Lately, I just can't seem to get enough of "Clean House.'' If you haven't seen the show on the Style Network, an organization-focused/design-savvy/motivational crew of four goes into a house filled to the rafters -- and I mean, filled to the rafters -- with stuff that hasn't been used, in some cases never opened, or should have been tossed years ago. In most cases, the pros are able to pry the junk from the white knuckles of the home's dwellers, sell it at a neighborhood garage sale and use the proceeds to transform the inside of the house into inhabitable living space. (Although, I always have the same question at the end: How long does it stay that way?)

Closer to home, my sister, Beth, and sister-in-law, Sheila, are inspiring forces on that front. They don't and won't tolerate the clutter. I'd like to be more like the two of them but, well, not so easy. It's not that my house is as bad as the ones on TV. But I have a lot more "stuff'' than I'd like. And the show has inspired me to start pitching that which junks up our home and our lives. Like my daughter's school papers from those early elementary years that I've had difficulty parting with. Like the stuffed animals that breed when we sleep. Or the piles of paper that find their way onto the dining room table because of the "but-I-might-just-use-that-coupon-someday'' or "I'll-deal-with-it-tomorrow'' mentality.

I must say, we've made great strides this Labor Day weekend. (We had time to relax, but the labor we expended has been worth it.) My daughter's been motivated by the news a desk is destined for her room. But not until something was done with the books, the millions of miniscule pieces that comprise her Polly Pocket entourage, the Barbie dolls that have seen better days, and the, I'm embarrassed to write, dozens of magic markers that no longer mark. The work continues, but we're feeling pretty good about the improvements. Of course, much of the stuff we've held on to isn't so much an attachment to the stuff itself, but to the memories it represents. We'll have those even when the garbage bags hit the curb, and others are enjoying the toys and books that have served their time here.

Now, if we could only get the "Clean House'' crew to redesign the basement family room.