This is, perhaps, one of the last great big eyesores still hanging around since I began this 500 Pounds of Clutter project. Well, I take that back, one of the last great eyesores on the main floor of the house. Eyesores that make me cringe when people come over. Cause really, I avoid showing people our closets or bedrooms.
The kids art cupboard. It's actually an antique dry sink that my parents had when we were growing up. We also used it for art supplies. So its legacy has continued with us.
And it's in our main dining room. Right there for all to see.
The problem is, well there several. But this is certainly an area, in some ways, that falls victim to having two parents who work outside the home full time. The kids are here for very few waking hours each day. They tend to come home from school, do homework and pull a project out. Before they know it, I am asking them to set the table (this is next to our dining table). So they scoop up what they had been working on and dump it. Or shove it. We eat. Dash to showers. Head to bed. And so it sits.
Second problem is that I felt like I was perpetually going through this to clean it up. But I think that was part of the problem. I was just cleaning it up, I wasn't cleaning it out.
I started by pulling everything out and sorting it.
Four simple piles:
1. Put away (stuff that had been tossed there and had another home)
2. Throw away
3. Recycle
4. Give away
One thing I forced myself to do was really go through all of the paper stuff. The coloring books. The notebooks (my kids have a notebook addiction). If the majority of a coloring book was colored, I put it in the recycling pile. I tore used pages out of the notebooks so the kids couldn't complain they were mostly full.
And I found I had more to recycle than to keep. Yup, in the past, I was effectively just straightening up the recycling.
I also came across many "No, not right now" art projects. Those things that, for whatever reason, we have picked up along the way. And things they pretty much every time the kids ask if they can do it (again, usually before dinner) I find myself saying, "No, not right now." Which really, in my mind means, "Eek, no. What a mess." I am letting go of those things.
As I was reminded this past weekend, we can get by with so much less than we have around now. And really, when it comes to toys, less really can be more.
All said and done, this is what I let go of.
Resulting in a cupboard that looks, now, like this.
Or even better, like this.
333 pounds of clutter!
1. What was the hardest part of the challenge for you and were you able to overcome it?
For me the hardest part was the inertia that comes with this area. By that I mean the feeling of "why should I do anything about it? It's just going to get messy again. I think that is why I just kep straightening it up and not really cleaning it out.
2. Tell us what kind of changes/habits you have put into place in order for your area/room to maintain its new order?
My kids don't need 27 notebooks. Really, the challenge here is that enough is enough. More is not better. Having just a few of a few things is plenty.
3. What did you do with the “stuff” you were able to purge out of your newly organized space?
Thankfully, 99% of it was recyclable. And was, indeed, recycled.
4. What creative storage solutions were you able to introduce in order to create additional space as well as establish some limits and boundaries?
I have set clear zones for my kids. Notebooks go here. Writing utensils go here. Before I almost had too many areas. Little boxes for pencils and pens and glue. I have done a better job clustering things. And made it easier for them to get the "system."
5. Why do you think you should win this challenge?
Like others have said, I have already "won." I beat the mess. I conquered my own issues. I have more to do, but I am doing it. I would love to "win." But in my mind, I already have.
