What do I do with a book that my kid drew on? I hate to put it in a Little Free Library for someone else to try to read but I don’t know if I can let myself put a book in the recycling.
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Can you upcycle it into cards?
(If it’s not readable, well, it shouldn’t go into the little library)
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How bad is it? I’ve gotten lots of drawn on books through BN, FLL, and hand me downs and I do not care at all about it
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I am curious about this upcycling into cards idea. I could tear it up and make recycled paper? It’s not a board book—he got his hands on one of my library books (when he was 2 or 3).
The art is only on a few pages (near the back), and I can read it with some effort/figure out a couple of partial words from context. That seems like more effort than other people will want to go through.
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I have picked up free library books with that level of damage and enjoyed them! You know the vibe of your community, obviously
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I’d add a post it in the front and call it a day 
FLL, full disclosure edition.
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My mistake, I was thinking a children’s book with pictures
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Somehow I don’t think I will feel bad about recycling all the board books he’s drawn on! I guess older books are more “real” to me?
I’ll try putting it in the LFL with a note! Thanks, all!
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Your library might take damaged books as donations. They can be used for crafts like blackout poetry.
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I’d like to think they would have mentioned that when I paid to purchase it 
because of course of several books of mine that he drew in, the one with the worst readability is a library book.
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Before I left today to put books in the booth, I made myself look around and find something else I could get rid of. I pulled some of the books destined for the dump (I have bad carpal tunnel right now and the 50# potato bag is beyond me) and the shirt I’d already set aside to donate. There is a clothing bin next to the book bin on the way home from the antique store. So… score! 5 fewer books in the potato bag, a shirt gone at the same time.
But the big deal is that I actually thought of this.
Monday, when I had a book to put in the mail for my last mail order customer, I did something similar. I put together a mailer of polyester flowers for the woman who’s been getting my fabric culls and mailed them the same day.
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As I was packing and organizing to leave, the shampoo bottles I have had for a year that were almost done I decided were done. I also tossed out underwear that doesn’t fit that have been sitting in the drawer for several years. Bye bye!
I am now down to 2 bottles of shampoo that are also almost done, which when I get home I will use and take to my moms. This has taken a year. I also have some bottles at my moms that I like but don’t love. I want to buy fancy new shampoo damn it! Maybe I buy new and put this in the guest bathroom or for back up situations.
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Potential trigger, talking about one of mine
Bridget is gone. Bridget represented the last and only real memory of my Mom that wasn’t painful. Bridget was a rag doll with a vinyl face. She was bought about 6 months before Mom was bedridden, hospitalized and died of her alcoholism.
After that, the alcoholic she hired as a housekeeper took over. And she was my abuser.
That doll was the dividing line between the loved, happy days and the miserable, confused unhappy ones. I looked at it a couple of days ago and thought,… “You know? I get that, but I"m nearly 70. That happened when I was 3. I remember the memory. WHY do I need the doll?”
And I put it in the dump bin. It stayed there for a few days, but went to the dump in the trash bag today. It’s too worn to give away and I wasn’t sure I could do it.
But you know? I DID!!!
Does it hurt? Well, getting rid of the doll doesn’t, the memory still brings tears to my eyes, but, I DO have the happy memory … going with my Mom and the Abuser to the toy store to buy Bridget clothes. I wanted roller skates for her, but they didn’t have any. I still have that and the memory of our breakfast beforehand.
I don’t need the object, the thing. I don’t need the mixed blessing that having a possible trigger in a box could bring!
I am PROUD of myself. DH is too. He says, “It’s fine. As long as you don’t have any blowback; that would be a really bad one.”
It would. Hopefully, it won’t!
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Congratulations for doing a hard thing. I am in the process of giving away an afghan my mom crocheted - it’s pretty, but I never use it. It was found in some decluttering my Hubs started. I am washing all the washable items and figuring out keep, donate, recycle or trash. I hope you find this as cathartic as I do even for items with little sentimental value.
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I have several bins of stuff from when I was a kid that just haunt me. I keep thinking I’ve got them done then my mom shows up with more. Half of them have been mouse chewed and pooped, so it’s just never enough time or energy to deal. Well, as we’ve been giving baby gear to family as Luna outgrows stuff, our storage spaces in the high up/inaccessible part of the garage is opening up. We decided to move the memory bins up high so at least they’re not in valuable real estate before I some day get my act together and deal with the last of it. But! In the process of doing that, I realized where I left off (and was interrupted by child, naturally) was that one bin was nearly empty, two are stuff meant to go to my brothers, and one was a goodwill box! So I went from 7 bins, to 3 we’ll keep storing, with virtually no effort. (Although still have to pass my brothers their bins). Very easy win today to make a ton of primo garage space accessible.
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Also, gifting some cool magnetic gift boxes I never use, a reusable bag that zips up into a banana I forget I own and never use, and mentally acknowledged two old stored decor things I should get rid of so I’ll work on making peace with that.
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My goal this week is to declutter at least 10 things! Small steps!!
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A long journey starts with a single step - something like that 
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My cousin’s wife took some extra macrame cord. \o/
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I have piles and I do not like them. Tonight I will figure out what to do with raviolis artwork (already!!!)
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