Stuff...Can I really get rid of it?

Lately I have been stressed out and unmotivated.  I have growing piles of stuff that are starting to consume my whole house.  Now, if you would stop by, you may not think my house is too out of control because all of the piles have their own nice little space, but there are piles on every counter top and table you can see.  Stuff is really getting on my nerves.  How did it get like this?

When we moved here 2 years ago, we left almost everything at home and came to Thailand with 11 suitcases. Most of the suitcases were packed with school supplies, as I had no idea what I would be able to find here.  When we moved in and unpacked, our house was still pretty empty.  It's not so empty anymore.

This is where the problem began.  We do not have a dishwasher and clearly I am lazy because I seem to keep buying more dishes so that I don't have to do dishes after each and every meal.  It seemed like a good plan until my entire counter top is covered with dishes and then I have to spend and hour trying to get them all washed.  My thinking was completely wrong.  I need less.  I need fewer dishes, so I will only have to spend a couple minutes washing them and then my work will be done and my counter will be cleaned.

I am not one to buy something every time I go out. And my kids do not get presents unless it is their birthday or a very special occasion, but still, our house is being taken over.  I'm positive those piles of papers and mounds of legos multiply over night.  I want less.  I'm ready to rid our house of anything that has not been touched in the last 6 months. If it is not serving a purpose in our house, it must leave. I need the stress of out of control clutter to be one less silly worry that is in my life.  I have been feeling this way for a few months now, but still have not really acted upon cleaning out my house because when I look around it just seems a little too overwhelming.

Thankfully, I am not the only one feeling this way. A friend invited me to join a "de-clutter your house before Christmas" group.  Perfect timing.  Seeing these other women share photos and stories is so encouraging.  I am not failing as a mom, wife, house cleaner...I cannot do it all.  Because honestly, when I look around my house I feel like I am failing.  Why couldn't I just put the dishes away?  Why didn't I organize that bookshelf?  Why is there still a pile of DVD's on my desk when we haven't watched DVD's in over a year?  If I have less, my house won't get out of control.  There won't be added stress in my life and I will have hours of my life back that would have been used up by cleaning. I am so excited about being a part of the "de-clutter" group.  I'm ready to simplify my life and have less stuff.

If your interested in doing a massive de-clutter on your house, let me know.  You can join the group and be encouraged by other women who will cheer you on to a life that is a lot more freeing.  Thank you Haley, for including me on this mission. (oh, and I will post before and after photos once I get started!!)