Clean Up Time: Someone's Trash is Someone's Treasure

Today a friend stopped by to pick up some Dutch books for his daughter. Well, he might have gotten more than he bargained for, because he left the house with two big bags full of books, a bunch of plastic toys, a Nijntje stuffed animal, Nijntje plate & silverware, a small stack of swim diapers (unspoiled :-) ), and a wooden cart for learning how to walk. It's so funny, because all these things were very dear to me once (well, perhaps all except the plastic toys), and now we really can do very well without. Simon and Thomas are too old for them, and while I was keeping some items for either sentimental reasons (the Nijntje plate), because they sometimes still used them (the plastic toys), or general laziness (the diapers), there is no point in shipping them to China. (Or "back" to China, as probably is the case for a lot of these items!)

Well, this was just the beginning. A lot more has to go. I spent all evening cleaning up the boys' clothes and put together some packages for friends and for general "recycling" of the clothes. Let me know if there is anything you need from our house... I'd be happy to get rid of it!

P.S. Don't know who Nijntje is? Visit www.nijntje.nl. Everyone in Holland grew up with this lovely rabbit who is known also as Miffie in the U.S. See the picture on the right, which I believe is titled, "Nijntje thinks about China."