I brought two more carloads to the yard sale (along with today’s gift – muffins and coffee for the sorters) and I have another carload to take to Josh & Rachael (soon-to-be parents of my niece), and we still have TOO MUCH STUFF. I will say though, that after 6 school yard sales I am finally starting to see a dent in the pile. I’ve decided to start a new challenge when I’m done with 29 Gifts – 29 Messes. The gift-giving challenge has kept the act of giving at the forefront of my mind, so I’m hoping that the 29-Mess challenge will help me recover from the last 9 years of over-accumulation. We’ll see.
Since the kids are major contributors to the mess, I re-implemented their after-school chores and responsibilities. I realized that one of the problems is that sometimes I’m not home to crack the whip and I can’t count on Ben to do it, so there’s a new sheriff in town. I made Norah “the manager,” and her job is to check to make sure Aliya and Adlani have hung up their coats and backpacks, emptied their snack bags, cleaned their rooms, put away the laundry, cleaned their stuff off the stairs, and fed the pets. So far, so good! She’s a ball-breaker!
All this clutter-talk reminds me that I haven’t watched Hoarders lately. I LOVE that show! It makes me feel almost like a minimalist.
