The Great Purge of 2015

I can imagine what it would be like to live in a clean house... one in which the laundry is done for the day, the dishes are all put away, and the floor is visible and vaccuumed. It is a lovely place in which I like to visit in my imagination on days that are particularly stressful... then I come back to my house, and this is not the case. Ever.

Why? Why can't I seem to wrap my abilities around the idea of a clean house? Yes, I have toddlers who tend to leave a wake of destruction everywhere they go... but others seem to have a better time than I do. And maybe they do, maybe they don't. Its not worth my time comparing myself on that level... Rather, it has occured to me that we simply have too. much. stuff.

Thats right, I'm calling it out. Too. Much. Stuff. Too many clothes means too much laundry and a lot of folding time... to many toys means a toy room that cannot ever be played in, and too much time fighting the "pick it up or else" game. Too many dishes means that there will always be a pile of dishes awaiting their fate in the dishwasher. (with our dishwasher, its debatable whether or not it will work on each load...)

And so I have undertaken what I am calling "The Great Purge of 2015" this is the first step in my journey toward thriving rather than surviving. I am ridding myself of all the needless clutter and I am learning to say no to those same items that want to reenter my life. There will be an option to come sift through this stuff of mine to see if it has a place in your life, more details on the yard sale when decisions have been made...

It is a vast undertaking. One room, one category at a time. I've already reduced the children's clothing storage by 50-60% ... No need to keep it all. It is hard. "That was the shirt Brayden wore when ____" or "its so little and so darn cute!" I keep having to remind myself that others can benefit from using these things more than I can by keeping them boxed up wasting space... I keep telling myself "Be big and be brave!" For some reason, it helps.

I have also found that it helps to tackle the big projects when I'm tired. No kidding. When I'm in a bad mood, it seems to feel better putting things in the yard sale pile. And I'm more likely to put more into the pile because of it... win-win! (at least for me).

Hopefully this "phase" of the journey toward thriving is a short one, but I love organizing, so probably not. I am already seeing results and benefits from my efforts! Here's to success for tGPo2015!