📦 Moving Boxes, Mouse Hands & Lockdown Flashbacks | OhStuffinell

First, I owe you an apology — I skipped last week. This bloody move has just about finished me off. Honestly, I’ve been completely overwhelmed and wondering why on earth I own so much crap in the first place. It’s like every cupboard I open has been secretly breeding clutter while I wasn’t looking.

This week has been all about cardboard boxes, packing tape, and me standing in the middle of a room asking myself: “Why the hell do I own this?” Honestly, some of the things I’ve found… not only did I buy them at some point (??), but I’ve apparently moved house twice with them. Twice! What kind of logic is that? There’s loyalty, and then there’s carting around a random object you don’t even remember buying.

Of course, mixed in with the ridiculous stuff has been the bittersweet bits — like unearthing the kids’ things. Tiny shoes that make you emotional just looking at them and… okay, I’ve got to own up here. I said “drawings” because that’s what everyone else keeps, but truth be told I’m one of those terrible mums who looks at a blue paint scribble on a page and thinks, “Why the hell has the school sent me this?” Needless to say, those went straight in the bin years ago. Don’t judge me.

And it’s not just the house that’s been a trip down memory lane. Since Instagram decided to slam the door on my old account, I’ve been trolling through my photo archives, digging up years of mice, projects, and props I’d almost forgotten existed. It’s equal parts heartbreaking and kind of magical — like rediscovering an old diary, only with more whiskers.

So this week I reposted one of my big videos — the legendary stripper mouse JoJo dancing to the Louis Theroux “wiggle wiggle” song. Within seconds I was having full-blown PTSD flashbacks to lockdown. You know the ones: endless doom-scrolling, everyone suddenly becoming a sourdough expert, and me half-heartedly flailing through Joe Wicks workouts in the living room. Honestly, I didn’t need that kind of time travel — but it’s funny how certain songs just drag you straight back there, and that’s definitely one of them for me.

And speaking of rediscoveries, let’s talk props. Oh, the props. I’ve come across so many ideas I had once upon a time but never actually made happen. Weird little bits and bobs tucked away in boxes like an unfinished story. Some of them were genius, some of them were… questionable. Highlights so far include a box of spare mouse hands (yes, really), a collection of odd tails and tiny mouse bums, and half a dozen bizarre miniature props that never made it into a scene. I also stumbled across:

• miniature pianos (because obviously every mouse needs a grand piano moment)
• tiny teapots (in case they fancy a brew mid-performance)
• doll-sized clothes, including a miniskirt that would make Paris Hilton jealous
• a whole lineup of tiny hats (seriously, why do I own this many hats?)
• random foliage and flowers that look like I robbed a fairy garden
• a frankly concerning number of mini wigs (apparently I was gearing up for a full-blown mouse drag show)

…and that’s not even scratching the surface of what’s hiding in these boxes.

Most people, when they move, stumble across forgotten kitchen gadgets or that scarf they thought they lost years ago. Me? I’m the woman carefully packing a box of mouse parts. Totally normal.

So while I’m knee-deep in nostalgia, bubble wrap, and the occasional existential crisis, I’m also realising that every random little thing — even the box of hands — has its place in the story. Who knows what else I’ll dig up before the van turns up… stay tuned, because if history has taught me anything, it’s that I’m not done finding weird treasures just yet.