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Saturday, May 2, 2009

De-Clutter

It is spring which means it is time for Spring Cleaning. Here are some tips to get your house a little less cluttered as you head into the warmer months:

Go through your closets. Put away all the winter clothes to make room for the cute stuff you need. If you clean your closet, you'll see what you need and not overspend getting stuff you don't need. Make a pile of things you (or your kids) have outgrown to give away.

Go through the toys. Put away what younger siblings will use, but get rid of what your kids have outgrown. Your friends with younger children will be thrilled to get free stuff, your bank account will love a garage sale, or your local charity would love a donation. Don't do this when your kids are in the room or nothing will disappear!

Get rid of school-year papers. Obviously there are some papers you will want to keep that show off your kid's mad math skills or highlight some areas of concern to work on over the summer. But no one will care if you get rid of the numerous spelling tests, coloring worksheets and parent newsletters. If you're overwhelmed with art projects, pick out the best ones and send the rest to grandma (she'll love it!), aunts and uncles, or family friends who love your kids like you do.

Clear out junk drawers. Do as I say, not as I do. Just go through the drawer and get rid of the old batteries, expired coupons, parts that don't go to anything and the pens that don't work. You'll make room for all sorts of new junk to breed over the coming months and it will be like you never missed it.

Shred old files. I really need to do this. My files are jam-packed with ridiculous files that I kept because....I thought I was supposed to. Who cares if I have my electric bill from 2004?

What other things should we all add to our Spring Cleaning list?

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