Purge time is nigh

I've been bitten by the spring cleaning bug. Project number one - as always - is the girls' rooms.

I considered posting a pair of before and after pics here just to illustrate the magnitude of this task, but I'm WAY too embarrassed about the state of their junk pile rooms to put photographic evidence out there for all the world to see. Suffice it to say that this afternoon I removed one garbage bag full of trash and one full of toys and other stuff destined for Goodwill, and I barely scratched the surface.

The bedroom and playroom have reached this state because of a perfect storm of laziness & disability on my part (I've had 2 surgeries this past year), pressure from my inner-pack rat (Don't throw that away! You'll need it again...eventually.) and my youngest daughter's seriously serious case of kleptomania. Seriously. She once bawled me out for throwing out a rock that she had in her bed. If she were allowed, she'd save every last ribbon and scrap of wrapping paper from every present she's ever been given. She saves the feathers that her parakeets shed, the wrappers from her candy, etc. It is a problem.

So when I ask the girls to clean their room, I also usually ask them to purge a set amount of stuff, say 5 items or maybe a paper bag full. For the oldest, this is no problem at all, especially if there is a reward offered, such as a new toy or a trip to the ice cream shop. The little one is another story entirely. Every scrap of paper and broken McDonalds toy has deep, meaningful memories attached. We have bargaining and tearful pleas for mercy which usually end in her melting down and mommy pouring herself a glass of wine or three. It's an ugly scene.

Well today was zero-hour. Knowing the begging and whining that would ensue, I did a pre-cleaning purge of their room while they were at school, then asked them to "clean" (HA!) what was left. Little do they know that still more of their stuff will be moving on out tomorrow while they are at school. Theirs isn't the only room that will be undergoing the no-holds-barred sorting and purging. The closets and cupboards are up next, but all will get their turn in good time, myself included. Right now I just need to try and muscle through the not so fun part of wading through junk and dust bunnies. Soon enough I'll be reaping my rewards in the form of cleanliness, calm and simplicity, but for now, it's headlong into the heap. Pray for my safe return!