project simplify week 3 - I did it!! :)

I must say, it was very hard to take my own advice this week and not let my to-do list completely rule me.  With the project of putting together a 7-station prayer walk focused on the intercession for those caught in the evils of human trafficking, along with pulling together some other preparations for our yearly International Leaders Conference next week, and strongly desiring to delve into some serious spring cleaning...oh, and factor in just the normal craziness of our family life...it had me pretty much trying to keep cracking the whip on myself to stay on task.  Well, at last, most of the preparations for the conference are done...just a few more detail items to pull together...and I actually have the weekend to focus on cleaning and making sure everyone has clean clothes and packing.  Oh, and church.  Yeah...there's prepping for that too.  And figuring out what to make for dinner for our company that's coming tomorrow night (which I'm really looking forward to because it's friends I can just 'chill' with, and it will force me to stop for a little while!)

In any case, amid all of that, I actually did manage to squeeze in this week's project simplify challenge!!  I only did it this afternoon/tonight, but it felt oh-so-good to de-crapify the younger boys' bedroom, and get rid of so many broken little pieces of toys that didn't survive some battle, and the random happy-meal type toys that accumulate (though, they aren't from happy meals, because I'm waaaay to cheap to ever get those for my children...they're only allowed items off the dollar menu, and I make them split fries and drinks...if I even splurge for a drink!).  I hauled out a whole large garbage bag of stuff for trash, packed up a few still-in-decent shape things to pass on, and a box of stuff for yard sale.  The pictures may not do it justice.

Since the 2 boys share a room, space is extremely tight, to say the least.  Seth collects airplanes, which take up most of the surface space.  The only real storage is bins, and mostly stuff needs to tucked under their beds.  Over time, the Lincoln Logs, the Fisher Price Little People, the Spy Gear and the Matchbox cars have all sort of migrated together and don't even get played with much, because nobody knows where any of it is!  Well...no longer!!  All the toys have been sorted by category, in drawers or bins or ziploc bags and put in an orderly place.  We even managed to make space in the closet to serve as the Nerf Arsenal.   As far as clothes...they pretty much don't have that much 'extra', so I didn't bother going through drawers.  I weeded out a few extras from the closet, but that's about it.

So, here's the befores:

Under Luke's bed:

Inside the closet:

 

Seth got a headstart, before I got to take before shots, but this is what all he pulled out from under his bed:

 

But he had fun crawling under there...and freaking out his sister by taking his bird-sounds book with him and playing it when she came in the room...

And after:

Under Luke's bed now...after everything was sorted and stacked nicely...ah, much better.

 And under Seth's...amazing...I can see all the way through to the other side of the bed!!  :)

Toys sorted into their own drawers - spy gear, cars, little people:

 The closet - all sorted and decluttered - and FINALLY a place for all the weapons!  :)

And the BEST picture of all...boys in bed for the night!! 

Tomorrow I'll be hitting the 'real' cleaning, the whole house through!!  Yippee!!

Linking this one up over at Simple Mom!