The Declutter Challenge.

The evidence of an active household; but the reality is that a lot of items in our house are surplus to requirements.  Many things hold value to us as they have been given to us.  The challenge now is to get the rooms emptied of the things that are not used or that are not especially meaningful.

When one has to think of what one actually needs in case of evacuation etc, there are not many things that are crucial are there?

Conquer the Clutter

On the weekend I cleared some clutter from the garage. I put skipping ropes and rockets (!) and chalk into some drawers of an old filing cabinet I found on 'chuckout'. Now chuckout is a wonderful Australian tradition that I enjoy. Twice a year our council sets a date that we can put all things we do not need from our houses or garages on the pavement (sidewalk) and anyone can take what they like. Then on the date posted, a truck collects the leftovers. Much of our furniture is from this and husband E has repaired and tidied the items. I shall post some examples later. At any rate, the filing cabinet drawers helped me conquer the clutter in the garage.

Kitchen clutter

Am keeping "Conquer the Clutter" in mind as I recall a great idea I saw on Oprah ages ago: how to clear the second drawer clutter: Empty the drawer into a box and when you use an item, return it to the drawer. At the end of the month, whatever remains in the box is not needed by you and you can get rid of it.....

The Night Falls....

At 10am today, all looked lost: two dressed, two still in pyjamas, no breakfast yet for me...one successfully on the school bus. But now, 8pm I have done all that I had hoped to today: baked two cakes, cleaned the kitchen surfaces and floor, folded laundry from yesterday, prepared dinner (macaroni and cheese with salad), helped two children with homework, made some phone calls, played hand ball with 9 year old son and had a few cuddles along the way. Husband E and I even had a quiet chat together at 5pm!!! A day where I was sustained....

Tomorrow I will start working towards the "Conquer the Clutter Challenge" that I have just learnt about. I have the garage in mind....