The DOHO

You might have heard of the Department of Government Efficiency? Well, the Sunshines on Arizona Avenue have implemented the Department of Home Optimization, otherwise known as DOHO. The DOHO has only been in effect since Monday. However, the attitudes around here have shifted. We've had leftovers all week without complaint. My closet is cleaner. I'm coveting the plastic storage containers I've seen at Dollar General and Hobby Lobby.

Heading this department is Buckaroo, the family's unyielding starter-tyrant who is already making severe changes. 

"Mom, your desk is a disaster. I expect it to be resolved before January 1." 

"Polly, it's time to 'bless someone else'* with those clothes you don't wear that are cramming your closet."   

"Hey Dad, I think this weekend we should clean the garage. What? You are going to Little Rock with Mom? I can go. That way you two don't spend too much money at Trader Joe's." (We were planning on inviting him along.)

"Here's my white elephant gift." (Holds up an ancient stuffed-toy moose). "No point in buying something new." (At which point, Polly and I explained that perhaps something more adult would be appropriate for the adult Christmas party he was attending.)

Our DOHO didn't stem from a need to save money, it came about from the patches of clutter which cropped up in inconspicuous places and on my desk. Though we are generally tidy, there are pockets-- reams, actually--of paper generated from two college students and the avid Dungeons and Dragons players residing in my home. Additionally, we have an entire cupboard full of metal tumblers and I'm pretty sure they are unabashedly spawning. The cabinet over the refrigerator is now cram-packed full of candles nobody bought. And, would you look at that! I could wear a pair of socks once a day for a year and never wear the same pair twice. Now, to be fair, socks, candles and tea towels are common gifts around these parts. Plus, we moved from a severely larger home to the one we have now. Three years later, I still rummage through boxes stashed in the garage or the shed, looking for this and that. 

Here's to a more optimized home. 

*This just tickles me! This was the term I used when the kids were little and we were donating items.