Clutter: My Confession Story of Clutter Queen Turned Clean Queen

Being a clutter Queen was title that (gulp) I once held. Actually Clutter Queen described me so well, that I seriously think I should have have been nationally recognized for it. Well, Okay it wasn't that bad, but was certainly up there. Clutter was covering many areas of my home, including the kitchen table. Oh yes, those bad memories of the days of having to push all the junk on the dinner table to the end just so we can squeeze our plate on it just to eat still vidily play in my mind!

I figured something out while living it clutter chaos; It's stressful! While I thought we had entered into a comfort zone of sorts by allowing things to pile up on catch all surfaces in the home (the in drawers, boxes...oh lets be honest - the floor too!) our family lost our clarity. Do you know how stressful it is to look for your keys in a messy home while running 15 minutes behind schedule? Wow! Let me just tell you that tempers flare up in those heated home based scavenger hunts. It wasn't just getting out the door that became a nightmare, but the oh so frightful knock at the door became a perfect time to panic. What would our family and friends think if they saw what our home looked like when we were not expecting company?

Then there is the dreaded visits from my mother-in-law. She of course is pristinely clean, keeping everything in perfect order in her own home which she boastfully admits to raising seven children in! Competition? No I was no where near in competition with her, as she had me beat by five miles one minute into the race! Instead I stood my ground; "It's all my husbands fault, he doesn't pick up after himself!" So then of course, she became insulted because not only was I speaking of her son, but refusing to take any blame what so ever while nonchalantly acting as if both my husband and I are content raising our children in a cluttered home. Which of course could not be further from the truth, since behind closed doors - the clutter was to blame for a LARGE part of our disagreements.

So what changed me? A marital breakdown and God. Sometimes we need to go through things and become broken to be whole again. I know this seems crazy, but it was certainly true for me. It took coming dangerously close to losing my marriage to finally get it! Of course a messy home wasn't the only problem we faced but God worked with me on all of my issues first, which were piles just as high as my clutter! I can now say that I have come to terms with my messy habits and have kicked them out the door. This isn't to say that my desk doesn't look cluttered from time to time, as this does happen, but I learned to deal with it before it becomes overwhelming.

Sometimes we can't really see what needs to be changed in our lives because we are too busy defending ourselves. I heard criticism from everyone, but was quick to yelp back with how wrong they were. My own yelping numbed my ears and fed lies right back into them. I believed my own hype. They say admitting the problem is the first step to fixing it but I couldn't admit to it until my life dramatically changed for a season. Keeping a clean and neat home is a wonderful way to show your care for your family. I can tell you, since having a cleaner home, my life is so much more peaceful and I don't fear the mother-in-law visits anymore!

Do you need real tips for keeping your home clutter free from someone who has been there? Check out this article - How To Get Organized: the Key to a Peacful Home along with the tips from this article 5 Rules for Breaking the Clutter Cycle and you will be on your way to enjoying a less messy, more peaceful home and family life!