The Snowball Effect

So last week I decided it was time to clean. Only sometimes it's hard to get started and often, I will choose a little project to get me motivated. After said project is done I have a stronger desire to clean up to show off the finished project.

I need motivation to clean. It does not come naturally.

Anyway, my "little" project was to change around the boys' rooms. Or change the boy's into their rooms. Or change rooms the boys are in. Whatever. Eventually it would lead to B and D having their own separate bedrooms and G and J sharing the room that B and D used to be in.

I'm still a little confused.

We have 4 bedrooms. Paul and I have one. B and D shared another. J and G shared the third, and the fourth was a playroom. Things were too cramped and B was needing his own space because he was up earlier than the other dudes. But before anyone could move I need to change the playroom to the basement.

So first I had to get the basement ready. Do you see where this is leading? So I rearranged the basement to allow for toys. It's more spacious down there, and Paul helped me hook up the older video game units to the TV. Plus we like to send the boys far away from us on occasion. We love them a great deal. They are fine boys. They are also very loud and rowdy. Which is all well and good from a distance.

So I started moving toys, but I had to organize the toys and weed out the unwanted, and put away some because too many toys is ridiculous, and I had to reorganize the storage.

Snowball effect people. One little dollop of ice and it just keeps growing.

I must use a synopsis format now, because this post is starting to snowball.

1. Remove all items from playroom.
2. Clear out half the closet, (Food storage, luggage and outgrown clothing.)
3. Move D's clothes in.
4. Undo bunk beds and move bed in.
5. Change J's stuff to B's closet, change B to J's and G to B.
(It's beginning to sound like Asian furniture instructions, isn't it?)
6. Move desk.
7. Move dresser x 3.
8. Organize school papers under beds that have collected dust for 8 years.
9. Separate bunk beds #2.
10. Remake beds.
11. Put boys to bed and realize Boy 1 hates new room intensely and hates change and hates the paint and it doesn't feel like his old room and life is horrible.
12. Lie awake for hours worrying about bad mothering decisions.
13. Drill teen as to what color he would prefer in his room to be.
14. Recruit helpful friend to paint room while teen is at school.
14. Sigh in relief when teen loves new color.
15. Listen to husband trip over unearthly amount of closet vomit that is strewn up and down hallway as he tries to go to work in the morning.
16. Work like a horse to organize, catagorize, and de-crappize hallway.
17. Sit down and realize the snowball has finally stop growing.

The moral of this story? You have way more crap than you realize. Never clean out all your rooms at once.