working towards less

i have a lot of stuff.  (don’t we all?) and so do my kids.  it drives me crazy.  yet for the longest time I really haven't done anything about it but complain. 

from 2008 to 2011 i was in grad school.  i was also working full time.  and my kids were itty bitty.  it was a time of acquiring much and getting rid of little.  the entire time i was in school i kept thinking that as soon as i graduated, i would do a major decluttering of our household.  well, i finished school in april of 2011 and that still hasn’t happened.

maybe the timing just wasn’t right.  but now, the girls are older.  i feel less rushed even though we are often technically busier.  so I think it’s time.

source

this is a difficult process.  not just the getting rid of part.  but the saying no to other things so that i have time to go through our stuff. i’ve been saying no to a lot lately.  but for now i think this needs to be my priority.  (besides my family.) so i’m not going to be that mom with the most volunteer pta hours.  i’m not going to lead any girl scout troops this year.  i’m not going to sign up for every dance team booster club fundraiser.  and that’s ok.  my hubby says so.  (actually all he says is that i’m not allowed to volunteer for anything this year because he knows how stressed i get.  and that the house turns into a disaster because of the stress.) 
the result of all of this saying no is time.  i’m finding wide open spaces of time (also thanks to staying off of facebook) that i am using to enjoy my family.  and when they’re busy?  I declutter!

i’ve noticed that i easily get overwhelmed when there’s a lot of stuff around me.  i’m starting to notice that my girls seem to be the same way.  i expect that using this year to declutter will bring a feeling of calm to our household.  and it will make my hubby really happy.  i hope that our home loses hundreds of pounds of stuff by the end of the school year.  and gains much in terms of expected and unexpected benefits!