9.06.2012

Always a learning experience.

Moving is hard.

At least it is when there are 4 creative, active people that are attached to all their cool stuff!

We have been in our new home for more than a month and there have been speedbumps, potholes and fire-breathing dragons hindering our settling in (renovating hiccups and health stuff). There are still loads of boxes that are not unpacked! In my defense there are still areas of the home that aren't "done". Plumbing that needs moving, trim that needs adding, closets needing doors, so I can't put everything away yet and it's driving me nuts. Especially when I KNOW if I had less stuff it wouldn't be this hard so it's very much self inflicted!

I love this house and I want to stay here a very long time.
This is great news for decluttering, because I love the house more than anyof the stuff in it! So it's less difficult to make decisions... if it doesn't fit  then it must be removed.

"When in doubt, cut it out!"
My mom says this used to be the policy for surgery in the 70's but I think it translates wonderfully for this situation.

There are many decorative items that I still like very much that went wonderfully in the old place, but just don't work here... I have already pared down quite a few with no regrets. If something pretty doesn't look pretty in the space then it just isn't doing it's job now is it?!

Primary Problem Areas: TOYS + BOOKS
(not all the toys are the kids, and not all the books are mine)

Books: without bookshelves I'm not sure I want to open those boxes. But if I can live over a month without these books... can I take the plunge and NOT open the boxes? Just let them go?
Toys: are just plain out of control. It will take extreme measures to hack at that mess, but then again I don't want to be insensitive to the amount of stress the move put on the kids already without stripping them of their things too. I will stage the rest of the home to the clutterless level I want and hopefully they will want to follow... with gentle encouragement and the tools they need.

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