Spring Cleaning

Usually I find such joy in shipping the big winter coats and wool sweaters back to their storage containers (a.k.a. garbage bags stacked in the corner of the basement covered with a giant sleeping bag…..but storage containers had you picturing a much more organized system, you have to admit!)  This year I am dreading it.  Maybe it’s because my 2 month old still has to be carried around all day long making even a simple task like unloading the dishwasher next to impossible.  Or maybe it’s because I now have three children’s closets and dressers to also re-organize and other than the scarce hand-me-downs we acquire each season that means shopping for entire new wardrobes for the warmer weather.  But I think the real reason I am dreading it has to do with me.  I have 4 different “categories” of clothes scattered in various closets, “storage containers” and dresser drawers throughout the house.  First there are the maternity clothes which unfortunately I am not ready to part ways with yet.  And it’s not because I have any sentimental attachment to them but rather because they are the only pieces in my wardrobe that truly cover the 2 month postpartum belly bulge I am currently sporting and my freakishly large nursing boobs.  Then there are my regular sized clothes or “skinny” clothes but that term is relative.  This category is collecting dust….a few more months and I’ll have to bring out the moth balls.  And then of course there are the “I’m too thin for the maternity clothes but still can’t fit into my skinny clothes” clothes (currently receiving a lot of play time).  Interestingly enough there is a wildcard 4^th category that has grown over the years that I call my painting clothes.  In this pile are old sorority T-shirts, T-shirts for running a marathon and a few 5Ks and free giveaway T-shirts that for some reason I can’t get rid of.  Then there are jeans and shorts that are no longer in style but are still of good quality.  So apparently I have invented a category of clothes that will come in handy should I decide to re-paint the living room!  Funny thing is, I haven’t painted a single room in my house—what can I say, my Dad is a handyman—nor do I plan to.  If I were to put on a fashion show with my current clothes it would sound something like this. 

“And the lovely Carrie is showcasing a slightly weathered pewter nursing tank top covered by a maternity cardigan that she is simply swimming, uh, stunning in.  She has paired it with some skinny jeans that reveal a majestic muffin top.  She has accessorized this ensemble with a…..paintbrush???  Oh, this makes sense folks, she is modeling this spring’s painting collection!”

Well, I’m off to Goodwill to part with my painting clothes and I’ve decided to pack away those maternity outfits.  I’ve replaced the sleeve of Thin Mints (damn those Girl Scouts!) with a handful of carrots and I’m out the door on a brisk walk.  Skinny clothes, here I come!