So, I am a messy guy. Most are. Problem is, I don't want to be anymore. For a long time, it wasn't a big deal, I only had me to pick up after. When I got married, it still seemed alright because my wife is just as much as a slob as I am. I mean, don't get me wrong, our place was still livable, but the endless amounts of crap we accumulated over time have been taking up real estate in our kitchen, closets and mostly the garage. I figured that being a prior Navy Company Commander, fixing this problem should be simple right?
WRONG!
It's easy to ensure that a recruit keeps everything spotless. White Glove kinda clean. Not so simple when your own family refuses to be the epitome of good order and discipline, and you don't want to be the rigid jerk all the time.
I learned to check the ego at the door. Work stays at work and home stays at home. I figured as long as my workplace was pretty much spotless, I could let things slide at home. I didn't want to be all virgin clean at home, I still don't, but I realized (at what point, it still eludes me) that I needed to get my act together and start being a better example for my kids.
I started doing some research, and I found a website called "Unclutterer.com". A lady named Erin Doland has been blogging, and writing about the exact kinda stuff I needed to figure out. It's like finding the holy grail of cleanliness. This lady has got her stuff in one sock and has been kind enough to help others do their worst in trying to get their act together. Targeting knuckleheads like me, one piece at a time. Take a few moments and check her out here:
http://unclutter.com. I think you will be pleasantly surprised by all the good ideas and experience Erin has to offer.
I found myself reviewing her website, well, I have stalked that website at least twice a week for the last year before I bought her book and downloaded that sucker to my iPad so I could start doing more than just reading. I am tired of living in a pig pen of kid toys, dog fuzz and a mountain of dirty laundry. It was time for some practical application.
Where to start? one piece at a time. I have roughly 12 thousand pounds worth of crap. It fills every inch of this house and in the next two months, my goal is to eliminate at least three thousand pounds worth of "treasures". How do I know how much weight I have? Well, when the Navy moved my wife and I up here, they averaged each room to be about a grand each, and five grand for the garage and storage areas. I was at 13 thousand when I moved in. And before Christmas, my wife and I unloaded four full truckloads full of useless crap out of the garage. Old toys, furniture, clothes, junk. All of it. There is plenty more to cull.
I envision a house that won't take me hours and hours to clean anymore. I want to pair down the kitchen to the essentials. No more filling the dishwasher's top rack to the brim with cups every single night. I have more damned sippy cups than I care to mention, let alone coffee cups, water glasses, beer glasses. I could start a restaurant supply business with all the extra crap in my kitchen.
I will be airing my dirty laundry here, pun intended. I guess to chronicle the adventure of being a uber slob to a more tidy, white picket fence Hallmark card kind of household. The kind of house that even Mr. Rogers would be like "Damn sucka, you really got your shit together!" kind of house.
Any takers?
