So,
I'm feeling the need to organize because my house looks absolutely chaotic ALL THE TIME!
Please tell me I'm not the only one out there.
I realize I have 3 young kids, but I can't always use them as an excuse for how out of control my life always seems.
Anybody else feel like they're in this same boat? please?
So, I can't decide what I need to do exactly: give myself a better/more specific routine, seriouly dejunk and throw stuff out, rely on my kids/hubby more, never go thrift shopping again, restrict myself and my kids more, or just suck it up and live like this ...
or maybe a little bit of all of it.
I seem to have a lot of older people tell me, "enjoy every little second when your kids are young because it goes by so fast ..."
Sometimes I just want to tell them to take my kids home with them for an evening, have them destroy the house, whine and cry, poop on something, refuse food, and then blame you over an over for being mean, and THEN tell me how much they like it.
Please don't misunderstand me by thinking that I hate my kids or my life or my 'job' or that I'm not grateful for them and for the opportunities I'm having to learn to work, and to love, and to struggle, and to love some more. Cause it's not like that. I know that being a mom is a divine calling.
But I do sometimes get tired of ... well, just tired.
And it just BUGS me when young moms (or not so young ones, doesn't matter) say something along the lines of, "Oh, I just love EVERYTHING about being a mom and housewife!"
Sure. you. do.
Anyway, getting back to some sort of a non-venting topic ...
I'd love to feel like my life was a little (or a lot) less sporadic and chaotic and maybe a tiny bit more put together.
I've been trying, don't get me wrong.
- I changed my laundry schedule from a roughly once-a-week 8 piles washed/dried and (if lucky) folded nightmare day to a one-load-a-day wash, dry, put away before noon type arrangement. It's been working okay, when I remember to get started ...(whew, talk about a run-on sentence)
- I've got like 4 huge garbage bags full of stuff to get rid of (give away) of clothes, toys, fabric, etc.
- I reorganized my teeny laundry room with tons of pinterest ideas so everything fits nicely and has a place ...
- The girls have a bedtime routine: jammies, clean up, reading homework for Danna, stories, brushing teeth, and BED by a decent hour...
- I cleaned out the van!
- I have some incredible friends who have kept me on a regular workout routine (at least 3 times a week) since almost a year ago. (yay me!)
- I recently rearranged under the kitchen sink, all of my fabric, the pencil drawer, my bathroom, our sideboard, 2 kitchen cupboards and the food storage downstairs. I like to organize things at least once a week.
- I do take time for myself by reading books, playing in the Symphony for this past concert, and I take weekly date nights with my husband so I don't have to cook...
- I've gone through ALL of the girls toys and most are out of reach enough that I can control (to some extent) the mess they make with their toys...
But my house is still ALWAYS a mess despite my cleaning schedule.
Mondays I clean cause our house seems to always get trashed over the weekend.
Wednesday morning I have my piano teacher come over so I always clean (at least the kitchen, living room and hallway),
Thursday I teach violin lessons so I clean in preparation for that,
Friday or Saturday we always have to clean obsessively because we like to go out on a date and I'm too embarrassed to have a babysitter see how disgusting our house is,
and then I do all the maintenance cleaning for things like spilled cereal, Danna's craft projects, Brynn's bobby pin obsession, couch forts, and the fact that kids don't know how to put the laundry in the basket. You know, all that kid stuff.
Wow, this blog post is getting kinda long and wordy (and sounding like I'm depressed and desperate) so how bout I wrap this up.
What are some things you do to add some sanity to your life?
Do you have any (seriously ANY) suggestions on how you like to organize your home or you life?
Do you just grin and bear it sometimes or pretend like you've got it all together? Or do you have it all together?
Your comments are appreciated.
I am a little obsessed with having a clean house...it is ridiculous. It will probably take years off my life! :) The one thing I like is to wake up to a clean house, I don't have to start out a new day with yesterday's mess. When the kids go to bed the house is clean and I can sit back and relax!!
ReplyDeleteLOVE this post, Tiff! I feel like I am ALWAYS cleaning my kitchen! Always. I'm a little obsessive about my kitchen. Sometimes I wonder how I'm going to handle a house, a toddler, AND a baby! My life is going to be rocked. Sending sympathy your way!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you're taking all the right steps toward a simpler more organized life. Way to go on working out 3x a week for a year! That's impressive!
I think every person has their own way of doing things and you have to find what works best for you. Some of us are ultra organized and love schedules, others not so much. One thing I always do when shopping and see something cute is ask, "Do I know where I'm going to put it/do with it?" If I don't, I don't buy it. Period.
P.S. Tell your girls to pick up the toys they want to keep. When they don't pick up, you pick up their toys and stow them away for a day or two. See how fast they clean up next time!
ReplyDeleteSorry, no advice, But you're definitely not alone. Taking care of little kids in a house that never seems to be clean for long is stressful. It sounds like you've done a lot. Just keep it up and don't be too hard on yourself. (And I just got interrupted from writing this comment by Hailee, who has, yet again, pooped in her pants!) No, you're not alone. :)
ReplyDeleteIts funny, I just finished a post VERY similar to this, I have no advice I'm struggling right there with you BUT at least for me its nice knowing I'm not alone in it, and you aren't either!:)
ReplyDeleteThe only thing that I can think up to solve all of your problems is to lock your kids in a room. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteRead this!!! It is called "Don't carpe Diem" - my sister saw it and it will help. I know how you feel. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/glennon-melton/dont-carpe-diem_b_1206346.html
ReplyDeleteTiffany,
ReplyDeleteI do remember well feeling just exactly what you blogged. The only way I see that it gets easier is that children learn to bathe themselves, do their own hair, take care of their own clothes, and help out better around the house....sometimes. I do not have it all together, but sometimes people tell me it seems like I do. I am grateful for friends and ward members who have such a cheery outlook, who don't judge me, or can just simply say, "I've been there. Everything will be okay." We can't have it all together in every area, so focus on what you do do that is terrific. Terrific primary chorister! Terrific wife and mother! Terrific friend! Those things are so much more important that a clean house or a pinterest perfect organized anything.
My mom was never a good house cleaner. She always said she never met a clean freak with a personality. I dont know if that was her way of feeling better about the fact she wasnt a good cleaner or not. But ive come to find it sorta true! haha. But seriously i struggle constantly with keeping my house clean. I can clean all day and its still dirty. It use to really bother me. But i have come to realize that everyone seems to always have it together but nobody actually does have it all together. And i do the same with having a sitter over i clean the whole house top to bottom and when its time to go out im exhausted!
ReplyDelete