The first bite.
Well, I happened to be near the coloring cupboard (near the table — oh, here. I’ll show you. The coloring books went in the cupboard behind Doodle.)
June 2007 - still moving in
A concept from that book popped into my mind:
“Is the activity using resources, or wasting resources?”
Now that I think about it objectively, I’m not sure if a coloring book in itself really is a “consume-it” commodity. When Cinderella colors, she is technically “using” the resource, not just using it up. The goal is to color well, and she generally very carefully achieves it.
Is coloring in a useful skill? Maybe. I don’t know for sure.
We could have a lengthy discussion about it, but who wants to read a post about the virtues and vices of coloring books?
Me neither. Maybe later.
Here’s an easy question for you, though.
Do I need 40,000 coloring books for one kid? No.
Do I need a small mountain of books, papers, and junk by that cupboard every time the 2yo wants to do what big sister does? Heck no.
So… I let Cinderella pick ONE coloring book. One. The rest all got tossed into a box marked, “free” and met their destiny in the dance class foyer. I hope they find happy homes. If it didn’t just happen to be dance-day, they woulda been out with the recycling.
Change #1:
No, I didn't just shove everything to the top shelf.
One whole shelf in one cupboard, cleaned out, wiped down, left empty. Check.
Cost: 5 minutes.
Satisfaction, Space, and Time reclaimed: Priceless.
Stay tuned for the next step… It gets better!
PS: After much deliberation, I’ve decided. For your information, coloring books fall in the “waste-the-resource” category. Eventually it is headed for the trash, it creates nothing of lasting value.
C still gets to keep her ONE because I’m okay with her having a nice quiet wind-down activity like that. Perhaps by the time she’s done with it, we won’t feel the need to replace it… I’ll eat that bite when I get to it. 
I think that coloring books have a place, espeically with those younger than C where those fine motor skills are still really raw. C is definitely not in that stage anymore.
So, yay for you! One shelf down – way to just jump in there! Can’t wait to see what else you conquer. Go Anita!
Good job! Just think of the elation you feel over that one shelf and times it by 100 or however many other shelves and drawers you have. It feels so great to toss!
I got rid of the coloring books too. I don’t want my children to learn to color. I want them to become artists.
Way to go! I agree about coloring books. When I was little, we mostly used scratch paper to color on. No extra paper waste!
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I have never bought a coloring book.
So why do we have a dozen?
How do you convince aunts to stop buying junk you don’t want in your house?
Great question. I suppose it depends on the relative & the reasons they’re buying you junk. Can you talk to them about it?
Bottom line is that we have control over what comes in our home and what stays there.
I often just stash things away and regift them later. That could set me up for an embarrassing situation if I regifted something back to the person who gave it to us… But… Oh well.