Yard sale

I am planning to participate, casually, in my community's yard sale later next month. I have tons of baby toys and gear to get rid of, the majority of my own items have already been cleared from the home via donation.

I informed soon-to-be ex DH of this plan and gave him the option to help out, since I will have the boys this day and the oldest has a soccer game later anyway. It's his stuff too and I didn't want to just do this behind his back...deep down, I really don't want him to be a part of this, but he is good for help with lifting and moving things, and watching his kids, and selling too. He agreed and sounded enthusiastic.

I have plans with my friend "Yergie" the Friday night before. We are attending a concert that was planned far before I knew the date of the community yard sale. So since she had previously offered to help me whenever I chose to do a yard sale, I suggested that she just stay the night at my house and we do it together the next day. I am really good at watching my alcohol intake when I know I have plans in the morning. My max drinks will be two, I drink plenty of lemon water, take vitamins with an extra C, and eat properly.

When I told DH of this concert plan, he freaked out! He laughed at me rudely and claimed there was no way I would be able to run a yard sale after a night of "partying." I said, whatever you think, but I am going to this concert and the next morning might not be the best yard sale ever, but I am participating anyway. He questioned our ability to run an efficient sale, told me I didn't know anything about what I was getting into, said I wasn't a good sales person (so?), told me he didn't trust my friend who I have only known for three months helping to sell "his stuff," and insisted that I had disrespected him somehow by asking someone besides him to help me. I held my ground, said that his help would be appreciated, but that this is my sale and if I choose to do it casually, I will. I also reminded him that if I wanted to just haul all of this stuff to the charitable resale shop down the street, that I could have already done that, it certainly would have been easier, but we have an opportunity to get a little cash for our stuff. He is not invited over here to be the dictator of my yard sale. I told him that while his help and suggestions would have been nice, that he is riding "back seat" or he isn't welcome. I told him if there is anything he doesn't want me to sell, he is encouraged to either label it "no sell" or pack it up and take it OUT of the house before my sale. We've been separated since November, I could have sold a ton of stuff by now and he never even would have noticed. This is so obviously about control, not about his sentimental attachment to our children's toys and furniture! He told me angrily that he would not be helping with the sale (fine by me!) and began to give me the silent treatment, played with the boys before their bedtime, and left.

He called the next morning from work to apologize and offer his help once again. He said sometimes he just needs time to think rationally. I said, as I often do, I wish you could just start off with calm instead of rage. He agreed. I am still nervous about the yard sale and how he will behave, but we gotta get through this.