Hoarders

I am a hoarder.  There, I've finally said it.  I collect, acquire, stockpile, amass, accumulate and hoard "stuff", mainly toiletries, but also things like men's undershirts and Kool-Aid and sticky lint brushes.  But before you call a therapist and the production crew at the A&E channel, understand that there is a method to my madness.  Unlike the people featured on cable TV, I  hoard because we've been advised that there are some things we're just not going to be able to find, or find at a good price, in Hong Kong.

There's been a lot of seriousness around here lately.  Searches for kids social security cards and our long lost marriage certificate; paperwork for passports and visas; contracts with realtors; decisions about what price to list the house; itineraries for our apartment hunting trip to finalize; and details to work out with the kids and school and upcoming dance recitals.  So, hoarding has become kind of a fun game, a lesson in logistics. 

How many tubes of toothpaste do we use in a year?  How about deodorant? Geno, how long does a razor blade last you?  Let's see, if we each use one Q-tip a day, that's 14 in a week, multiplied by 52 weeks in a year.... we're going to need 728 cotton swab, give or take a few.  My morning routine isn't simply getting dressed anymore.  It's scrutinizing and thinking.  Now when did I buy this bottle of contact lens solution?  And when did I buy the one before this? Wow, this bronzer has lasted me almost a year.  If I just pick up one more, I'll be set until our next trip back to the states.  Let's see, when Reagan gets sick, Tripp is soon to follow and between the two of them, that's one bottle of children Tylenol per illness and they typically get sick maybe twice a year, but they'll both be in school so the chance of them being sick more goes up. Nothing is just the norm anymore.  It's a lesson in need and want, quantity and quality, how to stretch something to make it last and deciding what I can do without if it comes down to it.

Let's face it, no matter how many trips to BJs warehouse store I make, I'll never be able to stock it all.  And given a smaller living space, I'd never be able to store it all.  But there are some products that we are totally brand loyal to like soap, for instance.  Both of our children have sensitive skin so we are die-hard Dove soap users.  Gene has had a full beard since middle school, so his favorite razor blades are a must.   I'm blind as a bat without my contacts and with so many sights to see, my brand of contact solution is key.

And then there are those things that are just hard to come by in China.  We've been told to bring along our own medicine cabinet.  Things like cold medicines are sometimes difficult to get your hands on.  Favor a pitcher of Crystal Light?  Bring it with you!  We are not  Crystal Light drinkers per se, but just to be safe, I've got lots of ice tea, lemonade and Kool-Aid mix to stock the cupboards.  And if you prefer to sip your beverage through a plastic straw, bring your own because Chinese straws suck, or actually don't suck, as well as the ones we have here.  We are also bringing an adequate supply of underwear and socks.  We've been told shoes can be pricey, but with growing children and growing feet, it's not easy to stockpile those.  Same with kids clothes.  But the good news is, Old Navy, Gap and Gymboree ship internationally!  Yay!

So, for the next few months you may see me out and about with my shopping cart filled with obscene amounts of personal care items.  But know I'm not disfunctional or trying to "fill a hole" as hoarders often do.  It's just the former girl scout in me trying to "Be Prepared" for our great adventure in Asia.