Too Much Stuff.

December 30th. Yes, I'm one of those people who make yearly resolutions. And yes, mine typically involve eating healthier and starting an exercise program. Not this year. This year, I'm focusing on my home. My tiny, cozy home that I adore. My tiny, cozy home that is now stressing me out because it is overtaken by TOO MUCH STUFF.

Perhaps coming home after five days on the road for Christmas made me realize I no longer have room to put stuff. The kids' room (they share a room) is now filled to the brim with toys. They love them all. And they really do play with nearly everything in there. But it is just too much. I'm sick of stepping on princesses, tractors, and robot parts. I'm tired of not being able to buy that wonderful, dreamy KitchenAid Stand Mixer that my husband told me to finally get for myself this year because I have zero - zippo - nada place to store it. I'm tired of Tupperware falling out of my cupboard every time I open it because it's so jam packed. I'm tired of wondering what exactly IS in those dusty old boxes behind the furnace in our storage/laundry room that haven't been opened in four years?!

So this year, I will hopefully accomplish the great SAHM "de-clutter and simplify my home" event for 2011. I hope to get this all done by the end of February. Yeah, that's not a lot of time, but it needs to be done. Quickly. Now.

But where to start? If I don't make a starting point, I'll never start. And I'm hoping by sharing my "get organized" hopes for 2011 with you all that it will make me more accountable and actually get it done. Here is my list so far:

1. The kids' room. Organize toys. Sort through toys no longer played with and books no longer read for Goodwill donation. Clean under the beds and changing table/dresser. Clean the baseboards and ceiling fan (we don't need to discuss how long it has been since I've done that last part. Yikes.)

2. The kitchen. Clean out bottom cupboards storing Tupperware and pots and pans. Clean out top cupboards storing glassware and plates. Donate unused items. Wipe down the inside of cupboards.

3. The basement. No, wait...I'm not ready for this one yet. Let's procrastinate a bit, shall we?

3. The guest room closet. The "shove it in there where no one will see it" hell-hole. Unfortunately, this is also where my husband keeps all of his suits, shirts and ties. I'd love for him to open that closet in the morning and see a nice, organized space. A lot can be taken to consignment. We also have a metal filing cabinet in there that holds old tax returns, household documents, etc. I'm dreading organizing that thing because nothing is "filed," just shoved in there. Clean out clothes/bedding/purses, wrapping paper - organize and donate. Clean out filing cabinet - organize in folders and shred the rest.

4. The living room closet. What to do with a closet that stores old coats and sweaters, kids' toys and maxi pads? Really?! Time to clean out the old clothes and toys for donation, move the "personal items" to a different space (under the bathroom cabinet, perhaps?) and define this space a bit more.

5. My pantry. This really isn't in too bad of shape on the shelves. Everything is rotated and organized fairly nicely. But it's what is on the floor that scares me. We keep our recycling, brooms/mops, heavier items, and kids' colors/playdough/craft items all o the floor of the pantry. It's a mess and needs to be cleaned out and organized.

6. And finally....I'm ready for it now. The basement. We have a small unfinished part of our basement that holds our furnace, hot water heater and softener, washer/dryer, freezer, cat food and litter box, and some storage shelves. There is TOO MUCH UNUSED STUFF stored down there. It will take a lot of dirty work (the spider webs alone are enough to make we want to move right now) but I would really like to make this a nicer space. Step 1: get rid of aforementioned spider webs. Shudder. Step 2: clean out the "newer" boxes of stuff and donate. Create more shelving space. Step 3: The icky part....delve into the boxes on the shelves behind the furnace that are dusty, gross and haven't been touched in 4+ years. Donate....throw out...and more donation.

Boy, do I feel naked now. Yes, I have some icky parts of my home. But hopefully, in two months, the ickiness will be replaced with organization and serenity.

And maybe even some "before and after" photos if I'm feeling REALLY brave.