Organize my home

I love organizing things. It’s calming. I’ve been focused on paperwork (lots of shredding). It must be a control thing.

Haven’t done well the past few days in organization being that it’s spring break here and there’s just too many people. It makes it tough. My mother though who lives in part of my basement has been accepted in a senior apartment. As far as I understand she’ll be leaving after April 1st. I’m very happy for her to regain her independence and I hope very much she’ll be happy. For me my house will be a little calmer and a little less cluttered with one less person in it. So I’ll look forward to a positive change in the next couple of weeks. Kids will be sad that Gramma won’t be there. For some of the kids it’s been for most of their lives and mostly what they remember.

I believe it’s a goal though that never will be fully obtained but I love the way it feels to have things organized. With so many people in this house things get out of control in hours. It’s nice to be able to find things. It’s nice to have like things together. I LOVE eliminating things.

I’m still working on utilizing space better. Papers are more organizing because I’ve been trying to give paperwork an hour a day when I can. It keeps it from growing into a mess I don’t want to deal with. It keeps unsightly piles at bay and I can find what I’m looking for.

I can’t believe with all the people here over the weekend things stayed pretty orderly. A few things could be better but it’s a start. I’ll continue this week working out budgeting my time to keep things orderly in the house. It’s really working so far.

I’ve always had the attitude that if you can’t do a great job than do nothing at all. That’s changing. Since budgeting my time wiser I give myself two hours a day Monday thru Friday to clean the house. (Eight people currently live in my house along with two dogs and two cats.) I’ve been learning how to do a quick and good-enough-clean. I’m loving it because the house really looks eye appealing and everyone is noticing it. It feels good so the pay back is so worth it. I’ve noticed that along with these quick cleans that everything is staying more orderly. I love order, I need order. So many things are finding their way to where they should be faster. So many things are easier to find. I’m thinking of paperwork. It’s so easy with this many people, for paperwork to get out of control in a day. I’ve been allowing myself an hour a day for paperwork Mon-Fri and it’s helping much. What I’ve noticed is how fast the hour goes by. I’m spending more time on it to keep it organized. I never realized it needed so much time and I guess that’s why it was always out of control.

This goal never stops and I enjoy doing it. I’m always looking for new ways to organize. I’m excited because we have a pick up for unused household items on Tuesday. It really does excite me. I know I always feel good finding a new home for the things I don’t want or need.

At the moment my kitchen is filled with bags of stuff that is going out to the truck. I love to move it out and clear up space (that my family will no doubt fill up quickly and the entire process will start all over).

Everything needs a spot. I love finding new spaces and it helps when clutter is moved out and I can see what’s left. I love knowing what I actually have too.

I have a goal to make do with less and less space. I want simplicity as I grow older. I want less things and I want the things I have to be organized so I don’t have to think about them.kt

I feel stressed trying to make my home organized but it doesn’t make since because I believe that if a home is organized I should feel less stress. I guess it comes from trying to organize one thing and something else is losing control. I want to feel in control.

I feel okay leaving town. The house isn’t perfect but it’s okay and important things are taken care of. There is some order and to maintain it I’ll leaving notes for all the boys (attached to candy) and they’re all going to think I’m crazy but I’m putting notes up all over the house to remind them the put their garbage where it goes, their dishes where they go and their clothes where they go. Though they might drive each other nuts I hope the house stays somewhat organized. I’m leaving the house with six males and poor Gramma S. Hope they don’t drive her crazy.:):)

I do so much here at home but it’s frustrating because so many people live in this house. You would think with that many people helping it wouldn’t be that bad. Unfortunately no one else seem to put in what they take out. Sometimes I think I’m just running in a circle like a hampster on a wheel. I have organized so many things. I wish all those things would stay put while I finished the job. There it felt good to vent that. Now my very next area to focus on is JTs room. I’ve organized what’s there and thank heavens he doesn’t have too much stuff. I like that about boys. The room needs totally redone. It’s been waiting and has finally come to the top of the priority list. It’s so bad I’ll have to start with the ceiling. The walls are a dark girly color so they’ll need to be primered. This will take a little while and while I’m doing this I can look for ways to make the room more functional with storage and shelving. You know, being that he’s a he – I don’t think he’d use it if I did. I’ll have to reevaluate and see if that might me a waste of my time and energy.

Half the family room is steam vacced. Can’t do the other half until this half is dry. It looks so good and feels wonderful knowing the carpet is clean. New furniture comes on Thursday. The room is organized but still needs more cleaning.

Over the weekend I cleaned with S and L. Their room is 100% organized. I could use some hooks, which I think I have somewhere, and something else but I’m not sure what. Hooks and a towel rod with be the very best place to start.

J’s room was also cleaned top to bottom. It’s organized. It will be painted in the very near future. For now I’ll be happy it’s cleaned and organized.

So I have been making lead way on this goal. It doesn’t always happen in the order I expect but it continually happens. Other J says he’ll organize his room this week for me. Great I like when I don’t have to help them.

Today I’ve been organizing my frig. It has to take priority so I don’t lose food. Even though I’d rather be scrubbing something you can see—that will wait but the food will expire.

Monday and Tuesdays are laundry day here. I’ve been happily doing laundry all day. My focus is on laundry but because i don’t have to take it to the river and beat it with a rock, while it runs I get to choose the chores to my liken. I do all my laundry in two days so no one can say that they’re out of socks or underwear. Everyone knows that they need to have their laundry down by Sunday evening so if anyone is missing anythin it’s their fault. If they don’t get their laundry down in time than it’s their responsibility to wash it. This has worked well for our large household. I really don’t get any complaints. It’s nice not to have to think of laundry the rest of the week too.