Reduce, reuse, recycle

We've had a pretty hectic week although I haven't really "done" anything... Next week is going to be a challenge as we are having two bedrooms replastered so have been spending all our free time trying to sort out the deritus that is taking over our bedroom. I admit it, I'm a hoarder, always have been and always will be. But I've decided to take a hold of myself and tackle it head on. So I've been clearing out my old toileteries, the childrens clothes, Christmas decorations etc etc etc. I have given a lot to charity, but will also sell some through ebay and I'm hoping to find a local NCT sale to sell some of the childrens clothes. Call me a sentimental old fool, but I find sorting through their clothes brings back all sorts of memories - I look at Bea's old clothes and find myself shocked at how small she used to be, and I look at some of James' old clothes and think of him wearing them "before we knew". So it's been a hard few days, as I'd find another tee shirt that reminded me of the happy go lucky days when our future looked rosy and bright - I know that it's not all doom and gloom for us, but it's a path I know is going to be full of bumps and dangers.

On the subject of clothes (sort of!) I was complaining about white tee shirts the other night. We have to buy quite a lot of clothes for James, first of all because he is always getting himself filthy or wet or both (he comes home from nursery in a different set of clothes EVERY day) and second of all because he chews the sleeves of his clothes and makes holes in them, to the point that he can't wear them any more. The chewing is a symptom of his sensory integration difficulties - he finds it calming, organising and reassuring. I, on the other hand, find it intensely frustrating as there are only so many tee shirts and jumpers in his wardrobe! There is a distinctive crispy feeling to the cuffs of his cardigans and jumpers as a result (the enzymes in saliva start to break the cotton down - nice!) and when the holes get too obvious I bin them. So nowadays it's bye bye Boden beauties and hello supermarket specials - these usually come in packs of 3 or 4 for £5 and my conscience is heavy at the thought of all the children being employed in sweatshops to keep James clothed. The most frustrating thing is that there's always one white/cream/pale yellow tee shirt in the pack. Now, perhaps it's just me, but there's no way I'm putting James in a white tee shirt. I've seen the state of his vests and they're not strictly exposed to the elements. So I have piles of unworn unloved white tees that end up in the charity shop bag, which alleviates my guilt a little bit. So when someone suggested dyeing them I felt like I'd hit the jackpot - it's been a long time since I did any tie dyeing but my hippy tendancies have resurfaced and I'm about to buy shares in Dylon. I do try and find "distinctive" clothes for James (although we have never actually lost him, if he is easy to spot in bright yellow or red gingham then it makes for a more relaxed trip wherever we're going) so dye is the way forward from now. James has a great selection of chocolate brown tee shirts now and Bea even got some tie dyed tights out of my experiment. For summer I'll be going for sunflower yellow I think!

I've also been thinking about what to do with all the clothes that I have to throw away - I usually take them to the fabric recycling bank, but then I came across a lovely pattern in one of my crochet books which used strips of rag. So one day I may make myself a rag rug from James' half chewed tee shirts - maybe a useful reminder of how he is now.