So the first thing I notice when we got home from our 3-week semi-vacation is this: WE HAVE TOO MUCH STUFF.
I have always been a hoarder-in-training; I come by it genetically. I need several of each pantry item (chocolate syrup, flour, ketchup) to feel complete. I also tear out magazine pages for the “just in cases” of life, like:
Household and cleaning tips (ha! Like I’ll ever use those!)
Cooking tips/recipes (again with the ha!)
Homeschool ideas
Things that back up other things I want to write articles about
Paranoid tips (how to stock up for an emergency, what to do if you are a victim of a carjacker)
Since becoming a mom, I have been progressively getting rid of MY stuff. I once had an entire room full of crap. I tackled that, but still have large piles (one on each floor of our split-level) of stuff that does not have a home. Okay, if we’re being honest here, I’ll admit that I have thousands of journal pages in the basement dating back to about 1992 (boy, will my kids have fun sifting through THOSE someday … not. Probably ought to burn them now).
Then my kids started aging, as kids will do. They collect rocks, soda can top thingies, stuffed animals, Pokemon items, coloring books, hotel Styrofoam cups. You name it. Not to mention our homeschooling area in the dining room.
All this stuff (theirs and mine, plus their growing materialism mentality that I am teaching them) is draining my energy and brain space. Just like I walk by A. and get pregnant, I walk by my piles of crap and want to take a nap/turn stupid.
So, dear Reader, join me on my Journey of Purging over the next few weeks. I have GOT to get this place in order before homeschooling starts.
