As I was reading a few blogs about Lent, I got concerned that people are under the assumption that we give things up or do things to "get into heaven." That is not really true. Rather we are trying to appreciate how Jesus fasted and prayed in the desert for 40 days and how he suffered on the cross for us to be saved. It really is about understanding Jesus more and drawing closer to Him. So, doing things that make us lean on Christ or bring us closer to Him are all appropriate. And giving something up is not a requirement to get into heaven.
So, back to my 40 bags in 40 days. You might wonder how this brings me closer to Jesus. Well, let me tell you it has not been fun. While I love the end result, I am not enjoying the process. There are much more fun things I'd rather do. Things have gotten so disorganized in our home that working on one area a day is very time consuming. It is keeping me off the computer and off the phone (which is probably good). It is keeping me out of stores (which is very good). I pray for my friends and family while I organize. And I listen to music. I have also realized (especially when I did Kate's closet) how much material excess we have. That girl does not need one single stitch of clothing for at least 6 months. It made me realize how much time I have spent shopping on the internet or in person and how I could use that time more productively.
So this week's schedule:
Monday and Tuesday : Computer Nook. We have this built in desk/computer room at the top of the stairs. This is where the boys computer is. It is also full of drawers and cabinets that are stuffed with photos, photo albums, office supplies and loads of paper. I DREAD cleaning it out. It will surely take me 2 days to go through all of that paper. It is a disaster area.
Wednesday and Thursday: Playroom/Media Room. I must be trying to torture myself because this is another HUGE job. There is a wall full of built ins and two large closets full of toys not to mention the cabinets full of video games and movies. Luckily, I did parts of this room not too long ago so it might not be that bad.
Friday: Another Upstairs Hall Closet This should not be too tough as I did it not too long ago too and this storage closet does not get much use.
For some reason, I did not assign myself another area for Saturday. Maybe I was being realistic and knew those two big areas would kick my butt this week. I am still a few drawers behind in Kate's bathroom so maybe I will finish that up on Saturday. Also, it will be a small miracle if I get these areas completed. So, I will use Saturday as a catch up day if needed.
A few people asked for photos and I will try to take them as I work. It is a little hard for me to share how messy some parts of our house have gotten but I want to be honest and vulnerable and true so I will show y'all. I did take some of Kate's closet before and after but honestly her closet was not too awful. You should see my bedside table. THAT photo is BAD but I have not cleaned it yet so I only have the before;)
Okay, here are the before photos of Kate's closet....
And here are the after shots....
I have it organized (on the bottom rack which are the clothes she wears) by color left to right, light to dark. First (to the left) are all her everyday dresses and then all her uniform clothes (on the right side). This makes things much easier in the mornings. I always have our closets organized by type of clothes and color. The top rack are things she has outgrown but we are keeping or things that she only wears occasionally or costumes etc... That bar is more organized by size and wear.
I ended up giving all of this below (and more) away to a special friend who lives here.
But I have a few things to sell as well. I will try to list those this week if anyone in interested.
It is mostly Matilda Jane ruffle pants I think. Also, if anyone know a little person with the name Kate or the monogram kSe, let me know. I have some things I could send. They are probably sized 3 or 4 T.
And finally, a few of you said you would like to do the 40 bags project but you work full time. I totally agree, I could not do this if I worked full time on this scale. I am kind of pretending (in my own head) that we are putting our house on the market and each spot has to be completely and totally organized as if we were showing our house to buyers. If I were working full time though, I might take a small easy area each day and try to fill a small bag. This project is doable on various scales.
And speaking of work, I am working more. For those of you new to 3 peanuts, I have a Ph.D. and do Marriage and Parenting Coaching. Last week, I gave two presentations. One was at a preschool and it was on both parenting and marriage. The other one was to a group of married couples at our church and the topic was day to day maintenance of marriage. I also have begun seeing more clients and I just LOVE it. I am thinking about offering one hour parenting/marriage/life coaching sessions by Skype for long distance clients. What do you think? I have seen others do it.
