Lego Therapy
This is what I have:
But this is what I want:
Ahhh. Just looking at that neat storage brings my blood pressure down a notch.
And so on Monday while we were at home for MLK day, the kids and I began the process of organizing a decade’s worth of Legos by color. It all began because I was watching Nature Boy dig through our coffin-sized clear plastic bin to find one tiny special piece that he absolutely had to have for what he was building. It was actually the deafening sound of that digging… that relentless, high pitched digging. Can you picture it? The sound that several million little plastic pieces make when being rubbed against each other in a sound amplifying plastic box? Not pleasant.
The process of sorting Legos by color, I must admit, is actually a bit therapeutic. Swishing your hands back and forth through all those little sharp-cornered plastic bits feels pretty good on the ol’ meat hooks. I’m surprised, frankly, that Mini-Me hasn’t taken off her shoes yet to walk through the pile since she has such a penchant for unconventional sensory input devices. I once witnessed that kid whip off her shoes at The Bead Bayou and plunge her sweaty little tootsies into a bowl of Swarovski crystals as I ran in slow motion toward her shouting “Nooooooooooooooooo!” My apologies to the Beading Community at large… for my lack of parental control in addition to the very likely possibility that your beads smell like Fontina cheese.
My innately work-averse Nature Boy is very excited about the potential outcome of this project. He loves the idea of being able to find what he wants without having to work so hard in the future. He’s not so keen, however, on helping me sort. And the other two are about as useful as poopy flavored lollipops (quick – name that movie!). So… this might take a while. If you’re looking for me, I’ll be in the basement.
Nature Boy also pointed out to me that separating black and white Legos on Martin Luther King Jr. day is just plain wrong. Damn, that kid is such a mench. And no, he still hasn’t ever won a Principal Pal Award, thanks for reminding me. Bet Dr. King never won one either. All that aside, the overall spirit of the Lego Sorting Project was to serve my children and support their creativity. Oh, and to put the kibosh on that hellish digging sound. But mostly, to serve others. And get a free hand massage.
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?'” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
© Copyright 2011, The Bearded Iris
10 comments on “Lego Therapy”
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Have you seen my tweezers?
Hi, I'm Iris. I'm a suburban hostage with excessive facial hair and a penchant for boxed wine. Sometimes I feel like an invisible vessel for grandchildren and PTA donations. I take pictures of my dog's poop. Welcome to my blog.
Shall we dance?
Obsession du Jour
The Bearded Iris 
Did you know there are several books on how to build things with Legos after you’re tired of the starship?
Oooh, really? Any in particular you recommend? My brood grows tired of the starship within 2 hours of completion. As opposed to a classmate of
Nature Boy who lovingly enshrines each completed Lego set in a special display case with glass doors… cryogenically frozen for future sale on eBay. Oh, and there’s another kid in my n’hood who disassembles his sets and stores them in the original packaging with the instructions. My poor kids. They don’t have a chance.
Dodgeball =)
YES! Finally! We have a winner!!! That movie cracks me up. Thanks for reading Colleen, and for getting my obscure movie reference! 🙂
YES! Finally! We have a winner!!! That movie cracks me up. Thanks for reading Colleen, and for getting my obscure movie reference! 🙂
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We have been using the empty large plastic Costco pretzel/cookie containers to hold our Legos. The lids screw on so they can be knocked over without spilling. They are clear so you can see what is inside without having to open the top. One drawback – you need to finish off the food to have the container – not a quick fix unless you host a gathering. We started collecting the containers at the beginning of my son’s Lego career so his collection has grown as we’ve finished off each container. On another note – we have the bulk of the Legos up in our loft area so I keep a metal pail with a handle (in the $1 aisle at Target) downstairs so I can put any Legos I “find” (aka step on) into the bucket each day – then at the end of the day I take the pail upstairs to add the contents back to whichever container is closest.
Oh that sounds great – and cheap too! I’ll have to look for those containers next time I’m at Costco. We still have K’Nex, Lincoln Logs, Hot Wheels, etc. to think about and I do NOT want to buy anything else for organizing! Thanks for sharing! – Iris
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