What I have decided to do is TRY to concentrate on one room at a time and just be brutal! (Which is hard for me because I am a saver……) I tend to add things instead of getting rid or something when I get something new…..this is not a good habit!  (I am not a hoarder or anything….nor do I have OCD……but I can agree I have too much stuff!)  To top it off I am a bit chronic at watching the HGTV channel and seeing those people decorate and organize and beautify is so fun….but it seems to have a paralyzing affect on me!…..sigh……

Part of what overwhelms me is not having the time to do what I’d like to do…..I have enough time to keep up with the laundry, the kitchen, the floors, the ironing..(barely!)  and such and when it comes to the creative cleaning and organizing…..I have been too busy putting out the fires that it doesn’t get done.

Well, I am happy to say yesterday I bought some material to re-cover the seats on my dining room chairs and to make some curtains for the back door…..(the dog has done a number on them as she freaks out every time I leave and has pulled them down……!) With this in mind I am going to start on my dining room and living room and work through the kitchen and then the bathroom etc etc…..and hopefully in a few weeks/months I will have some positive results!  My husband remains skeptical and I am sure once he reads this blog he will try and fix my dilemma and do his bit to help me get organized!  Bless him!  (Honey, just relax and let me try it my way, I will send up a white flag of surrender in defeat if I can’t do it! Then by all means…..HELP!)

The change of seasons sort of energizes me so I am trying to take advantage of that internal feeling and get started…..(which sometimes for me is the hardest part).  I will keep you posted on my progress or lack of it…..

If any of you have some encouragement you can send my way, some great organizing tips…..I would love to hear them.  Or, if you are a bit like me and get easily overwhelmed and paralyzed, let’s talk about that too as maybe together we can work through it!

Let’s get organized!!!!

Grace

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I know I have talked about the day’s getting away from me but it seems to be happening more lately, I have so many things I need to do and …….the time is just not there.  Take yesterday as an example.  I woke up early put my breakfast casseroles in the oven ( I made them the night before!) and jumped in the bath after getting breakfast for my kiddo and getting her situated for a moment anyway and taking Sasha out for a leak and feeding her breakfast as well! Then by 8:30 we are out the door to a MOPS leadership meeting……which lasted until 11:30 then I had to clean up……so, by noon I was picking up our daughter and calling my hubby to let him know we were just heading home.

Home….just for a moment, to get lunch for my little darling and then at 12:45 we are off to pick up my wonderful husband and head for Fred Meyer to do our grocery shopping…..we like to do this as a family and as my hubby is the primary cook (Yes! this is just the best!) in our household he really likes and needs to be there……and besides he thinks I spend too much money when I go by myself…….hmmmmmmm. (It’s true! Proofreading husband!)

We get our shopping done…..zipping all over the store which is our custom, he sends me thither and yon to get the things he passed on our list….(yes we have a list!) It is about 2PM by the time I pull into the drive once again…..I get my sweetie out of the car, situated doing something then start unloading said groceries…..my husband loves this part…..I do it all and he doesn’t have to lug it all in the house….it makes him very happy.

We buy 2 weeks of shopping so while trying to take in bits of General Hospital in between unloading the groceries it takes me about an hour to get it all done and put away.  Yes, you might say that wasn’t the most effective use of my time but it is General Hospital and one has to make exceptions once in a while.

Then 3:10 the phone rings, it is my hubby, he is just about to head home and had I looked the thing up on the computer for him…..no, I said, no time….., he then says he will do it after exercising and then we are all going to Home Depot!

At 3:20 my ex-husband calls, says I can pick my son up anytime as he had evidently quit wrestling….which bums me out immensely but what’s is a mom to do?  I was going to do this after Home Depot….but deciding to skip that and let my hubby and daughter have some dad/daughter time together.

I head out the door about 3:40 stop for a coffee and then a 40 minute drive to get my son, by 5:15 we are home after stopping briefly at the store and then I head out the door again to take the dog for a walk.

Back by 6:15 no sign of my daughter or husband I decide that tonite must be a mommy night to cook dinner so I start that and get the dog fed once again.

Wondering just a little where the shopper’s were, I get dinner ready and at just about 7PM they show up, dinner finished I look back as we sit down to eat and wonder where the day went, no time to blog, twitter, check my email, facebook, do my web work nothing………..sigh!

Have a brilliant Saturday……I am going to!!!!!

Grace

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We woke early this morning with our little one coming in and announcing “It’s morning time!!” having a brief cuddle with us and then off to play! After sorting out her Cinderella costume and taking the dog out for a pee I went back to bed for just a minute, it is Saturday after all!  Then, just as I was settling in the phone rang….at about 7:30AM and I knew it had to be my oldest daughter (d1) it is her custom to call early and be very chipper and wonder why in the world we are in bed.

After our chat I rose and got breakfast for all and then dh thought we should all take the dog for a walk and a bit of a run so we got ready as is and set out for the park.  I was more than ready for a coffee shop stop and dh read my mind and off we went.

Home again, only for it to be lunch time, and yes I haven’t bathed yet!  I fixed everyone lunch and got cleaned up.  Dh planted himself in front of the TV shortly after and I sat at my desk doing bits and pieces and keeping our little one (d2) occupied and busy so she didn’t bother my dh.

Finally at about 4PM after having a tea party, dressing Barbies, cleaning up toys, cleaning the kitchen (again!) etc. I decided to go out…..by myself! I was gone about 30 minutes when my phone rang (I should of left it in the car!) It was my dh pleading for me to come home quickly to restore order to the chaos that errupted after my departure!! Assuring him I wouldn’t be toooooooo long! I hung up with a sigh… I went on with my tasks only to feel like I should hurry up and get home…..I really hate that!!

Sometimes I think my main role is to keep peace and order in our house…..it can be quite stressful!  I was happy to have my “moment” today and I enjoy them if only to recharge and get ready for the next round of events once I get home.

It has been a good day but the lateness of this post shows you that I was busy doing a lot of other things and waiting my turn on the computer on a family filled Saturday!

Question of the day: What kind of things do you do to get those “moments” of alone time?

Laters!

Grace

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Anyway, I digress, back to melting snow…..and the dog…..well, they poop! right! and with the snow I couldn’t really be on poop patrol……and it has been weeks (it snowed every time I thought…..I need to pick up the poop!)…..and now the snow is gone….. revealing….lots and lots of poop!

I tell you there are some jobs I would gladly pay other people to do.  My hubby won’t do it, to get him to do it I would have major paybacks owed to him…and that is something for another post!! : )  So today….there I am out in the garden…..patrolling, you know I filled up three grocery bags! YUCK!!!!

Well, I am really glad to be done with that…….and it has kind of been the kind of day I have had today so I guess it all fits in some odd way.

So, my question of the day?  What are the yucky jobs you’d pay to have someone do for you??

I look forward to hearing from you!
Cheers!
Grace

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One thing I do know is I spend a lot more time picking up and cleaning up and preparing food during the day whereas when we were gone (working) we weren’t home to do those things.  Seems my house is more lived in ( yes MESSIER!) since being at home too!! sigh…..and of course there are all those interruptions by the family just when you are getting ready to do something it’s “Honey, can you do this for me??” and “Mommy, I’m hungry….” etc, etc.  you know the drill.

This has been a big challenge for me since I quit working, I used to be a list maker,  everyday when I got to work…..list, list, list, but I have tried it at home and it applies to getting some stuff done but not to everything.  I have also added several volunteer things to my repertoire as the year flew by, all of which are important to me so my time is pulled in a few more directions.

Some days I just avoid like even looking at the laundry room and dread going into the kitchen because there is always more laundry and either food to be made or dishes to be washed….  I once heard a gal say, ” Ladies, when the dishes are done and the laundry basket is empty, I just want to call a Naked Fasting Day for my family!! No, you cannot wear that, I just washed it!, No you cannot eat, I just cleaned the kitchen!!” .  I know there are some husbands out there who would probably go for this idea!!

I have tried to set different days for different things and it works for a time and then life happens and that idea goes down the toilet……so if any of you have some tried and true ideas to manage time and children and housework and life…….give it up, I am all ears!!

Till next “time”!

Grace

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