Not going down without a fight!

I feel like I am a fairly organized person. I have a chart with all my chores divided up throughout the week... there are picture labels on my toy bins... I have a card catalog for the 38 Rubbermaid tubs in my attic... I have a pretty good system for rotating out the boys' clothes every season and passing them onto the next kid in line... I keep disinfectants and cleaners in every single bathroom for easy access... and theoretically I have a place for everything in my house.

So why is my house a mess with clutter all the time? Why do I spend the majority of my time doing "quick pick-ups" as my mom used to call it? Seriously, clutter is the bane of my existence! I can't stand it... but I don't live without it!

And now, three kids and a husband later, I not only have my own clutter to deal with, but I have the clutter of four other people! Birthday party goody bags... could totally do without 'em! Kids' meal toys... can't stand 'em! Coloring pages from school and church... love to see 'em for 5 seconds, but want to toss 'em before the day is done! The list goes on and on!

Now, I'm not asking for advice from all you organizational gurus out there... Don't even try to tell me your tried and true systems for keeping track of it all! And rest assured, I've read all the books, websites, articles, magazines and handouts on organization! In fact, I think I've even created a few handouts myself. Now don't get me wrong, the yesterday's version of me would have welcomed all those tips, tricks and shortcuts with open boxes and a cute little basket! But today, don't mess with me! Today I'm on a venting rampage and I'm sick of trying to solve it all! I'm just throwing it out there to the cosmos that I just want it to be gone! I don't want to make a pile of stuff to go through... or a pile of things to give to good will... I just want it to be gone! Honestly, there's part of me that wouldn't mind if my house burned down today just so I wouldn't have to deal with all the clutter!

But if you know me at all, you'll know that I'm a realist. I'm obviously not waiting for that winning lottery ticket to solve all the financial issues (especially since I never buy them), so therefore, I'm not waiting for a quick fix to clutter either... (especially a house fire... I was just saying... ).

I realize after "x" amount of years, (I'm at that point in my life, where I don't find it necessary to share me age anymore) that clutter just isn't going anywhere when you make it a nice little place to call home and tuck it in gently every night. Although I'm always on the lookout for a drawer or bin or shelf or bucket... those things have only enabled my chronic condition! So today I'm left with only one foreseeable solution to this epic condition... PITCH IT! So here's a message to the clutter in my house... "If you think that you can creep into the corners and lay in wait until my moment of weakness to pounce upon me and smother me to death... then know that I'm not going down without taking some of you with me! Good bye clutter... I'm taking a stand!"