update on my big plan - a.k.a. PURGE.ORGANIZE.CLEAN. {2010}

i started out with gusto in the purging of our extra "stuff".  the kitchen was my starting point, and i actually haven't completed it yet.  i have, however, gone through all of our appliances, gadgets, and glassware, evaluating along the way what we actually use and need, and what was just collecting dust.  i reorganized a few cabinets so that things are stored closer to where they are used.  i culled the number of coffee cups we own to a reasonable number, considering the number of coffee/tea drinkers in our home.   next up was our ridiculously excessive amount of Christmas decor, since we were putting away Christmas stuff anyway.  we had seriously scaled back on decorating this year, and it was such a relief!  i strongly encourage anybody who feels bogged down by the holidays to re-evaluate how much decorating they do, and whether or not that detracts from the season for them.  i packed several boxes of useful but non-essential things to give to Valley Rescue Mission.  and then i called them.  and they picked up our excess stuff that was making me feel crazy from our front porch.  how cool is that? 

then, one lovely day when eli had gone to play with his best friend, i tackled his room.  wow.  i really tackled it.  there are now 7 crates in his room, one for each day of the week.  the six that aren't being used are stored in his hugmongous toy box that my dad made for him.  in theory, i will swap out the crates each day, giving him a few fresh toys to play with everyday.  my goal is to fill the crate with:  an activity to do together, a puzzle, a creative something, a "boy" toy, and something educational.   there are a few things that stay out all of the time - blocks, trains (of course!), a few trucks, his Leapster, and some arts and crafts items.   he has gotten so much better about cleaning up his room.  probably because it isn't the world's most daunting task!  even better?  he enjoys playing in his room for longer periods of time.  it's awesome. 

this is eli's room, "before"

and the, "after" {!}

we are currently in the process of converting our dining room into a family room/baby jail : )  baby gates are up, but there is still lots to do.  more to come!