My New Year's Resolution:

GET ORGANIZED!

I'd put up pictures of my messy home, but I'm too embarrassed. Just know that it's really, really bad. Not dirty, much, really. Those two British chicks who clean homes on BBC America aren't going to bust in and start culturing my carpet for microbes and cleaning my furniture with hairspray. There's just stuff everywhere, and no good way or where to put it.

Yet.

I have resolved to get this house in shape. We will be able to store and access our hobby items easily. We will be able to park in the garage. We will be able to find our seasonally appropriate clothing quickly. I have decided to purchase one or two organizing tools with each round of big groceries (aka payday groceries) to help bust the clutter. Today, I bought a long wire shelf for the laundry room, a wall hanger for the iron and ironing board, and a pack of three large sized Space Bags. The ironing board hanger is already up and functioning. The shelf will go up in the next week. The Space Bags are for the children's outgrown clothes that are currently housed in diaper boxes, piled up in the garage and threatening to completely block our access to the rest of the crap in the garage. We are planning on clearing out the guest room and turning it into a room for the boy, which will help to clear out Madeleine's room and give each of them their own space. We are finding that Madeleine is needing a place to go and play with less than baby-proofed toys and games. We are also noticing that she really needs her own space to chill out for a few minutes once in a way, to ward off a full blown melty whiney tantrum.

When we get thing a little more under control, maybe I'll post pictures about our progress. We've got a ways to go, some more Space Bags and shelving units before we get to that point, though. I'm serious, we're in pretty bad shape, and it's going to take all year and then some.