I’m the Mom that Keeps ALL the Things

 As Spring cleaning season approaches, articles about decluttering your life and even incorporating concepts like konmari seem to pop up in every feed you see. I’ve never been much of a “Spring cleaner;” instead I just try to stay on top of the cleaning year round (except for baseboards and windowsills–who has time to clean those?!). It’s the “decluttering” part of Spring cleaning that is now proving to be an issue for me. 

We used to laugh at my mom for keeping every single tooth we ever lost; all of our old legos, playmobil pieces, and Polly Pockets; every pair of Zoo Shoes we owned; tickets stubs and mashed pennies from every event we attended/place we went; Little Tikes toys; and even our deceased jerboa (in the freezer…you know, in case we ever decided to get it stuffed). But you know what? She was always able to locate those items and tell us wonderful stories about them, and even pass them on to our kids to make new memories (except the teeth and animal carcass–those were quickly disposed of). 

One perk to having a mom who holds on to everything is getting to dress my daughter in some of my old clothes!

I never thought I would take after my mom in this area; after all, I routinely clean out my closet to donate clothes and try to keep possessions to the bare minimum, but that all changed when I got pregnant.

Why not purchase every pregnancy book I could get my hands on? After all, I could always pass them on to a friend. Don’t even get me started on how hard my husband had to fight to convince me to throw away all of those positive pregnancy tests…

Why not store my favorite baby items in the closet and attic? Nevermind the fact that we are likely a “one and done” family. 

Yes, I do need to hold on to every bottle and binky my daughter refused. You never know when she will change her mind and want them back. 

Why yes, we do need six loveys! A pair, a spare, and another spare, and another…

Yes, my 10 month old daughter does NEED more shoes than me.

And yes, I am the mom who kept her daughters’ bili light mask, blood pressure cuff, umbilical cord clamp, and her umbilical cord stump (though, I don’t know where that is at the moment).  

I will also be the mom who keeps hair from her first haircut (at this rate, she might be in Kindergarten before that happens), her first pair of shoes (and probably a dozen others), every tooth she ever loses, and I will have a hard time throwing away any coloring page she brings home from school. 

I realize that I don’t get to take these things with me when I die and there is more important things in life than “stuff.” But, I also realize that my daughter will only be little once and I don’t want to look back and regret not holding on to something that could bring a smile to my face (or tears to my eyes) a few years down the road. 

This Spring, my floor will be swept, my counters will be empty, and my house will look clean. Just don’t look in my closets, drawers, or attic…

 

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Alana Livingston
Alana is a small-town Oklahoma girl who now resides in Edmond with her husband and 1 year old daughter. She has a bachelor's degree in Business Management and an MBA in Marketing. Alana quit her job as a Marketing Director to be a SAHM when her daughter was born. She is a former Foster Mom with a huge passion for foster care. Alana loves to spend her time playing with her daughter, binge watching Netflix and Hulu, practicing yoga (practice being the key word), and hanging out with her husband.

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