Clean and Organized

"Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe."

Clutter. Disorder. Disarray. I have come to respect these words, in the same way that one enjoys a Lewis Carroll poem.

Is your house cluttered? If you answered "are you kidding?" you're not alone. I have what I call a horizontal filing system--stacks of papers, magazines, photos, lists, and catalogs that cover almost every table and countertop in my house. It's a constant battle, and it's one I wage in minutes stolen between naps, meals, and play. If you're not sure where to start in your home, try one of these quick ways to battle the clutter.

As the mother of three small children, I am always looking for ways to get the house cleaned quickly, and the clutter organized, so we can go play. While talking with my sister one day, we both came to a revelation that has changed both our home and work lives. It had to do with what is not always considered an honorable profession, but one that helped both of us work our way through school. No, not that! Read on!

Considering voluntary simplicity? Here are a few ideas to get you started.

1. Clear out clutter
Be an Avenging Clutter Clearer! Start with three boxes; one for things to throw out (those items that are worn out or broken), one for things to give away, sell or recycle, and one for the things to keep (if you simply MUST). Be systematic. Go room by room, and work your way completely through the room before you begin the next.

Our pets give so much to us. Unconditional love, endless excitement when we come home, a warm purring presence in our lap...hair on the floor, on our clothes, and in our food, occasional liquid outpourings, scratched furniture.

I walked into this house and knew it was right. After an apartment, to have a 1400 square foot house to my husband and myself seemed like heaven! It appeared huge, and although we didn't have decent furniture or the finances to afford any, the lovely cedar walls, the quaint porch, and the adorable tiny kitchen made it feel like mine right from the beginning.

That was 16 years ago. Since then:

Confession time here. I'm a bad recycler. Sometimes I do okay; other times I close my eyes, assuage my guilt by telling myself I recycle more then the average person and toss things that could just as easily be recycled. Actually, not just as easily and that is the problem isn't it? Recycling isn't as easy as throwing away. It takes a bit more effort and some of us have a hard time getting started and keeping going.

One of the biggest organizing challenges is craft items. If you're like me, you have way too many projects going at once: Projects your purchased years ago for "some day," and projects you continue to purchase on top of all your UFOs (UnFinished Objects). Many of you have more than one type of hobby and that doubles or triples your UFO load. Hopefully the following tips will help you cope with too much to do, too little time to do it.

I have a love/hate relationship with New Years. I love the idea of a fresh beginning, but loathe the feeling of failure that often comes in February (or sooner, depending on the resolution). Since I turned over my organizational leaf last fall, I see no reason to set myself up for another big change. Instead, I will evaluate my progress and think about goals.