Project: Reclamation

I'm reclaiming my house from all the clutter and crap that is choking my family out of existence.  Y'know, before my baby pulls a stack of 5-year-old magazines on top of herself or drowns in piles of napkins, dvds and junk mail.  Does my house sound like something out of (shudder) Hoarders?  Well, maybe we're not that bad.  But it's past the point of ridiculousness. 

Back when I was pregnant, my mom once told Hubby, "If she starts cleaning like crazy, pack your bags for the hospital."  Hubby laughed mockingly and said, "We can only hope the house gets a little cleaner before the baby comes!"  Well, sadly, Hubby was right.  I didn't really get that nesting urge before Laura made her appearance.  It's true, I did dust the walls of our house in one episode of "nesting."  But I really didn't get all the clutter organized.  Please don't think that I am raising my daughter in squalor.  The house is clean enough.  It's just not tidy. 

But I'm sick of it!  I finally snapped on Sunday, and started reclaiming my house.  I started in the kitchen, and completely emptied both our food cupboards.  I threw out an unfortunate number of items that had expired long ago.  The waste is shameful, but that's what happens when things get lost in cupboards.  After throwing everything on the floor, I vacuumed and wiped down the shelves, and then strategically placed everything back in the cupboards.  I was able to free up enough space to finally take Laura's food off the counter and put it on its own shelf.  That led me to clearing off the counters, and giving them a good, Cloroxy wipe down.  And when it was all done, I looked around and felt a little more relaxed.

That led me to my next objective: the boxes of marketing materials for Hubby's job all shoved in the corner of the dining room.  Seriously, four cardboard boxes just shoved in a corner.  I had the Sterilite containers all ready for this project, so last night I dove in.  I filled the family room with PILES of stuff, trying to find some semblance of order.  And then I put everything into three, smallish Sterilite containers, each with a packing list visible through the clear lid.  Hubby was pleased.  I will be as long as he stays on top of the organization.

Next up?  The office.  Wish me luck.