Time For Fall Cleaning

I get the cleaning bug several times a year.  I mean the big cleaning bug.  The one where you're panting trying to move furniture, ready to the throw the fridge and cleaning half-eaten hot dogs that you find from behind the sofa.  I suppose it comes with the seasons.  So this week( and probably next ) I'm at it again, constantly cleaning, organizing, and reorganizing things.  Trash days are often filled with joy as I sort through the house trying to get every single piece of anything that could be considered trash out of the house.  I've already dumped three large garbage bags, taken one giant bag to the Goodwill, and currently have a massive bag of outgrown fall and winter clothing that I'll be sending to the consignment shop for sale.  I usually apply money from anything I sell to debt reduction.  

I've finally been getting rid of the baby items.  There will be no more little feet running through the house.  Maybe.  The changing table and the high chair have been taken to our church nursery.  I took the drawers out of the other one for a diy under bed storage project and got rid of the frame.  I still have a playpen and a second stroller I looking for someone to give to.  The house is looking a lot better as baby items can completely take over a house especially our little one.

Outgrown toys have also been snatched.  I'm thinking about donating some of the really small toys (happy meal) to the elementary classrooms for treasure box items.  I have to hide them or get rid of them quick or the kids are going to be like "Oh, there is my thingamajig" that they haven't seen in two years and now all of sudden want to throw a fit about.   Honesty, we've had some of the toys since AJ was little and I just passed them down or kept them for my own classroom.  Everything is a teaching resource when you're broke.

I've currently gathered every loose, out place, stacked in a pile high, thrown in basket, or a bag piece of paper in the house and have piled it on the kitchen table.  We haven't eaten at the table all week.  It's for a greater good. lol.  I've started sorting through it all and am labeling, filing, and shredding.  Paper has always been the biggest problem in our house.  With three kids, myself being a secretary twice over, and the hubs starting a company, our house is usually filled with too many art projects, files, bills, and about two billion receipts.  Sometimes I just have to pray about this one.  Lord please give me the wisdom to keep all this stuff organized.  Getting organized is easy.  Staying that way takes discipline.

A few of the things on my list include:

- clean out my closet and dresser
-figure out what to do with all our college books/notebooks (They've been sitting in a stand for years.  I would get rid of them if I didn't think I'd use them again.)
-Reorganize teaching supplies
-move all furniture and clean behind it
-clean carpets
-Organize paper
-flip, spray and clean mattresses
-wipe down walls
-clean windows and doors

I'm sure I'm going to be even more exhausted but there's nothing better than having a clean house.  Well, at least until we all get out of bed.