Postpartum Nesting: The Sequel Nobody Warned Me About - I'M PURGING THE HOUSE!

Kids stuff, baby stuff ... just STUFF!

I always heard about nesting when you’re pregnant. You know — the uncontrollable urge to clean, organize, and turn your house into a Pinterest-worthy masterpiece before baby arrives. Yeah… about that.

When I was pregnant with Cyrus, “nesting” didn’t happen. Between chasing my two girls in opposite directions and feeling like a beached whale about to pop, the closest I came to nesting was moving a pile of laundry from one chair to another. I wanted to purge and clean, but the energy? Non-existent.

Fast forward to now — Cyrus is here, and suddenly, I feel like I could star in my own HGTV home makeover show. I want to purge EVERYTHING. Who knew having three kids would flip that switch?

The STUFF

Somehow, in nine years of parenting, we have accumulated so much stuff. Kid stuff. Random stuff. Stuff that doesn’t even have a category. And the more kids you have, the more the stuff multiplies like rabbits. My house is not a show home — it’s lived in — but lately I’ve been fantasizing about it being close to one. With a tasteful sprinkle of toys on the floor, of course.

Then there’s the basement. For three years, we’ve been talking about starting renovations down there. You know what’s actually down there? Every toy my girls have ever owned, including ones they haven’t touched in years. Come September, I am going in — solo. Why? Because if I purge while they’re home, I’ll hear:

• “I’ve been looking for that!”

• “But that’s my favorite!”…about an item that’s been buried in a bin for twelve months.

  

  The dreaded basement...and this is just one area! It has become the dump zone for everything!

  
  

The Switch Flipped

Since Cyrus was born, I can’t stand dishes in the sink. Laundry piling up? Makes my eye twitch — especially when the girls change three times a day and toss clean clothes on the floor. It’s like my tolerance for mess expired the day he arrived.

My September goal: get the basement cleared, framed, and hopefully finished before the snow flies. The girls are sharing a room right now, and my almost-9-year-old (going on 19) is begging for her own space to destroy.

Will it take time? Yup. Will it be worth it? Absolutely. Once the renos are done, the basement will become the official “kids’ crap containment zone,” and mama can finally reclaim some living space.

So if you need me in September, you’ll find me living in my basement surrounded by toys, coffee in hand, purging my little heart out. I will be sure to update you all on how its going and if I want to rip my hair out yet.

Wake me up when September ends — and preferably when the basement is done.

September is going to be a long month!