Spring nesting?!

Call it what you will - Spring cleaning, nesting (that's the term Kris prefers to use), or being anal (I think he likes that one too, actually...) - I am in extreme cleaning/organizing mode these days. I think all of those terms are probably correct in their own way, and then it doesn't help that I read a great blog about de-cluttering our lives.

I hate clutter. I don't even think that I really have that much, but I have more than I care for. And I really liked the general rule that the blog lady used when she de-cluttered her house: If I don't use it or love it, it's GONE! She talked a lot about how we spend so much time and money organizing and cleaning stuff. Buying it. Finding a place for it. Tidying it. Sorting it. Cleaning it. And then having such a hard time letting go of it once it's no longer useful. (Or perhaps never really was.) And she talked about the freedom she felt after she was done. Freedom from her things.

I started going through some stuff, and really getting things down to the basics. I don't need 7 (yup, seven) twin sheet sets. When we have 2 kids in twin beds, 4 sets should do nicely. I also got rid of a bunch of towels. We don't need more than a couple towels per person. We have a washing machine. I don't need to keep books that I've read once that I liked, but have never picked up again. So I got a little journal to use as a kind of "book registry", and wrote down the titles I decided to get rid of. Then, if I'm looking for a good book to read, I can peruse my little book, find something that fits my mood, and I'll just get it from the library. I really like that place. If I don't use it or love it, it's gone.

It feels really good so far. But I am shocked how hard it is, too. Kris tends to be more of a pack rat than I am, and he expressed his concern that I might get rid of something I really like, or something that I might want to use later. I was kind of concerned about that too, and really had a hard time deciding on some things. Worrying about needing it later, or regretting that I had gotten rid of it. Or feeling bad because so-and-so gave it to me. It alarmed me how attached I was to this stuff, and not in a sentimental way (those things I keep), just in a hoarding-things kind of way. But it felt good to just make the decisions and break the hold that these things had on my life. And the space it is creating (both physically, and emotionally) is SO refreshing.

So, whatever is causing me to go on my little rampage (I'm pretty sure Kris is scared of me right now, and is hiding all his things), it's been wonderful! And I'm sure one more motivator for all this work is to make room for a sweet little person who will be joining our home really soon. I'm glad to be bringing that little one into what I hope is becoming a peaceful, simple home.