Closets: Black Holes of Fear

A word on closets: Convenient, as their contents are invisible to the visitor's eye, but also deadly. Deadly in the sense that they can manipulate themselves into a Black hole of sorts where all those familiar maternity clothes and everything else that you don't-know-what-to-do-with-but-can't-get-rid-of ends up. To combat this unhealthy danger zone in our tiny, 2 closet and no other storage space apartment, I do an epic seasonal cleaning about 4 times a year. Basically every season I go through the bedroom closet, the dressers, and the back room (which also doubles as Lexi's little "bedroom" although there definitely isn't enough room for a bed...), put everything that isn't serving any purpose (and that Eric approves for removal) into bags and boxes, and then donate it all to one of our many local thrift stores.

You would think that since I do this 4 times a year, there wouldn't be much left to go through, right? Wrong. I accumulate stuff I don't need like cheese accumulates mold. I'm not even a pack rat. Ok, well maybe when it comes to art stuff, but that's totally different, since I use it actively and on a weekly, if not daily, basis. But since I already had a big box of things ready to go to that one lucky thrift store, I decided to go ahead and go through my clothes one more time as well. Two giant Kohls bags later (and if you have ever shopped extensively at Kohls, you know how enormous these bags are!), our closet is still stuffed, our dressers our still overflowing, and I am done sorting. Ugh. It doesn't help the situation that many of the clothes I am pulling out of the closet to get rid of I have had since high school and STILL have kind of an emotional time parting with. But the old pants are much too big now and the ragged shirts too tight (a rather strange anomaly, I know), so to the give away pile they go. I did have a harder time with the pants. After all, what if I get fat again? One day I might eat too many cookies and **BAM!**I will be wishing I still had those big ol' pants! Shirts are easily replaced. Pants I fall in love with tend to be a little harder to find.

The point is that while we are outgrowing this cozy little place we call home (our baby has SO MUCH STUFF!!!!!!!! And we have SO much less than the average American parent does...and when I say that, I really mean it. She doesn't even have any shoes.), I kind of dread the thought of moving simply because of the amount of sorting I have to do. I mean, I think I need all this stuff now, but when I am packing to move it all to a new place I have a feeling I am not going to want most of it. It doesn't even help that I have moved a gazillion times in my short life and know very well how the whole process works.

That being said, we are not moving anytime soon, and take my advice and clean out your closets periodically. It's good for you. And no, there aren't any monsters in there (not unless you include the monstrosity of dust and cat hair and junk in the equation, that is...).