I’m Decluttering Everything.

Welp, that blog title ought to explain this post.  I’m on a major decluttering mission and it feels so good.  I kind of consider this part of my decluttering process Phase One.  I know that this is just the beginning of a process that will most likely take quite some time and I’m hoping that during this process I’ll want to go through and get rid of even more of the chaos and junk that is taking up space in our home and in my head.

So far I’ve decluttered the kids’ closets, the kitchen, my closet, our office area, books, books and more books and now I’ve headed into our crawl space, AKA our worst space.  Our crawl space houses our seasonal decor, memory boxes, kids clothing and so many other random items.  The problem with the area is that I can’t even stand up in it and the floor is dirt (covered in plastic).  It’s dark and it’s uneven, which makes for decluttering and organizing exceptionally difficult.  Oh how I wish we could dig that sucker out!  BUT – I’m hoping that by decluttering I won’t need to get in there as often and when I do, I’ll have less to navigate around.

I haven’t been taking many pictures, mainly because I’ve been too embarrassed to do so, but I’ve started to take some pics and video here and there as a reminder to myself and to possibly…possibly post an Instagram reel, that is, IF I’m brave enough.

I’m realizing that all I do is clean and all I do is pick up the same items over and over again.  Sure, my house looks clean when people come over, but I feel like a fraud with how much mess there is behind closed doors…and when guests leave, out comes the mess.  It’s an awful cycle and I’m just over it.  Our kiddos are only getting older and I don’t want all of our memories of weekends and summers being spent on my organizing items I don’t even care for or endless decluttering.

I’ve become ruthless.

I’m also realizing that I reminisce a ton about the kids being really little all while I’m watching them grow right in front of me.  These moments are fleeting.  I don’t need to save every single little piece of clothing to remind me of our fun or every shoe or every drawing or every tiny little piece of paper.

I have to let it go.

A deeper part of my decluttering journey would be the impact of my Mom.  My Mom is a very organized woman.  She’s frugal, never misses a payment, she’s crafty, a hoot to be around and she has the most loving heart.  She’s currently my Dad’s primary caregiver, as he’s been diagnosed with Vascular Dementia.  She has items that she would love to go through and spaces she’d love to clear out, after all, my parents have lived in their home for almost 50 years, but being my Dad’s caregiver only allows for my Mom to care for him, partake in basic cleaning, work on her house full of memories a little at a time and then she doesn’t have much time for herself – to reminisce, to enjoy the process of letting go or to be in the moment with the items she cares the most about.  She just doesn’t have the time to do so…you could say that this has scared me.  Her situation has pushed me to realize what’s important.  Without sounding too cheesy – it’s not the things, it’s the moments.

To be fully in the moment. 

To be able to let people into my home without cleaning for three days ahead of time, to be able to open a closet door without being embarrassed, to be able to sit with the kids and know that the work is done for the day and I can honestly just sit and be with them – physically and mentally.  To be able to enjoy baking or cooking for family and friends without frantically shoving items into a closet so nobody sees, to be able to easily clean the house and for everything to have a place…to enjoy the items that I want to keep and to hold them close to my heart.  

Now, before you see the pictures below, just know that it’s been difficult for me to even get in the crawlspace – due to being pregnant (I couldn’t fit inside – hello baby belly), having a newborn, virtual learning and chasing a toddler…so this is yeeeeears in the making, not including all the items that were stored in this space prior to 2018.  Yikes.

My crawlspace decluttering so far this week…

My baby clothes from the 1980s…