We’ve been back for less than three days, and I’m a little overwhelmed.
Partly by the Vacation Recovery but also by the totally full calendar that hangs on my wall.
While swimming lessons are messing with my rhythm this week, next week it will be VBS, and then Cousins’ Camp, followed by the Savvy Blogging Summit, and then I’m directing the Musical-in-a-Week Camp at our church.
And did I mention that for each and every one of these things I have RESPONSIBILITIES that need to be taken care of before-hand? And that I’m trying to enjoy summer with the kids?
Whew! Enough of the complaining part.
Now for the facts: My home is barely hanging on. Laundry is clean but in a pile on the loveseat. I’ve been running the dishwasher every night and having the kids help with kitchen clean-up, but somehow it still looks awful. We did a 20 minute pick-up time yesterday and the living room looks soooo much better, but rooms like the office/gameroom are being ignored and are slowly becoming scarier and scarier.
And let’s not even talk about the Master Bedroom.
Pre-blog and post-total-shock-that-he’d-married-a-slob, my sweet hubby would say kindly, “All I ask is that there’s a path.”
Meaning, a path through the clutter.
The office has been stressing me more and more, but my Slob Vision finally cleared up and I realized that it was a wreck. I think I’d been able to block it out because . . . there was a path.
So, in an effort to feel a little less overwhelmed (and to have something to link up at Orgjunkie.com’s 52 Weeks of Organizing), I decided to do SOMEthing. I had a feeling that the big pile of shoes at the door could be purged. I just needed to consciously LOOK at it.
I was right.
Baseball shoes?
Yep, all three of them could go back in the out-of-season-sports-equipment-drawer.
Yes, I do have two boys with two feet each.
Thanks for your concern.
Yes, I do realize that there’s something wrong with the cleat picture, but I decided to go ahead and put away the ones I could find. (I figure once the other one turns up, I’ll know where to put it and they’ll all be together again.)
And I threw some shoes away. Both my brown and black flip-flops recently broke. And yet, I still hadn’t thrown them away. I also threw away the perfectly-good-but-I-absolutely-HATE-wearing-them shoes at the bottom of that pile.
And now, here’s my path.
OK, fine. Here’s the wider angle shot.
That’s the stuff that used to be stored under the daybed that is no longer in this room. I haven’t decided if I need to get rid of it or find a new place to store it.
But hey, at least my path is wider now.
I’ll be linking this up over at Orgjunkie.com.
I’m glad I’m not the only one that does that! Oh and I would have totally took the pic the way you did (hiding the mess to the side)! When I get behind I feel so overwhelmed that it is easier and less stressful to just ignore it. But then it just keeps getting worse instead of just magically disappearing…ugh!
I’m right there with ya Sista!! My last day of school was Monday. And I was bound & determined to clean the living room carpet…. and I have succeeded (the couch too – I knoooow, I’m amazed too) I have discovered that I’m often distracted & I end up doing a little here & a little there & I never get it fully done…. so I am making sure that I complete all of my to-do list in the living room BEFORE I go on to another room. And in the meantime the rest of my house is starting to freak me out…. hit by a tornado doesn’t cover it…. Is there something smaller than ‘a path’?….. again feeling 2 days away from Hoarders…. lol But, we will get through because we WANT to do it. Good luck maintaining paths & hoeing out!
Hi Nony. I found your blog through Organizing Junkie. I have to say how refreshing it is to finally find someone who has the same struggles I have. My issue isn’t getting my house nice, neat & organized. It’s the keeping it that way that’s the struggle. Can’t wait to read your next post!!
Welcome, Rhonda! I’m always amazed to find how many people out there struggle with these things too!
I am a reforming slob myself…married to a very neat man! One thing I have really found that is helping me is that the less I have, the less mess I have too! I made up this game (in an attempt to keep my man from losing his mind w/my clutter) where we get rid of “Ten Things”. (I know we must sound like loads of fun! lol!) The point is to do it very quickly – less than 5 minutes maybe. I was going into my closet several days a week and getting rid of ten things…and lo and behold I have less in my side of the closet than my husband does. And he is happier with me too!
And about that basket of stuff in the wide angle picture…my opinion…just get rid of too! You will feel better when there is less in ur way! Visual clutter=mind clutter!
I know how you feel about keeping your house tidy. As I’m wandering the internet, I am looking a pile of clean laundry that needs to be folded, a pile of books that need to go back in the kid’s room, and last night’s dishes which would have taken ten minutes to do but they’re still sitting there…
umm…maybe I’m going to go now and just do those things….
I know what you mean. Any little change in my life screws my house up big time. Last week it was the daughter and granddaughter being here. This week it was just trying to catch up. Next week, out of town again….one day at a time right?
I think you are doing great!
Oh my, I got giggling so hard at the 3 baseball shoes.