Winter Cleaning, Part 2

The great Winter Cleanse of 2011 continues in my home.

For months, I've been avoiding confronting the huge scary organizational monster in my back bedroom. I have boxes that hadn't been opened or even moved since I took residence in the apartment last April. The sheer volume of stuff was intimidating, and there were also some very emotional issues at work as well, since the vast majority of items in those boxes were relics of my married years. I was tired, overwhelmed... I couldn't face those boxes. It is legitimately VERY DIFFICULT to go through dozens of boxes (not to mention bags and shelves) all by oneself. However, add to the mix a very active and curious toddler who is interested in everything and wants to climb all over everything, and the task is elevated from difficult to nearly impossible.

However, one of my two lifestyle changes for 2011 is "Face Your Fears"* and so on Friday night and much of the day on Saturday, I hauled boxes down and around, opened them, made decisions... My apartment currently looks as if it was attacked by the proverbial tornado, but please believe me when I assure you that progress is being made. I organized books and put them on shelves or back in boxes to wait for further decisions to be made. I identified no fewer than a dozen books that I can give away (I'm a book hoarder, so this is huge for me). I even went through a box of the Little Bug's old things and gleaned a bag of baby clothes for the give-away pile.

Baby steps.

Most importantly, although it may take a while to realize my vision, I have a definite idea of how I want that back room to be organized and utilized as a combined workroom/office and playroom. The room has a southeastern exposure, and in the spring, it will be great to be in there on weekend mornings, with me being productive and creative with the Little Bug playing and learning right next to me.

*The other is "Sleep", which is doing wonders for forcing me to examine my life and my priorities, but that's another story.