Hello, nesting

I’ve been at home more that summer has ended. I’ve also been more pregnant (over 25 weeks currently).

So now that I’m well through the fatigue that goes with the first half of pregnancy+having a toddler+traveling for work each week and I am into my nesting mode, I am actually able to take the time I am at home to LOOK at my house. I’ve realized two things:

1. I have not cleaned in about 4 months
2. We have a TON of stuff

The first is pretty easy to explain - I used traveling and vacationing as an excuse to let up on my household duties.

But I have no idea how in only 14 months of marriage we have accumulated SO MUCH STUFF.

I couldn’t help to immediately flash forwarded to next summer, when we plan to buy our first home, and I imagine packing. I. Hate. Packing.

But besides the dread of packing, I realized that we don’t even USE most of what we have. I feel so blessed to be given what we have but we have been excepting tables and toasters and toys we don’t need and I can’t help but feel they could be of better use to someone else.

So, being the entrepreneur that I am my first thought is:

We could sell everything! And buy a Lay-Z-Boy!
But then I decided that trying to host a garage sale or manage on-line Craig’s List sales is not something worth doing for what’s probably only $50 worth of stuff.

So, throughout this month I’ve slowly but surely been “simplifying” and re-organizing/de-cluttering our home (and finally cleaning it thoroughly in the process). I will say that my husband is a little freaked out by my instant urge of nesting. Go figure - he doesn’t understand the need to vacuum behind and underneath the couches on Friday night while filling a trash bag with extra toys and old purses for Goodwill :)
But all in all I am making 3 commitments for the future:

1. Clean regularly so I don’t have to vacuum up 4 months of cereals and goldfish at once
2. Donate at least one bag monthly to Goodwill (clothes, magazines, etc.)
3. Think before accepting/buying something new and ask: Do I already have this? Do I need it? Or will it sit on a pile and never be used? Could someone, somewhere else use this?

Now I’m off to sort through the closet in the guest room :)