Decluttering Heaven

So for the first time Justinbustin and I cleaned his room today without any meltdowns. Really, it's a testament to his maturity, because I still almost melted down. Right after he said he thought I should take a break and I didn't take take a break, which is the funny part. But I didn't melt down. Thank goodness. He is finally mature enough not to cry, whine, and complain when I throw his junk away. He is such a little pack rat, and we are trying so hard to bring him out of that. Today, I threw away three kitchen garbage bags full of trash out of his room, and three and a half kitchen trash bags full of clothes. Keep in mind his room is the size of a closet (mostly because it is a closet, but a very large closet and one that he'd prefer to have as his room than share a room with his brother). There were still boxes in there that he hadn't unpacked from our move back in June. Which is where all the clothes were that his brother and him had been complaining about that they didn't have. Any way it is so clean and it is strange how light and airy it makes me feel in the rest of the house. The rest of the house where I can't even see his room! I've been on a decluttering rampage lately -- my bedroom, the office/lobby, the living room, the shoe area, the garage -- and taking before and after photos because seeing the before once I've gotten to the after is so motivating and rewarding. It's been SO easy to keep clean, and SO easy to quickly declutter now that I've got the deep clean and declutters out of the way. Granted, it's still not decorated (especially our bed, which needs an overhaul), but it still feels put together and therefore is motivating to keep it looking as neat as it is. This just felt like the final straw of decluttering and it makes my heart smile and feel light.

Coming out of the Fog

Things I did this week I want to remember:

*Wrote two papers

- Yay for my head clearing without that pressure!

*Took said papers by writing tutor

*Edited and finalized papers

*Did a history exam

With THOSE things done my head was cleared for:

*8 hour day with KT

- Taking her to an interview, picking her up, then bringing her to my house for decompression from her household drama, talking, studying, and C*stco

*Manicures and pedicures with Marli

- My first black tip pedicure and LUVin it

*Dinner with JaeWu

- She just had her baby but is back to work and completely back to herself as well as 100% communicating with me about how she can or can't get out of the house with her little one nursing - loving this. Normally my friends just fall off the face of the earth when they have babies and end up hardly ever being seen again :( .

*Night out on the town and the eastside

- With my favorite girl, My, after dinner with JaeWu, observing this strange new occurence of hipsters at Easts*de Showroom and Che*r Up Charl*e's, drinking Valper's at Easts*de Showroom, and eating rice paper rolls at Mes* Hungry. Mmm.

*Watching M's adorable little girl, K.

- I was so excited about watching her I immediately took her to Wal-mart to get Easter egg coloring kits, pancake mix, and cookie mix. We came home at 9am and made chocolate chip and blueberry pancakes, colored Easter eggs, and watched Dora before her Mom picked up her at 11am. Adored it.

*Girls night on Monday of COURSE

*Coming out of my fog

- In the car on the way to Costco with KT, who cheered that she was the one to witness it :) - love her, and realizing I WENT TO HAWAII, then spilling all of my most fun memories for the next fifteen minutes

There may be more, but that's what stand out in my head right now.

Memories that wouldn't have happened had we not moved to...

The House:

*Hours of playing in the backyard

*Forts in the lobby - built and slept in

*Their own rooms

*Biking in the street

*Ice cream truck driving by (at least that they remember)

*Neighbors calling to return our dogs when they get out

*Going over to a neighbors house and playing for hours

*Driving up a driveway

*Not walking up stairs to our front door

*Having a two story home

The Apartment:

*Barbequing poolside

*Spending endless summer days in the pool

*Playing baseball in a drainage ditch

*Making a backyard out of a sidewalk

*Playing for hours inside

*Cultivating a garden on a deck

*Making lifelong friends

*Having a business center - indoor basketball court, gym, computer center, tv center

*Having parties thrown in our community