Don't you want to snuggle the monkey?

Take heed, parents.  If you think it might be a good idea to take away your kids' toys so that they would learn to appreciate them and keep them clean and not scattered all over the floor, think again.  A few weeks ago, after yelling at the boys for the millionth time to clean up their room, and coming upstairs to find them fighting and not a single thing picked up, I lost my cool and ordered them out of the room.  I then proceeded to bring laundry baskets into their room and load up all their toys, books, papers and other miscellaneous junk, and take it all into my room.  I sorted through and pitched anything broken, and made a donate pile for the few items that still resembled their original state, but are no longer favorites.  I let them choose one toy each and told them that if they took care of that toy for a whole week, they could earn another one back.  It took two weeks for them to get the message, and now they have 2 toys each.  They are already planning what they'd like to earn back next.

Apparently, I forgot a few items.  I left the basketball hoops that hang over their closet doors, and there were some items in backpacks that I didn't find, including the stuffed monkey you see in the picture below. So, after what seemed like a particularly long school day, I sent them up to their room to play, away from me.  I was doing my usual round of websites, when I heard an intruder approaching.  I called out, "Didn't I tell you to play upstairs?"  Eddie answered, "But don't you want to snuggle the monkey?"  I turned around to this: