Minimalism: Media

10 VHS tapes.   Yep, that is how this weeks project started.  I chose our media for this weeks attempts at realistic minimalism partly because my son asked me, "Hey mom, how was it that you used to watch movies when you were a kid...those big black things, right?"  I told him we had little ones too...(remember those Beta machines?)  Geez...nothing like your kid making you feel ancient to encourage you to get rid of some of your antiquities.  I will say though that the only VHSes we had left were in fact Disney and with the genius of that company, only allowing you to buy their videos when they are out of the "vault", I did not want to get rid of them at first, only to not be able to replace them for ten years.  Then I realized looking at them that the kids had not asked to watch any of those movies in years and yes, sadly, we do have a VHS player...it's one of those DVD/VHS combos.

I started making a pile of other movies the kids had not watched in forever and a couple of them that drive me absolutely batty!  Like those stupid Wonder Pets!  Oh my gosh there is this one on there where they help a puppy get outside the house so he can go potty and then they all have to go in the yard...the kids kept begging to act it out.  My attempts at convincing them that they were not a duck, turtle, or hamster fell on deaf ears.  Ugh, and that song...Wonder Pets, Wonder Pets, we're on our way!  I quickly hid that one at the bottom of the pile just in case the kids wander into the room and declare that I can't possibly get rid of that movie because it is their absolute favorite! (Note: they have not watched this movie in a couple of years, but that won't matter because as soon as I want to get rid of it, then it is their absolute favorite!)  Speaking of the potty, since my children are all potty trained then I can also get rid of this equally annoying Potty video!!!  Hallelujah, Amen!

I am able to get rid of a couple of movies of ours as well for a grand total of 18 movies!!  I even alphabetize ours, but not the kids as that would be ridiculously silly and short lived.  We actually don't have too many movies...my parents have an entire wall of movies that they probably never watch twice.  I remember as a kid going to Blockbuster and begging to be the one to stick the movies in the slot and choose a movie for this week's movie night.  Now we just see what is on On Demand from the comfort of our couch.  Not quite as exciting, but it at least saves gas.  I also remember to recycle all of the cardboard covers for the movies that have them...partly because Levi finds them extremely annoying and superfluous...also his view on pricey greeting cards, but I digress.  Pretty soon, we will just be buying digital copies of our movies and the BluRay will be a thing of the past and our children will be the ones feeling old...Ha!

I organized the few Xbox games that we have...can't get rid of anything in that pile.  I also organize the kids Leapster and DS games and throw out some directions that I am quite sure that we don't need anymore...like how to install batteries into your controller.  I find a couple of Leapster games to donate.  I attempt to organize the bane of my existence...the Skylander basket.  People complain often at the pain that occurs when you step on a rogue Lego or Barbie shoe...they have obviously never stepped on a Skylander.  My boys for a while there wanted to collect them ALL...darn brilliant companies that have figured out how to suck us dry. Because of course in your quest to have the kids save up and collect them themselves, they come out with a new Skylanders game with a new collection of figures to collect...and then if that wasn't bad enough, they do it again!!  Of course, they hardly ever play it as they are too interested in playing that cheap game with 80s graphics that has no end and no winner...Minecraft!  Levi told me a funny story from Cub Scout camping where all the kids knew what obsidian was...at least that silly game is teaching them something along with preparing for the zombie apocalypse...wondering what subliminal messages I can convince the creators to add in the next mod update.  Oh, how fickle are our children.

I cleaned out our random electronic drawer that holds a couple of extra remotes(remember when we didn't have one...now we have six, no matter how many times they swear they have made a "universal" remote...we still can't get less than three), little DMV video tapes from our old school video recorder, walkie talkies, Monster cleaner and a rag for cleaning the TV screen (remember when we could just use Windex?), and those two random things that we can't figure out what they go to so we can't git rid of them until we figure it out and we probably don't even have it anymore.  (deep breath...sorry for the run on)

I opened the cabinet with our remaining CDs and close it again as I decide that that may have to be a separate project.  We got rid of a bunch when we moved and we eventually want to save the rest on our computer and keep a very rare few for posterity.  I did pull out an old cheap 35mm camera that I used in college.  I guess I will donate it, but I can't imagine anyone wanting it...do they even sell film anymore?  This project is making me feel medieval.  Kind of like when my kids ask if they had cars in the 70s when I was born.  What are they teaching these kids in Social Studies?

I start to feel accomplished and then remember that we have a Wii in the play room...Gosh doggit.  I go through and find a couple of games to donate and wonder if I can get Levi to ditch the Guitar Hero...will have to ask him...when the kids aren't around as again...well, you know...hmm...maybe the getting rid of it incognito will work for him too...eh, better not.

Any real minimalist is probably now horrified at the amount of things we still own.  I think there is probably a healthy balance for us between this:

which has all the warmth of a hospital waiting room...and this:

which quite honestly just gives me the hibbie jibbies.  I got the kids to clean their rooms once by making them watch hoarders...questionable parenting practice, I know...but desperate times call for desperate measures.

Okay, so my house has never been quite as bad as the last pic, but it can get a bit cluttered which drives Levi crazy and if I am quite honest with myself stresses me out too.  So thanks for going on this journey with me to become at least a little more minimalist.  Although I sometimes wonder if having one of those shipping containers to live in would be a whole lot less to clean, I know that in reality I would feel claustrophobic and unhappy in that environment.  

kinda cute though, like your very own clubhouse

To each his own of course, and who knows maybe someday small spaces won't make me freak, but I doubt it.  But I do want to limit the "stuff" that we accumulate not only to kick the clutter to the curb, but to save money and be able to spend more time and energy on the things that are important.  Namely Levi and those little rugrats that make me feel old...and those things I want to do...hike, learn to salsa, travel, and all the other things I haven't thought of yet.