my home is not tidy, not that I don't try.
I always have dishes in my sink, laundry to be folded, a toilet that needs cleaning, beds to be made and floors to be swept. How does a person get to the point of being organized?
I try to run my errands while Brinley is at school. I try to do housework while the baby is sleeping, but I never catch up, there is always something. I have stacks of papers everywhere from the business. There are toys in just about every room because Brinley wants to play by me. When you live in a small space and the girl can't go outside because it's too cold, it makes it a bit tough to do anything but play with her, bake with her or be an artist with her.
She is a lot of fun, but we all get cabin fever, then she turns into a broken record..."Mom, I'm bored." "Mom, what can I do?" "Mom, Mom, Mom..." It drives me a little nuts.
When you live in a house as small as ours, there is no room for extra "stuff", but how do you get to being organized? Can't it just happen. I don't want to go through all the papers. What do you save, what do you throw away? What do you do with all the art that your kindergartener brings home and cries when they find it in the garbage...you can't keep everything. What about the toys that the girl plays with maybe every six months, but as soon as you put it in the garage sale pile, she asks where it is. And now that we have a new little person in our home, it just makes for more stuff in every room.
So, if you come over to my house anytime soon, don't expect a tidy home, but one that is well lived in.
8 comments:
Arah-Don't worry about the house. You are an awesome mom...and that is what counts. They are only little once.
Arah, you are doing a great job. Everyone thinks I am oragnized, but it's a continual process for me. Right now I ahve 4 loads of laundry that need to be folded and a bathroom that needs some cleaning. Sometimes those things need to wait.The kiddos are much more important.
As for the Kindergarten art work. I just ask the kids what they really want to keep and then I have a bin for each of them to store their stuff in. When it gets to full, I personally go through it and throw out stuff. I keep the what I believe to be their best work.
Trust me when they move out they'll do what they please with it. I still have my school work from when I was a kid and Dave has his. Every once in awhile we show are kids the cool things we did in school. They love it!!
I hear you. I am staring at the PILES of papers on my computer desk that haven't been organized- ever in this house. When I try to find something I think that soon I will file it all or throw it away - -and has it happened NO! Instead I am blogging and trying not to think about it . . . I just figure it is not my time and season for a clean organized house. I think of my house growing up- and it certainly wan't perfectly clean - - but now my mom's house is PERFECT (unless we are visiting). So, there is hope . . .
For many years I felt like my HOUSE always had to be perfect. I wanted it ready all the time in case anyone stopped by. It was my HOUSE and I took pride in it. One day I realized that I just couldn't keep being super mom, super wife and super housekeeper. Something had to give. My HOUSE is never perfect anymore. By letting that go my HOUSE has become a HOME. There is a big difference. A HOME is where people feel comfortable.No one is afraid of wearing their shoes inside or curling up on my couch. My HOME may never be perfect but it always comfortable. You do not have a messy HOUSE. You have a comfortable HOME.
I have no idea. If you find out, please let me know!
Oh Arah. I was so glad to read this post. I felt like I was reading a page out of my book of life. It is just so hard to keep up with all of the stuff. I just want to wake up one day and be Mary Poppins singing a spoonful of sugar, while cleaning up my house with a snap of each finger. Unfortunately that will not happen, but until then I will keep hoping and just enjoying my children while they are young and our problems are as simple as a poopy blowout or a dollies clothes coming up missing. Some day that is coming too quickly we will have too much time to clean because our little ones will have grown up and moved away. Thanks again for the post. I really needed to feel like I wasn't the only one that feels like I am chasing the horse instead of riding it.
A wise woman once told me, "When your kids are little, they are going to remember you sitting on the floor and playing Legos, not the fact that the Laundry is done and the house is spotless. They are only little once. There is time for the house to be spotless when they are gone." I have to remind myself of that little piece of wisdom every day as the laundry never ends and it's complete chaos. One day at a time and it will be all good, but for now, find the joy in their childhood :)
I am so with you!! Endless laundry, piles of papers, dusty shelves, and the list goes on for miles. I doubt it is as bad as you think though Arah.
As far as the school work, I hang what I can for a few days and the really good/ cute stuff, I take a picture and when I have plenty, I will make a book of their art work(great websites like snapfish make that easiest).We also have a bin for each kids with special papers like awards, honors, their team photos, and even the stuff from when they were born like growth info, birth announcement from newspaper, and many other special papers and things. All other papers and not so cute are work, I hid under other things in the garbage. There is just way too stinkin much to keep it all. Just wait until you have both girls in school and even next year when Brinley is all day school. The paper they bring home doubles cause they are in school twice as long!!!
We have the ARC do pick ups at our store everyday for clothes people donate that we dont buy, so after the kids go to bed, if I know of clothes or toys I want to get rid of, I gather them in a bag and put straight into Justins car for him to put in our ARC pile at the store. You could buy black garbage bags to hide from Brinley, what is in it and take it to the clothing bank or somewhere while she's at school.
I hope some of that rambling helps but I am by no means as organized as I want to be.
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