About That Entropy and Chaos Thing ....

I've been thinking a lot about the role of my arch-enemies Entropy and Chaos in my life. They are sneaky, sneaky opponents, that is for sure.

Every since I started this blog, I've been careful about monitoring our activities and keeping track of the nefarious plots of Entropy and Chaos to destroy Order and Organization in my home. I know you've seen my musings in earlier posts, and you will be pleased to know that I believe I have discovered another secret undertaking by these persistent forces. (And if you are not pleased, then I am certain you are in league with them, so shoo! Shoo!)

I believe I have discovered that the forces of Entropy and Chaos are in league with retailers -- especially retailers of children's toys.

At first, I thought that I was to blame and not the retailers, thinking that perhaps I had a profound weakness for holidays and a soft spot for giving the children in my life all the toys I wish I was still young enough to fit comfortably. Then I went shopping with my mother, and now I am beginning to believe that certain retailers have some sort of secret mind-altering weapon that weakens the will and opens the home to never-ending clutter.

This past Saturday I was in Toys R Us with my mother and DH. Before leaving home for my mother's house, DH and I had discussed how we just have too many toys and we need a better storage system, and toys that Toddler has outgrown need to be stored or handed down. After all, few things are as big and bulky as toddler-sized toys or come with quite as many little tiny pieces. (If you doubt my conclusion, let me remind you of hobby horses, blocks, child-sized furniture, tinkertoys, indoor playground equipment, and legos. Are you with me now?) Streamlining and storage was our goal.

So what happened? I caught myself pointing out an inflatable Mickey Mouse ball pit and extra large bag of balls that Toddler would love, and hey, it was a really good price.

Mother agreed.

She bought it.

Why did I say it?

Now I have until Christmas to figure out where to put it.

I wish I could say this was my only experience with breaking my resolve to declutter in favor of super-sized Toddler toys, but the giant diner/kitchen set from last birthday would prove me wrong. One side is a diner table with benches and a table, and one side is a kitchen. Half of it showed up for the birthday (the kitchen side). This half currently fits nicely in the real, big-people kitchen, snug against the wall.

I have until Christmas to figure out where to put the whole giant thing once the diner-side arrives under the tree from Grandma and Grandpa. The only bright side to this organizational nightmare is that the box containing the diner will no longer be living in the garage.

As you can see, the forces of Entropy and Chaos have somehow found a weakness in my psyche and are exploiting it to coax me into purchasing (or requesting for purchase) extremely difficult to store objects that measure multiple square feet AND come with many, many, many, many parts. Talk about self-defeat!

My only comfort is that I am not the only one subject to this compulsion to buy (or to want). The day after the trip to Toys R Us, my mother declined to accompany me to the Disney Store on the grounds that she might feel compelled to spend yet more money on behalf of her hoard of grandchildren.

Heck, if she has trouble resisting the impulse, then who am I to blame myself, right?

In the meantime, does anyone have one of those wizard tents from Harry Potter that are bigger on the inside than the outside? I have a ball pit, a diner, an indoor sliding board, a rocking horse, a table and chairs, a giant toybox and a ride-on airplane looking for a home. In fact, there is a giant toy castle, fully equipped with a tower and toy fireplace, too ....