Back in March I posted my 2014 goals. One of them was to simplify and de-clutter. I was slowly getting my energy back after a very long stretch of “morning” sickness.

I started doing little things here and there. Gradually I was able to tackle projects that took 2-3 hours (that’s what nap time is for, right?).

After three months I think I’ve achieved my goal. Is there still more to be done? Absolutely (please don’t look in the “craft” room in our basement). But I have gotten all of the bedrooms organized. I moved all of my son’s things to my daughter’s room. I set up the nursery (including baby clothes, cloth diapers, etc.)  I cleaned the office. I reorganized my daughter’s craft center and our living room. I got rid of some old stuff.

I also actually cleaned instead of just organizing. This is very helpful for all of the allergy sufferers in the house.

Was it a lot of work? You bet! Was it worth it? Totally.

Now I just have to keep up with things. When I see a mess it only takes a few minutes to get things back in order. I don’t feel overwhelmed with the clutter.

I actually can clean and dust now without feeling like I have a million things to move out of the way first.

One of the best parts is that my children love the change. When they don’t have too many toys out at once they play so nicely together and really use their imaginations. It’s so fun to watch.

We also now have room to set up the baby gear.

In the end it was a lot of work. But it is so worth it. Even if you only work for 15 minutes a day it can make an impact. De-cluttering the house has made life far less stressful. Plus I’m teaching my kids how to take care of their things and put them where they belong…now that they actually have a place for everything.

I’m not perfect. Neither is my house. There is always more to be done. But I’m excited about the change. Here are some before and after pictures. I think they speak for themselves. I didn’t remember to take all of the before pictures. But the after pictures are still great.

Is your house or your stuff feeling overwhelming? Taking just a few minutes a day to de-clutter will make a big difference. 

 I feel calmer just looking at the after pictures! I didn’t even take pictures of some of the big rooms like the kitchen and living room. Organizing the house was a big task. But I’m glad it’s done. Now my goal is to just maintain and not let things get as bad as they were. If I can do the hard work while pregnant I should be able to maintain when my body is fully functional again.