Organizing

Okay, so I'm a little late. Most people do their major organizing in the spring (A.K.A. Spring Cleaning), but I figure it's better late than never.

With Carter and Samuel sharing a bedroom, and a closet, organizing their space just hit the top of my priority list. Shall we do a quick checklist right here?

You Know It's Time to Organize When:

*You have to shove clothes to one side of the closet to fit just one more shirt.
*You haven't seen the closet shelf in a few months.
*Toys from Christmas are still in a gift bag in the closet floor.
*You find size 3t shirts folded on the shelf, ready to be put away, and your son is now in a 5.
*Shoes that haven't fit either child in many moons block the closet door from shutting.
*The one toy bin you had in the bedroom has multiplied into three.
*The three toy bins are overflowing and toys are now piled beside them.
*Your children are so overwhelmed with toys that they choose to never play with any of them.

So, all of these things led me to the conclusion that it was time to suck it up and just do it. With garbage bags and Rubbermade bins in tow, I gritted my teeth and began to sort through the piles of... well, piles of stuff. From shoes to clothes to toys and books, I made piles of keeps, throw-aways, give-aways, and store in the shed.

"Shoes and coats and trucks, Oh My!"
Where is the yellow brick road when you need it...

After a solid hour I had made fantastic progress. Bins that were once empty in the shed were full of Carter's outgrown clothes, now to be stored for Samuel. Samuel's outgrown clothes were sacked up for his best baby friend that hopefully will fit into them. Baby toys that haven't been touched in months were tearfully put away, for the last time. Finally, I managed to get two boys' toys into two toy bins and two boys' clothes neatly put away into a super clean and organized closet. Complete with the shelf that I knew was "under there somewhere."

The coat hanger I so lovingly painted to match my boys' room was drug out from underneath the bed and is now sitting on the kitchen table. It will sit there until my husband finally installs it in the perfect place on the bedroom wall. Then, hats and coats will be hung and out of the closet floor.

The dirty clothes basket that was forced to sit against the wall in the bedroom, due to the closet floor being covered in jackets, clothes, shoes, and other random items, is now in its proper place in the closet floor. Out of sight but never out of mind!

Doesn't it feel GREAT to totally clean and organize a room? It's so hard to get motivated to do these big jobs sometimes, but it's so worth it afterwards. Everytime I walk in there it's just so refreshing. There's more floor space to play and more closet space to enjoy. Meaning I can go shopping and buy more clothes.

Madison has requested her room be next. She's a complete neat freak like her mother... the poor dear. So, her toys that she NEVER plays with will mostly go 'somewhere' soon. Other than the few we'll keep for the younger girls that come to play when our friends come over, I see a big girl room soon to emerge free of most toys and clutter.

Clayton has the camera at work, as always, so I'm sorry that I can't show you a before and after. It's definitely a sight to see!