Cleaning-Out Saga Continues...

Don't think I haven't been thinking about Round 2 of cleaning out my house. It's been heavy on the brain lately. Having never done such a massive clean-out before, I had no idea how long this could take. See, I got tired and overwhelmed after the huge garage sale, giving away of 12 or so garbage bags full of baby clothes, taking a few piles to Goodwill. I've discovered that some things take quite a bit of time to think about before you know exactly what to do with it. Where to donate it, how to sell it, or if you want to keep it. So I've made a guideline for myself to follow: don't ever make decisions in a hurry and don't make decisions about someone else stuff.

One choice I made that hasn't had the dramatic (negative) impact my husband feared it would is: whittling our dishes in the kitchen down to what we use in a day or two. I now wash the top rack of the dishwasher (always hand-washing plastics, cookware, and cutlery) each day or two because the entire dishwasher was difficult to fill up. This made a huge difference in what I was able to see and retrieve from our kitchen cabinets. They were entirely too full of plates, bowls, and cups for me to get something out without other things either falling or having to be shoved to one side. I also sold all but a very few of the girls sippy cups in the last garage sale. I boxed up half of the plastic drinking glasses we have use daily since we got married without hubby noticing, making room for the fun glass and pottery glasses we have always enjoyed using but bypassed for the plastics. Now we use the glass more often, paying more attention to aesthetic detail than in the past.

These are the kinds of changes that have lasting effect on the de-stuffing process. I don't feel like I'm saying to myself "now why did I get rid of all those cups?" when I held on to them for months and we didn't even miss them. I'm applying the same principle to kids toys, clothing, home decor, toiletry products... and probably more that I am not willing to make my brain come up with at the moment.

Progress! It's not happening as fast as I initially imagined it would. But it's happening and our entire family is benefiting from it.

Cleaning Out Proof

So just in case you thought I had forgotten about this lovely blog of mine... I haven't! I've been thinking about SO many things lately and have honestly been too busy to post any of my thoughts. They are coming eventually. But for now I'm putting up some pictures of our de-stuffing process. I cannot believe how much we've gotten rid of, yet how much we still have! At the moment, I'm doing my best to find a proper balance for our family. I've discovered that some of us have a more consumerist view of owning things (the more the better, right?), and for most of my life I've fallen into this category of consumer. I don't really fit there any more, so this process has been interesting, to say the least. Also, very humbling and at times embarrassing - especially considering the stuff we had amassed when there is so much need elsewhere.

Cleaning out the girls closet

I know this picture is sideways, but there are mounds of storage containers in my home now... nothing to put in them.

In these boxes were clothing from my two daughters first year of life. Tons and tons of clothes that were hardly worn. They were sorted and fit into the blue tub in the next picture.

These are all the clothes, blankets, and shoes got rid of from the above bins. I gave them to a friend who is due with a girl in January. She was thrilled.

Packed up for a garage sale at a friends house! Sold most of it for next to nothing.

One of many before and after shots... I'm still not done with most of the organization that needs to happen. It takes so much time!

Quote of inspiration

Do you realize how GOOD you feel when you get rid of stuff?!

Stuff you don't need. Stuff that clutters your home. Stuff that's falling out of closets and storage spaces. Stuff that you didn't even remember you had. Stuff that you're keeping just in case you need it someday.

Stuff.

So. All of this cleaning out has really got me feeling awesome. And quite different. Maybe it's more of a way of thinking, but it's different. What I've been doing is examining the things we use, the things we do, and what we want to do. I'm trying going to make sure our life and our stuff fit well together.

I love this quote by Seth Godin:

“Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, you ought to set up a life you don’t need to escape from.”

I suppose you could say that this is what I've been up to. Setting up a life that I don't need an escape from. Sounds great, doesn't it?