The January Cure

This weekend a friend sent me a link to Apartment Therapy's January Cure. Have you seen it yet? The first assignment is to make a project list of items you would like to improve around your home. The instructions are to set aside an hour to walk around your home, thoroughly inspecting each area, and noting on your list what needs to be taken care of, but not actually doing any of it yet.

I like efficiency so I decided that an hour was way too much time, even with kids who can pretty much entertain themselves. I also like sitting on the couch, so I made the list in my head, using my "minds' eye" to scan each area of our house. We only moved in a month ago, so there's still quite a lot to do, and it's all pretty fresh in my mind. 

Please note I'm not trying to be rebellious but to show that with all things, flexibility.

I was able to easily identify three to five things in each area that I want to take care of. Here's a sampling:

Foyer--
1. Find a bigger rug for entry (at least 3x5)
2. Organize top shelf in closet
3. Hang art
4. Decide if we want double-hooks or a coat tree
5. Call to have clothing donations picked up

Living Room (playroom side)--
1. Un-decorate Christmas tree and put away box
2. Set up Barbie Village/babies/Lego table
3. Hang gallery wall of family photos and kid art above desk
4. Style bookcase

When I got to the kids' bedrooms, though, I felt a huge mental block. There is just.so.much STUFF. In our old house, my attempts to organize their bedrooms had almost always ended in frustration: mine. But, by limiting myself to only 3-5 "to do's" and identifying what those were --mostly creating zones for the stuff they play with and use -- made the difference this time. 

I stayed on the couch awhile longer, alternately reading a book about shame by Brene Brown (I've decided not to have any, which is why I'm sharing all of this with you) and napping. Eventually, though, I went upstairs with Griff to organize his room because he was having a sleepover and there was no place for his buddy to sleep. Not only did we get through it with a minimum of whining (by me), but Bela and I went on to do her room, too!

I'll post tomorrow about how we organized it all and share some photos on Instagram. Very likely I'll also need to get that project list out of my brain and this is the most logical place for it... Happy Sunday!