I said in Part One that I’d next delve more thoroughly into the organizational landmine that is my home. So here goes. Please don’t judge me by my mess…

My need for organization comes from a need for mental order. My internal processes reflect the environment they are in. A cluttered house leads to a cluttered mind and unorganized thoughts. I also can’t *find* the things we want to do with the markers hidden beneath piles of rubble in the spare room. And it was hard to know where to start. Doing one thing relied on something else to be done which couldn’t be accomplished until something else was first finished. I had to find a way to break into the never-ending circle of disaster.

Before I expose the bowels of the beast, let me first say my house was not always such a mess! I owned a business and worked from home. My house was visited by employees and thus remained clean and organized. Zeb was at school during the day, Justin was out of the house for work and I was in one room all day. Things stayed organized easier.

Out goes the business and in comes unschooling. I’m not the only unschooling mama that has seen the lifestyle take over her home. The saving of resources, the “strewing”, the jumping from one thing to the next, did I mention the endless “resources”? That means at any given moment of the day sprawled across the house you could find markers, crayons, paper, scissors, stickers, yarn, string, streamers, yoga balls, video games and controllers, LEGOS, K’NEX, Bakugon, Yu-Gi-Oh, books, letters, seeds, cords, newspaper, snacks, DVDs, scooters, dog leashes, experiments, bottle rockets, origami, socks and shoes, pillows and blankets, comics, memorabilia, how-to manuals and the list goes on.

Unschooling is the first cause of our mess. Not just the resources but the change in perspective. Unschooling set my priorities straight and helped me to focus on what truly mattered – each other and the things that brought us joy. I put things like cleaning on the back burner until the pan burned. And overflowed. All over the place.

The second challenge is living a “green” lifestyle. Not wanting to throw something away in case it’s needed later (and would then need to be purchased new), accepting used items that I could reuse. Things like old tshirts or sheets that can be cut for their fabric or used for rags. Then there was buying in bulk without a place to store them (bucket of flour in the bathroom anyone?), taking up space by line drying indoors, etc.

And partly it was simply living here for longer, collecting more things and not knowing where to put them. Needing to declutter and let go of what might *someday* be a resources, passing onto someone else the mattress pads that don’t fit our beds and trusting if Zeb ever moves up to a full size bed that we’ll find another one on Freecycle. That kinda stuff.

So, I started. In the attic. Completely out of the way of the rest of the home but crucial to know what space I had and what the heck was up there anyway. It was a manageble starting point for some reason, purged and reorganized so that seasonal items could be accessed easily and less-used keepsakes were out of the way, I moved onto the garage. I don’t know why I had to accomplish the two areas that were least affecting me but I did.

The living area was next and, I’m proud the say, the first room that is actually finished. The media corner was a mess and out in the open. Cords everywhere, things falling out, dust accumulating.

Here’s the before on one of its better days:

Here’s the after:

This cabinet was once holding gardening supplies outside. It’s fairly weathered but holds up well. And it gives me great peace of mind to be able to offer Zeb and Justin an organized place to play while allowing me to shut the doors when they’re not. (More on all that later.)

Here’s the best photo our living area before:

And here’s after:

Mon, that big giant orange ball in the corner is a LoveSac. The most comfortable peice of furniture ever created. It’s more about function over form. We pulled the Sac out of our “spare oom” to give us all a place to lay together when watching movies. It’s not the prettiest arrangement and it doesn’t quite match but it serves its purpose (keeping us closer) well.

I still have a long way to go. The finishing touches in the kitchen, the closets, the new computer room, the laundry and bathrooms, Zeb’s room and the dreaded craft room (cleared out to get the Love Sac out but still a wreck – just wait until you see those photos).

Just the small amount I’ve done has given me a huge sense of accomplish and gone a long way in making me more comfortable (and better able to think) in my own home. It’s the first step to many more in regards to my home, a place that should be a sanctuary to my family and to me. I’ll update as I get more done.

More coming soon…