Out with the old, in with the... old, but it's been a few months, so it's like new again

So, over the weekend, I made the big decision to pack away our winter gear and unpack the summer stuff. It was a bold move as we live in Cleveland and it doesn't get warm in Cleveland until July. But, I decided to throw caution to the wind and hope for the best. It was either that or I was going shopping for new clothes.

Switching out your wardrobe is like getting new clothes, but cheaper.

My mom, the crazy cleaner, got me started. My laundry room/mud room makes her crazy. There are about 100 coats and 200 pairs of shoes (mostly men's tennis shoes - honestly, how many pairs of tennis shoes does a man need?) (okay, I'll admit this is coming from the woman who has 7 3 black cardigan sweaters, but I swear, they are all different) in there at all times. There are times you can't make your way through the room without tripping over something (and landing on someone who has tripped over something else). But you have 100 coats that have fallen to the floor (or another person) to break your fall, so what's the big deal?

Okay, fine. It was a mess. So, my mother took over. She shoved all the winter coats at me to throw into the washer. She organized my laundry dividers. She washed the floor (I love this woman). I washed and packed away all the winter coats, hats, gloves, and scarves and brought out all the spring outerwear. There may still be 100 coats in there, but they're much thinner. We can finally walk through that room!

This got me motivated. Once that room was finished, I decided it was time for the Quarterly Clean. Sure, I spend a good deal of time cleaning the house, but only do a big clean a few times a year. So, I spent most of Saturday and Sunday washing windows and counters and baseboards and floors. I swept and mopped and vacuumed. I did laundry. I probably used half of the world's supply of water this weekend. I moved furniture. Heavy furniture. My arms are still sore. But it was worth it.

Because the best part is that with the spring clean, I put all my winter clothes away. I get very excited at the prospect of spring, and more importantly, summer. I long for days where it's too hot to breathe.

For someone who spends most of her day freezing her ass off, it's nice to finally have feeling in her extremities. I have a heater in my cubicle at work because, no matter what time of year it is, it is only 50 degrees in the office. And the crazy men I work with complain that it is so HOT in there. I almost came to blows with one co-worker last summer. I swore if he turned the thermostat down again, he would lose a finger. So, yeah. I'm cold a lot. And to not feel cold is a great feeling.

Also? I have really cute spring/summer clothing. My sister once told me that my wardrobe consisted of black... and black. With a little gray thrown in for good measure. But that's my winter gear. My summer clothes? A pastel paradise. It's glorious to look into my closet and see a rainbow of happiness in there. So, going into my closet makes me happy. Even if it'll still be months before I can wear half of that stuff.

But hey, the house is clean. Or it was anyway. I do have a husband, 2 boys and a cat, after all.

I didn't really stand a chance.