Project Purge

Recently, Justin aptly stated that now that I am home, somehow I have found the time to shop for all the things I have ever wanted. I laugh because it is true, BUT it's not what you think.  The way he says it, you would think I was raiding the mall or the shops along 5th avenue.  But I have actually been scouring out nearby deal / dollar stores for pretty baskets and simple colored containers for my organizing habit. I know, so disappointing. I mean, I AM in need of a wardrobe redo, but thats probably not going to happen in the near future. Not until I purge at least 75% of it (which I WILL be doing, its just a purging project that falls behind a few other high priorities at the moment).

Right now I am in the middle of purging the house of unwanted clutter. We are undergoing clutter rehab at the moment. It's a 12 step process...

First Step: Toys

I have always shuddered at the thought of random toys lying haphazardly here and there disturbing the rooms we would much rather retreat to.  Can you imagine it? (Well some of you can. Just look at the room you are in probably, as I am doing. It's a mess. There are toys EVERYWHERE!!) So now this has become a reality in my own home and it drives me crazy.  But I have found that it is near impossible to run after these boys and put everything away or even expect them to every single time {note: Colin is really really good about putting toys away when he needs to. I mean, really, as long as I make it an 'activity' he is up for anything..}

But now these toys are not just everywhere; they are growing. Exponentially. Especially now that his second birthday is coming up in a month, this is going to become a much larger problem unless I do something now. 

So this is the project outline of what I have planned:

1. Gather:

I am going to collect all the toys from every room in the house. There are some in a box or two in the basement that Colin had outgrown and a few in his bedroom. In either case, I'm going to lay them all out for step two...

2. Purge:

So once gathered, I will use the basics of cleaning 101 and separate them into the three famous piles - 

1. Trash
2. Give
3. Sort

..Trash..
Some are old or have missing pieces or something. They can get discarded.
Really people.

..Give..

The boys don't need so many toys. I definitely enjoy using some of them to teach him about colors and shapes and animals, etc. But he doesn't need all the toys that he has. Especially when there are so many children right here on long island that don't have more than a stuffed animal to their name. I'd rather those children have and enjoy these little items rather than allowing them to get stuck under my fridge or bed or between my toes...

...and...

3. Sort:

I bought some containers. Some large ones and some medium sized ones. I'm in the process of looking for small ones with tops that I can keep little pieces in. 

I'll attach some labels {of course} i.e.: puzzles, music, coloring, cars, etc. and even though Colin won't understand them {yet} I will, and that's enough for me.  I am hoping to keep them all up high on a shelf and allow him two baskets a day to play with. I think that will help enable him to enjoy playing with his toys, finding some of them to be "new' again.  This while allow the room to feel less chaotic, and I won't mind if they are scattered about since it will only be the few he's playing with and not every single toy covering my already carpeted floors.

It's a win-win situation.

So this thursday begins phase one. Stay tuned for more ...