So Much Stuff

Dear Readers,

I am going though a crisis over here at my house.  I feel like we have too much stuff!  Anyone else out there feel that way?  I mean I feel like my house is cluttered even after I clean it.  I have even gotten to that crazy point where I am reading a Japanese book on how to declutter my house and life. Seriously why do I have to overanalyze and be this crazy person?

Regardless of how I react to our over abundance of stuff, I have come to the conclusion that I have gotten us to this point in our lives.  It's not like the kids are buying the stuff, it is me and I have to stop! Currently I am staring at my kids running around the house with string that is wrapped around my poor cat and they are running through an obstacle course of centers my daughter has set up for her imaginative preschool class.  Where did this stuff come from?  And here is a bigger issue I have every time I talk about maybe giving away something away Ayden goes crazy and starts playing with the things we haven't used in months.

Maybe I just need to throw things away and not look back.  It is hard though because what if we need it later?  (Won't be needing the shape sorter, so I should let it go right?)

I probably need to finish this book I am reading before I completely purge and heaven forgive me if Tyler doesn't read this because I am sure he is just waiting for me to go crazy one day and throw everything away.  (News flash he has more stuff than I do!) I am kinda at that point too, so maybe it is a good thing we are leaving for Michigan in a couple weeks.

But here is what I am going to do for a temporary solution for my constant need for de-cluttering.  First I am going to find the toys that my kids have grown out of and attempt to sell them because do we really need the stand up music toy that they kids still play with but obviously not in the most appropriate way.  I mean come on, Ayden does not need a toy that he can play music with from his bum because that is what he is doing with the music table!  I then need to get the kids involved.  We have toys, books, and stuffed animals in abundance!  I need them to choose a tote full that we can take to our cottage in Michigan because lets face it I don't need to buy anything there!

Then I really need to do some work with self control when it comes to birthdays and holidays because lets face it that is when these kids accumulate so much stuff and I think it is time we really focused on quality verse quantity.

There you have it, I am a stressed out mess because I have too much stuff!  I am not a candidate for hoarders yet, but I think if we don't get a handle on this situation we may be.  So even though I want to tell you all that read that I have been busy purging, that would be a lie, but I do think my stress level does have a direct correlation with the clutter going on in this house.  I let you know if I find the secret to getting this crazy under control, but until then if you have suggestions, feel free to share.

Yours truly,
The stressed-out, cluttered momma