Simplify Sunday is Serious Business to Me

I just had to post and challenge everyone that if you haven't participated in our new "Simplify Sunday," segment you are missing out.  I am writing this now not as Time 2 $ave, but as Kasey, a stay at home mom who constantly wrestles with keeping my house clean.  I don't know maybe some of you were born with this natural ability to organize and clean, but I wasn't.  I so want to be organized and to stay that way but it is not natural and very hard for me. 

For me, my home has become cluttered for several reasons, but the main being I have been in survival mode.  The difficulities  I have faced the past couple of years have been so much bigger than me, that it took every bit of my strength to pray.  Sometimes even praying was hard, I am thankful for the prayer warriors that God has put in my life that stood in the gap for me many times before the Father.

But now, life has evened out a bit and it's time for me to shake off those things that hinder me, no more excuses.  I get so overwhelmed looking at what I need to do and how much time it's going to take that it intimidates me to want to start.  Then since I haven't done anything about it I feel bad about myself and the clutter sits there and screams at me all day saying "you'll never get me."  Now my house isn't an utter mess, my dishes are washed, toilets clean, and laundry semi done it's just that there is constantly "stuff" everywhere.  I have also been challenged to reflect about keeping things I don't really need and getting rid of toys my children never play with.  Honestly, I even want to sell furniture that we don't really need. 

So, I  made a choice, either I could make a step closer to my goal or farther away each day.  I chose closer, even if that meant cleaning out one drawer that day, at least I took a step in the right direction.  Below, I have attached some before and after pictures of a BIG project, my kids playroom.  I am really putting myself out there showing how messy it was before, but we knew it was about to get an overhaul.

We don't need half the toys we have.  That's why there is stuff everywhere, we just keep hauling it in one Happy Meal Toy at a time.  I so want my children to appreciate what they have and to have a spirit of giving, instead of conusumed with wanting more.  One thing I have learned for certain is that giving my children the opportunity to be patient by not giving them instant gratification builds their character.  

It is soooo much worse than this, I just can't bring myself to post some of the other pictures.  We had really let it go since we had been in three states in a matter of seven days and were exhausted from traveling.  Besides you don't get the full effect unless you can see it all in person. 

One word for this SERENITY!! 

My project today was to clean a corner of our bedroom that I have been avoiding that needed to be tackled.  Not tons of stuff, or even more than a 15 minute job and boy it feels so much better.  Since I only set a small goal of that one project I don't feel defeated.  In fact, I even cleaned out several other areas of my house that have been bothering me.  Now, instead of trying to clean the entire house including all closets, drawers, garage, baseboards, windows and ceiling fan blades by tomorrow morning I have a new goal.  I am choosing one project at a time, one day at a time.

Please tell me I am not the only one who deals with cleaning/clutter guilt.  Share with us!! Send us pictures to time2save@hotmail.com of before and after, even if it's just one drawer.  Or, comment below.  Let's encourage and support each other!