Nesting for the Surrogate

About a month and a half ago I decided that for Zoey's birthday we would redo her bedroom to make it more organized and complete. I perused Pinterest for good ideas for small spaces, I searched for new rugs and we painted a bed frame we acquired from our neighbors. It was very important that this project be complete and perfect. I even attempted to instruct all of the grandparents to only buy her presents for her bedroom for her birthday. They all ignored me.

That's when I realized what was happening. I was nesting. It occurred to me that this "non-baby nesting" could be super beneficial for my family. Jim was already working on the kitchen, which has been in various states of disrepair since June and I really couldn't help with that, so I moved on to all of the other rooms in the house. Jim has been thrilled!

I totally reorganized the playroom and threw out all of the broken toys, the toys that were missing pieces, costumes that don't fit, and things that I hate. I have to say, the kids haven't noticed and the feeling of getting rid of things has been exhilarating! Less is definitely more. We even have decided to tell the grandparents that for Christmas we only want them to get the kids gift certificates for activities instead of toys. (I wonder if they'll listen to me this time!)

I went through about 15 bins in the attic and separated the Good Will from the Sell to Once Upon a Child from the hand-me-downs for all of the adorable new babies in my life. I've offered every single unused piece of furniture in the attic to friends and family. If I could lift more things, my attic would probably be empty.

I utilized my friends to move my furniture around and plan to get rid of one of the couches we have to swap it for a chaise lounge that I have yet to find. I bought a house plant. I made a list of easy projects for me to complete while I'm on medical leave. I'm basically about to become a DIY queen. Those six weeks are going to change my home! It's going to be like a "While You Were Out" episode for Jim every day!

I'm actually really enjoying putting this much energy into my home. I'm feeling positive about the purging of belongings. I've never been sentimental about stuff and honestly I would prefer to have very little. The more I get rid of the more I want to get rid of. I just want things I love! Convincing my family to adopt this attitude is a little bit harder. We still have tons of stuff and piles of junk that I'm slowly sorting through, but I believe that I will get through it!  And when I do, my house will look clean and organized and Pinterest perfect!