Mamas that are "Messies" Support Thread

[Llee]

May I join? I have ambitions and visions of neatness and order and my house looking as nice as my parent's house did growing up. But there's a certain 33-year-old that keeps getting in the way of making that ambition and vision of neatness come true...yeah, I'm my own worst enemy.

I can go and clean and organize other people's stuff with no problem; I'll even deep clean the stove at a friend's house. At my house though...well, let's just say we have the self-cleaning feature and we've used it, um, once, since we moved in a year ago.

And yeah, we need to finish painting the rooms (the living is a nice orangey color), tear down a shed in the back yard, and oh, say, contain the toy craziness.

Sidetracked Home Executive here!!! My mother bought me a copy of that book a few months after I was married after I called her up crying saying, "HOOOW DID YOU EVER MANAGE OUR HOUSEHOLD???!" My 'method', which I am trying to stop, is moving piles of junk around from room to room, hoping it will eventually diminish itself! Clutter has taken over our lives and I am forever desperately trying to tackle it.

[mamajane]

Originally Posted by blagosloven

Sidetracked Home Executive here!!! My mother bought me a copy of that book a few months after I was married after I called her up crying saying, "HOOOW DID YOU EVER MANAGE OUR HOUSEHOLD???!" My 'method', which I am trying to stop, is moving piles of junk around from room to room, hoping it will eventually diminish itself! Clutter has taken over our lives and I am forever desperately trying to tackle it.

[RealLifeMama]

Originally Posted by blagosloven

Sidetracked Home Executive here!!! My mother bought me a copy of that book a few months after I was married after I called her up crying saying, "HOOOW DID YOU EVER MANAGE OUR HOUSEHOLD???!" My 'method', which I am trying to stop, is moving piles of junk around from room to room, hoping it will eventually diminish itself! Clutter has taken over our lives and I am forever desperately trying to tackle it.

I that book!
So funny!

[Kiara.I]

Originally Posted by RealLifeMama

I that book!
So funny!

I finally picked up a copy at a used bookstore when I spotted it.

I really don't think I could handle the card system. I'd be way overwhelmed, just like they were when they started.

I prefer the "develop one habit at a time and stick with it" method. Now, if I could just *DO* that...

blagosloven, clutter's a big thing for me, too. If there's a flat surface, there's a pile one it. I've actually been doing really well at sorting through stuff lately, but it doesn't even count. Because (cue ominous music...) it's all a whole ton of boxes that just came to light in my parents' basement. So, I've been pitching a ton of stuff but my DH convinced me (why, oh why did I listen) that we should just toss the "keep" stuff in other boxes and deal with it later. So, none of it has homes yet. How does he think those other boxes happened in the first place??? Why did I let him convince me this was a good idea???

Anyway, I've pared the pile of 12 boxes down to 2 boxes being kept, so at least there's progress. But I honestly think it's harder to go through the stuff I want to keep to find homes for it.

I'm a huge fan of "a place for everything and everything in its place." It's just that...well...I actually don't know how to figure out where things should live. I think maybe I need to invite my ex-messy friend over to help me. She can just look at me with that faintly "tsk" sort of expression and say, "That should live in *this* place." And I'll think and and wonder *why* I couldn't have figured that out for myself. But at least it will thereafter have a home.

sounds just like the thing I need to do today..
I don't have that many rooms, but
kids bedroom
parents bedroom
hall
kitchen
office/livingroom
playroom/livingroom
and bathroom
and hmm..
I guess the washingmachine could dount for a room in itself..

That makes a total of 80mins of cleaning to do..
Most of it is folding and organizing clothes after summer vacation, and putting away clothes that the children grew out of..

*sigh* How can I tear meself away from the keyboard?

[Peridot]

That's the hardest part...I know.


I have to get up when the washer finishes. Then I'm not allowed to sit down until I've done three things. That's probably going to be- start washer again; make coffee; work until the coffee is done brewing.

[Redeemed]

Originally Posted by Loralee

May I join? I have ambitions and visions of neatness and order and my house looking as nice as my parent's house did growing up. But there's a certain 33-year-old that keeps getting in the way of making that ambition and vision of neatness come true...yeah, I'm my own worst enemy.

I can go and clean and organize other people's stuff with no problem; I'll even deep clean the stove at a friend's house. At my house though...well, let's just say we have the self-cleaning feature and we've used it, um, once, since we moved in a year ago.

And yeah, we need to finish painting the rooms (the living is a nice orangey color), tear down a shed in the back yard, and oh, say, contain the toy craziness.

I'm right there with you! Maybe we can get through this together?

[Llee]

I'm in! Um, where are we going? And yes, I have still to paint the living room. But I uh, still haven't picked out the color, so that's why we haven't painted yet.

[mipennsn]

I haven't read this whole thread, but my house is most of the time a mess. Dh and I are both messies. I work FT and Dh is a SAHD with health problems so it makes our struggles worse. My mom came over yesterday and helped me. It showed me a few simple things I can do to help keep it looking nicer, like sweeping the floor. She doesn't usually come help, but we are in the process of moving (well we still don't have a house), so she is helping.

She even asked me, "What can we do so your next house doesn't get this way?"

I have plans in my head, that I have never been able to implement, but since we are moving and setting up new routines in a new house I figure this is the time to start.

I need to start slow, I know. We have so much clutter we are going to end up moving because I am sorted out. I can't do it anymore!!! I am thinking about just putting everything in the garage then making sure it has a home before it is brought in the house, of course that will only work until it gets cold. UGG!!!

[firecarrier]

Well I hope you don't think this is just a 'cop out' reply but I really really recommend Flylady - that woman is an Angel! Yeh, sometimes the emails get a bit much and no, I don't do everything they say but just listening to some of the helpful stuff she says helped to really change my mindset. I discovered her about 5/6 months ago and my home is much better now. Its not 'perfect' but that isn't the idea, its homely and welcoming enough that I can enjoy living in it and show hospitality to others (even unexpected company!)

My problem wasn't that I dodn't know how to clean (I grew up with a mother who cleaned all the light fittings every week ) I just could never understand how to get the whole house together at the same time. I don't know if this is you but I could spend all day cleaning one room and it would be absolutely spotless and I would feel great (but shattered) and just couldn't get round to doing the other rooms.

[mamajane]

One thing that worked for me once, while i stuck to it (maybe a month?) was to make a month's calendar and fill in jobs that need to be done weekly and jobs that need to be done monthly and give them a set day of the week/month. That helps to give direction, and even if you miss a week or month, you know it'll come around again the next week or month. For example, change bedding every Friday, dust the window sills every third Thursday...those would both be a lot more often than I do now (esp since I NEVER dust!)!

[Dovenoir]

what is GOYB?

[duckwithoneleg]

Originally Posted by Dovenoir

what is GOYB?

get off your butt? i think?

[Peridot]

how is everybody?