I Conquered the Haystack

I try to stay organized so that when I am looking for something I can easily find it. In an attempt to find a particular picture frame that I had stored away before we moved last year, I kept stealing a few minutes here and there to sneak up into the attic and look for it. This went on all morning and it was well into the afternoon before I finally found it.

During my searches I found some fun and interesting stuff that I had forgotten about completely. I found my super-compact spy binoculars from when I was a kid. (Yes, I wanted to be a spy. Being a super-resourceful smart person has always appealed to me.) I also found a cool tool for blowing really huge bubbles. I’m not sure how it works and I’m afraid that my toddler will inhale a large amount of soap instead of blowing the bubbles out of the proper end of the tube. He’d probably be belching bubbles for a week. Maybe I should put that item back where I found it for now.

Most of the boxes and totes are labeled, because if everything was just packed into nondescript boxes and then the boxes stacked haphazardly here and there it would be impossible to locate anything. I went through some of the totes three or four times; I looked through boxes that couldn’t possibly contain picture frames. I tried to determine how long it had been since I’d seen the frame- was it possible that I had gotten rid of it?

I finally found it. In the tote marked “photos”, of all places. Imagine that. In a shoe box where I usually keep packets of loose pictures. Oh well. I was just glad that I didn’t have to run up and down the attic stairs anymore, or sift through boxes while the merciless sun beat upon the roof of the house, cooking me alive.

During my hunt I happily realized that I have a lot more stuff up there to get rid of then I thought, so that means we’ll have a lot more room in which to put all of the stuff that we will acquire over the next couple of years. Acquire/store, use/don’t use, recycle/throw away. It’s a vicious cycle.

The Clutter Monster Threw Up in My House

Our house is relatively organized, as far as houses go. We do have That Room, though. You know, the room that catches everything, including stuff you didn’t even know you had? In our house, That Room is called The Office. It can be really hard to work in The Office sometimes if you happen to be a person who is distracted by clutter. And dust.

Considering the fact that we have only lived in this house for sixteen months we have accumulated an awful lot of things that have been relegated to the attic or the basement. Most of that stuff is things that “we might need someday” or “if we get rid of it, we’ll suddenly need it.”

In one spot of the attic are the baby clothes, “in case we have more.” In another are the baby toys, “in case we have more.” There are the books, books, and books. Here are the home décor items that are not currently in use. And that whole section over there is the Box Section, where all the boxes are stored to ship possible future Ebay listings. Craft bin, craft bin, desk full of craft stuff. Oh, and there are more baby items, “in case we have more.”

The basement is full of tools. Lots and lots of tools. Somehow my husband still does not have all of the tools he needs to complete certain projects. In the wintertime the larger outdoor toys and the air conditioning units are stored down there as well, next to the washer and dryer. Also sitting in boxes full of bubble wrap and old newspapers are the serving bowls and other kitchen-type things that cannot be kept where they should be because of the lack of cabinet space.

Where did all this stuff come from? Sure, we’ve helped other people downsize by agreeing to take things off of their hands, but that was mostly furniture items that, even though we may not be able to use right now, we will be glad for down the road. (Right?) A twin bed, a dresser, a bookshelf… bring it on over! We won’t have money to buy that sort of stuff any time soon, and the kids can only stay in a crib/toddler bed for so long.

I plan on organizing a major Reduction of Clutter Day(s). This will consist of me filling multiple garbage bags: some labeled for the trash and others for Goodwill. It will also be my task to convince my husband that he does not need to keep the minuscule wooden cow he found at the park when he was little, or the amazing ball of lint that magically appeared in his favorite pair of pants the day he turned fifteen. And the things we only look at when we are in the midst of cleaning out- bye-bye!

The fact must be stated that I sense the real challenge will be in maybe, possibly, thinning out the kids’ clothes and toys. I feel as though getting rid of any of that stuff will be like somehow parting with a piece of my child. It feels sacrilegious. That may sound a bit extreme, but I’m not sure if I’m ready for that yet!