The Big Clean Up

I have been cleaning non stop the last few days.  I'm working through the house purging, organizing and deep cleaning.  My goal is to make it organized and keep it that way.  I have already filled the back of the van up with a load to Goodwill.  I hope to have everything cleaned out by the end of October, garage included.  It feels so good to get rid of the junk and clutter.  I've cleaned out the master closet, the hall closet, coat closet and the mudroom.  I have so much more space now! 

I'm always looking for ways to get my kids involved and help establish good habits.  I also want their values to reflect a love for people and not things.  While I could go into their rooms and purge things for them I think its essential to involve them when they are old enough.  Ethan doesn't have trouble letting go of broken toys or things he hasn't played with in a long time.  Ellie on the other hand would like to keep everything, she even would keep the stuff that Ethan wants to let go!  So about once a month we go through and find things that she has outgrown or doesn't play with and talk about how letting go of some things can free us up to let new things in and give us more room to enjoy the things we have.

My kids don't really care if the house is super clean and organized, but I've found that it's so much easier to do those fun little projects when all that stuff is put away and easy to find.  What do you do to stay organized?  What is your best tip?  I'm all ears!