So, I did it! I fought, I won, and have lived to tell about it. As you can see from these pictures Hannah's room was really a mess. Once we got everything out though I could see why she couldn't keep it clean. Her crap, I mean stuff filled up our ENTIRE living room. It was crazy and overwhelming. Our neighbor's are having a garage sale mid-August and Hannah spent some time filling a trash bag or two with things to sell at the garage sale. Then I set the kids up with a movie and went to town. Honestly, this is the way to do it. Get it all out and go from there. I talked to Hannah before I did it and told her that she wasn't being punished. I was going to help her learn to take care of her room and with that much stuff in it it was just too hard. I told her to see this as a positive thing. She wasn't thrilled but she was okay with it and I think a little bit excited about having a cleaned out room. I told her that in three months we would get everything out again and go through it and see what she wanted back and what we could get rid of. The one funny thing she said as we were clearing it out was, (in a dramatic voice of course) "my stuff, my beloved stuff, taken out of it's natural environment." She was funny. Enjoy the before and after pics.
Those are not all her books although a lot of them are kid's books. It just so happens that Hannah's room is the weird room in our house. We put up a wall (with a lot of help from some friends) in our very long dining area. One wall is a built in bookcase--love it!, one wall is a window to the outside, and one wall is windows into the Florida room. No closet, no window that opens to the outside. Odd little room. She likes it though.
14 comments:
Man doesn't that feel good! WHY didn't she help you??? It is really easier once you get it done isn't it? CONSISTENCY is the key as it is with everything. Check it every day, twice a day if you have to. One thing on the floor or dresser does not seem like a lot but multiply by a room unchecked for a month and that is a whole lotta junk again. We could probably use a good de-cluttering as well. I liked Deb H's comment on previous post with not much stuff in there. When I think about how much stuff is in Lauren's room that she never touches! Yikes! But then there is Kate...what if she wants X Y or Z??? Sigh. Why do I hear Madame Blueberry all of a sudden...lalalala at Stuff mart...
I know this is a Dad and Pop comment but I see great material for a sermon on Matthew 19:18-24. I'm afraid if I decided to clean out any of my storage areas where my stuff, my beloved stuff (that I forgot I had, and haven't seen in years) it would fill more than a Living Room.
Wow, that looks good. I'm slightly insprired to have my kids do theirs today.
Well done! I'm tackling Mad's room today - while she's at VBS. I usually make her help, but I just want to get to it today! I know that when it gets to a certain point of messiness, she cannot cope with cleaning it on her own - but, we work toward that.
Wow... she has her own sewing machine??
She didn't help because honestly I didn't want her to. I like to do things like that on my own. She helped with the unloading of the room and that was enough.
She doesn't have her own sewing machine. That is mine you see in the picture. I usually store it in the garage (it's back there now) but I thought if she had it in her room it might inspire her to do more sewing and I liked having it set up somewhere if I wanted to sew something. In reality, she never used it while it was in her room.
Wow-eee-wow-wow!!!!
Great job! I am impressed!
Nice job! It looks great. I bet she sleep well in a clutter free room.
I know... I have two machines out and about now in limited space. It's a challenge to pick everything up and put everything back out when projects are going. My daughter has free reign to the older machine but this "newer" one is finicky.
Things look great!
You GO GIRL!!!! It looks great! I love Hannah's comment...that is CLASSIC!
Great job!!
Congrats! It looks great (and manageable for Hannah to maintain too!)! What a large task, Tiffany, that you tackled...I know it feels good to have "conquered" this little part of your world and to claim dominion over it. It surely looks like you brought order to it out of the chaos (and hopefully a little bit of peace)!
Heather
How inspiring! I want to do that, too. I just have to figure out where to put everything for a few months. We do not have a garage.
Dick redid Levi's room while we were gone and basically emptied it out, (in other rooms) Now our whole family wants to do everything in Levi's room, it feels so good.
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