I can see clearly now the mess is gone…

I am the first to admit: I’ve got a lot of issues. One being: I cannot work or really even start to think clearly if I am surrounded by a mess. It’s as if I need to wipe the physical slate clean before my mental slate can start fresh and hit the ground running.

But here’s the thing: I have two little kids who are constantly on the go and leave trails of random stuff all over the house. I have a dog that seriously sheds enough to knit at least a dozen baby sweaters…in a week. I have a husband who, bless his adorable laid-back soul, doesn’t really seem to notice if things are out of place or, say, if there is trash on top of the kitchen countertop.

But I do–I see it all. Every last little bit. And when it gets a little too much, and I need to work or want to sit and read, it drives me batty. If I reach that point, my hubby knows: it’s time for a massive clean up. If we don’t, he knows what will happen: I will buzz around freaking out, grumbling, and then end up eating all of the chocolate or snacks in the house because I am freaking out. And that last part, my friends, is something that hubby does not want to happen.

So this morning, thanks to the help of my son and my sweet husband who puts up with my crazy anal-retentive uber organizing side, we did a big clean up. The toys are always the worst. Where does all this stuff come from? We put all of the toys in their respective bins, threw away itty bitty random parts, and dropped off a whole bag of toys to Goodwill. It felt SO good. We had an organized bin system before but this time I made labels with the names & pictures of contents to make it easier for my son to help out. He loved it!

I also cleaned up the pantry a little:

I also cleaned two of the bathrooms, including one nasty toilet (used mainly by the boys) and one very disgusting shower. I figure you don’t need to see pics of either (you’re welcome). Hubby managed the clean up of the puzzle drawers & shelves (trust me: that’s a huge job at our house), vacuumed the upstairs, and cleaned out his old car (the latter being necessary since it’s going back to the dealer this week).

And so, here I sit, able to breathe clearly again. Ready to write and work without messy distractions. And, as a bonus, the place is now clean for our morning playdate tomorrow.

Aaaaaahhhhh….