The Problem

I dream of a clean, organized, neat looking house. But that's all it is. A dream. I don't have a proprensity for organization or even house cleaning itself. So I struggle every day to make our living space somewhat presentable. I think I've discovered my problem. We moved from a 5 bedroom house with an attic and a basement in New York State to a cramped two bedroom apartment in Orange County California. I think I saw this coming somewhat. I remember going through all our stuff in New York, trying to decide what I could part with and what to bring with us on our move. I place a lot of value on items, so it was a hard process. My natural inclination is to hold on to things "just in case". You could say I have pack rat tendencies. But I succeeded in getting rid of a lot of stuff and we didn't have to rent a storage space once we moved to California. However, now I look around my house and I see clutter. More toys than my girls ever play with. More dvds than we ever have time to watch. More books than I will ever have time to read (I'm a certified bookaholic!) More dishes than I ever use. More clothes than I ever wear. Just more more more stuff than my family will ever use. And so many "just in case" things.

So I've been getting an itch lately to simplify. With all this stuff, my house can never be "neat". Sure I can hide stuff in cupboards and bins. But I just have this urge to simplify. This urge may stem from my recent trip to Kenya and seeing how happily my in-laws live without all the "stuff". While they certainly have more than the basics they need to survive, it wasn't much more. And frankly the upkeep was simple. There was no "decluttering".

I think that's what got me. The majority of my day is spent decluttering! I spend so much time picking up after kids toys and other decluttering, that I hardly have any time for any thing else! Its frustrating.

So, my quest, my struggle, my goal is to simplify. I want to get back to the basics. I am going to be horribly harsh with myself and my family and start getting rid of all the STUFF. The kids will cry when I give away some of their toys, my husband will grimace when I reduce his dvd collection and I will overcome the sick feeling in my gut when I give away some of my precious books. But I will simplify.