40 Bags Challenge
To tell the truth, while I was in Florida I didn’t once think about what’s left of the basement purge, how I really need to go through each area of the house again or the piles on the basement landing of things to sell. But, I was very conscious of how much I enjoyed the time with AJ and Emma and how it is important to me to be able to continue to make memories like that. I focused on being present and enjoying the moments. Once I got back home, I would concentrate on what I needed to do to make sure we could have more and more of those moments!
When we got back from FL, Emma was still fighting a cough. The exhaustion of taking care of her hit me hard along with me now having a soar throat, headache and ear ache. She napped on Saturday, so I took the time to take a long bath and finish the book The Happiness Project. In the book, the author Gretchen Rubin often mentions the happiness in finishing annoying tasks. I’ve had a pile of DVD’s sitting near the basement steps for over three weeks that needed to be sorted through. I had a headache and planned to go grab a soda to try and combat it since Motrin wasn’t working. I made myself grab the DVD’s and bring them upstairs to sort through with AJ. My plan was to take the ones we didn’t want (along with a pile of books on the landing) to the free library we had set up by the neighborhood pool that also happens to be a short drive from where I was going to grab a soda from. Putting the DVD’s and books into the library brought a smile to my face- completing a small annoying task made me happy. I also finally made Emma her first dentist appointment this week (they say take them when they are 3, and she is still 3!). Making appointments is one of those annoying tasks I put off.
It’s been a long time since I have giving up anything for Lent. With my new mission to clear the clutter, I decided to take on the 40 bags challenge starting today, March 1st. The idea is to remove forty bags, one a day, of clutter from your home. It could be trash, items to donate or items to sell. You choose the size of the bag and the areas you want to clean out. I love that mental clutter is also included in the challenge from email inboxes to phone apps.
I know it might be tough to get 40 bags full since I already started decluttering January 1st, but it also serves as a good motivator to go over areas of the house I already tackled. If you click on my link above, you can find some great resources from the creator Ann Marie Heasley. I really have liked following the Facebook group page (big motivator) and her printables including a nifty chart. I plan to edit my 40 bag plans and add one category I think that was omitted- the backyard. She also posted coloring pages you can find here. I plan to use that to keep Emma occupied when I clean out the craft room/spare room and other areas. She’s super into coloring at the moment! And, I love getting her involved in things that are important to me.
Don’t think you can commit to 40 days or 40 bags? No problem… Can’t start on March 1st? Not a big deal…. that is what is awesome about the Facebook group! Everyone is posting about their own journey. Some have already started and some are waiting till March 1st. Some are trying to do half the goal of 40 while some are going way beyond. Because of other commitments, some are doing more bags at once or taking off days in between. It’s up to you! The hardest part if often just getting started!
“I’d rather have a passport full of stamps than a house full of stuff!” Unknown
Adventure On,
Courtney
adventureswithmylittleray 
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