My poor family. They don’t know what’s hit them.
Actually – my poor family nothin’. It’s all their fault and they should have seen it coming. They are the ones who leave their junk all over the house. They are the ones who don’t see the mess. They are the ones whose stuff is covering every surface of every room in this entire, enormous house. It is all them.
Except for the surfaces that I call “my desk” and “my dresser” and “my kitchen corner full of stuff I need to sift through.” But just whatever.
That’s probably why I haven’t harped much until now. I wasn’t keeping my spaces uncluttered either. I had excuses and they were real. I’d be happy to tell you all about them so that you can feel very sorry for me.
Long story short – what happened is that after a very full winter full of running and people and events – I looked up one day and saw my house. It made me SO MAD. And there sat my kids – watching Netflix. How dare they?
I snapped. I started throwing things off the ironing board (not because I was going to actually use it to iron clothing – get real). I raised my voice about all that needed to be done and started spewing out orders and making lists. I made my eleven year old tear up a bit.
It was my finest moment and I’d be happy to share parenting advice with you anytime.
Blech.
That was about the time Matt took me on a 42-hour getaway. I might have needed it just a little bit. Though it didn’t help the physical clutter go away, it did help my emotional state. I came home with a clear head, ready to energetically clear out my house.
Look out boys. Mom feels better. But she is also ready to throw out everything but your bed and shoes so if you want to keep any of your stuff – PUT IT WHERE IT BELONGS.
I haven’t taken any pictures of our recent declutter efforts,
but since the clutter-declutter thing happens regularly enough around here,
I had some old pictures to share.
Slowly but surely, we’ve been mucking out. This is bringing more refreshment than I expected and I’m sharing it with you just in case you might have a mild case of that from which I was suffering. The clutter was causing me stress, and I didn’t even realize it. As we’ve freed up space, cleared off surfaces, and boxed up unneeded items – my physical self is winding down too. Walking into a room that is actually clean? Ah, it is a breath of fresh air.
Cleaning out clutter is part of my April Health Challenge.
It might seem silly that cleaning out clutter is a big part of my personal health challenge this month. What does throwing away trash and organizing books have to do with good health? Shouldn’t we be focused on eating right and getting fresh air? Sure – if that’s where your focus needs to be.
As for me? I can’t breathe when the clutter gets out of control. Seeing it leaves me discouraged and tense. Clearing space around my house and getting rid of unnecessary items truly is beneficial to my health, and it’s one of my biggest needs right now.
Do you need to get rid of clutter?
Might I suggest that you do this before you reach a breaking point? Choose a room. Look around. Ask yourself:
Is this item blessing our family?
If it isn’t – get rid of it. Don’t think about it too hard – otherwise you might come up with a reason to keep a broken CD “because you might be able to use it in a craft project some day.” Chuck it, friend. I’ll break a CD for you another time if in fact you end up needing one.
If the item is usable but you aren’t using it – don’t think twice. Box it up to give away or sell. Perhaps it will bless someone else.
Take joy in the fact that your home will be filled only with items you need and use. Enjoy the freedom that comes from a uncluttered space.
Be happy for me. My desk is clear and the ironing board is empty. Now I can use it to iron clothing. (Yeah right.)
![gratituesday[2]](https://www.heavenlyhomemakers.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/gratituesday2.png)
