Is there such a thing as nesting after a baby's birth? I'm almost worse now than I was before the baby...I've got the Urge to Purge! The way I see it, if I can get a ton of junk out of our house, then it'll make it much easier to get organized. Then, if I can get organized, it'll make it much easier to clean. And of course, with a semi-clean house, we can all feel more peaceful.
So our house currently looks like it barfed all over itself. You know how when you're organizing an area, it has to look worse before it can get better? Well, that's kind of the case in every room right now. I've been flitting from closet, to garage, and from room to room, filling up trash bags as fast as possible. Some are to give away, some are for donation pick-up, some are to consign, and others are just plain trash. In fact, I'm on such a roll that if you came over right now and asked us for just about anything in our house, we'd be likely to give it to you! (Children excluded from offer. Sorry, grandparents.)
Several mantras keep running through my head:
1. You can't organize clutter
2. Easy come, easy go
3. If you don't love it, get rid of it.
If you've known me for more than a few minutes, you're likely to know that I'm organizationally-challenged. And yet, I constanly obsess with wanting things to be organized! So I'm not making any promises that this spurt of ambition will get me where I want to be, but at least it's a step in the right direction.
Do those of you that are able to keep an organized, clean house AND take care of children at home have any suggestions to offer? Wait, first I should ask, do you exist?
10 comments:
Steph, I give you....Tami Smith:
http://smithacademyforgirls.blogspot.com/index.html
I'm a big fan of a blog called "I'm an Organizing Junkie."
http://orgjunkie.blogspot.com/
Also, you're going about this in the right way. The only thing I ever learned from watching Oprah was an acronym about organizing.
S-Sort
P-Purge
A-Assign (a home for everything)
C-Containerize
E-Equalize (maintain and occasionally re-evaluate the system)
I think your postpardom cleaning spree is also due to the fact that you have three children. For me, the more kids I have, the more I MUST get rid of stuff or I'll go nuts! You're doing the best thing possible....simplify, simplify, simplify!
I still have a ways to go before I would consider myself completely organized, but I agree with Granny when she says......Tami Smith! ;-)
Clean, organized house? I think I'll just keep quiet on this one...
You guys are so funny. But none of you can come look in the armoire in my bedroom... or the kids' arts and crafts cabinet... or any of the kids' closets...in fact any of the closets or my reputation will be ruined.
Steph, you are on the right track. The biggest problems are too much stuff, and stuff without a home. If it has a home, it has a place to be put away and kept nice, neat, and clean.
I usually do organization, purging and the like during naptimes (during which my older kids are reading or something) or when Daddy's home in the evenings or weekends. Then I am unavailable to little ones until I get the job done. I cannot do a big project like that AND homeschool AND mother the little ones AND deal with the household chores like laundry.
I also try to give myself goals. It's too overwhelming to say "I'm going to completely organize this house!" Give yourself daily or better yet, weekly goals. "This week, I'll organize the drawers in the bathroom, next week I'll tackle under the sinks," etc. Break it up into bite size pieces, and you'll be able to keep up with it all the time, not just when the purging mood strikes, or when you have a baby. :)
Now I guess I need to go clean out the entry closet before anyone comes over....
Thanks for the sites...I'm actually already a fan of both Tami and Org. Junkie's blog--they inspire me!
Steph, you are so silly! I have never seen your house even halfway disorganized. Oh, I guess I'm comparing it to mine. OOPS! Was your blog REALLY a secret sermon encouraged by some husbands of friends? LOL! I'm very proud of you for your ongoing pursuit! And, I actually had a clear table for a night the other night! I even took a picture for proof!
Love you!
Hi, Stephanie! I met you years ago when Deneese Brannan had a PC show.
My recommendation - Flylady! Don't sign up for the emails, they are overwhelming. But her tips are awesome. The 27-Fling Boogie is a blast.
I was so proud of myself, i organized my kitchen pantry and utility closets today...then i realized we have only lived here 6 months and i am already becoming disorganized! You are not alone!
I watched a show the other day featuring a family of 18. The mother said that she didn't get really organized until #4. Since you're almost there, I can see where the organization drive comes from. I only have 1 and I seem to want to buy new plastic containers every time I go to Target. I just finished Bethany's closet. The toys were multiplying faster than my leftover diaper boxes could handle.
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