Katrina: The Pack Rat

My daughter is a pack rat. And I say that with deep love, affection and more than a touch of annoyance...She keeps everything! She has toys that belonged to her when she was two that she doesn't want to get rid of (fortunately my mom has storage space for them). She can't pass a yard sale or thrift shop without rescuing some poor stuffed animal from it's unloved, unwanted status. Toy breaks? You would think we could throw it away...only if I can prove the broken bits are dangerous. Otherwise they must be kept in case the parts can at some point be used in some other fashion...say building a clubhouse. I guess I should be glad that my daughter is the consummate recycler! If only we had the space...

She can't keep her room clean. Part of it is her nature...she has a tendency to get stuff out and leave it out when she is done (an ongoing battle as I am the exact opposite - but she gets both the clutter tendency and the pack rat habits from her father). The other reason she can't keep her room clean is there isn't enough for all of her stuff! She finally got tired of the stuffed animals covering her bunk beds, but she wasn't willing to let them go...so, we have two big plastic tubs and three garbage bags in her closet full of stuffed animals. There are two other plastic tubs - one holds dress up items and one holds blankets. Then there is a dresser for clothes, a dresser for hair stuff and other small stuff/souvenirs. She has a book shelf filled with books, a hamster cage, and other odds and ends. She has another book shelf with LPS items and another hamster cage and two jewelry boxes she has been given. And in the middle of the floor, there is a box of more odds and ends...pokemon cards, hairdresser play stuff, papers....so today, we picked up some clear shoeboxes from Walmart for 94 cents each. We will sort the odds and ends and put the boxes neatly on the book shelf. Hoping that for awhile...she will be able to keep her room clean.

However, I am afraid the 9' x 10' room is going to explode!