Cleaning House

I had a mini meltdown this week. In my defense, it was a very gloomy week, weather-wise, and the kids were sick, which I think would drive even the most sane person crazy.

The cause of my meltdown? Clutter. Kid clutter.

I'm so far from being a neat freak, but I swear, kid junk will turn the messiest person into a Container Store frequent shopper. Is it just me or do kids have a lot of stuff? A lot of big stuff. A lot of big, brightly colored stuff. A lot of big, brightly colored, loud-song-playing stuff. (OK, I'll stop.) And don't even get me started on the small stuff. The Happy Meal sized stuff. The little toys that somehow find their way into your home and you think, "What is this? Why do we have it? When did we get it?"

Most of the time I overlook it. It's almost like I have to walk around with blinders on all day so that I don't go nuts. But the second I slow down and really look around my house, I feel the panic attack coming on. And I have to clean up right then... even if it's only 2:00 and I know the house will be destroyed again before bed. Anyone else like this?

Alright... I know that my kids should clean up their own messes. They're old enough. They can and should do it. I understand. And they clean up probably... honestly... 60% of it. But I can do it so much faster, and I do it right. I know, I know. That's not teaching them anything. Blah blah blah. I get it. But there are days I have the energy to do a 15 minute cleaning session myself, and I do not have the energy to prod them along for an hour to get the same mess cleaned up.

Back to my meltdown...

I realized every single room in my home has kid stuff in it. Including my bedroom (pack and play) and my bathroom (kids' towels and soaps and bath toys). I've had enough!! My den, living room, dining room, kitchen, guest bedroom, master bed and bath... have all been branded by my children somehow. I wonder if it would be better if we still had a playroom. Maybe. But bottom line: some of their stuff has to go.

I went to The Container Store on Friday and bought.. well, containers... for their junk. And I feel SOOO much better. I've also secretly been going around the house and throwing their toys out when they're not looking. (and by "throwing out", I also mean "donating to Goodwill". I'm not just mindlessly filling landfills.) They haven't missed a thing I've gotten rid of. Not one thing.

My goal is to get rid of at least 40% of their stuff. Just in time for Christmas. When we'll start with the kid clutter all over again. :)