Room to Breathe

I often view the arrival of September in the same light as New Year's Day. Being the beginning of the school year, it is always a time of new beginnings in our schedules and rhythm.

As a result, I've been feeling the need to get the house super organized and freshened up. I'm someone who thrives when there is order. Clutter and chaos make my head spin. Because of this, I like to keep my home fairly tidy....at least on the surface! I've got a fair number of "dump zones" where stuff accumulates. A little digging reveals many junk drawers, bulging closets and over-flowing shelves!

I sat myself down and made a list of areas to de-clutter, breaking the house down into reasonable chunks of work. I then embarked on my mission to sort through every single nook and cranny of our home - rearranging, re-organizing, cleaning and purging! Honestly, I don't know where the energy came from, but for the past week I've been going non-stop, staying up way too late and rising before the crack of dawn. With the exception of the basement and garage, I've managed to make my way through every closet, drawer, cupboard, storage bin, basket and bookshelf in our home. I'm feeling both exhausted and refreshed, if that makes any sense at all! It feels good to have some room to breathe with a few empty shelves and drawers. As I drove away from the thrift shop after unloading my trunk full of donations, I felt liberated.



This is not the first time I've tackled a major house cleanse/purge. I'm not sure why the dreaded "stuff" continues to creep into our home, despite the promises I make to myself and the resolutions I devise. It takes self-discipline to keep things in order and apparently I am lacking in that department. When "everything has a place", should it not be easy to maintain the order...apparently not! I'm guilty of rushing and dumping items in a convenient location - to be put away correctly later. A few years ago, Hubby and I came up with a motto, "Question every purchase". This motto was supposed to prevent unnecessary and frivolous spending and accumulation of stuff. Sometimes I am faithful to the motto, other times I fall off the wagon. It is like anything I suppose.



So, it appears I'm back on the wagon, for the moment anyway. I've got the whole family in on the action, as the boys and I tackled their bedrooms together. Chi-Chi, in particular, is a pack rat! On one hand, I love his resourcefulness. I love his imagination. I love his ability to see potential in the most basic items. The boy builds rocket ships out of Daddy's left over beer cans, and I do love them. However, how many empty drink boxes does one boy need, "just in case"? That's a tricky question. So, he and I went through every single item in his bedroom. I gave him two baskets for the storage of his stuff - one for miscellaneous items (drink boxes, party favors, straws, rocks, shells) and the other for paper items. We managed to whittle down his collection to something reasonable and manageable (for now!). I think he actually enjoyed the process of purging and rearranging his room. He seems to have a greater sense of pride over his space....which I'm hoping will translate to a neater bedroom!



Anyway, I feel like I'm heading into the "new year" on the right foot. With both boys in school, my own personal schedule is going to change quite drastically, which will take some getting used to. I've got some big projects on my plate this fall (shingling of barn!!). I may even get those wedding photos of ours from 2000 out of the box and in an album....or not!

So, the real question I must ask myself is, "Just how much wool does one Wool Fairy need?". That's a tricky one too!