Never buying anything again

We stopped by IKEA on our way home from the beach. I used to get all excited about IKEA. I mean, come on, who wouldn't?

But now? Not so much. Yeah, it is a nice place. Sure, they have some nice things. But the deal is - I don't have room in my life or my home for more stuff.

We did buy a rug for S.'s room. Her room that has taken the entire time we've lived in this house to get to the point it is now.

I'm beginning to think it was a huge mistake.

Pretty much all of it. The rug. Buying a house. The whole shebang.

Lately I've been feeling like the walls are closing in around me. I imagine trying to move all this stuff if we ever decide or are forced to move. And I get all antsy and have panic attacks - several of them, right on top of the other.

So much stuff, people.

When S. was born I was in tears because - well, we had nothing for her. Well, we had clothes and diapers, and a crib that my sister generously gave us. But that was pretty much it. I remember feeling like we were the worst parents in the world. How could this small baby ever survive without 2.5 metric tons of books, toys, knick-nacks?

I just made myself chuckle. And then get a little sick to my stomach.

See, what no one tells you is that these children will accumulate so much stuff over the years that it will be nearly impossible to ever keep up with it all.

And if you ever try to throw anything away? Wait, another chuckle. Never gonna happen. They won't LET you throw anything away.

So, we bought this rug. It is perfect. The colors we wanted. The price was good. S. and I moved the furniture. We swept and cleaned the floor. And we put the rug down. Looking pretty good!

Then we started moving the stuff back into her room. There is just NO WAY it is ever going to fit back in there. And all we did was add a 1/4" thick piece of carpet to the floor. It takes up no more space than what was in the room before. It is like someone opened one of those cans of fake pop-out snakes. Or you put up a tent and took it back down and are trying to stuff it back in its bag. Not going to happen.

We yelled. We cried. I texted for C. to bring home boxes from work. Half the stuff is still sitting in my living room. I want C. to get the full effect when he walks in the door. Mr. Sentimental is going to have to come face-to-face with the reality of this mess.

Never, ever, ever, stop at IKEA.