kids rooms

Project Home Recovery: Day Three

April 3, 2013 By Nony 4 Comments

It’s Day Three of Project Home Recovery.

I’ve officially passed the halfway point between oh-my-word-I’m-really-going-to-host-a-party-on-SATURDAY? and let-them-in-the-front-door.

I spent today going to Bible Study, running errands and gathering party supplies.

After I picked up the kids from school, my daughter and I (once again) tackled her room.

Now, let me just say I had planned on doing a Sneak Attack Declutter in her room this week. Those work so much better when we’re on a deadline.

But . . . the times when I had to work on her room were the times when she was home.

The picture doesn’t show much difference, but I promise . . . there’s a difference. Perhaps I should have straightened the bed. (Details, details.)

Basically, other than the bed, we did focus on details. We sorted and purged and got random trash out from under every surface where it could possibly hide.

Now, it’s ready for the real cleaning. Like, the dusting and vacuuming and such that can’t even be done when there’s clutter everywhere.

And that’s tomorrow. I’m NOT looking forward to it, but my goal is to get ALL cleaning done tomorrow so I can focus on party prep on Friday.

We’ll see how it goes!

Filed Under: kids rooms | 4 Comments

Decluttering the Boys’ Room

March 3, 2013 By Nony 13 Comments

(Click through to the post if you’re reading via email and can’t see the video!)

In early January, I decluttered my boys’ room.

It’s March, and I’m just now writing the post. The good news is that I can say with confidence that the rather extreme measures I took have had a lasting, positive effect. The vast majority of their floor has been walk-on-able for almost two months now.

There really isn’t any bad news. I’m just irritated/amazed/embarrassed that it took me this long to do the post.

Here are the before shots:

That, my friends, is a picture of an “Organization System” that doesn’t work. That never worked.

Oh, and of a dead-looking alligator pillow.

I got rid of that entire shelf/system/whatever as well as this canoe-shelf:

I thought that canoe was going to be so cute in their room when I bought it.

I was so wrong. I suppose it could have been, but the shelf only ever held random junk shoved on there in moments of Extreme Maternal Threatening. I gave up and gave it away.

I moved the dresser that had been in the closet (see video for horrific before shot) into the place of these two shelves.

Ignore the tripod and hangers and broom and such and focus on the empty floor space.

And the vacuum marks. Aaaahhh . . .

I got rid of a LOT of stuff. Yep. This was the day before I giggled with glee as a stranger took a big ol’ load of my crstuff to sell. Or keep. Or burn. Or whatever. (I soooo don’t care what he did with it.)

But I did keep some. As much as I wanted to throw it ALL away, I know that there are some things that the boys do use. I made a spot for them in the closet. I wished I could have kept it like this:

But this will have to do for now:

And most of that stuff in the before picture? It was pretty much consolidated into this:

Stay tuned, and I’ll share the progress on the other side of the room!

Filed Under: decluttering, kids rooms | 13 Comments

Decluttering the Boys’ Bookshelf

January 20, 2013 By Nony 31 Comments

We take a break from our regularly scheduled programming to bring you this Decluttering Webisode with two special guest stars.

(Please be warned that if you only have girls, this may be disconcerting to watch. Video contains excessive loudness, goofiness, mild cartoonish violence and fake bodily function noises.)

(If you’re reading via email, click the title of the post to get to the blog so you can view the video.)

The kids were out of school on Friday. Fun Mom took them to the park to enjoy a warm and sunny January day. (Seriously. We’re in Texas.) But before she took over, Good Mom made them declutter their bookshelf.

Their insanely messy bookshelf.

And Slob Blogger Mom made a webisode of it.

We asked three questions:

#1: Did you love this book?

The Ones We Kept

#2: Did you love it enough to read it again?

The books (and other random stuff) we donated.

#3: Would you recommend it to your brother or sister?

The ones we saved for our sister.

It was a wild and wacky morning.

We decided to pitch things they didn’t even know they had (one of my decluttering questions!), they took random non-book things to their homes immediately (another one of my strategies), and in the end we got rid of a wholelotta books.

Now that the books we kept are visible and accessible, the faves are already being read again.

In case you’re a mom who is always looking for books for your boys, here are some of their favorites:

They both love the books in this series by Dan Gutman. A boy goes back in history and meets baseball players. They devoured every one they could find last summer.

They also love the Hardy Boys books, this one especially.

And . . . this is the one mentioned frequently in the webisode. They love it.

And my 11yo LOVES this one:

Oh. And this one.

Which . . . I just now realized is written by the same author as the baseball card series . . .

I could keep going. I’m thankful they both love to read.

Do you find it difficult to declutter books?

Oh, and all the books on Amazon? They’re my affiliate links.