we are becoming foster parents! We will be completely through with training on Thursday night, and then he will begin scheduling homestudy visits. That could be as early as beginning of next week. So my house needs to be in top condition by then. I have trying to get it done for the past month, but my dh went into the hospital 3 weeks ago, and has just today been able to get back to anywhere near normal. So, the decluttering was put on hold until today as well.

This is a HUGE deal for me, as I have a lot of clutter - ALOT! I have just finished Peter's book "It's Too Much" and am very inspired. But it is still going to be a very large job!

Any motivation, advice or anything else would be greatly appreciated. Like I said, it's a very big job in a very short time span. Thanks for the encouragement .. and here we go!

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Mommy to ds (my sweetheart in heaven - 10/04-02/06), dd (01/06), ds (EDD 11/27/08), and 5 little unknown angels in heaven!

Thank you, Jesus, for all the blessings you give me every day!

Oh, what an awesome thing you are doing being foster parents!

Focus on how great things will look when you're done. Take some before and after pix to keep you going!

Good luck!

Congratulations and how wonderful of you to be willing to foster kids in need of a loving home. Just dig in & let us know how you're doing!!!

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If you've read the FTJ next step it might help. It says to envision what you want the room to look like. If you have an idea of what you want your house to look like, you might be more likely to reach your goal. HTH

CONGRATS!

A tip i can give you is:

*Start with one room! If there is a closet, leave that for last! In case you don't finish or you have company and are showing the house, you don't look funny saying, "Sorry for the messy room, BUT the closet is clean!!" LOL

*For some people, it works better if they start with a room that doesnt have too much to declutter, ie. the bathroom.

*Take breaks and don't expect to get everything done in one day.

***Keep posting back your progress here! We would love to cheer you on and see how you're doing.

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Congratulations! You and your husband are doing a wonderful thing!

Our focus this month is on decluttering and the FTJ project is in the decluttering phase, so you are definitely at the right place. I have been posting some decluttering tips and ideas and will continue to do so as the month goes on. I hope you can find something to help you this week!

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"It's time to move from what we can do, to what we must do, to what we will do." ~Hillary Clinton

Congratulations! Are you in Tennessee? I ask because of your screen name I am also in Tennessee and fostering is something we have considered so I would love to hear about your experiences. As far as the homestudy goes-don't stress too much. We have adopted three times and when the SW came for our first homestudy visit I cleaned from top to bottom and she barely even looked. I practically dragged her into the bathroom to show her my boys' shower because it had never been so clean before. LOL I am sure you will do wonderfully. Please keep us updated. This is so exciting!

Congratulations, what a wonderful thing your doing!!!.
With decluttering just remember your 3 boxes: Throw Away, Keep and Donate. Set a timer if needed for a certain amount of time when it goes off take a break and then go back.

What to declutter? Things to ask yourself as you get rid of your clutter:
Do I love this item?
Have I used it in the past year?
Is it really garbage?
Do I have another one that is better?
Should I really keep two?
Does it have sentimental value that causes me to love it?
Or does it give me guilt and make me sad when I see the item?

Cleanse this room of everything that does not make you SMILE.

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HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

That's so wonderful! I'm going to look into this for us as a family. I hope I can contact you when/if the time comes.

My best to you and yours!

Congrats and good luck! As others have said, start with one room at a time...I like taking everything out of the room that I don't want in there anymore and I put it in a box or laundry basket. I take it to the basement and I put it in a yard sale pile, to be tucked away pile, or a trash bag! But def. try to focus on one area at a time, bc cleaning and decluttering is overwhelming enough as it is.

I also bought little boxes (decorative ones from ikea) and ziploc bags to gather 'like' things together in. For example, electronic cords in a ziploc, pictures in a decorative box, toys in a plastic shopping bag, etc. That keeps loose items from getting pushed to the side or disappearing...

Keep us posted on your success and experience!