Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Kids, Kipple and Killing my Inner-Pack-Rat

I discovered a new word recently when reading Phoebe North's blog post The War on Kipple.  Kipple is a word invented by the author Philip K. Dick which means stuff that accumulates, seemingly on it's own, possibly by breeding. Or possibly just by people possessing inner-pack-rats.
We have a lot of Kipple. I, by my very own self, accumulate whole seas of kipple. (I acquired this trait honestly via my folks. I'm not sure what my beloveds excuse is and why we need those 5 extra computers stored in the shed. Not that any of my old computers are going anywhere. Um..) Add the kids kipple to that and we have managed to cram oceans of the stuff into a not particularly large space. We've decided it's time to act. 
No more kipple! Down with kipple! Death to the Inner-Pack-Rat!
If we don't love it, if we don't need it, if we haven't got round to mending it in a year, it's going to go. 
I feel all catharasised just thinking about it. OMMMMMMM.....
The inner pack-rat, the one that says... oooh, pretty... has to be brutally slain. The other one that says... 'hmmm. In the event of a nuclear holocuast/global meltdown we might need this,'  will also have to be killed. 
From now, we're going with the minimalist look. 
We've started on the kids playroom - two garbage bags of rubbish, and two garbage bags of toys to go. The remainder of the toys will be stored - except for the 5 toys the kids will get to play with each week - and which will rotate. 
The same thing is going to happen to their books... My collection policy will be brutal. 
Then we pare down the linens and the kitchen 'stuffs' and... gulp... my books and then move on to clothes... 
And we might actually be able to keep things in a relatively orderly state. 
And when it's all gone? 
Then we start guarding against the insidous onslaught of more kipple! (It's coming to get us, it's after us!) 
I think we're going to start with a blanket ban on plastic toys. And then start a one thing in - one thing out policy. 
We can do this. 
We can kill those Kipple-loving Inner- Pack-rats. (We're not thinking Angelina Ballerina style little fluffy things here, we're thinking vampire rodents with red eyes and fang like teeth. We will brace ourselves and stake those creatures-of-the-night!)
A bit of poison, a few traps. Sorry...  a lot of will-power and a few dozen garbage bags...
Sorted. 

7 comments:

  1. Sounds Ominous at your house this week. Enjoy your cathartic clean out. You will feel all the mOre powerful for it.

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    1. I am hoping that all will be less chaotic when we reach the end of the great Throw-Out... And I'll get back to the clearing out right after I finish this book...

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  2. Remember the Op shops when clearin out - one person's kipple is another person's 'wow, what a find!' -and the money goes to charity

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    1. Sigh... but unless everythings cleaned and mended they don't want it... I have a pile out the back if you'd like to come and clean and mend...!

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  3. Hope this ha nothing to do with me coming down next week. I am not known for having kipple tendencies but I do like to contribute to others. Note to Ingrid- unpack the 20 new toys you bought!

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    1. Not to do with you coming down (although we do think it would be good if you can see the floor!) With me working a little more and writing a lot more house-stuff is getting on top of us and we're looking for all possible shortcuts!
      Um... we wouldn't want the new toys to get lonely by themselves up in Queensland... we can put them on this weeks and next weeks rotation!

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