My House is a Sieve

My house is a giant sieve- and the holes are getting bigger. 

I've never been much of a keeper.  I am not very nostalgic about stuff, but I do have the "I might need it gene." I'm a regular at the local thrift store bringing bags of donations every few months.  My house is a giant sieve and as things flow into it some things also flow out of it.

I married a keeper.  Tall One is sentimental about objects and the people who give him things.  That quality is one of the things I love most about him- and one that drives me batty. We are constantly in conflict over what to keep and not keep.  Over the 17 years we've been together I've become less and less of a keeper.  The holes in the sieve are getting larger and larger.



I think it is because we now have four more people and all of their stuff.  So much of my life is about  cleaning, shuffling, organizing, putting away, and finding STUFF. 

I'm over it. 

I get rid of more and more stuff every week.  These last few weeks the holes have gotten huge.  I've been working to sort clothes for Sparky, Ranger and Pixie.  I have literally been drowning in clothes.  I am having nightmares of being buried in millions of little pants, shirts, and dresses.

That, in combination with an upcoming kitchen renovation, have driven me to get rid of everything I can.  I struggle every day to maintain order in our house.  I figure it is easier to give it (anything) away rather than clean it or find a place to put it.  Tall One told me he's afraid that if he sits still too long I'll bag him up and put him in the back of the car bound for the thrift store. 

I don't always have control of what comes into our house.  With four children's birthdays and Christmas within a few months of each other, we are heading into the major STUFF season of our house.  I can encourage grandparents to give experiences and time all I want, but they really enjoy giving that special gift that makes the girls' faces light up.  But then we have to figure out how to fit all those new things into our house and life.  My mom jokes that if a toy survives in my house for six months it must be a good one.  Between my constant purging of unused toys and my girls playing rough- a toy that lasts more than a few months is a definite winner. 

So- as the girls all head back to school this week, I'm in super purge mode.  I am cleaning out! Wish me luck.