Things are crazy right now with the end-of-school activities.
Add to that the wonderful and exciting event of both my boys getting baptized on Mother’s Day and the realization that if people are driving an hour to share in the celebration . . . I really want to have them over for lunch afterward . . . and this mama-whose-house-is-a-direct-reflection-of-the-busy-ness-of-her-life might just go careening off the edge.
But I decided to set aside two days this week to work on the house, and felt like that would be enough to be ready.
This . . . is big.
Especially since those two days also include prep time for speaking at a Mother’s Day brunch on Saturday morning, an end-of-the-year conference and baseball games and school programs.
As I was practicing my talk while working in my daughter’s room (yes, I’m even tackling that!), I realized that I have come a long way. Sometimes it doesn’t feel that way, but I have. When I speak, I share how it used to take me two weeks to be ready for company to come over. One week to declutter (which really means I shoved everything in the master bedroom and locked the door), and another week to clean. (They’re supposed to laugh at the master bedroom thing.)
Now, I can be ready in two days. An emergency party (is there such a thing?) could happen in a few hours, but two days should get me to let-the-MIL-through-the-front-door status. Even after a busy week/month/year.
It’s a good feeling.
As part of today’s Decluttering Festivities I tackled a spot that has bugged the blankety-blank out of me lately. I’ve been pretending that the people who come for homegroups don’t see it, even though I know they do. It’s a huge eyesore.
Ready?
I know. It took some serious Intentional Slob Vision to pretend that didn’t exist!
I sort-of kind-of went through the papers. Meaning, I trashed the things that obviously needed to be trashed like receipts for lettuce purchased in 2011 and school calendars from months gone by.
But I didn’t go through each and every envelope and piece of paper making decisions. Instead, I rearranged the things in the cabinet (that I never use anyway since I can’t get INto the cabinet), forced the lid of the file-box shut, and used a cabinet shelf to store the remaining papers.
I conveniently forgot to take a picture of how not-great that looked, but did take a picture of the newly cleared, ready-for-a-mother-in-law counter.
My short-term goal: Open the door and shove paper on that shelf instead of absent-mindedly placing it on that way-too-convenient counter space.
My long term goal: Come up with a filing system that can be stored on that shelf. Oh, and part two of that goal is to actually use whatever system I find.
How is this better than my pre-blog methods? Well, pre-blog there were about twenty other piles like this one around the house. Feeling completely overwhelmed with piles, I generally dumped them in laundry baskets or random boxes and moved them to the master bedroom.
Shoving one pile into a place that can truly serve as its home? I call that progress.
I call that progress too!!! Hooray for Nony. 🙂 This is an encouragement to others of us too, no doubt about it. 🙂
Yay for progress!!!
Maybe someday I’ll be there. I’m still in dishes are my nemesis land.
That’s a big accomplishment, Enjoy it.
I still live in that land a lot of the time too. I don’t know that it ever won’t be a struggle.
Someday my bedroom will be a place that I don’t have to lock when I have company! A true place of serenity- that is my dream… ah… someday.
Jen
My husband started leaving the bedroom door open, I wasn’t amused..and closing it didn’t always work…he would open it when I wasn’t looking..and people would come in and have to go by that room to get from the kitchen to the living room..I’d quickly close it,if I noticed..but if company saw me do that,they would know what I was trying to do..(.I wish I had of thought of a lock, I’d keep the key, but knowing my hubby at the time,he would probably need something from that room while they were there)…..this didn’t go over well, He was born organized I think after a while he just got tired of the clutter and thought shaming me would work… NEVER helped…
Yes , great progress! And you also know where to look for papers should you need them. It won’t be a mad search through random boxes in the bedroom – been there, done that! Currently have several piles on MBR floor and company coming in a few weeks. I better get going!
That is wonderful! Our master bedroom is in that “pile” stage and ONE day…..I will be rid of all of them!! Thank you – to you AND your other commenters/followers for not making me feed alone in the battle!
My sister is expecting company shortly and has declared her intention of locking the door of one bedroom beforehand. She described it as “doing a Nony”.
You have entered the language.
Oh, you have no idea how happy that makes me!
She described it as “doing a Nony”.
That line truly got a real honest to goodness LOL!
Filing system? Ha, that’s a good one. I had grandiose ideas about that too once upon a time. I tried it. Really, I did. And you’re wondering ‘Well? Did it work?’ Ummm, not so much. However, don’t despair, I found the perfect filing system for slob-brains like ours. A nice lined basket. Mine is about legal paper length & about 10″ high. I put all of the important bills, receipts, etc. in there – just stack ’em right on top of each other (I do staple multiple sheets together though) Then at the end of the year I put the whole pile in a labeled plastic folder and put a big girls hairband (like a rubberband – but it doesn’t dry out) around it. The kids each have a drawer that contains important school papers.
I can’t tell you how much easier it is to ‘file’ this way. I know that if I need something I only have to go through just 1 or 2 folders to find it.
I first heard about you several months ago through moneysavingmom.com, but avoided your site/fb page simply because I assumed you were like every other ‘this is how to clean your house and keep it that way’ blogger. Then earlier this week, something mentioned on themarathonmom.com brought me to your blog and I am SHOCKED!!! I feel like you are my long lost soul sister whose house/organizing/keeping it clean matches mine to perfection. You are farther ahead than I am on tackling it (way farther), but I sighed RELIEF when I saw your pic of the cluttered shelf/cabinet. I have several of those here, some that’s been piled for at least a year!! With baby #4 on the way, I’ve had several ‘nesting’ episodes, but still have a long way to go. Knowing there is someone else whose house is similar YET is possible to be cleaned is such a HUGE hope! even more, knowing i’m not the only one who doesn’t keep the house spotless and doesn’t worry about it constantly is encouraging! 🙂 THANK YOU! I’m inspired to tackle clutter today and maybe even find the living room floor! 🙂
Oh, I love this comment! And I so understand the avoidance of things that you just assume will make you feel frustrated!
Oh wow, BOTH boys getting baptized! Congratulations! Yayyyyyy!
Whoever designed that cupboard with bench space in front of it has a lot to answer for! Just plain dumb. I’d be taking the doors off of those cupboards and turning the space into open shelving because benches ALWAYS end up with stuff on them. I have the same problem with my microwave oven door. My current solution is to keep a box of wet-wipes there. Easy to move if I want to use the microwave but it keeps the space from being a complete dumping ground (we don’t use the microwave very often)
I am 70, but when I grow up I want to be like you Nony,…So many things you say about yourself I am the same..we could be clones,lol BUT, you have conquered many, you are becoming the better person..2 days instead of two weeks is an awesome improvement..way to go girl, So proud of you!!!!!