre quality faux leather sectional that smells like mothballs and feels like saran wrap.  Or do I wait until someone is ditching their down-stuffed custom couch because they no longer like the colour?  I have to say that I do really appreciate good quality things - I just don’t like paying good quality prices.  That’s why I buy used stuff.

I do love a good deal which is why used stuff is so appealing, but you also have to be careful that you don’t end up with someone’s couch that still harbours squishy broccoli that their kid hid between the cushions.  You know you can never get rid of that broccoli smell and once one kid does that, then yours will too.  Like how cats pee in the same place that another one peed – kids do it too – maybe not the peeing part, but hiding vegetables for sure.

Pets and kids are definitely a consideration when I make any big purchase; I always have to keep in mind that what you never thought could happen to a couch or a new carpet or a cashmere sweater can and does.   I replaced my old, old sofa with these red ones only six months ago as I always said that I wouldn’t get new furniture until the sippy cups were gone and the cat had died.  Well we have a new cat now and sippy cups have been replaced with drippy nail polish.  I realize that unless I want to shroud my furniture in plastic or impose kid and pet-free zones, there will always be something to worry about.  So I’ve resolved myself to the fact that at this point in my life (meaning until kids leave home), furniture is somewhat disposable.  Life happens and I refuse to get stressed out over accidental smears and spills so I don’t buy anything that a) would make me cry if it got ruined or b) is too expensive to be replaced.

So…new or used.  Well I think that once again I’ll be lurking on UsedVictoria to buy a sturdy, good quality used sectional to replace my other used couches, but I’m going for leather this time.  I want to be able to hose it down after the dog licks up the worst of the mess.

Oh and look out for my ad when I post these love-seats.  It will read something like:

Two Natuzzi  red microfibre matching loveseats.   From non smoking house.  Pets - lots: dog, cat, hamster, guinea pig and rabbit.  Those with fur allergies – don’t bother.  Kids too – dirty ones.   Those with kid allergies – move on.  Comes with matching cushions – proven sturdy through many pillow fights.  No broccoli…but did I mention that we can’t find the hamster?

PVR saved my marriage

Finally my good friend has taken my advice and chosen the path of surrender over futile resistance against the hypnotic pull of televised sporting events.  She finally got a PVR.  For those of you who haven’t yet joined the ranks of the less righteous, this means that live TV can be paused for pee breaks, replayed and recorded at the click of a button.  No more setting up the clock on the VCR to record your favourite show…only to be bitterly disappointed when you find out you’ve accidentally recorded Sesame Street at 8am instead of the lovely Jamie Oliver at 8pm.

But how did the PVR save my marriage?  Well my husband, like my friend’s, is a  sports fiend – hockey and football mostly.  But when a major sporting event like the World Cup or Olympics is on, the kids and I could go to Mexico and leave a Roomba vacuum and a couple of those flying monkeys from the Wizard of Oz to keep the house noisy and messy and he wouldn’t notice us gone.  We used to squabble when sports were on when the 5-7pm witching hour was upon us.  While I do enjoy watching hockey, the din of cheering fans and bubble-headed sportscasters was just too much to take over the regular racket of hungry kids and pets.  Now those early east coast games get PVRd so that we can have dinner and conversation, do homework and unfortunately listen to my daughter’s violin practice (sounds like she’s killing the cat) before the game goes on.  The best part of it is that 3 hours of hockey can get condensed into 1 and a half.  Brilliant!  And Football Day (known to most as Sunday) can be shortened, paused and best yet – deleted.

Now I have to say that I like the PVR too; I can record my shows while he’s watching hockey or football or sailing (major snoozefest).  There was one particular day in February that the PVR probably saved us from divorce or at least full scale mutiny.  My youngest was invited to a Birthday party that happened to be in the middle of the gold medal Olympic hockey game.  After a heated discussion about whether it would be considered bad parenting to put her in a cab, I agreed to drive her.   We had a houseful of people here for the game and when it was time to take her we paused it, I left a bucket of wings to keep everyone busy and I drove at breakneck speed (55.5km/hr) through completely deserted streets to drop her off; I may have even left the car running outside in the loading zone.  I returned home and we shut curtains, closed windows and didn’t answer the phone as we’re were watching 20 minutes behind the rest of the world, but eventually we caught up to the live broadcast and rejoiced with everyone else.  Three cheers for Canada…and the PVR!

While I’m not suggesting that TV runs our lives and I know that a lot of you are saying that I should just turn it off.  I could and I do.  But if petty squabbles over televised sports can be eliminated for pennies a day, I’m in.  We have enough to argue about.

But mom, it’s so special…

So, just want to update you on how my sales for Kidsport charity have gone.  I have sold a few things ($30 so far) but I have lots left and way more yet to put up so keep checking my list for new items at http://kidsportcharity.usedvictoria.com/

On to other things.  Yesterday a good friend of mine gave me a bag of hand-me-downs from her daughter to mine.  We love hand-me-downs in our house.  My kids don’t care whether the ‘new’ dress comes with a tag on it or if it was worn by someone else first – it’s new to them.  So while bag of used clothes causes great excitement in our house, my friend who gave me the clothes has to sneak them out of hers for fear of her little one seeing what’s being given away.  It got me thinking about how and why children hold on to their things with such fervor.  Why does the broken spider ring found under the tire of my neighbour’s car while trick or treating in 2007 mean so much when I say it’s time to throw it out?  I got my kids involved in selling their own things last week, with some success.  But at one point when I suggested to my 7 year-old that she sell her Groovy Girls that she doesn’t play with anymore she responded ”but my friend Ellie would be really upset if they weren’t here when she comes to play”.  True.  Ellie does like them and I had no response for that one.  I need to prepare better for these conversations in the future. 

So for all of you who need to get rid of some of the things your kids collect over the years, I’ve come up with a few strategies that work most of the time.

1. Purge their things when the kids aren’t around.  This worked well when the girls were young and unable to keep their own things organized and I never got rid of anything of value – sentimental or otherwise.  If you feel a little guilty about this approach, don’t get rid of the toys immediately.  Put everything in a box and store it away for a while.  If you’re child does not ask after any of the toys for a period of time (like 1 mth, 6 mths or whatever you’re comfortable with) then you can be pretty certain that you didn’t take anything noteworthy and you can feel safe about donating or selling it.
2. Or involve them in the process and sell the items either on-line or have a garage sale.  My kids were THRILLED with the idea of making money at a garage sale.  We jumped in on a neighbour’s sale this summer and the kids sold lots of stuff.  I’m sure that a few people ended up buying crap they didn’t need just because 2 cute kids convinced them they needed it.  You can even add incentive that money earned from selling old stuff can go towards something special – just make sure that you don’t end up with more than you got rid of!
3. If you have tried everything and find yourself mired in the “but it’s so special” debate, remind your kids that some children don’t have everything they want and that donating toys and clothes to charity shops is a good thing…it’s a good thing for adults too.  Lots of people insist on keeping things for sentimental reasons.  But just because that boombox that’s as big as a gas powered generator was a gift from that dreamy lifeguard you were madly in love with in the third semester of third year, that’s not a good enough reason to keep it stashed in the garage for 15 years.  Someone with a vintage collection of cassette tapes could actually use it.  It’s more valuable being used than simply being kept. 

It is sad when kids move on and stop playing with the teddy bears and playmobile sets.   It’s especially hard to pass on things that were presents, but kids grow up and change and find new interests.     I do have to admit that I have a couple boxes stored away that are filled with the girls’ special things - a few outfits worn when they were infants, souvenirs from abroad, gifts from grandparents and now deceased great grandparents.  I figure I’m allowed to keep a few things, but I had to get rid of that boombox to make room.