Envision Your Ideal Spaces: Your Home Should Reflect Your Dreams and Goals

Good one.

I like this one. 

A few weeks back (I think a full four now!) I had someone really hurt my feelings about my messy (cluttered) house.  That weekend, I busted my hiney to get it decluttered.  And do you know that it felt SO good that minus two baskets of laundry that need to be folded and put away, the entire house...the ENTIRE house....has stayed that way?  It was like putting fertilizer on it...it felt so spacious and clean just to get rid of stuff...and I LOVE it.  Now the kids haven't exactly loved it because Mama has most definitely stayed on them...but even they have to like picking up less because we don't have it TO pick it up!

There is only really one, maybe two rooms that I would like to present differently.  I'll have to think about this one..

I NEED this assignment. Up until now I have been keeping up on everything but the battle with the clutter is really an issue.  I had to go to the library an have two books on my account marked as lost mainly because I can't find them in my clutter (I am thinking they may have ended up with the Christmas decorations)

I really only clean when I have company coming over and even then it depends who the company is.

I have two dining room sets in my dining room I need to part with the one even if I don't get what I want for it.

It is funny b/c every year we have at least 1 garage sale if not 2 and donate a bunch of stuff, yet it still feels like we have a bunch of clutter!  Right now, I need to make time to go through the Christmas stuff still being held in my dd's room-a bunch of it is broken, doesn't work, etc. and just needs purging.  Our bathroom cabinet and the linen closet could stand some de-cluttering, too and we have several totes and boxes full of clothes the kids have outgrown.  Toys, toys, toys...we step on them, fall over them, kick them aside...craziness.  My dream is to have some built in cabinets/drawers and book shelves around our front window in our living room.  Included in that built in would be a large toy box or cubbies and a window seat.  This would at least better contain and hide away the toys vs. the metal wire cubbie set I have now.  Also, have priced some nicer "furniture" like cubbies to eventually purchase and place in the kids' rooms.  My ds is getting old enough now he will play with stuff in his room, so feel we can store things in there now. 

Right now I can just try to collect it all and store it-we are participating in parents' big neighborhood garage sale in late April/early May.  i agree w/ "blessed_w_6" you do really feel so much better when you get rid of the excess and have a cleaner, more organized space.  For me, it is a total de-stressor and I feel so much less chaotic!

Sad to say a year later and I still have two dining tables. I went to the library this past month and got two book on organizing. One was get in and get it done, throw stuff out type of book and the other was a take a year and take small steps at a time to determine what you want and to organize every aspect of your life and then to maintain a schedule.

Still it got me thinking about how I want to use my rooms and not just what the room is designated on a house plan. I think in any home organization project you need to ask is how do I want to use this space.

Guest room is becoming Big boy bedroom complete with bright blue walls and a Mario theme. The dresser is to hold my little boys clothes and not my yarn stash. The closet does not need to hold every set of bedding we have ever owned I have three boxes to get rid of.

The Craft room is becoming a Den that holds my craft supplies. One the room isn't big enough for the crafting I would like to do (scrapbooks & sewing) It is big enough to be used to be a home to all the craft supplies, photo albums, the Yarn stash etc. This stemmed from my DH's need for a place at home to work without distractions. The Result

OK consider I couldn't walk into this room it was a huge undertaking.

Two book shelves were taken out of the den

I now have a book shelf in my family room for all the gardening/home improvement books and the kids/family DVD. My family room is not a playroom the toy shelf is now gone.

Formal Living Room is becoming a rec room. That means at the end of the day there should be toy free rooms. That is the idea but with a 2year old we will have to work on it.

Kitchen is being de-cluttered

One thing I did get from the "Fast and Furious, 5 step organizing" Was that things need zones if your possession over flow your zones do not move the extra to another location. Not only do they need their home but the home needs to be next to where you will use it. I am taking this to heart with many things.

We made the decision everything gets boxed up and we are participating in the semi Annual Neighborhood Garage sale. Gives me time for my whole house purge. 2nd After the sale it is all going to be picked up by a local Girl Scout troop that has a rummage sale in July.

An organized home is a big goal so I got started right away. Looking forward to the 28 bags thing. I need it.