Enough Already!

Ok, so the summer of 2011 is upon us, and I have decided that enough is enough already with the clutter around the house. But, when I look around at all the piles of paperwork on the counter, trip over the old toys in the play room closet, or rake my knuckles on a trying to close a too-full drawer, I feel overwhelmed. Between work and kids and husband and activities and puppy....you get the idea, it is always easier just to pretend it's not that bad and go do something I enjoy, like making pie. People don't seem to notice clutter as much if they have a slice of pie in front of them.

But, now it has taken on a life of it's own. I have laundry baskets, stashed in various corners of the house, full of clutter from the emergency clean up of past events. There's the one from Thanksgiving, another from Christmas, Easter, Mother's day. You get the idea. I just keep thinking that if I got rid of all the stuff I don't need, that when it came time to put away the stuff I actually do use and need, that there would be a better place for it than perched on top of that stack of old cooking magazines I've been meaning to go through.

Over the past few weeks I began to formulate a plan. Summer was coming, and I figured that if I could get this done by the end of August, then we'd be all set when school and crazy activities started back up in the fall. Kind of like actually starting a summer diet in February, so that you actually did look good when bathing suit season got here.

And, this is what I came up with: We have 11 rooms in this house, and taking out the weeks we will be gone on vacation, about 11 weeks this summer. So, I will tackle one room a week. That means going through drawers and closets; cleaning off shelves and tables. And, it's not just the clutter - it's the heaving cleaning too - dusting the blinds and washing the windows; cleaning out grout and scrubbing the baseboards. Some weeks should be easier than others. There's not nearly the work to do in the dining room that there is the kitchen or laundry room or kids' rooms (so many shelves and drawers!), but at least I'll have it blocked off in measurable pieces.

For sure there will be piles: Trash - big trash comes to the curb monthly. Donate - already seeking out candidates for hand me downs and the "good" baby stuff, and sell - bigger items or things that others might find valuable will go in a summer's end garage sale. Profits will be used to buy me something nice for all my troubles - maybe new bedding!

And, why blog about it? It is not like I want to world to see my messes. Ok, maybe a little bit, if that also means that they also get to see why I am so excited about a linen closet with labels, or a closet where a bowling ball doesn't fall on my head when I open it. I do hope the blog will help with a few things. First off, it will keep me honest. By writing about it, it is like I am making it true. Putting it out there means I have to do it. Secondly - I am hoping that people can chime in with tips and tricks to organization and cleaning that make that week's projects easier to slog through or more simple to maintain. And third - so that I can look back when I am done and see truly how far I have come. So, in the fall, when I am headed out to walk my kiddos over to school (they will finally be at the same school - yay!), know that the smile on my face will be not (only) because my kids are out of the house, but also because all the clutter is gone too.