First things First

First things First

We have been blessed with a home that has lots and lots of storage space.  3 car garage, attic above.  Just downstairs, we have 3 walk in closets, coat closet and empty cabinets/drawers in the kitchen.  I have room for everything plus.  That is the benefit.  The hindrance is because of all of this space, the tendency to junk it up is a weekly theme around here.



I am not a "good" housewife.  I hate cleaning, dusting, picking up.  It is what it is and I am working to fix that.  But, I love organizing and take pride in the fact that all of my "hidden" areas are in perfect order- except right now.  All the crap that has been laying around the house got shoved into baskets and thrown into our closets so that it appears we are a functioning family in a proper clutter free home.

I can't stand it when this happens.  It doesn't bother me to have school work, shoes, stuff laying around the house, but it bugs me to no end to have my closets a mess.  Yes, I am dyslexic.  Yes, I have things a bit backwards.  Yes, I am a perfectionist that when it can't be perfect, it doesn't get done.  But, this is how I operate.

So, I have been a stay at home Mom since August.  August and September I found I became the perfect housewife.  That what needed to be done- was.  I mopped floors on my hands and knees, I cleaned out every junk drawer and closet in this house.  Vacuumed and dusted weekly, even kept up with laundry.

October and November became my whirlwind of baking.  December introduced Christmas, my Mother, and lots of activities as a family.

January, I have my cleaning schedule and can't budge.  I can't do anything until I clean out the storage areas.  Because the easiest way to clean is to shove every piece of paper, every shoe, every pencil, every thing into a basket and throw into a closet.  We made it to today looking like we are clean.  The jig is up.

Today, I am starting with the closet under the steps.  I had this in perfect order in August.  I cleared everything out and painted.  Stuff sorted into boxes, labeled and returned in nice little neat stacks.  Now, Christmas, recipes, school work, batteries, trash, magazines, money, blah blah blah are junking it up.

I pulled piece by piece everything out of the closet and put it into sorted piles.  I have a recycle bin, garbage can ready. 

The piles will be distributed throughout the house in places where they belong.  The kids will put away their stuff; papers either recycled or shredded; Christmas put in containers; the money found put in my wallet, etc.

I have cleared out the walkway to this closet.  Everything out of place has been taken out and strewn in the hallway.

 Everything has been sorted and binned, I can put it back in the closet- neat and organized.

Now, I have no excuse to start on the cleaning schedule.  Today is Tuesday, hum, looks like it's the kids rooms and bathroom.  I can begin!