{"id":121,"date":"2011-02-20T15:01:16","date_gmt":"2011-02-20T20:01:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/?page_id=121"},"modified":"2017-07-16T01:07:25","modified_gmt":"2017-07-16T05:07:25","slug":"memory-lane","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/legacy.childrenofhoarders.com\/?page_id=121","title":{"rendered":"Memory Lane"},"content":{"rendered":"

Trips Down Memory Lane<\/strong><\/p>\n

Quotes shared by children of hoarders:
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Curdled Milk!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Numerous half filled bottles…of ketchup\/mustard\/pickles <insert food item of choice, half filled crammed into refrigerator haphazardly, with brand new ones crammed in there too<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Fleas<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Flea infestations that can’t be remedied because there are too many flea eggs\/larvae hidden in the stuff!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Fly Strips Hanging down, slapping you on side of face (Guess where flies come from?)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Fruitflies–Almost as annoying as houseflies<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Scabies–And being introduced to what “quelling solution” is<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Maggots-Really don’t need a description–often found under the 15 year old sack of rotten pototoes, in the bottom of a pile<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Filled freezers and fridges<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Ovens used for storage, forgetting\/not-knowing stuff in there, pre-heating the oven and having a “meltdown.”
\n(But of course it was *your fault*, because you didn’t check inside the oven first)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Broken Refrigerators Used For Storage-Repairmen don’t come in, so they stay broken and become…storage containers!
\nHopefully food was removed, but often not, so they become……really STINKY storage containers and you pray the seal is a good one and keeps the bugs out and the smell in. Guess who (usually) finally gets the pleasure of cleaning them out one day?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

When refrigerator not working, food\/drinks put out on porch\/other creative method to keep cold.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/a>Meal Moths-Taking a spoonful of <insert food of choice>…and finding a meal moth in it! Pouring the cereal…<getting into crackers-flour-insert dried food of choice> and finding meal moths in it!
\n(Because they lay their eggs in the boxes)Want to read more about your old friends? Go here<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Mold-Making a nice tasty sandwich…take a bite…then you look at the sandwich in your hands and there is mold on the bread! <insert same scenario for cheese…juice…donuts, etc.>GAG!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Loading up the extension cords and power strips<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Bedbugs<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

No Running Water-Having to lug buckets of water to flush-Bathing at the kitchen sink<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Ironing Boards–Using the ironing board(s) for teetering multi-storage<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Clothes hanging on the shower rod, on top of door frames<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

On Christmas and birthdays…Being told when opening (trying to open) gifts with childhood wonderment:
\n“Don’t rip the wrapping paper!” “Save it, it’s still good!!”
\n“DON’T WRINKLE IT-I can reuse it!!” “DON’T WRECK IT!” “Save that bow!”<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Lots and lots of cleaning supplies-hoarded and not used<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Micromanagement-…of what we are doing, especially when trying to help them.<\/p>\n

…Standing over us or pulling up a chair to sit there and watch…while critiqueing.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

3\/2010, sent in by site visitors:<\/p>\n

Piles upon piles of coupons and newspapers “to be looked at later”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

My 20 year old prom dress with the fresh aroma of moth balls.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Not being allowed to throw your OWN stuff away<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Apr 12 2010:<\/p>\n

Any of the 26 (mostly feral) cats I was forced to live with during my teen years, and being told that finding them new homes, going to the pound, or humanely removing any of them of was “like getting abortions”. Never mind that most of them never saw a vet, never got shots, never were spayed\/neutered to prevent further multiplication, and many never even got a name… and one of them, who spontaneously died sitting under the coffee table, ended up in our apartment complex’s dumpster.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Apr 15 2010:<\/p>\n

omg-thank you to whomever posted the wrapping paper comment.I insist my children rip the paper but i still feel guilty if i don’t carefully remove the tape ever so delicately to this day. Years of artfully unwrapping gifts have engrained a style of unwrapping gifts only COH’rs understand. I do sometimes rip paper myself but a twinge of guilt always surfaces at this glutenous extravagance.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Apr 27 2010:<\/p>\n

I was terrified of my house catching fire. A normal rescue would be made double by the mess. I ate meals with a melon-baller or apple corer or with my fingers because there was never clean silverware. I remember silverfish, centepedes, spiders, fleas, mice, flies and maggots. The bathroom was covered in black mold- pieces of moldy grout used to fall into my bathwater. I partially cleaned her out about two years ago at her request (as a “mother’s day present”) and filled a 25 foot dumpster. While there, I discovered that one of her 13(?) cats had had kittens on the carpet and she hadn’t cleaned up the placenta… but my mom won’t even let me come to her house anymore…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Apr 24 2010:<\/p>\n

Wow, like a few people I wasn’t embarrassed. It is was it is… and still is at the moment. I’m so glad I found this site as I am a child of a hoarder. I’m almost 30 myself & my mother is still hoarding on the side. 10 Years of storage before we got it cleaned out. Then 6 months go by, another unit & everything put back in again. Now it’s been almost another 10 years… YIKES! Now after numerous years, a blessing in disguise, we now have to empty it out, manditorily. Storages are blackholes for money especially when you are not using anything inside at all. Thanks for all that you do!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Jul 21 2010:<\/p>\n

Nothing here has surprised or shocked me. I can imagine my mother doing many of the things I have read on COH. I am 43 now and have lived with this directly and indirectly all my life. What I notice hasn’t been sai is how the disorganisation makes them late for everything so socially things become consistently embarrassing away from the home too! Money was tight for my mum when it started and she was low with my abusive father’s treatment of the home and family. He would smash everything up. I suppose she kept things in case she needed them because of that at first; he would tear all our clothes up for example. As the mess has progressed and the wedge placed between us widened, I became the’knowitall’. She is also very jealous and bitter about everyone else that manages ok; always a reason why it has been easier for them too. I wish I could find more on suppport for my emotional baggage. I feel shame, gulit, embarrasment, loss, neglect, unvalued. I worry if I might be the same because of anything I do that remotely resembles that behaviour. I’m not a clean freak thank God but I cant gauge whats normal either and so am always so hard on myself about my ability to keep house.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

May 05 2010<\/p>\n

My mother raised chickens in our kitchen.\u00a0They started out as “peeps” in trays, then got bigger, louder and smellier.\u00a0Then we had to construct a chicken coop for them to live in.\u00a0My sister and I had to feed and clean up after the chickens.\u00a0I stepped on a nail one day and had to go to the hospital to get a tetnus shot.\u00a0I hated the chickens and the nasty chicken coop.\u00a0My mother wanted to raise the chickens to save money on groceries.\u00a0I was happy when we butchered them.\u00a0Unfortunately, they were not tasty in any way and were quite small.\u00a0The amount of money that went into nurturing them was probably more than it would have cost to go to the grocery store and buy some chickens on sale.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

May 26 2010:<\/p>\n

Cleaning Supplies-
\nTons of bottles, boxes, etc of cleaning supplies.\u00a0All unused and filthy on the outside.
\n“Icky bags” – my hoarder mother’s term
\nFilled with used Depends, dirty underwear, snot rags, etc.\u00a0Hanging on door knobs.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Again, collected from the online support group for COH:<\/strong><\/p>\n

“These are a few of our least favorite things”….<\/p>\n

1) plastic shopping bags<\/p>\n

2) 50 lb catfood bags<\/p>\n

3) individual condiments (salt pepper ketchup)<\/p>\n

4) cardboard cup containers (drink carriers from McDonalds)<\/p>\n

5) bread bags<\/p>\n

6) duct tape<\/p>\n

7) newspapers<\/p>\n

8 ) 1 gallon milk jugs<\/p>\n

9) Dept 56 “collectibles”<\/p>\n

10) pens \/ pencils<\/p>\n

11) batteries<\/p>\n

12) napkins from fast food restaurants<\/p>\n

13) bread ties<\/p>\n

14) the maid who never came on Thursday<\/p>\n

15) phone books<\/p>\n

16) stacks of printed emails<\/p>\n

17) empty boxes (just in case)<\/p>\n

18) shopping bags full of other empty shopping bags<\/p>\n

19) QVC packaging<\/p>\n

20) travel brochures<\/p>\n

21) brittle rubber bands<\/p>\n

22) out-of-date “points” from food packages<\/p>\n

23) 40-year-old chemicals<\/p>\n

24) Stacks of magazines that one has to step on, thus honing your surfing skills<\/p>\n

25) dead flower arrangements<\/p>\n

26) free sheets of return address labels<\/p>\n

27) bubble wrap padded envelopes<\/p>\n

28) free samples of lotion\/shampoo\/anything<\/p>\n

29) canned vegetables<\/p>\n

30) VHS tapes (recordings of television)<\/p>\n

31) used wrapping paper and ribbons<\/p>\n

32) plastic deli containers<\/p>\n

33) those DAMN plastic rings off of milk gallons!!!<\/p>\n

34 Appointment cards for doctors, haircuts, etc<\/p>\n

35) Silverfish<\/p>\n

36) little calendars from realtors, insurance agents, etc<\/p>\n

37) National Geographics-they’re collectible!<\/p>\n

38) wedding favors<\/p>\n

39) baskets of mismatched socks-“the mates are somewhere”<\/p>\n

40) crushed rolls of wrapping paper<\/p>\n

41) “collectible” toys from McDonalds happy meals<\/p>\n

42) Beanie Babies<\/p>\n

43) pet urine soaked rugs that “just need to be aired”<\/p>\n

44) plastic canvas for crafting (yarn and cross-stitch too)<\/p>\n

45) Receipts<\/p>\n

46) used depends<\/p>\n

47) construction sized dumpsters in multiples<\/p>\n

48) avon, avon, avon, did I say avon?<\/p>\n

49) cookbooks, cookbooks, cookbooks<\/p>\n

50) bundt pans<\/p>\n

51) ancient takeout food<\/p>\n

52) hoard refrigerators<\/p>\n

53) hundreds of medicine cups from the hospital<\/p>\n

54) plastic silverware<\/p>\n

55) christmas presents from years ago that were never given<\/p>\n

56. Plastic plates -I still refuse to eat off of them<\/p>\n

57. tupperware<\/p>\n

58. outdated mice crap coated spices -still has rows and rows<\/p>\n

59. old bulging cans of food-enough already!<\/p>\n

60. freezers-don’ t open don’t open!!!<\/p>\n

61. flea markets-used to like ’em<\/p>\n

62. cookbooks-I have one modest bookcase of them<\/p>\n

63. anything from grandmas house of horrors<\/p>\n

64. antique stores-used to like these too<\/p>\n

65. magazines-love National Geo- I throw mine away when done!<\/p>\n

66. newspapers-must cancel subscription, thought I had time, I don’t<\/p>\n

67. coupons-I hate hate hate Piles of coupons!<\/p>\n

68. rotting pieces of reclaimed wood stacked in neat piles (rusty nails and all.)<\/p>\n

69. crumbling reclaimed bricks and cracked concrete blocks (“gonna build an apartment building”)<\/p>\n

70. chainsaws<\/p>\n

71.plastic trays from frozen dinners<\/p>\n

72. cereal boxes and empty cereal bags<\/p>\n

73. cake mixes infested with bugs (“just a little extra protein”)<\/p>\n

74. the smell of frozen stale bread<\/p>\n

75. rotten potatoes<\/p>\n

76. rotten onions<\/p>\n

77. used toothbrushes<\/p>\n

78. used disposable razor blades<\/p>\n

79. yogurt containers<\/p>\n

80. dried herbs hanging everywhere<\/p>\n

81. junk mail<\/p>\n

82. tiny scraps of paper with “important” notes scrawled on them<\/p>\n

83. magazines<\/p>\n

84. anything that the dogs have chewed up (it still might be good)<\/p>\n

85. bathtubs too full of crap to actually use<\/p>\n

86. a fireplace full of old credit card solicitations (they must be burned to protect against identity theft, but she only gets around to it once a year or so)<\/p>\n

87. Tiny scraps of saved soap.<\/p>\n

88. Rinsed (or unrinsed!) cat food tins *for recycling*.<\/p>\n

89. Old clothes from the last 40 years or so.<\/p>\n

90. Tools and other totally inappropriate things which end up living on sofas and floor space in the house.<\/p>\n

91. Extras of things like toasters, kettles *because it was a good deal*.<\/p>\n

92. Gadgets and items- especially large ones- that were fad buys (good deal) and used only a handful of times, then sit taking up counter space or floor space for years.<\/p>\n

93. Dozens of salvaged electronic\/electric al equipment such as computers, mini photocopiers (about a dozen!), TV’s etc.<\/p>\n

94. Catalogues and brochures<\/p>\n

95. Books especially bought from secondhand shop or book clubs<\/p>\n

96.”The Lady” magazine<\/p>\n

97. Newspaper cuttings about “Important Things” or recipes<\/p>\n

98. Kitchen gadgets(especially when more than one of each item)<\/p>\n

99. Crockery especially earthenware<\/p>\n

100. Empty envelopes<\/p>\n

101. Junk Jewellery<\/p>\n

102. Shoes<\/p>\n

103. Clothes that do not fit<\/p>\n

104. Anything still in its wrapper<\/p>\n

105. Shopping bags full of decomposing fruit<\/p>\n

106. Little ramekins\/teak nibbles trays\/scallop shaped dishes\/implements for eating lobster\/baking tins and anything else purchased for elaborate entertaining<\/p>\n

107. Empty cardboard boxes<\/p>\n

108. Any items brought home from hotel rooms\/restaurants<\/p>\n

109. Anything bought as a present<\/p>\n

110. Tea cosies (NB this is probably a UK specific fetish)<\/p>\n

111. Plant pots<\/p>\n

112. Interior of freezer\/refrigerator (especially if switched off!)<\/p>\n

113. Birthday and Xmas cards<\/p>\n

114. Fleas.<\/p>\n

115. Unused but too old to use, cleaning supplies<\/p>\n

116. Large Plastic storage containers with no matching lids<\/p>\n

117. Grass that goes in Easter \/gift Baskets. Tinsel.<\/p>\n

118. bags of old newspapers<\/p>\n

119. Hardcover Organizing books<\/p>\n

120. Dolls & toys that come to life w\/batteries where no children visit<\/p>\n

121. Things children really needed at one time, but were never given.<\/p>\n

122. plastic potty trays(?) & pitchers from hospitals and nursing homes<\/p>\n

123. unrolled ribbon & thread spools around wire hangers<\/p>\n

124. Dried up cat-o-nine tails retrieved from roadside<\/p>\n

125. garages that can’t fit cars<\/p>\n

126. 1\/8 filled bottle of anything<\/p>\n

127. carpets needing Shop-Vacs<\/p>\n

128 wet cat food crusted on plates<\/p>\n

129. Bags from Christmas craft fairs w\/food & bugs inside.<\/p>\n

130. spider sacs<\/p>\n

131. Things from my childhood I’m very HAPPY to see, because then I falsely pretend I could care less about them, try to turn into a rock with no emotions, so I don’t encourage anything being saved<\/p>\n

132. photographs in magazines<\/p>\n

133. country-cutesy angel stuff<\/p>\n

134. Clothes hanging on doorframes\/showerrods<\/p>\n

135. Cabinets that won’t stay closed<\/p>\n

136. moldy oranges<\/p>\n

137. Decorations, new, unused, crushed<\/p>\n

137. plastic pots that plants\/flower arrangments came in<\/p>\n

138. tupperware with no matching lids<\/p>\n

139. Bread crusts cut off and left on counters<\/p>\n

140. Any maganize over 2 years old, especially Woman’s Day & Family Circle<\/p>\n

141. things that fall off refrigerator door when opened<\/p>\n

142. more than 2 potato mashers\/other utensil in a drawer that won’t close<\/p>\n

143. empty banana boxes<\/p>\n

144. tax paperwork mixed with National Enquirers<\/p>\n

145. Dead plants in bathtub. For decades.<\/p>\n

146. full, unopened bags from The Christmas Tree Shop, TJ Maxx, Walmart<\/p>\n

147. Paperwork and photos teetering precariously on anything<\/p>\n

148. More than 3 of the same spice in a cupboard<\/p>\n

149. scraps of food saved for “squirrels”<\/p>\n

150. Stuff with cats on it it<\/p>\n

151. Things of MINE I’ve thrown away but appear again<\/p>\n

152. fruit flies<\/p>\n

153. Beanie babies that cost over $100 each with plastic tag protectors on them to guard “collectibility factor” that aren’t used for target practice or sandbags<\/p>\n

154. car trunks with no room<\/p>\n

155. things that are *probably* an antique and will be “worth a lot of money someday”<\/p>\n

156. Unopened Reynolds Wrap, Saran Wrap & Ziplocs<\/p>\n

157. making a delicious sandwich, getting ready to take bite, finding bread is moldy<\/p>\n

158. Finding fleas on yourself at work (this happened at my first job when I was 14)<\/p>\n

159. Paper bathroom cups left around half-filled with water and fleas<\/p>\n

160. Earplugs<\/p>\n

161. Dried cat s**t<\/p>\n

162. Cardboard boxes<\/p>\n

163. Outlet malls<\/p>\n

164. Pantry moths<\/p>\n

165. Pantry moth larvae<\/p>\n

166. Mattresses without sheets<\/p>\n

167. Christian romance novels<\/p>\n

168. Those sticky, curly fly traps hanging EVERYWHERE<\/p>\n

169. Starbucks cups with iced tea from the day before, or the day before that..<\/p>\n

170. Phone calls from my dad at 7:30 in the morning<\/p>\n

171. Phone calls from my dad at 11:30 at night a few days later<\/p>\n

172. Willful unemployment, while I’m double-majoring and working 30 hours a week<\/p>\n

173. Flea foggers<\/p>\n

174. fast food bags<\/p>\n

175. packets of ketchup<\/p>\n

176. plastic spoons, forks<\/p>\n

177. empty paper coffee cups\/lids<\/p>\n

178. empty food containers<\/p>\n

179. miracle vitamin\/supplement du jour<\/p>\n

180. anything pertaining to “secret cures the FDA doesn’t want you to know about”<\/p>\n

181. anything pertaining to “make millions at home”<\/p>\n

182. anything pertaining to “take this pill and lose weight without changing your eating habits”<\/p>\n

183. shredded up pizza delivery boxes<\/p>\n

184. plastic soft drink bottles shoved under the bed<\/p>\n

185. Flea-infested vacuum cleaner, such as the one my mother shipped to my sister.<\/p>\n

186. Toy trains kept in boxes piled up higher than my head and not in a nice train display.<\/p>\n

187. Cheap ugly dolls<\/p>\n

188. Any collectible toys that will “someday” be worth “lots of money” but don’t speak to any interest of the owner or will never be given to a child to play with.<\/p>\n

189. Dust. Inches thick.<\/p>\n

190. Piles and piles of shopping bags, paper or plastic, doesn’t matter.<\/p>\n

191. Ants marching along the same path in the bathtub for *years*<\/p>\n

192. Did I mention dust?<\/p>\n

193. Large dogs that are badly\/not trained to behave in the house. You shouldn’t have to crate a 6-year old dog!<\/p>\n

194. Buckets that the sink leaks into, which overflow if not emptied every 2-3 hours.<\/p>\n

195. Load-bearing books\/leaflets\/catalogues with SHINY friction-free covers, 2\/3rds of the way down a pile that you have to walk past ten times every day. Woe betide you if you brush against it even a little! Down it all comes and has to be put back just right before Mum comes out of Her Kitchen to see what you’ve done now.<\/p>\n

196. Black-encrusted carpets in those spots where you have to tread.<\/p>\n

197. Knowing that something you need is either in this pile, this pile or this pile – and you’ll never be able to check through ALL of them before Mum comes out to see what you’re doing. “It isn’t in there! You don’t need to look in there! You’ll – see? I knew that would happen! No, go on, leave it! Don’t touch it any more! I’ll sort it out.”<\/p>\n

198. The little tiny moths.<\/p>\n

199. Crickets!<\/p>\n

200. Live or dead mice. The live ones make noise, but don’t use poison, use a mouse trap (where you can get to it later). The poisoned ones still die, but in the walls or the piles. The good thing is that eventually the smell will stop.<\/p>\n

201. Trying to find library books you want to return so you can get something different.<\/p>\n

202. Having to explain to the librarian that the book really is gone, and you just want to pay for the whole thing.<\/p>\n

203. Worrying about your parents and their health or worse, a fire. (Now, not too much back then)<\/p>\n

204. …the tune from ‘The Sound of Music”, ‘My Favourite Things” popped right into my head and stayed there. You know the one that starts off “Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. Today while cleaning out the hoard and the house, while humming the tune, I rearranged the words a litte to suit my least favourite things.<\/p>\n

205.
\nThis form was submitted:\u00a0Jul 21 2010 \/ 11:06:28
\nHaving a back problem since 14 because I had to hang over a bath for years and wash my clothes by hand. Our machine never got fixed because Mum needed to tidy up to have someone in.<\/p>\n

(To the tune of These Are A Few of My Favorite Things)<\/em>
\n‘MY LEAST FAVOURITE THINGS” <\/strong><\/p>\n

Urine soaked carpets that are littered with faceas
\nPools that are black, Wow heres a new species
\nThat crawled out from that primordial sludge
\nWhats that stuff caked to the floor that won’t budge.<\/p>\n

Plastic bags, magazines, paper and wrappings
\nA room stacked with unused goods, still in packing
\nOh look here honey now heres a suprise
\nUsed sanitary napkins from 1995<\/p>\n

Oh no no no, just found my Fathers ashes
\nTripped over a dead cat and fell on a mattress
\nIts moving, slimy and smelly and makes my eyes sting
\nThese are a few of my least favourite things<\/p>\n

Cigarette stains on the walls floor and ceiling
\nThe smell is so horrible, I’m suprised were still breathing
\nDiabetic needles, nail clippings in jars
\nAnd under that mountain of stuff theres a car<\/p>\n

Grass is six foot high, the plants become a rover
\nThe pool and the fence, the house its all over
\nCleaning the ceiling, got chemicals in my eyes
\nAmbulance was called, gee I hope I don’t go blind<\/p>\n

Honey did you bring over the detonater
\nSo I can open this quite large container
\nI wonder what it there, hand me the chainsaw
\nSo I can cut us an emergency door<\/p>\n

The lighting is faulty, airconditioners broken
\nWhen my friends turn up, not a word is spoken
\nWe clean and we throw and into the hoard dive
\nLucky there weren’t any sharp pointy knives<\/p>\n

Ornaments, bottles and food rotting in freezers
\nand fridges and other appliances that seized
\nWent onto the verandah and fell through the floor
\nHoney I don’t think I can take anymore<\/p>\n

When my back breaks
\nWhen my bones ache
\nWhen I smell real bad
\nI simply remember my least favourite things
\nAnd then I just feel sad (and go home)<\/p>\n

205. Stacks of National Geographics from the 70s that haven’t been opened and read but that are still “worth something”<\/p>\n

206. Dirty, unmended clothing that doesn’t fit but just needs a button or a zipper or a patch to be useful<\/p>\n

207. Drawers that have broken the tracks because they are so full of stuff and now can’t be cleaned<\/p>\n

208. Mice turds…<\/p>\n

209. Persian rugs so covered with cat piss and animal fur that not only can you not see the original pattern on the rug but their worth must now be negative in value (although inlaws still claim they’re worth the thousands they paid for them…)<\/p>\n

210. Countertops covered in canned cat food stench so that even if you could find a space, you wouldn’t want human food anywhere nearby<\/p>\n

211. Dried garlic and chile chains hanging from the ceiling that are black with age<\/p>\n

212. Drawers full of cosmetic products that will never be used<\/p>\n

213. Electronics that have had their batteries erode(corrode? ) and leak but still might be salvageable<\/p>\n

214. Loaded guns “hidden” throughout the junk in the house because “guns without bullets won’t save you”<\/p>\n

215. Three large bins of stuffed animal toys for the dog, more than their six grandchildren have combined<\/p>\n

216. the dead dog in the freezer who can’t be buried yet because the ground is still
\nfrozen…<\/p>\n

217. Snapple caps.<\/p>\n

218. 52 DOZEN! Easter Eggs dating back to 1974<\/p>\n

219.
\nplastic margarine containers annual reports from clubs you aren’t a involved in meeting agendas for meetings you’re not a secretary for school newsletters<\/p>\n

4\/11\/2010
\n220.
\nHaving to sneak clothes that don’t fit, or that you don’t wear anymore, to the Goodwill.<\/p>\n

Being ordered to pray for rain when the landlord was working on the house, so he didn’t see what was inside.<\/p>\n

Any trip in the car started with “I’ll have to clear some space.”<\/p>\n

Not having access to the car for 2 weeks because both sets of keys were lost.<\/p>\n

The kitchen sink was broken for 5 years because Mom didn’t want the landlord to see the inside of the apartment.<\/p>\n

Being yelled at when I moved some junk so I could close the bathroom door.<\/p>\n

Stacks of dishes on the kitchen counters. When I tried to put them in the cabinets, Mom screamed “If you put them in the cabinets, the cabinets will fall down!” She still kept buying dishes, and stacking them on the counters.<\/p>\n

Dreading the annual church rummage sale, especially “Fill a bag for a buck” on the last day.<\/p>\n

221.
\n4\/15\/10
\nMoving magazines to make space on the sofa to sit down.\u00a0All the baking pans.\u00a0The mouse scratching in the wall that was never addressed.\u00a0I turned the radio on to fool him and make him think I was awake so he would be quiet so I could go to sleep.\u00a0The same peach paint in my parents’ house from my childhood until I cleaned out all the mess after they died when I was 38.\u00a0The “junk drawer” with all the thread wrapped around everything.\u00a0The roach turds in all the storage areas.\u00a0Not fitting any groceries in the cabinets because they were full of old rotten food.\u00a0Grocery bags on the kitchen floor and in the car trunk.\u00a0“Straightening up” when company was expected.\u00a0My dad visiting with his friends outside always because the house was never tidy.\u00a0The dirty clothes hamper filled with moldy things that never got washed.\u00a0My mother fussing because my dad had moved something of hers to the garage and she couldn’t find it.<\/p>\n

222.
\nHaving to eat the slightly spoiled food that the grocery stores wrap in plastic on those styrofoam trays with a big
\nREDUCED ticket on it that a frugal, astute shopper (aka hoarder) could not resist buying.<\/p>\n

also<\/p>\n

having to use every teabag twice despite pointing out to my mother that they were only worth 2 cents<\/p>\n

223.
\nThis form was submitted:\u00a0Apr 27 2010
\nOld Sears Catalogs from the 80s that have things we ‘might want to order’ from. Even though Sears obviously doesn’t carry those items anymore, and catalogs are obsolete\/gone because of the Internet.<\/p>\n

224.
\nThis form was submitted:\u00a0Jun 30 2010 \/ 19:54:39
\nbroken down computer equipment<\/p>\n

225.
\nThis form was submitted:\u00a0Jun 22 2010 \/ 06:01:26
\nCigarette trays overflowing with cigarette butts.\u00a0Not being allowed to empty them because there may still be one lit and could start a fire…like having them flowing over and burning holes in the wooden end table is different.\u00a0Then picking up my pop can to take a sip only to find out your Mom decided to change it into her cigarette tray because the cigarette tray was overflowing.\u00a0When I complained that she used my pop can she would yell at me it was my fault because the cigarette tray hadn’t been cleaned…yet I wasn’t allowed to empty it because it might start a fire.<\/p>\n

226.
\nThis form was submitted:\u00a0May 05 2010 \/ 12:33:05
\nQVC Boxes – with brand new, never used items<\/p>\n

227.
\nThis form was submitted:\u00a0Jun 03 2010 \/ 10:44:47
\n“After all the sacrifices I made for you, you are so unappreciative.\u00a0Anybody else out there would be happy to have these things, I guarantee it.”<\/p>\n

228.
\nThis form was submitted:\u00a0May 06 2010 \/ 23:47:28
\nBelieving that if I tried harder, I could understand the logic of the contradictory rules (it’s better to leave it really messy than to clean it imperfectly! This stained, moth-eaten sweater is handspun alpaca! etc)<\/p>\n

229.
\nThis form was submitted:\u00a0May 26 2010 \/ 10:15:29
\nSeeing dried up old cat biohazards and getting the excuse “I’m not picking up the cat vomit, crap, hairball, etc, from the carpet because it’s easier when it’s dry.”<\/p>\n

230.
\nThis form was submitted:\u00a0May 18 2010 \/ 17:09:08
\nPAPER! So, so, so, soooo much paper!<\/p>\n

231.
\nThis form was submitted:\u00a0May 06 2010 \/ 23:22:32
\nThose standout memories where you learn that cleaning gets you in trouble (and still, *still*, hoping for excited surprise)<\/p>\n

232.
\nThis form was submitted:\u00a0May 27 2010 \/ 04:50:56
\nRat poison and later finding half decomposed mice.<\/p>\n

233.
\nThis form was submitted:\u00a0May 06 2010 \/ 23:15:04
\n“Well, it may be a mess, but it’s MY mess.”<\/p>\n

234.
\nThis form was submitted:\u00a0May 06 2010 \/ 23:14:21
\nPeople watching: 2 a.m. at the 24 hour laundromat because it suddenly became the most important thing in the world to do 10 loads of laundry simultaneously.<\/p>\n

235.
\nThis form was submitted:\u00a0May 06 2010 \/ 23:05:48
\nMaking up excuses for why the phone was always getting turned off (“I think my dad paid TOO MUCH and the phone company got confused”)<\/p>\n

236.
\nThis form was submitted:\u00a0May 06 2010 \/ 22:59:04
\nDiscovering, by smell, that the cats had brought in a dead squirrel.<\/p>\n

237.
\nThis form was submitted:\u00a0May 06 2010 \/ 22:55:03
\nThe ambitious clothes sorting ritual – keep\/clean, donate, trash – that must take place on the driveway due to space restrictions elsewhere.\u00a0And the clothes stay on the driveway for a few seasons.<\/p>\n

238.<\/p>\n

This form was submitted:\u00a0May 06 2010 \/ 22:47:26
\nPutting leftover food on the screened in back porch in the winter because the fridge was full, and my mom insisting that it was still good for the next couple weeks.\u00a0And relatedly, finding food on the back porch that had been placed there the previous winter.<\/p>\n

239.
\nThis form was submitted:\u00a0May 26 2010 \/ 23:07:50
\nEmpty baby food jars, tin cans of bent rusty nails, cheap tools still in the package and rusted now because they’ve been in the damp cellar, wax paper saved from inside cereal boxes, more than 80 junk cars in the yard, piles of rusting scrap metal, milk crates full of cedar shingles and carpenter ants, old refrigerator drawers, old doors, old windows, old car seats, closets full up with his clothes and no room to put anything of anybody else’s, piles of books that libraries had thrown away, bits of cardboard from pasta and cereal boxes, twist ties, old fuses even though the house was converted to circuit breakers years ago, tires, tires, tires, ketchup\/sugar\/salt packets, pens that don’t work, containers of used kitty litter, old bills in the envelopes with SAVE written on them in red…<\/p>\n

And then there’s having no hot water from age 6 to 16 because he wouldn’t fix it, and wouldn’t allow anyone else to, a toilet that didn’t flush properly for most of my childhood, heat in the winter at a minimum so that my fingernails were blue…<\/p>\n

This was child abuse, wasn’t it?<\/p>\n

Post a comment with your trip down memory lane! Maybe someone out there can relate…<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Trips Down Memory Lane Quotes shared by children of hoarders: Curdled Milk! Numerous half filled bottles…of ketchup\/mustard\/pickles <insert food item of choice, half filled crammed into refrigerator haphazardly, with brand new ones crammed in there too Fleas Flea infestations that can’t be remedied because there are too many flea eggs\/larvae hidden in the stuff! Fly … <\/p>\n

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