True Pandemonium... my house!

       Anyone who knows me well, knows that my house is no where close to fitting inside the pages of a magazine. Unless, perhaps, it is an article on messy disorganized homes in need of desperate help!  No seriously, my home is not your model of perfection.  Some of this is due to my season of life. With 3 little ones and one on the way, I have a lot of demands on my time and energy.  I am a firm believer in taking the time to sit and hold your children while they are still little.  The messes will still be there when we are done, but these moments with our children are few and fleeting.  There have been many mornings that I have woke up with "Super Woman" plans of getting work done, only to have a little one request to be rocked and cuddled.  My plans have been thwarted but my day has been blessed.  Even as I sit in my messy room typing, I don't for a second regret making the choice to cuddle over clean.

       However, I still need and want to find a way to balance that side of my life with a more organized home.  Having a home that is organized and clean contributes to the peaceful atmosphere I want to provide in my home.  I have often heard and believe it to be true, that if you cannot manage the stuff you have then you have too much.  So that is where I have decided to focus my efforts.  It is time to evaluate and re-evaluate what we really need and what we can let go of.  For three years we live in a 36 foot RV while saving up to buy a home.  That time taught me a lot about how little we actually need to live.  It amazes me how much stuff we have acumulated in the short 3 years since buying our home.  I know I have a lot of things that were pertinent to another season of life, but now just remain in my home as clutter.  I am a highly sentimental person, and I have trouble letting go of things when they no longer hold any practical value.  I am not saying we should ditch everything, but again it is about having balance.  I am beginning to realize I can keep the pictures and memories of our first Valentine's day together without having to keep the dress.  It's a pretty dress, but what I could wear with elegance in my early 20's starts to look inappropriate in my 30's.  It is time to let go and let some other cutesy girl enjoy it! = )  Do any of you find it a struggle to balance sentimentality and practicality when it comes to letting things go?  What ways have you found to make it easier to not hold on so tightly to things that are past their time?  I would love to hear your comments on this. 

       To help me in this process I am beginning to read the book The Get Yourself Organized Project: 21 Steps to Less Mess and Stress by Kathi Lipp.  I hope to be starting the 21 day challenge she presents very soon, and look forward to sharing my adventures in it with you.  For today I am hoping to conquer Mt. Never-Ending-Laundry.  It is a task that I have begun to believe it too great for any one person... hmmm... maybe I can enlist the help of my husband! hehe ; )  Hope you have a wonderful and adventurous day!

Ginger