Cleanup...taking time to do it right!

Well, a thorough cleanup takes time and lots of effort. Right now, I'm 4 minutes into getting ready to start on the dishes. Then I'm going to make some rice. I've got some major shredding coming up.

The term "cleanup" tends to make me want to throw my hands in the air, scream and run for the hills. Needless to say, it's not topmost on the list of things that I enjoy doing (frankly, I'd say that it hits close to the bottom of the list, if not the very bottom). However it's something that has been post-poned for far too long and needs doing; and thus doing right. In that regard, I believe that we still have a few more items that we need to do a proper cleanup job.

1) another large recycling container, mainly for shredded materials and overflow of recycling.
2) a laundry hamper for clothes that can keep stuff headed to the laundry in one spot.
3) a file cabinet for loose important papers to be filed away (a large 4 drawer legal filing cabinet) properly where they can easily be accessed

I have a few other ideas, however it`s hard to really get a good idea of what`s necessary because there are quite a few small objects that really need to be assessed before finding what`s the proper solution for dealing with them. Either recycle it, or keep it where it can be used. I`ve done too many years of "throw stuff into a container and keep it hidden out of the way". That's how I've found that the crap just piles up...and then it becomes a major problem when you can't find enough space to put all the stuff that you need to hang onto. It also becomes a problem when negotiating your house becomes a major hazard.

I know that the house will always be a work in progress. The kitchen never seem to get clean, but that's an on-going life project. Kitchens are never the epitome of "clean". They're always in use.

It's the other rooms that I would like to get a handle on. I would like to be able to have a tidy "rest of the house" so that all I have to do is be able to run the vacuum over those rooms, and pick up a few things here and there. Other than that, my main concentration would be the kitchen and keeping that tidy. In that regard, I would like to make sure that I have hidden storage (ottomans or benches) in the living room (usable dual-functionality furniture) so that things that I would like to keep (some books and magazines) have a place to hide out of sight, out of mind. But there won't be that proliferation of containers all over the place.

I have a lot of containers inside the house, but the fact is that each one of them contains papers and items that need going through (after I get a filing cabinet) and that probably won't be until late December, early January. What I want is to get it to the point where I don't need to worry anymore about where things need to go and to have only enough things to make a move physically possible with relative ease.

That way, I'm able to manage the house with the least amount of effort, and am able to spend more time with my kids rather than "minding the house". "Babysitting the house constantly" is not a part of my job description. "Babysitting the kids is..." and unfortunately, the house has been in such a state that I've been neglecting doing anything fun with the kids because the house is stealing away time from the rest of my family. That's why I'm putting my foot down and saying "This gets done once and for all. I've had it. I want a MANAGEABLE HOUSE!!!"