Last week, in search of missing socks, I moved the washer and dryer that came with the house. My reward: one sock and a dime. I washed years of yuck off the floor. All day I smiled in that part of the house. I just felt cleaner. Dirt, even hidden dirt, weighs me down.
Saturday, I was working on the toy room. I know it is unreasonable, but LEGOS in the Playmobile bucket really irritates me. There are now only Playmobile in the Playmobile bucket. Today I plan to finish sorting through the toys. I will set my children to task in assembling puzzles. Any puzzle missing pieces will get the boot.
Moving is work, and moving frequently is a headache, but it gives me a chance to really declutter and organize and clean. And that, my friends, makes me feel so good. I don’t know how you civilians do it: staying in the same house year after year. Do you ever feel completely organized and clean?
Reit This Way 
I try and purge the toyroom several times a year. This is the only time I don't make my kids clean up their own mess. I go up there when they are occupied elsewhere and emerge an hour or so later with a giant trashbag filled with broken stuff or stuff missing pieces. I had to laugh at the washer dirt part – a few years ago our washer died and when they came to replace it with a new one and pulled the old one out, I was mortified at the dirt under it. I made them wait until I could clean the floor. The guy was laughing and telling me that this happens EVERY time they replace a washer. So I didn't feel too badly!! The LEGO comment was great, too – that is a VERY popular toy around here, and while I certainly love the creativity they inspire, I REALLY hate them, too. I find little tiny pieces all over the house, and it seems like I pick up the same couple of pieces all day long, put them in the box, and find them again later on the floor. If they get sucked up in the vaccuum, oh well….. I grew up an army brat, so I know what you mean about the purging. I can't stand the clutter that accumluates around here, so I'm always getting rid of stuff (all the while hiding it from my pack-rat husband!) It's tough being a “thrower” when you are married to a “saver”.
My grandmother was a civilian, but moved constantly. I think it's in my blood. Her saying was, “Five moves equals a burnout. Everyone should move every five years.”
I love the wonderful feeling of less clutter when you move. Have you checked the heater vents for Legos, yet? 😉
The short answer is: no.
time for this civilian to move again. off to organize/throw away the play room.
NOT looking forward to it this time!
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Likely the civilian moms don't put off their cleaning sprees until it is close to the next PCS move. I have been contemplating cleaning out our basement, but I keep thinking, “We're going to move in 18 months, so why bother doing it now AND then!”
We only have one more move left and while I will have less pressure to purge, my furniture will be grateful to stay in one place and not be damaged by the movers again.
great post. I would love to follow you on twitter. By the way, did anyone hear that some chinese hacker had busted twitter yesterday again.
I organized the kids' Legos a few months ago. My husband said it was like polishing the brass on the Titanic. Sure enough, the kids were so excited to see their neatly organized Lego box that they dove right in and Legos sprayed all over the room as if in slow motion.
We moved 4 times in less than 4 years when we were first married. One was a military move across the country the rest were because we moved to bigger rentals when we had kids. Having things clean was one of the advantages of all those moves. Most rentals have fresh paint and carpet. Since then we've still moved 3 more times but one house we were at for 9 yrs. Oh my the clutter that got shoved in closets. We threw/gave away carloads but still almost 6 years later at this house have boxes in the garage and attic that have misc stuff from that move.
I am linking your Lent post in my weekly roundup this week, and couldn't help myself from peeking around in your archives. I've been here before, a time or two, and I've enjoyed catching up.
As a single person, I used to move about once a year, either to a new apartment or a new city. I've been married for six years, and this year I'm doing 40 bags in 40 days to get rid of JUNK! I'm also realizing that people who don't move so often really do have to clean. It stinks. :>)
And, as a near-lifelong Nebraskan, please allow me to comment here regarding your previous post. Nebraskans most emphatically didn't support Ben Nelson's schemes regarding the health care bill and I think his political career here is over. It's a bit sad, as I have always “liked” him, whatever that means and for what it's worth. But we elected him to represent us, and he completely dropped the ball.
And with that, I'd better get to bed. I really intended this Lent to help me break bad habits and instill new ones and I'm so not there yet. :>)