There's cleaning and then there's CLEANING

I went to bed last night thinking about the things I really needed to do today... and when I woke up this morning, I was still thinking about those things... paying bills, unpacking my suitcase from my last trip, purging and cleaning out my office to name a few.

So I decided to start with the cleaning. I decided that I'd focus on my office space today. It's a disaster. And the cleaning that is needed for this space is more than routine cleaning. And it's likely going to take more than a day. So I cranked up the tunes, grabbed a diet Pepsi, and dug in. I have to tell you, I'm really enjoying the process of digging out, throwing away, and reorganizing.

Something you may not know about my office is that it is not just MY office. I share my space with my two kids. This 9'X12' room is crammed full of stuff. And Kendon laughs nearly every time he comes in because he thinks all my stuff is funny -- he supports me in my scrapping habit, just doesn't get it. Anyway, when the kids are home, if I'm in my office they are too. And that's great, except that it gets very crowded. And then there's the mess...

I use this space to be creative. I scrapbook, edit pics, sew, play on the computer and do a variety of other projects in my office. Todd usually just comes in to use the computer, to sync his ipod or upload new music. Madison, though, is following in my footsteps and LOVES to make crafts. She loves glue and she loves glitter. And though she loves to make her projects, she is not always very good about putting stuff away and cleaning up after herself. I spent nearly 2 hours going through her paper scraps, reorganizing her stuff and scraping glue off her desktop. And now it looks great! That is just one corner of the room.

I really enjoy this kind of cleaning. I find it energizing. It's not like "normal" housework. There's something about cleaning out the clutter and making a space more functional that is therapeutic. I'm having a great day. I'm excited to make my space make more sense and work better for the three of us who use it. So, now that I've taken a bit of a break, I'm going to get back at it. There's a lot more mess to take care of. Once I'm done, I'll post pics.