Summer Cleaning

Now that we are home (for 2.5-3 weeks) it's time for me to get some organizing done around the house. We had guests (Brian, Debbie & Connelly) this past weekend (so I didn't want to get started last week for fear of not getting it done in time. So when they left on Sunday, I got to work.

I'm sure many of you deal with or dealt with the same struggles of a a growing family and the accumulation of stuff around the house. In order to get through everyday this stuff gets organized into places that hide it from plain view. I can do this for so long and then I have a breaking point and it's like an itch I have to scratch...I have to get rid of the stuff!

Because Libbie will be growing out of her crib soon, I need to organize the kids room for their new bunk beds. This means I need to find a place for Landon's bed and Libbie's crib. The only place to store those (without renting a storage unit) is in our basement laundry/storage area. In order to get the bed and crib into the storage area, everything had to come out. This gives me the opportunity to sort through all the items into "keep", "donate", and "trash" piles. Many of the items are things that I hold onto wither because I think I'll need them later or because I was not ready to get rid of the item when I stored it....note the welcome home boards for Landon and Libbie when they were born!

Why I kept these, I have no idea! I guess they fit into items I wasn't ready to get rid of when it was time to take them down. I'm sure my neighbors thought I was crazy when they saw these in the trash pile (Landon's I was holding onto for almost 4 years!).
Here is everything from the storage area piled on top of our existing furniture and toys in the basement family/play area. This pile included tv trays, bedding, children's clothes, baby items, home decor, wedding stuff (again...I wasn't ready to part with some of that stuff), suitcases, coolers, etc.
Once everything was out, I really didn't know where to begin. I couldn't start putting items (things we have to keep) back in the storage area without putting in the kids beds.
I spent the rest of Sunday sorting through clothes and items and organizing items into their designated piles. I did as much as I could and then swept out the storage area. Please excuse the dreariness of this area with it's cinder block walks and cement floor. It's not the happiest room in the house but it serves its function.

The area is shaped like an "L" so when you walk in, you turn left to head to the washer & dryer pictured above. Then you turn left again to a shorter storage area. This is where all our permanent items go or items that we don't use on a regular basis
It doesn't look like much progress, I should have take a before picture, but it made me feel better.

*Note...I have been typing these posts as they happen and scheduling for their release, so the time frame is a bit off. This actually took place July 31...just in case you were wondering.