Less is More

I'm going to call it a severe case of nesting. It has never hit this early or hard. Then again, I've never felt the urgency to prepare my home for a third child before either.

Some weeks back I realized that the only way I was going to survive the next step in our family coming in April was to streamline our life, organize our stuff and create systems that keep chaos at bay. So, I've spent the last two weeks creating chaos in an effort to eliminate it. Thus far I have completely emptied the closet closest to our main entry and hung a shoe storage thing (ummm...brain fart...what's it called?) on the door, hang coats and sweaters we use most frequently in it and as soon as I find the perfect little dresser, I'm going to move it in to store frabric scraps, crafty stuff, kid art stuff etc. Still looking for that perfect piece. I'll know it when I see it. Now we no longer search for shoes because we take them off as soon as we come in and hang them in the...thingy. I will probably also put in some hooks so that the kids can be responsible to hang up their own coat. I love passing on responsibility when possible.

I added space to my laundry room by getting a cheap, old coffee table to set up in my woefully small laundry room. On top of the table is my shelf with all my laundry room goodies and below is the [stupid] cat's litter box. That moved that nasty toilet out of my pathway and out of my sight, thank heaven. A word to the wise, don't keep a cat soley dependent on a litter box. You will live to regret it. For 12 years. Or more. Whatever the life span of a pampered, spoiled, rotten egg cat is.

I cleaned out my garage, added some shelves and moved out a bunch of the kid's outside toys to a large, waterproof box on the back deck. It freed up so much space and also is another opportunity to pass off more responsibility to the kids i.e. "put all your junk in the deck box. Please. Now."

My refrigerator has french doors on top and a freezer drawer on the bottom. I bought 3 cheap 6 qt. boxes, took everything out of the freezer (tossed anything I couldn't remember putting in there...sadly, more than I realized had to be thrown out) and now have very neat bins one with frozen veggies, one with dairy products, and the third for miscellanious things. I can now see what I have and will eliminate digging (which I hate) and waste (which I abhor).

I did a closet sweep and took out anything we haven't used in year, mostly decorative type items, put them in a box and dropped them off at Good Will. If they've not been missed in a year or more, they need to go. I probably should do another sweep.

Then I tackled my closet. The problem with my closet is that with every item of clothing is a little twinge of guilt for the price paid, even if it was a sale purchase as are almost all of my clothes. In the past that guilt has made me leave things hanging in my closet, that don't fit, I don't like, I won't wear and haven't worn in a long time rather than passing them on to someone who could use them now. I am blessed enough to have more pairs of nice, name brand work pants than I could wear in a single week and yet I have let them sit for the past three years in my closet, virtually unworn, because I was in fear I would need them one day. The truth is, when the day comes that I go back to work it's very likely that my clothes 1. won't fit (be real, I will have had 3 children, nothing will ever fit the same again. And those are all pre-baby clothes). 2. they will be very outdated and 3. they will be very dusty from sitting so long. Reality, I won't wear them. I haven't and I won't. Now, stop being selfish, pack up your clothes and pass them on to someone who can use them now, in real time!!! Same thing with your shoes. And as for the t-shirts you have amassed since college, holes aren't cool, pretty or stylish and neither are pit stains. Make them rags. Thank you. You now have a clean closet.

And so I have some bags of clothes to donate and shoes too. And a much neater closet. And I feel so much better that I am no longer hoarding clothes I don't even want!

For next weeks nesting spurt, I'm going to sort and box up toys to put away for a while so we can enjoy the new things my children will receive this Christmas. I'd also like to figure out a better system for my cabinets and pantry. And paint all the walls. And sew some curtains. And make another rug. And repaint that little kid table I found in an antique store at a deep discount. And...

I'm finding the less I have the better I feel. There is no joy in so many possessions, only guilt. God has blessed me so richly, it's time to pay it forward.