Peter Walsh and his organizational expertise are up for a challenge this week on Enough Already.  Jessica and Cameron Izuno have it all.  They have 2 wonderful sons, a great house in California and successful careers.  But inside the house, there is a different story.  “After our 1^st child was born, about 5 years ago,” is when they noticed that the clutter started adding up.  Now, they are worried about the kid’s safety….that something will fall and hurt them…or that the kids will learn uncleanliness or disorganization.  “The house is a mess….and I feel overwhelmed…” is something that many people can relate to…and have felt themselves.  Both Jessica and Cameron are professionally successful; they are just not “house clutter successful” yet.  “The clutter makes me sad,” says Cameron. 

In comes Peter Walsh with his years and years of experience.  Peter’s response when first entering the house was, “WOW.”  “A massive amount of clutter in the space…you could barely move thru the room.”   “Not only is it physically dangerous for kids, but it teaches the children that it’s ok to live like this.  It’s not ok and this is not normal.”  When talking to the Cameron and Jessica, we see two different views.  Cameron is honest with sharing that, “We don’t feel proud of our house because of the mess inside.  I’m embarrassed and I don’t know how to tackle the issue.”  When Peter asked Jessica, “Why don’t you just clean it up?” Jessica says, “Because clutter is not a priority to us.  Our priority is spending time with our kids and our careers.”   Peter is going to have his work cut out for him this week.

Presenting the dire situation…Peter tells the Izuno’s that “Clutter is a potential risk for your kids.  Clutter is jeopardizing the health of your kids….and also how they look at the world.  Mom and dad value stuff over our home.”  This isn’t getting through to Jessica because she tells us, she doesn’t care if people judge her.   “If people judge me, judge me.”  Peter has to bring out the “child services” card (they could possibly take your kids away from you) to shake the parents up enough for them to see that this needs to be a priority.  Cameron seems motivated.  Jessica still doesn’t seem to get the connection…. 

So the process begins:

• Decluttering
• Visioning – See your visions…then ask “Will this item help me create this space?”
• Sorting into the Vision vs. the Out-the-Door pile  

Still on Day 1, we see Jessica’s tantrum about her bags.  “I collect them.”  She is told that she needs to set a limit for what she can keep….and her response is “nope, not going to happen.”  She is fighting for her bags…and is not open to this process.  Finally, Cameron points out, “When you are challenged on this….you are dismissive.”  A nice way of saying, “This is not working here….”  She reluctantly moves forward….with a few less bags, but still feeling like she held her ground and she’s the winner in this argument. 

Day 2 begins in clearing out the master bedroom and the guest room.  It’s important to note that in the master bedroom….that there is a master bath that has been blocked by clutter and not used in over 2 years.  When most families are fighting to gain entrance into the bathroom, Jessica and Cameron are piling up obstacles in front of the path to keep them out of the bathroom. 

Today, Jessica’s mom, Myrna, joins us….and Peter is leaving them on their own.   Jessica still doesn’t see that having this much stuff…and it’s not really stuff – it’s clutter – is a problem and she continues to be completely defiant and closed off to the process.  Stop here.  At this point, we don’t think it’s going to happen for her.  We see failure as the path…and sense defeat from her stony façade of dealing with this.  All of our hope, as a viewer, is pretty much gone.  

Cameron is embracing the process…and he and Jessica are not on the same page.  According to Peter, “she has not made the connection.” 

SO here is the exchange-

• Jessica:  “I want to keep this?”
• Peter:   “Where will it go?”
• Jessica:  “I guess the guest room.”
• Peter:  “no room”
• Jessica:   “I guess my closet.”
• Peter:   “no room.”
• Jessica:   Mom – “can you take it home for me?”

 Jessica has spent more time fighting the process than learning from it. 

• Jessica:   “I’m not going to give in just because you make me give in.”
• Peter to the camera:   “I’ve worked with stubborn people in the past, but I can tell you that I have never never met someone like Jessica who is so set in her ways and was literally sabotaging any chance of success and not just that, but risking the opportunity to create a safe home for her kids. It makes no sense.”

Peter asks Jessica’s mom, “You are prepared to take bins of this stuff to your home?”  Myrna says, “No.”  Good for you mom!  If Myrna had taken it….all hope for Jessica and learning from the process would have been lost.

“It’s about family and not about stuff,” Peter reminds her.  Responsibility to your family on giving them the home that they deserve….it seems like she made the connection…it’s a turning point.  “I feel very humbled by this experience.”  She even says, “I’m sorry for being a pain.”  A pain is not the word that I would use….but the apology is felt by everyone watching….and we once again feel hopeful that clutter be conquered for one more family.

Tips and Things to keep in mind:

• It is important how you look at your space and how you regard your home.  This is an important perspective on how you see your life. 
• Do you rule the stuff or does the stuff rule over you?
• Your stuff or your family….it’s your choice.