Is there a house underneath all this stuff?

[AdventureMoms]

My poor house needs something. Decluttering for sure. Major organization also. I feel like I'm tripping over stuff all the time (because I am) and I can't figure out how to get it together. DW wants to hire a cleaner, but I can't figure out how they would clean anything. My bigger problem is not cleaning, but picking up. And the big issue with picking up is that I don't know what to do with the stuff.

 

Sigh. I think I just needed to whine. What I really need is someone to come and tell me how to organize my house, and help me set up routines to keep it that way. However, I don't think I can afford that, lol.

 

Anyhow, thanks for listening. :tongue_smilie:

[k2bdeutmeyer]

Amen!

[sunflowerlady]

Have you checked out Flylady?

 

She deals with tackling clutter and house cleaning in baby steps.

 

Many people complain about all the emails when you sign up , but you can choose to just get one "daily digest" email per day with all the info in it.

 

Or, you don't really need to get the emails if you don't want to, since it's all there on her site.

 

She also wrote a book called "Sink Reflections" that explains the system.

 

She also has a Facebook page.

[AdventureMoms]

Have you checked out Flylady?

 

She deals with tackling clutter and house cleaning in baby steps.

 

Many people complain about all the emails when you sign up , but you can choose to just get one "daily digest" email per day with all the info in it.

 

Or, you don't really need to get the emails if you don't want to, since it's all there on her site.

 

She also wrote a book called "Sink Reflections" that explains the system.

 

She also has a Facebook page.

 

Yes, I tried her awhile ago, and found it frustrating. Maybe it would work better now. At the time I was a single woman with a job, and getting an email at 10am to remind me to put on my shoes made me want to throw the computer out the window. Even now though - I'm up, with shoes on me and all three kids plus out the door usually by 10am.

 

I did the digest thing but felt like I had to sort through this whole long email full of "inspirational stories" and weight loss stuff, and "saving dinner" and other stuff to get to anything useful. I think I have the book somewhere. I should probably try reading it again.

[Ellie]

Sidetracked Home Executives (S.H.E.), which is where, BTW, that Flylady got her start. S.H.E. doesn't require e-mails. :-)

 

Or the Messies Manual, which is a similar method.

 

And when you get your house organized, File--Don't Pile!, by Pat Dorff, to organize your paper monster.

[Trilliums]

Take a look at your worst clutter spots and try to identify different categories of clutter. You might have things such as: Kid toys, craft items, home repair items (small tools, tape, glue, etc), beauty items, recipes you keep meaning to try out, etc. Then try to identify a useful, accessible place for the different categories to go. Do you want to keep some kid items easily accessible in the living room? Do you tend to use small home repair items in the kitchen or garage most often? Can you set up a craft nook or craft basket close to a table where most of the craft and art projects take place? Look around for large baskets, storage areas, rolling carts, etc to store the different items (or check out yard sales and thrift stores!) and try to fit them into the areas where it makes sense to store the items. If you do your craft projects at a side table in the living room, you probably do not want to store your craft supplies in the basement. Basically this is the "a place for everything and everything in its place" mentality. But, don't try to make a place for things in inconvenient spots. I think that is a big culprit in clutter generation.

 

Good luck! I am tackling this in my home and have found this approach works pretty well around here.

[Parrothead]

I can tell you how to do it (at least my way), but it is a lot of work and you two would have to put in the time. It might be best to dedicate a weekend to it. If you aren't a hoarder it is a simple thing to accomplish. Time consuming but simple.

 

First thing is to pick a staging area. That can be anywhere in the house or outside. Around here that happens to be my kitchen. If you decide on outside make sure it won't rain for the next 3 days.

 

Next thing to do is have quick and easy meals picked out for work days. Or money for McD's and that lot. You aren't going to want to cook in the evenings.

 

When you are ready to start pick one room and take everything out of it. Everything goes to the staging area Including the furniture. (You can probably keep the sofa in the living room and the mattresses in the bedrooms but be sure to vacuum/sweep under them) Clean and polish the furniture. Vacuum (or otherwise clean the floor) the floor of the empty room, then bring back the furniture. Then pick through the stuff that came out and put back only what goes in that room.

 

Pick the next room then do the same thing. Making sure the only things that belong in that room go back in there.

 

It will make things easier if you go ahead and throw away obvious trash.

 

After the rooms have been emptied and their furniture and belongings returned the real work begins. Sort through the giant pile of clutter by making piles: more garbage, recycling, donate, yard sale. If you aren't a recycling, donating or yard sale person throw that stuff away.

 

Family mementos and keepsakes should be put in their own pile. Then from the pile they should fine a permanent home in your house. Anything from the pile should have a permanent home before being brought back inside. If you find you need to run to Walmart to pick up a few pretty baskets or storage bins make sure you have a permanent location for the baskets and bins.

 

Recycle, donate and yard sale the left over stuff. Take the garbage to the dump and come home to a clean and organized house.

 

As you are cleaning you'll find things that need to be put in a binder like take out menus, appliance manuals and the like.

 

If you find things you don't know what to do with put them in a separate box. When you are done tape the box closed and write the date on it. If you haven't opened the box in 6 months then just throw it away because you really didn't need anything in there anyway.

 

The older I get the more I just throw away the clutter. Dh ends up taking an extra couple hundred pounds of crap to the dump after purging days.

 

Good luck.

[justLisa]

 

Or just ignore it like I do. :tongue_smilie:

 

:lol: I am always telling DH I need to become a better house keeper. Neither of us really care I guess. Our bedrooms are all very tidy. I keep up with laundry and the kitchen is always clean except one are of a clutter pile. It's just something I am not all too bothered by. We seem to have a lot of stuff we like, but don't like to put away.

[AdventureMoms]

Sidetracked Home Executives (S.H.E.), which is where, BTW, that Flylady got her start. S.H.E. doesn't require e-mails. :-)

 

Or the Messies Manual, which is a similar method.

 

And when you get your house organized, File--Don't Pile!, by Pat Dorff, to organize your paper monster.

 

Oh yes! I did SHE for awhile when DD was little. i did really like the system. It stopped working when I stopped doing it (shocker). Hmm, restarting that is definitely something I should think about.

[AdventureMoms]

Take a look at your worst clutter spots and try to identify different categories of clutter. You might have things such as: Kid toys, craft items, home repair items (small tools, tape, glue, etc), beauty items, recipes you keep meaning to try out, etc. Then try to identify a useful, accessible place for the different categories to go. Do you want to keep some kid items easily accessible in the living room? Do you tend to use small home repair items in the kitchen or garage most often? Can you set up a craft nook or craft basket close to a table where most of the craft and art projects take place? Look around for large baskets, storage areas, rolling carts, etc to store the different items (or check out yard sales and thrift stores!) and try to fit them into the areas where it makes sense to store the items. If you do your craft projects at a side table in the living room, you probably do not want to store your craft supplies in the basement. Basically this is the "a place for everything and everything in its place" mentality. But, don't try to make a place for things in inconvenient spots. I think that is a big culprit in clutter generation.

 

Good luck! I am tackling this in my home and have found this approach works pretty well around here.

 

Yup, I definitely need to work on this. Big issue with storing stuff where it's used - lots of stuff is used in the living and dining rooms, but can't be stored there because two little boys will get into it. So I end up with too much junk in my kitchen, bedroom, or basement (where they are not allowed). Come to think of it, those are my 3 worst clutter spots. Hmm....

[AdventureMoms]

Get rid of stuff, get storage bins for other stuff, etc.

 

Or just ignore it like I do. :tongue_smilie:

Ignoring has been working pretty well the last two years, lol. I'm kinda ready to find my countertops though. :D

[AdventureMoms]

Laundry and the kitchen are always done. The rest is a bonus really.

 

I'm not too cluttery. Except my desk. Wow. If I go missing, you know where to find me...:001_huh:

 

Laundry is always done. Kitchen is too, but I'd like kitchen done better. Those two are definitely the foundation though.

[AdventureMoms]

I can tell you how to do it (at least my way), but it is a lot of work and you two would have to put in the time. It might be best to dedicate a weekend to it. If you aren't a hoarder it is a simple thing to accomplish. Time consuming but simple.

 

First thing is to pick a staging area. That can be anywhere in the house or outside. Around here that happens to be my kitchen. If you decide on outside make sure it won't rain for the next 3 days.

 

Next thing to do is have quick and easy meals picked out for work days. Or money for McD's and that lot. You aren't going to want to cook in the evenings.

 

When you are ready to start pick one room and take everything out of it. Everything goes to the staging area Including the furniture. (You can probably keep the sofa in the living room and the mattresses in the bedrooms but be sure to vacuum/sweep under them) Clean and polish the furniture. Vacuum (or otherwise clean the floor) the floor of the empty room, then bring back the furniture. Then pick through the stuff that came out and put back only what goes in that room.

 

Pick the next room then do the same thing. Making sure the only things that belong in that room go back in there.

 

It will make things easier if you go ahead and throw away obvious trash.

 

After the rooms have been emptied and their furniture and belongings returned the real work begins. Sort through the giant pile of clutter by making piles: more garbage, recycling, donate, yard sale. If you aren't a recycling, donating or yard sale person throw that stuff away.

 

Family mementos and keepsakes should be put in their own pile. Then from the pile they should fine a permanent home in your house. Anything from the pile should have a permanent home before being brought back inside. If you find you need to run to Walmart to pick up a few pretty baskets or storage bins make sure you have a permanent location for the baskets and bins.

 

Recycle, donate and yard sale the left over stuff. Take the garbage to the dump and come home to a clean and organized house.

 

As you are cleaning you'll find things that need to be put in a binder like take out menus, appliance manuals and the like.

 

If you find things you don't know what to do with put them in a separate box. When you are done tape the box closed and write the date on it. If you haven't opened the box in 6 months then just throw it away because you really didn't need anything in there anyway.

 

The older I get the more I just throw away the clutter. Dh ends up taking an extra couple hundred pounds of crap to the dump after purging days.

 

Good luck.

 

Yeah. That actually sounds fun. Until I remember the three little "helpers". I don't think that's realistic for this phase of life, but maybe in a few years!

[LaxMom]

Something I did this weekend - which I realized later was awesome advice from another decluttering thread here, but I fell into it accidentally - was to declutter the areas I *can't* see first.

 

I originally started off to clean out our cupboards because I saw a couple pantry moths, but after decluttering the crap in there - the stuff with BIUB dates in 2009 (!!), stuff I won't use, consolidating the multiple packages of one thing into a single jar, etc - I found that I miraclulously had room for all the stuff we DO use, but has been staging in the dining room since we pulled the "overflow" cabinets out of the downstairs bath/laundry several months ago. So, cleaning out the pantry decluttered the dining room! Brilliant!

[justLisa]

One thing that really helps me is to have "piles." It is just impossible for me to keep a totally clutter free house. I have a pile upstairs in a corner next to the laundry room and try to put one thing away or so when I am up there. I also have a dead end kitchen with a wall you cannot see unless you are in there. I just have a hutch with decorative and seldom used stuff so I have a pile there from the *great pantry cleanout.* My desk is ridiculous but other than that this keeps things looking good enough. I have a coffee table with no shelf under it for clutter, though with my resent splitting my head open injury that may change.

[pixeldog]

Another vote for Fly Lady here. I'm not familiar with the other resources, but once I got the basics/philosophy from Fly Lady, I was able to make my own plan without all of the emails. :) And I always try to keep my sink clean!

[Mommyof4ks]

Yes, there is a house under there! I found mine this summer!

 

Empty a whole room of everything, seriously even the curtains (they likely need washing anyway), and then only put back what is loved or needed, and go through the rest to donate, trash, or move to another room (yes, those oven kits should be in the kitchen, not in ds's closet :001_huh:). It is a lot of work, but I had no kids for a week, and this method worked soooooo well that daily pick up takes less than 20 mintues including the dishes now.

 

For daily pick up I have had success with putting out three laundry baskets (one for each kid), filling them up with stuff that is out of place, and then each child puts everything in their basket back where it goes. Racing makes it fun. :)

 

Good luck. I avoided my mess for a couple of years lol.

[alpidarkomama]

Last summer, I made a list of every little area in the house, maybe 65 spaces. They were all 15-minute declutter jobs. No problem finishing in a month. This summer, I'm using the same list but making sure that everything in that space has a place that it BELONGS. Having the list is great, and it's a small thrill to cross out FOUR places or more per day. Makes you feel quite accomplished even if you only spent an hour.:001_unsure:

[hsmom2011]

My poor house needs something. Decluttering for sure. Major organization also. I feel like I'm tripping over stuff all the time (because I am) and I can't figure out how to get it together. DW wants to hire a cleaner, but I can't figure out how they would clean anything. My bigger problem is not cleaning, but picking up. And the big issue with picking up is that I don't know what to do with the stuff.

 

Sigh. I think I just needed to whine. What I really need is someone to come and tell me how to organize my house, and help me set up routines to keep it that way. However, I don't think I can afford that, lol.

 

Anyhow, thanks for listening. :tongue_smilie:

 

:grouphug: I am there with you! I dread the day someone comes to my door without at least a few hours notice - lol. :blush:

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

DW wants to hire a cleaner, but I can't figure out how they would clean anything.

 

That was dh's solution to my whining about the mess when the kids were little. I kept trying to inform him that they don't clean up the piles of cr@p. At best, they corral it into piles and clean around it. Not exactly what I needed. If the stuff was put away, I could easily clean myself!

 

Over the years, I've become better at determining what exactly I need to contain the clutter. You'll need a whole weekend or two or three or four, depending on the amount of clutter. That's when your dw takes the kids AWAY and let you organize. Put stuff together in like piles, and then determine what kind of containment system would work best for each pile. That's what I usually try to do. Good luck!

[Munchkins_mama]

A box of garbage bags and I just went through all the closets in my house. I was ruthless. If we didn't LOVE it, or use it regularly, in the bag it went. Even the board games weren't exempt. If it was a 'fun' game, but I hated playing it with the kids, I tossed it. I have decided that having stuff around that isn't useful is just getting in the way of our contentment. I still have a LOT of work to do, but seeing the clear space is so refreshing. Now, my next biggest job is to NOT BUY ANYMORE STUFF! :glare: I'm a yard sale-aholic.

[Parrothead]

Yeah. That actually sounds fun. Until I remember the three little "helpers". I don't think that's realistic for this phase of life, but maybe in a few years!

Hire a local teen to be mother's helper for a few days. You'll be there for emergencies but the teen can keep the kiddos occupied and out of the way.

[Ellie]

Oh yes! I did SHE for awhile when DD was little. i did really like the system. It stopped working when I stopped doing it (shocker). Hmm, restarting that is definitely something I should think about.

The newest book goes into how life changed for the Sidetracked Sisters' families when they finally got their act together--really good ideas for bringing the family along, KWIM? It also streamlines the card system; you could do the original system if you're that overwhelmed, or the new one if you just need a tune-up. :-)

[Susan in TN]

Um, I just noticed you have a 4yo AND 18mo twins? No wonder you are struggling!

 

I keep a basket in most living areas for toys. I gave up a while ago on keeping nice tidy bins of each toy type - I seemed to be the only one who could tell the difference between a beanie baby, a tea cup, and a lego. Now everything goes in a general toy box or basket. Upstairs in the playroom I have 2 toy bins, 1 dress-up bin, and bookshelves.

[Lady Florida.]

Have you looked at this? You have to sign up for the email list to get the calendar, but you can unsub after you get it. The calendar concentrates on a different area each month, and gives you bite sized things to do each day (declutter one drawer, shelf, etc.).

[Mommyfaithe]

My poor house needs something. Decluttering for sure. Major organization also. I feel like I'm tripping over stuff all the time (because I am) and I can't figure out how to get it together. DW wants to hire a cleaner, but I can't figure out how they would clean anything. My bigger problem is not cleaning, but picking up. And the big issue with picking up is that I don't know what to do with the stuff.

 

Sigh. I think I just needed to whine. What I really need is someone to come and tell me how to organize my house, and help me set up routines to keep it that way. However, I don't think I can afford that, lol.

 

Anyhow, thanks for listening. :tongue_smilie:

 

You just blew my entire theory. I always thought if I had a wife, our house would be so much more organized and clean....sigh. I told dh just recently, that what I needed was a wife.

 

I think you should go with DW's idea and go for the house cleaner. You two have little babies! Don't be so hard on yourself. having little ones means not having time to clean the way you would want to...:grouphug:

 

I actually had a professional organizer come here to help me...and all she did was marvel that I actually had 7 kids and homeschool!! How was I not in the Looney Bin? OY!!! What a waste of time and money. If you do have someone come out, make sure you get references!

 

Be nice to you....this too shall pass, and before you know it...you too will have teenagers in the livingroom and no food in the fridge...:grouphug:

[Mommyfaithe]

Hire a local teen to be mother's helper for a few days. You'll be there for emergencies but the teen can keep the kiddos occupied and out of the way.

 

THAT is a great idea!

[kht2006]

I just started Day 1 of this 40 day challenge.

http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2012/06/8-weeks-to-a-less-cluttered-home.html#

[Spryte]

We lost our house underneath clutter for a while, too. Life was very hectic and nothing had been sorted or donated for, well, a few years. :tongue_smilie: It's taken a lot of time to dig us out! We couldn't devote a solid week to doing it, so we had to take it in small chunks.

 

I say go for the cleaner. Hire someone weekly, and they will do the kitchen and baths, change the sheets, and whatever they can do (working around your piles)... And that will free up more of your time to deal with the piles and clutter, finding places to put things away, etc. We still have our weekly cleaner, and no plans to part with her any time soon.

 

Another turning point for us was cleaning out the closets and "unseen" spaces that another poster already mentioned. Cleaning those out meant that we freed up space to put away the stuff we do use. Brilliant. It was a tip in a thread here, somewhere.

 

Freecycle is my friend. Really. It is a great tool for slow decluttering (as long as you don't succumb to picking up other peoples' clutter!). Post an item, choose a recipient, put it out on your doorstep and *poof!* ... It's gone. Love it.

 

Oh, and Flylady! I tried for years to get into her system. I loved the concept. But had the same problem you did - I didn't want to read inspirational stories and ads for her dusters and saving dinner and so on, though I know they are how she supports herself. And it was a bit too cheerleaderish for me, too, "C'mon Girls! Throw on those shoes!" ...Just not my style. I like Motivated Moms though. It's an app, and I'm married to my iPhone anyway, so it works. Very straightforward checklists. Another WTM tip. :)

[Halftime Hope]

You just blew my entire theory. I always thought if I had a wife, our house would be so much more organized and clean....sigh. I told dh just recently, that what I needed was a wife.

 

I think you should go with DW's idea and go for the house cleaner. You two have little babies! Don't be so hard on yourself. having little ones means not having time to clean the way you would want to...:grouphug:

 

I actually had a professional organizer come here to help me...and all she did was marvel that I actually had 7 kids and homeschool!! How was I not in the Looney Bin? OY!!! What a waste of time and money. If you do have someone come out, make sure you get references!

 

Be nice to you....this too shall pass, and before you know it...you too will have teenagers in the livingroom and no food in the fridge...:grouphug:

 

Mommyfaithe, have I told you recently that I love you?

 

 

(Why does one of my teenagers want to sleep--at night--in the living room or game room???? and the other one is physically incapable of bringing dishes down until he has half of the family's glasses in his room.) : ) Life with teens...

[Mommyfaithe]

Mommyfaithe, have I told you recently that I love you?

 

 

(Why does one of my teenagers want to sleep--at night--in the living room or game room???? and the other one is physically incapable of bringing dishes down until he has half of the family's glasses in his room.) : ) Life with teens...

 

:D

[kubiac]

FWIW, I just bought key hooks at the Container Store and mounted them near my front door, and now I always know where my keys are!

 

I'm cluttery too, but I'm on a good run of throwing stuff away whenever possible, clearing out "the hidden areas of my home" (such a useful tip I picked up on this board), and finding a place for everything, so everything has a place!

 

There is hope. We can do it!!

[AdventureMoms]

Last summer, I made a list of every little area in the house, maybe 65 spaces. They were all 15-minute declutter jobs. No problem finishing in a month. This summer, I'm using the same list but making sure that everything in that space has a place that it BELONGS. Having the list is great, and it's a small thrill to cross out FOUR places or more per day. Makes you feel quite accomplished even if you only spent an hour.:001_unsure:

 

I like that. I have a sitter who comes for a couple of hours a couple times a week and I could probably knock out a few "problem areas" that way.

[AdventureMoms]

My first multiquote...

 

That was dh's solution to my whining about the mess when the kids were little. I kept trying to inform him that they don't clean up the piles of cr@p. At best, they corral it into piles and clean around it. Not exactly what I needed. If the stuff was put away, I could easily clean myself!

 

Over the years, I've become better at determining what exactly I need to contain the clutter. You'll need a whole weekend or two or three or four, depending on the amount of clutter. That's when your dw takes the kids AWAY and let you organize. Put stuff together in like piles, and then determine what kind of containment system would work best for each pile. That's what I usually try to do. Good luck!

 

Yeah, I don't mind cleaning...I just hate having to spend an hour picking up the floor to spend 10 minutes cleaning it. The CLEANING is not the issue (the house is not terribly dirty, fwiw)

 

And yes, if DW could take the kids away for a few weekends that would help a LOT. She tried once last year (with twin infants and a 3yo. You cannot say she's not willing to try!) but it doesn't work at this point. The boys need to be home for naps and bedtime or the entire universe starts to crumble. She has lots of plans to take them on adventures when they get just a little bit more stable...

 

:grouphug: I am there with you! I dread the day someone comes to my door without at least a few hours notice - lol. :blush:

 

I think I have all my friends trained to not notice. I've gotten over my issues with people seeing the real state of my house at least! But I still want it to be less cluttered - for ME!

 

A box of garbage bags and I just went through all the closets in my house. I was ruthless. If we didn't LOVE it, or use it regularly, in the bag it went. Even the board games weren't exempt. If it was a 'fun' game, but I hated playing it with the kids, I tossed it. I have decided that having stuff around that isn't useful is just getting in the way of our contentment. I still have a LOT of work to do, but seeing the clear space is so refreshing. Now, my next biggest job is to NOT BUY ANYMORE STUFF! :glare: I'm a yard sale-aholic.

 

Yeah not buying stuff would probably be a good place to start, too...

 

Um, I just noticed you have a 4yo AND 18mo twins? No wonder you are struggling!

 

I keep a basket in most living areas for toys. I gave up a while ago on keeping nice tidy bins of each toy type - I seemed to be the only one who could tell the difference between a beanie baby, a tea cup, and a lego. Now everything goes in a general toy box or basket. Upstairs in the playroom I have 2 toy bins, 1 dress-up bin, and bookshelves.

 

Well the twins are now 20mo, but yes. They are definitely an obstacle. They are also EXTREMELY active and climb all over everything on the planet. And they are not even remotely verbal yet. I do know it will get easier, but I'm sick of waiting for them to grow up so I can walk through my living room again. :-D

 

I do have toy baskets in the living room. That works pretty well, and toy pickup is quick. I also don't sort them, no one seems to care anyhow. DD uses all the cars as dolls, the boys use all the dolls as cars, it doesn't seem to matter what manner of toy them have anyhow!

 

You just blew my entire theory. I always thought if I had a wife, our house would be so much more organized and clean....sigh. I told dh just recently, that what I needed was a wife.

 

I think you should go with DW's idea and go for the house cleaner. You two have little babies! Don't be so hard on yourself. having little ones means not having time to clean the way you would want to...:grouphug:

 

I actually had a professional organizer come here to help me...and all she did was marvel that I actually had 7 kids and homeschool!! How was I not in the Looney Bin? OY!!! What a waste of time and money. If you do have someone come out, make sure you get references!

 

Be nice to you....this too shall pass, and before you know it...you too will have teenagers in the livingroom and no food in the fridge...:grouphug:

 

What you need is a wife in ADDITION TO your husband. If I had another wife I think we'd be good. Either two of them working (so we'd have plenty of money to outsource this house stuff) or two of us at home (so we'd have more bodies to deal with the house and the small people).

 

If the teens clean out the fridge, then I don't have to, right?

 

I just started Day 1 of this 40 day challenge.

http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2012/06/8-weeks-to-a-less-cluttered-home.html#

 

Looks interesting. I'll poke around a little more...

[AdventureMoms]

I just wanted to resurrect this thread to thank you all! Especially Ellie and alpidarkomama! I dug my SHE book out, found my old cards and box, and re-started that program. It has only been a few days, but things are already running smoother and the house looks better.

 

I also made a list of areas to declutter (it is 70-something areas long) and have gotten through the first 4. It's helping me prioritize, and also helping me to be able to pick whichever area is bugging me most *today*. I think before I'd get stuck on "i have to finish the kitchen before I tackle the bathroom", but I'm a more ruthless and efficient declutterer when I get really annoyed with the clutter in a particular area...after a few days in the same room I lose steam. Right now I've finished one set of kitchen cabinets (the worst one) and I'm going to go spend some time on my bedroom because I stubbed my toe on clutter in the middle of the night last night. :-D

 

Now the key is to stick with it!

[Mom28kds]

I hear ya, Mama!!! I feel the same way. I keep telling myself we just have too much stuff (toys). I figure if stuff is ALL over the floor then we have too much. I get so overwhelmed. I have 8 kids and the youngest are ages 5,6,7,10. My oldest is 24 so I have been dealing with toys for a long time. Just the other week I pulled my car out of the garage and started taking things out of the house and put in the garage to sell. I hate garage sales but I don't want to just pitch everything. It feels so good to walk into my basement and I can actually walk through it haha. The kids still have plenty to play with.

[LaxMom]

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