I love organization! Pictures of organized spaces, blog posts about organizing, organizational products, labels, color-coding.
But, I'm not super good at achieving and keeping organization in my home. A large part of the problem is that I am a bit of a packrat and my husband is even worse than I am.
Cassette tapes? Yes, we have them. A cassette player? Hmmm, don't think so! I know we have books from every class my husband took in his years earning a degree and 2 masters degrees.
And do you know what happens when 2 packratish people give birth to 3 children?
There is a house crammed with way too much junk!
Can you say artwork times 3 children? Sunday school worksheets & crafts times 3 children! Party favors from goody bags times 3 children!
I've been trying to get organized since, I don't know, forever? I have made some progress, but it is not as fast as I'd like. Lately I'm so sick of the stuff that I've finally begun to get rid of things on a daily basis. I just hope I'm sending out more than is coming in!
13 Things I've Gotten Rid of Recently:
1. Broken toys
2. Cheap plastic toys (when I find them strewn about the playroom I've started putting them in the trash can instead of putting them away. The kids never miss them, except for the fake gold coins -- apparently they were my 6 year old's treasure. Who knew? Well, put them away and I won't throw them away. Count it a lesson learned the hard way!)
3. Magazines (I can't believe how many back issues we've saved)
4. Torn books
5. Toys the kids hardly ever play with
6. Clothes that for some reason I saved from my 1st son, but look too bad to put on my younger son.
7. Not so special crafts my kids created (you cannot get sentimental about everything they produce -- right?)
8. Mardi Gras bead type necklaces -- what is it about kids and these necklaces? they seem to multiply around my house. I throw them away and more appear!
9. Old, broken cell phones (I guess I was holding out hope that the phone I drowned 10 months ago would somehow revive itself!)
10. Wire hangars from the dry cleaners
11. Instruction manuals to appliances we no longer own
12. School info. flyers and handbooks from last year
13. Expired coupons
Now I need to go toss about 97 more things!
Check out Thousand Words Thursday, Thursday Thirteen.
Good for you! I wish some of my boys would let me get rid of more of their little plastic toys.
ReplyDeletewow.. you inspire me to get rid of stuff too!!!
ReplyDeleteEssence of Libra
That's a great start! When we moved I got rid of so much, and there is a bunch in storage. (We don't have as much storage available in our home now and I hate having to pay to store our STUFF)! If we have not gone searching the boxes for it by next June... guess what ADIOS! I really dislike all those little plastic toys, mardi gras beads, etc that kids get at parties and such. My daughter was a great collector of them!
ReplyDeleteClick here to go to my 13 Essence of Libra.
ReplyDelete13 goodness about me.
and
Click here to go to 13 Negatives about me.
Good for you!! It's so hard to get rid of something that 'might come in handy someday'. I just sent off a donation to the Kidney Foundation this morning and keep thinking of more things I'd be okay getting rid of now. For me, it just takes time to warm up to the idea of not having something. Hope this trend continues for you!!
ReplyDeletegood list my favorite thing to do - clean out
ReplyDeleteOh you have inspired me!!!!!
ReplyDeleteToday is paper day. I'm going to do it. Thanks for the boost.
I'm a huge packrat, too, as is my husband, though he doesn't admit to being one! One thing we did recently that has helped is to getting a recycling service that gives us points based on the weight of what we recycle. Then we can redeem those points for gift cards to a local grocery store, restaurants, etc. That's actually motivational for me to get rid of magazines and other papers quickly.
ReplyDeleteChildren are anti-organization and so are pets who have a big toy collection! Pixel refuses to put away her toys - as for the cat, puhleeze, she turns regular household things into shredded toys! I've never had a child but I have toys all over the floor, lol.
ReplyDeleteI relax from it all with these Thirteen Fun Sites for Totally Wasting Time. They don't help me get organized but they do help me ignore the mess, lol!
i have many things to get rid of it and you are reminding us too hehe. Thanks and happy T13.
ReplyDeleteI'm not all that good at organization either! Although I usually don't have trouble getting rid of things. I did a TT list too, it's here: http://lifes-adventures.net Cheers!
ReplyDeleteI organize for fun and I throw away often. After moving so many times via the military I became the opposite of a pack rat.
ReplyDeleteGood for you! I too have been organizing. If I pick something up I want to know that it has a place and that place better not be crammed full. It has certainly helped me keep the house much tidier on a daily basis! Now if only I could train my hubby ***sigh***
ReplyDelete