One Hour Cleanup

I'm not gonna lie...

Last week I just about hit my breaking point.

Life seemed disorderly. I was being pulled in all sorts of directions. Clean clothes were a well sought out commodity and I couldn't find my keys.

Now before you go thinking I am usually a neat freak....let me assure you that is not the case. I usually have a stack of something to go through on my kitchen counter, there's usually a pile of dog hair that I missed somewhere when sweeping, I keep my bedroom door closed for a reason and there is always a load of laundry to be washed and a toilet to be swished. But usually, at first glance things can look pretty tidy.

But not last week. And I was turning into the Incredible Mrs. Hulk because it looked like the four little pigs had taken up residence in my home. It was beyond the norm.

Bruce realized I was near "hulk green" on Saturday morning after he was already at church working. It had been a crazy week with the install of a new sound system and other ministry related things going on and I knew he was tired too. I had tried to hold back, but I was at the breaking point that no man ever wants to see their wife reach...the hide under the covers for days with peanut butter cups and ruffles potato chips breaking point.

When Bruce realized I was about to lose it, he came home. But first he stopped at Whataburger, and picked up food. I guess he realized it would be better if I wasn't hangry too! We sat around the kitchen table and divided up the household chores with the kids and we got busy. In one hour the house was picked up and smelling clean and all that was left was the kids rooms (which they are responsible for). I felt so much better. Order had returned to our home.

Spiritually speaking we can find ourselves in the same scenario. Life can get crazy and we miss spending time with the Lord on a personal level, then we miss a church service or two, we start scheduling things around life instead of around what God has for us and we lose fellowship with other believers. It can happen quickly because that is how the enemy operates...quick, stress-filled, hurried decisions that he makes us feel are life and death, when in reality, we just need to slow down, do a one hour clean up of life and carefully evaluate what has us stressed out or too busy.

One hour in the scheme of things is nothing. It is such a small investment in your sanity. And just like with my house, one hour can be the difference between the Incredible Hulk and Mrs. Incredible! Take the time to nourish yourself...take the time to clean up spiritually on a regular basis. If we don't we become burdened by the filth we live in and consumed by our own circumstances. God made a better way. Daily communion, cleanup with Him. Imagine that. He is always making a way of escape for us. What a good God!

Teachable Tuesday- Cleaning Out

My mom and I were talking the other day and both admitted that after Christmas seems to be the most logical time to spring clean. When you're moving the tree out, taking the garland from the mantle and moving the manger scene back into it's box, it just seems right to thoroughly clean and dust and wipe down.

So this week, I am teaching my kids to really clean out. We are starting with three boxes.... Donate, pass on to someone we know, throw away. All three boxes must be full before the chore is over. This is great because after Christmas there is usually an abundance of "stuff" and instead of me deciding what they should keep or get rid of, this puts the ball in their court. Less stress and less decision making for me....and more responsibility for them.

What are you teaching your kids this week?

Cleaning Out the Closet

It all started this week when Savannah asked if she could try on a pair of my Cons...thinking her foot was big enough for me to "share" them with her...and by share, I'll remind you that anytime a tweenager wants to borrow something of yours, it usually means you will never see it again. But for the few minutes it took her to try on the shoes, I thought about how cool it was that she even wanted to wear anything that happened to be in my closet...cause that would make me a cool mom, right? Whatever.

Anyhow, I digress. It was only a couple of hours later when I went into my bedroom and saw that the shoe bin, where the converse had been was a wreck --- not because of Savannah, but because of the sloppy mess my closet was in..hangers sticking out of the show bin, belts and purses tossed into the depths of darkness that had become my closet. So, I put it on my mental check list and thought...maybe I'll have time for that soon...like after Christmas.

However, in a series of fortunate events, I ended up home alone this afternoon. All by my lonesome and since I had this good fortune yesterday also, I figured today I better use my time more wisely. So, with full body armor on, I began taking ever single thing out of my closet. It was time for an overhaul.

Here's how I decided what to get rid of:

1. If I didn't wear it during the last season ...get rid of it.
2. If I don't love it... get rid of it.
3. If it's stained.. get rid of it (trash).
4. If I have more than one of the same item...choose wisely, but keep only one.
5. If it doesn't fit and it would take losing more than 25 pounds for it to look good on me, get rid of it.
(cause if I lose 25 pounds...I'm buying something new!)
6. If it's missing something...a button, a belt, a match... get rid of it.

Here's what I learned...

1. I have a slight obsession with cardigans...like I have LOTS of them..and I have no plans to get rid of them.

2. I also have a true love for the ALL STAR Converse. Thank you Jaime and Felicia for helping me find my way.

3. A clean closet makes me happy...cause I know what's in there. 

I think there are a hundred spiritual applications to my little venture into the closet. The one that spoke most loudly today was...When you get rid of all the stuff that you don't need it allows you to utilize your best stuff. So many times we think more is better, but more just gets in the way of using the blessings and the gifts God has already given us. I truly want to be a wise servant in using what He's given me...whether it be my talents, my gifts, my time. But if life is cluttered by a bunch of my junk, I'm hindered and distracted and even frustrated by it. I want to use what I have to honor God, therefore, I must constantly be cleaning out my spiritual closet as well. Do I really need that thought? Do I need that attitude...does it have a match to the attributes of God? 

Oh so many, are the lessons.

The Great Clean Out

So in my effort to get life under control I've been cleaning out and purging the house. You can probably estimate the excitement that my family has felt toward this undertaking. Unlike before when I've done the massive cleaning, I started in the master bedroom. Normally I lose steam before I get there and it becomes the catch all for all things unhomed. This at times has included the vacuum cleaner, the bill file, the ironing board and other sundries. It hasn't been unusual for the entire house to be spotlessly clean with the exception of my bedroom. It's the last place that gets attention. Shame on me.

The room started out in bad shape...really bad shape. But, I decided that I would just take my time and clean out everything...the side table, under the bed, the baseboards, the windowsills, the closet! And it took me 7 hours to clean every nook and cranny. I moved furniture out and other furniture in to make the room more accommodating for us. I dusted and vacuumed and wiped down things. I threw away things and bagged up two huge bags for Goodwill.

If you're still my friend after reading about all this...thanks. I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only one who has a stash room or at least a closet. I took a poll of a couple of friends and they agreed...the master bedroom is the catch all place for their stuff too.

Here's pics of the after...I took before pics too...but ain't nobody got time to look at those....

After the high of sniffing all those cleaning products...or maybe it's all the Christmas flu medication, but whatever, I decided to overhaul the kids rooms too... and here's the finished product:

Savannah's room will be painted robin egg blue in the very near future. We've been searching for a bedspread we both liked..emphasis on BOTH...and found this great quilt the other day while we were shopping. I've got to order the shams online.

So, we'll see how long we can keep things neat and orderly. But for now, I'm one happy momma!

Emerging

Here I am, having just spent the last 11 days cleaning every.single.inch. of my house. It's been ugly. I've asked myself these questions more than once-

- where did we get all this stuff?
- how did Tucker's sock end up in the pots and pans cabinet?
- why do we need 6 different types of conditioner?
- who put this here?
- what WAS this?
- what does this go to?

But....I'm emerging from my clutter and am happy to say that 8 big black trash bags full of stuff have made it to the curb, 4 bags of stuff are sitting in the van ready to make their way to Goodwill. Lots of clothes have been given new homes and my house....every inch....is clean!!!!!

Here's a peak into my closet...

This makes me happy.