Mother Clutter

I am so sick of the clutter in my house! I know I'm not alone in this feeling, so I'm gonna put it all out there! Keeping my house uncluttered was never my forte, just ask my previous roommates, right Robyn? Kira? Kira would probably tell you I'm the worst at putting things away. I have a bad habit of not unpacking after a trip, of leaving my water glasses all over the house (mostly at my bathroom sink), of leaving clean, folded laundry out wherever I folded it, and sticking anything I don't know what to do with on my kitchen table. It's awful! And, having a baby did nothing to make me more of a de-clutterer! Until now!!! I'm telling you, I am on a rampage to get this house in order. Now that it's my "place of work" as well as my home, I am determined to have a neat, tidy, organized house that I will want to keep that way.

I've always believed that your physical space is representative of your psychological and mental state - and vice versa. Looking at my house makes me stressed out. I'm stressed out, and then I can't even get started on taking control. I even did a staff "training" on this at school - telling teachers that the cleaner their classrooms were, the less stressed they would be. And, this is so true. So, I'm trying to clean the clutter in my house, and maybe the clutter in my brain will settle down, too.

When it comes to Banner's things, I feel pretty good about my system - his room and "things" are the only organized things in the house. I was like that at work, too. My entire classroom and student areas would be neatly organized, bright, colorful, presentable, and tidy - but throughout the day my desk would be a complete disaster. I firmly believed that it was important for my students not to pay the consequences of my clutter, so I never impacted them in that way, and every afternoon (and for sure on Fridays) I wouldn't leave until my desk was mostly clear so I could role model for them some kind of organizational skills... and I think that's why Banner's areas are so organized. I always put his laundry away. I always put his toys away. I go through his clothing pretty regularly to pull out what he has outgrown and pack it away or give it to my baby nephew. His diapers, wipes, books, towels, etc. are always stored neatly. So, I feel good about his areas. I do feel, however, that he is overwhelmed by how many toys he has now (even when I have hidden some of his birthday toys for later), and I need a system to help him really play with them. Just when I am ready to pack up his infant toys, he shows interest in them, so I'm not going to do that just yet, which makes for a crazy, colorful assortment in our living room. These toys then get strewn about the kitchen, dining room, bedrooms, etc.

So, I find myself "pinning" away on pinterest, looking for great ideas to help me organize, because I think most of my problem is that I haven't figured out a good system for where things go. I have found some great sites, and I'm starting to implement these great ideas. Sam may not think it's the best time for me to start going through our whole house - but with all the big changes in our lives right now (me resigning and him starting his own law firm), I feel the need to take control of SOMETHING! My house is my "victim" - a willing one in this case - because I can hear it screaming to me, "HELP ME, SAVE ME!" And, the thing is, I really value my house and the things and people in it, so I really want to be more in control of how those things and people are treated by de-cluttering!

So, I've divided up my house into 5 big projects:

• Project TOYS! I found this idea for rotating toy bins to make for easier, more fun play. I already went to Target and purchased 4 inexpensive clear bins, and while I was taking most of Banner's toys to equally distribute them into the bins, he was finding things to play with as if he'd never seen them before! I am in love with this idea, because a) we won't lose toys or keep searching for missing pieces/balls/shapes all the time and b) Banner will look forward to playing this different toys every four days. (I did keep my colorful toy organizer out which has some staple items he can play with daily, as well as the bigger, bulkier toys.) While I haven't put them away yet, here is a picture of the four tubs I'm using with a great assortment of toys for the boy. Each bin has at least one puzzle, one stuffed animal, one musical toy, one "talking" toy, and a few books. Then, the rest is an assortment of fun things Banner enjoys. We're on day three of the bin rotation, and so far, so good! I love this plan, and it's really working for us. The best part for Banner is "new" toys each day. The best part for me is that it's easy to clean up before bedtime, and my living room is clean, AND there are no lost toys or missing items!

This is the only "project" I have completed. The next few tasks will require future posts to see how I'm doing. I hope that by blogging about these projects, I will actually DO them! It will hold me a bit more accountable.

• Project LAUNDRY: There are way too many things piled up on my dryer. There are way too many unused things in the cabinets in this room. There are way too many things on the kitchen table that should stay right near the garage door - and the laundry room can house these things. So, I'm going to add a new cubby system, as well as a few hooks so that my purse, the diaper bag, shoes, and other knick-knacks can have a place. Sam and I will also be going through the cabinets to make better use of them.

• Project ARTS/CRAFTS: I have SO much crap stuff that I had in my classroom/office that I paid for myself years ago as a fifth grade teacher. I didn't want to just leave it or ditch it, so I brought it home in the hopes that I can utilize it with Banner. Things like sidewalk chalk, blank books, stamps, craft sticks, stickers, clothes pins, dice, buttons, magnets, colorful note cards, paints, etc. Don't know what I was thinking buying all that so long ago - I guess I thought I'd have time to do fun projects with my students (What the hell was I thinking? You live and learn!). Anyway, so I have so many doo-dads and things to sort through in boxes from my office/classroom, that I have to get a handle on it all. I don't want it to just sit there; I want to USE it, so I must be able to see what I have. I also have a ton of gift wrap that I need to organize. I have some inspiring ideas to help me: here, here, and here.

• Project KITCHEN: This is where I'm going to call in reinforcement: Mom and Kira. Soon after July 4th, Kira and Mom are coming over and helping me reorganize my kitchen. It's been a work in progress since Banner was born. His needs are changing - fewer to no bottles, more bowls, plates, sippy cups, silverware, and less baby food! So it's time for an update by making his things more accessible. My pantry actually looks great, thanks to some ideas I found here. But, I still have some clearing out to do. And, the fridge, oven, microwave, and dishwasher all could use a good scrubbing. I already started cleaning the fridge - but Banner was doing his best exploring and getting in my way a bit too much. If only nap time lasted a bit longer!

• Project BED & BATH: Really, the only thing needed in these areas is some major de-cluttering and donating! This is last on my list because I can handle this one a bit easier and probably during a nap time, too.

More to come on each project as I take charge of all this mother clutter!