Spring Cleaning?

Sunday was the first day of Spring and it arrived with a bang. We had quite the winter storm here. Lots of winds and heavy rain. But yes, it was the first day of Spring.

That must explain it. The need I feel to clean. And to sort. And to simplify even more than I already have.

Some call it Spring cleaning. Flylady refers to it as a Spring Fling.

She suggests you spend 15 minutes a day getting rid of things. She reminds us that you cannot sort clutter and her rule of thumb is when in doubt throw it out.

Don't you just love that?

I know I do. But then I thrive with order around me.

My motto is less is more.

And it is so refreshing to peel off those layers of clutter. They have such a way of taking on a life of their own don't you know.

Does that happen at your house? I know it does at mine.

It is a constant battle...keeping the clutter at bay.

But it is so worth it.

And if you want a new look in your house and the budget just won't allow for any purchases right now just do away with some of that clutter and you'll be surprised at how refreshed you will feel.

It's really not possible to feel at peace and in control of your life when it is overrun by clutter.

So do yourself a big favor and set aside time each day to work at the disarray.

Here Are Ten Tips To Get You Started:

1. Find 5 things to throw away each day until there is nothing left to throw away.

2. Open your mail over the trash can so you can file the "junk" in the circular file.

3. When you bring in something new find something old and send it out.

4. Go through the kids school papers everyday as soon as you all get home. What takes a couple of minutes to do everyday takes much longer when not done so often.

5. When running errands or on a trip remember to "pack it in and pack it out". Everyone is responsible for removing from the car what they have brought to the car after each and every trip. And keep a trash bag in the car.

6. Always follow the "one toy rule". One toy out at a time, no new toys out until the old toy is put away. When my kids were little I kept the toys with many parts in plastic containers. One container for each, like Barbies or Polly Pockets, etc. I kept those containers up on the closet shelf. They could get down one at a time and it all had to be put away before they could get another one down. This instilled the habit of the "one toy rule".

7. At the end of the day, before dinner, set the timer for 15 minutes and have everyone run around the house and pick up as much as possible. Do this every day.

8. Make the beds every morning, first thing. Teach the kids to do this too. A room always feels better when the bed is made.

9. Don't let the laundry get the best of you. Let the clothes sort themselves. Buy 3 different hampers, one for whites, one for colors, and one for permanent press. Every morning check your hampers, if one is full wash it. This will help you to avoid the dreaded laundry mountain.

10. Work on developing routines for you and your children and stick to them. Children do much better when they know what to expect and everything goes much smoother when routines are in place.

What do you do to tame the clutter monster?

And that is this gal's view for today.