:: I've Got the Fever... Spring Cleaning Fever! ::

As you probably already know, my favorite time of year is fall.  But a very close second is spring time.  Crisp, cool mornings and warm (but not hot) afternoons.  Sunshine and showers. A sense of renewal and awakening.  Yep, I've definitely got Spring Fever.

And for me, one of the symptoms of Spring Fever is a desperate need to clean the house and "air things out," so to speak.  But there was one thing, one big thing, getting in my way this spring... 

We have too much clutter. Too. Much. Clutter. And clutter is a clever creature. It has a way of sneaking up on you and before you know it, you can't open a closet door without risking an avalanche of crap burying you alive.  Not to mention dresser drawers and kitchen cabinets. Clutter. It's everywhere.  And quite frankly, it's time clutter took a hike.

So, we decided to have a yard sale this weekend.  I figured that was the best way to conquer the clutter... get it out of our house and turn it into money at the same time.  So, we have started our quest for yard sale inventory.  Our first stop... Benjamin's bedroom and closet.  Our child has an absurd amount of toys and clothes.  Most of which he never plays with anymore and has outgrown.  Last night we finished clearing out his room.  We have three huge boxes of toys and clothes to sell this weekend.  And his room looks amazing.  I am definitely motivated to keep going.  Today... it's the guest room and hall closet.  

We have a strategy to conquer our clutter.  We have two boxes, one small box marked "Keep" and one large box marked "Sell." (I suggest U-Haul boxes... they are affordable and sturdy and come in any size you can imagine.)  We also have a large black trash bag.  We pick up each item, and we have about five seconds to declare the item "Sell," "Keep" or "Trash."  That's it.  If it takes too long to decide, then it goes into the "Sell" box.  No exceptions.  And we have a rule... once the item goes in the "Sell" box and gets put in the garage, it does NOT come back into the house.  If anything is left over after the yard sale, it gets boxed up and finds a new home at Goodwill.  

So, once we get the house scoured for all our yard sale goodies, we will price everything and have ourselves a big 'ole sale and hopefully raise some good money.  

Then, and this is the best part.... next week, the cleaning begins. That's right. A ceiling to floor cleaning that our house desperately needs.  I can't wait.  I'll keep you posted on our progress...