It's A Good Thing My Husband Doesn't Read My Blog

Oh, readers, those of you who know me in real life know far too well that I am a mess. I hang on to paper that I should be recycling; I delay decisions, which leads to piles, which leads to further delays when I can't find all the information I've collected regarding a decision. It is The #1 bad habit of my adult life and one I am desperate not to pass on to my boys.

Saddest of all? I have married one of the neatest men in the world. Most women would cry in gratitude to be married to someone who is as neat, tidy, thoughtful, and helpful around the house as he is. And I do tell him every day how grateful I am, since my actions do not necessarily support this. I know he cringes at the piles. And he does a great job trying to pass down his good habits and training to the boys. But I know it kills him to see all the clutter around the house.

Our worst offending room? I'd have to say it's the mudroom. Which is also the computer room. And the library. This lack of defined purpose is one problem. Inappropriate furniture is another. It has become storage space, dumping ground, and paper holding bin for far too long. And this month, that changes.

It's a good reason my husband doesn't read this blog because he would shrivel of embarrassment to see the horrendous mess of our room out there for the world to see. But I am partly figuring that since most of the 12 of you who read this have been to our house, you have seen this room, though perhaps not quite this bad, so it's not really news to most people.

Now, the 30-Day Organizational Challenge info is here and here; there are two categories, small space (like a closet or cabinet) and large space (like my mudroom). I would love to add my linen closet to this but I think I have all I can handle with my mudroom. So without further ado, the incredibly embarrassing "before" pictures. With enormous hope for better "after"s. And I'm sorry to say there are more photos of this mess but that's all I can figure out how to upload for now!


If this photo had a theme, it would be Teetering. Love the leaning tower of crapola. Note the lapdesk, still in box, that was supposed to be donated to the jumble sale that was last week, balanced precariously on the file box that holds who knows what? Could be house decor inspiration, could be boys medical records. Hard to tell. And then there's the stack of plastic buttons and the piles on the shelves.


Different angle of the bookshelves. Note the present from a February birthday, and the mess that is the software since my boys are attracted to anything that looks like it might be a DVD.


The shelves here are too cluttered but otherwise ok; the glory that I didn't capture from this angle is all the stuff blocking the bottom shelves. The Disney trip scrapbook stuff is in the corner; there are boxes of things to go to the post office to be returned; note the graduation robe in a basket that need to go to my new work office sometime soon. But clearly my favorite piece: the high chair I bought for $1 at the Presbyterian Church Fair several years ago to lend to friends with babies who came home to visit parents who had cleaned out their baby stuff. Of course, since I was among the last of my friends to have babies (albeit in a decent cohort of us), almost everyone's kids are out of high chairs by now...and those with kids in high chairs have so many older siblings to that child that they no longer travel to the grandparents'!


I'm fond of the sideboard and all its photos, but it has really outlived its usefulness, and in that spot, it takes up space I need for other things (clearly!). And the banner that proudly hung in my dorm room for four years can be re-retired now. When we moved in, I was thrilled to have a place to show off my school paraphenelia, but I'm over it now, and I need the vertical storage space. The lamp, however, stays. Sentimental value. Though she may not stay in this room. We'll see.

And how sad, dear readers, that this isn't even all the mess! But it gives a good sense of the scope of the project. Send good, organized vibrations and happy thoughts my way, please...