Cleanliness Is Next To...

...Impossible?

The kids' room is overflowing with toys, stuffed animals, puzzles, games, miscellaneous plastic junk from Happy Meals, Dollar Store items, and party favors from various children's gatherings.  One of the unexpected benefits of infertility is that by the time you finally get your kids, by whatever means you end up getting them, all your friends, coworkers, and cousins have already had their own children, and are more than happy to hand down everything their kids have outgrown or gotten tired of.  Also, in my case, I have such a wide circle of friends and family, most of whom really knew hard the struggle to parenthood was for me.  They, too, were overjoyed when our dreams finally came true, and one of the ways that people express their love and joy is to shower us with gifts... which has been truly wonderful, and has also led to...

This state of extreme clutter and disarray.  

Last weekend, I'd had enough of tripping over toys and being unable to find things when we wanted them.  So I told the kids it was time to clean their room.  We went at it full force, creating a giant bin of donation items, filling up a couple of trash bags (you would not believe some of the stuff that was buried under there!) organizing our multi-part toys neatly into ziploc baggies, and designating storage areas by labeling them with the children's names.  Then they put away what was left in their own special bins, boxes, and drawers.  Before I knew it, three hours had passed!  I was really impressed that they could put that kind of focus on a task that really isn't a whole lot of fun.  The result?

Still pretty full of stuff, but at least the floor is clean now, and for the most part, the kids know where to find their own things.  I'm hoping this will be the dawn of a new era of pride of ownership and taking care of their possessions.  (Don't laugh out loud, it's rude)  

As I surveyed the room, I remembered some other pictures I took three years ago, when I didn't know who my children would be, or when they might join our family.

I painted the wall green with the intention of keeping it gender-neutral.  I bought a colorful bedspread and a toy chest, which sat empty for almost a year.  I remember lying on this bed with my head in my mother's lap, crying because I didn't think I'd ever be a mom myself.  

And now... look at the difference!

You can almost feel his joyful little presence, can't you?

Life BV was a lot neater and tidier, but not nearly as fun.