My trash, their treasure.

School's been out a week for my girls. The school's business office, where I'm employed, is still open. So yesterday morning they were hanging around while I tried to get work done. I finally realized that I should try to come up with a "job" of some sort to keep them occupied. I found some binders that contained useless information and asked Amanda to empty the contents into the trash. Instead of putting them in the trash, however, I saw her making a stack on my bookshelf.

Me: What are you doing?

Amanda: Cleaning out your binders.

Me: I mean with the paper. Why aren't you putting it in the trash?

Amanda: Because I'm going to keep it.

Me: What?

Amanda: I want to play school with it at home.

Me: It's TRASH. If there's something we DON'T need at our house, it's more paper.

Just then Megan walks up and starts rummaging through my recycling bin.

Me: And what do you think YOU'RE doing?

Megan: Looking for envelopes.

Me: Why?

Megan: I want to fill them with mail for you.

Me: All of that is in the trash for a REASON. I don't need it. I don't want it. It's TRASH.

I then look over at Amanda's stack to see that it's now 12 inches high.

Me: And just how do you think you're going to carry all of that to the car?

Amanda: With my arms. Hello?

Me: Ugh!

Megan finds what she wants and asks if she can borrow my staple remover.

Me: Why do you need my staple remover?

Megan: Because there are some old staples in the bulletin boards that don't have paper on them.

Me: So?

Megan: I'm gonna' start collecting old staples.

Me: Of course you are.

What's next? Dryer lint? Fingernail clippings? I mean really, the possibilities for useless crap that could be "collected" are ENDLESS!!