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Happy First Day of Spring–it’s time to start our Spring Cleaning Challenge!

I don’t know about y’all but if it weren’t for my darling children, my house would be clean all the time.  Okay, maybe not all the time, but almost all of the time.  How can two such seemingly sweet and innocent girls be SUCH incredible mess makers?  And my girls are prissy, play-dolls-and-kitchen-and-dress-up–but-can’t-stand-to-get-their-hands-dirty-girly-girl kinda girls.  I can only imagine what kind of messes boys must make!

In any case, when I started to think about Spring Cleaning, the first place I wanted to start is at the source of 90% of our messes: the kids’ room.  My plan of attack was pretty simple:  1.) Ruthlessly purge the room of anything they don’t need or aren’t using. 2.) Reassess the space to fit their current needs.  3.) Clean like crazy  4.) Put things back in their proper place and label everything.

This was what I started with:

And this is the end result:

The first thing I did was get rid of as much excess stuff as I could. I’ve actually working on this project for a few months already, but there was still a lot I found that needed to go.  It was hard for me at first to get rid of their clothes and toys, but once I gave myself permission to only keep the things that are currently useful, despite who gave them to us or how much they cost, it got a lot easier.    That’s where the ruthless part comes in.  As I sorted through their things, I asked myself these questions:

1. Do they use it or play with it?  Or, for clothes, does it still fit?
2. Is it age appropriate?
3. Is it in good working condition?
4. Does it enrich their lives in some way?
5. Does it have sentimental value?
6. Could someone else use it more?

I found it helpful to make 4 piles:  1.) Things to keep in their room,  2.) things to donate,  3.) things to throw away, and 4.) things to put elsewhere (either away for when they get older, a different season, or in a different room).    I got rid of as much as I possibly could, because in the past few months I have learned that the fewer things they have, the more they enjoy the things they do have, and the less stuff they have to drag out.

My second step was to reassess the space to fit their current needs.  Kids are constantly growing and changing so what worked last year might not work at all this year.  Trouble decided a few weeks ago that she was done with her crib.  Unfortunately we were uncomfortable having her sleep in the big bed with her sister because it was so high.  As a result, both girls had been sleeping in sleeping bags on the floor for a few weeks.

We got rid of the crib, then removed the box spring on the bed.  With new space opened up in front of the window, we decided to move the bed and open up one larger play space so that the kitchen–their most favorite toy–and the table could be next to each other.  In the closet I removed one of the shelves to allow more space for Princess’ clothes to hang down, as her dresses were starting to drag on the floor.  I also added a few more hooks to hang all the bags and purses that were constantly ending up on the floor.

The last step was putting everything back in its proper place, but then also making sure all those places were labeled properly.  It doesn’t do me any good if I am the only person that knows where everything goes!  I made little tags to hang on the storage baskets, something I’ve been meaning to do for 2 years now, and made sure all the bins in their closet were labeled as well.  Can I just say, I love my label maker!

Here are a few more before and after shots:

I am SO happy with how it all turned out, and the girls are thrilled with their “new” room.  They haven’t stopped playing house, and while they can’t seem to help themselves from dragging toys around the house, it has been a whole lot less.  I can’t wait to tackle the rest of the house!

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But now on to the fun stuff!  As I explained last week, I am joining forces with 10 other bloggers to bring you a super fun Spring Cleaning Challenge.  Our goal is to motivate and encourage you all to jump into spring with a clean and organized home.  And what better motivation than public accountability and some AMAZING prizes:

• One of TWO brand spankin’ new state-of-the-art GE Washer & Dryer sets.  These are so new they haven’t even been produced yet–you will be getting the first ones available!  How cool is that?  Facebook : Twitter
• A DiY Easy Track Deluxe Closet Organization System from the Stow Company.  Finally get the closet you’ve always dreamed of!  Facebook : Pinterest : Twitter
• A Professional Steam Pocket Mop from Shark. These are so cool!  Make your floors shine without having to spend extra money on expensive cleaners. Facebook : Twitter

To be eligible to win one of the giveaway prizes, you MUST enter using the Rafflecopter widget below, then leave a comment in the comment section at the end of this post.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Next, beginning TODAY through April 5th, we are asking those of you with blogs to post about your own Spring Cleaning efforts, then come link up here.  If you don’t have a blog, you can post pictures of your cleaning efforts on an online album such as Flicker,Google+, or Pinterest, then link up the album here:

Please note that you do not have to link up a blog post or photo album to be eligible to win.  While anyone can enter their Spring Cleaning link above, the giveaway is open to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia, who are at least 18 years of age and have a valid email address.Read the Official Giveaway Rules Here)

Today all of the participating bloggers will be posting our best Spring Cleaning Tips, as well as our own Spring Cleaning efforts, so there are no shortage of ideas and helpful hints for where to start with your own Spring Cleaning efforts!  You can find them all here:

Spring Clean : The Why :: Home-EC 101
Spring Clean: Bathrooms :: i Dream of Clean
Spring Clean: Floors and Windows :: Amy’s Finer Things
Spring Clean: The Kitchen :: Tidy Mom
Spring Clean: Home Office :: Untrained Housewife
Spring Clean: Declutter Around the House :: Live Renewed
Spring Clean : Main Living Area :: Biblical Homemaking
Spring Clean: Conquering the Kids' Room :: Living Well Spending Less
Spring Clean: Outdoor Living Spaces :: The Greenbacks Gal
Spring Clean: Garage and Cars :: Organize365

Finally, If you plan to participate, be sure to grab a button below to add to your blog!

<a href="http://www.idreamofclean.net/spring-cleaning-challenge/"><img src="http://www.livingwellspendingless.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/SCC-Im-Joining.jpg" /></a>

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