It's not really that much, after all

So I told my kids about the books in the home / tendency to go to college thing that I talked about in my last post. When they heard the "500 books," my son said, "Dang. We're not going to college."

(Not that you need 500 books or anything-- the study said that any amount over 20 books makes a difference.)

But he probably had the same mental picture I did when I heard 500 books. Maybe you did, too. And it was something like this:


You know--- one wall of my family room entirely filled with books. But the funny thing about books is... They are everywhere! No, really. There probably isn't a room in your house that doesn't have a book in it. Unless you are way more organized than me.

So, I got curious and set about counting.

This bookshelf is in Alecia's room. It has 59 books in it. Even if it doesn't look like it.


This bookshelf is in Cory's room, and has tons and tons of really thin books. And some doubling up on that bottom shelf. It has 336 books in it!!


This is in Kyle's room. It isn't technically a bookshelf. Okay, technically it's the stairs that led up to the top bunk bed when we used bunk beds. Works great as a bookshelf, though. It has 45 books on it.


And right next to it is the actual bookshelf. It has 86 books in it.


And this is in our family room. It is double, and in some places, triple stacked. Clearly, we need a new bookshelf. Especially since there are a few off to the side that don't even have an actual spot. These are the big ones. Some are 1200 pages long! Yes, Lance tends to love EPICS. There are 94 on this shelf.


Add that to the 51 we have strewn about the house on nightstands, in baskets, on desks, in bags, and in some cases, on the floor, it comes to a grand total of...

(drumroll, please)

671 books!!!

So, see? It's really not that hard at all to have a ton of books. And having over 20? Pfft. Piece of cake.

Which means, it's really not that hard to get your kids to go to college, right? :)

You probably have WAY more books than you thought you had. Go count! It'll make you feel better all over. Give you a little high. It'll get you through those "Dang. My kid is in bed asleep, and that means another day went by without me remembering to have them read to me" moments.

Put how many books you THINK you have in the comments. Then if you decide to actually count them, come back and tell us how many! Then we can all be happy with you for the fact that your kids are college bound.