Throw, Keep or Give away?

Still waiting for us to move. Still no definite plans. My life is on hold in the sense of I don't know which direction our family is going. Are we moving or not?

In the meantime, I sort things out everyday just to be prepared. Throw, keep, or give away? Baby things, furniture, clothes, my books!, shoes, bags, kitchen stuff, toys, tons of letters/ cards/ certificates/ memorabilia,   etc etc etc. Been trying to organize and simplify the material things in my life. I realized I really have a problem with letting go. I should have started this a long time ago to give me more time to deal with this separation anxiety. Yesterday I was thinking about why it is so difficult for me to do this.
I decided to think about what the items symbolize for me. Like the art works my kids gave me symbolize their love for me. How can I throw these away?!? Arrgh!!!! Anyway, I plan to keep doing this for the next couple of days ( maybe weeks) so I can analyze what makes me cling to the "clutter" and maybe try to console myself with the thought that their love will always be in theirs and my heart. No need to prove this over and over with material things. As for the other things, it will cost a bit more but since I can't bring everything, I guess I can always buy new things!

Many Kids and Coping with Clutter

Having a lot of kids automatically leads to having a lot of clutter. At least thats how it is in our house. Dont' get me wrong ... I love my kids ... its the clutter that stresses me out. Thank goodness I found the flylady website  http://www.flylady.net. She has so much practical advise about how to cope with clutter. I have been subscribed for several years now and constantly get all these reminders during the day to do the clean up routine or kill my "hot spots" or messy mounds growing around the house. She recommends working in 15 minute sessions so as not to burn out. A great idea indeed. I would
say that I have already accomplished so much with her guidance. I havent totally eliminated the clutter but I am getting there ! There is also a target zone for each day like say the dining room cabinet or the porch or under the bed or the bathroom cabinet. It somehow feels lighter when you know that all around the world there are thousands struggling to accomplish the same task. The best part is she always reminds us to do it in "baby steps" and not obsess or to "jump in where you are. " Perfect for me who can't promise to finish everything all at once. In short , no pressure.