This is the last week my kids will be home for this summer. With two boys playing football this fall it doesn’t feel like we are really on vacation anymore anyway.
James started two-a-days last week already, and Zach will begin practicing with the 8th grade team on Wednesday.
This morning I was feeling like we needed to do something more yet this summer. That somehow just being busy around the house with projects, laundry, and organizing was a waste of these last days. It probably is, but it is also probably how we will end our summer vacation anyway.
Today is pretty much history. Tomorrow we have counseling appointments in the late afternoon. Wednesday and Thursday Zach will have practice at 3. Maybe Friday, weather cooperating, we will get in one more swim day. Friday evening James has a scrimmage game. Saturday the football Mother’s Club is sponsoring a Chicken BBQ and I will work. Sunday Lucas has a Sunday School party after church.
Yeah, I think our carefree summer days are pretty much over.
Depending on whether James makes the varsity team or not, we may have 3 football games a week by September.
See why I needed to start menu planning! See why I desperately want to try to organize my whole house in the next week?
Sticking to FLY LADY ‘s motto of 15 minutes at a time though. I have put in about 45 minutes in my backroom (which was not even walkable) this weekend and today. And I threw out 2 trash bags of stuff, and have 2 trash bags to give away! (yes, in only 45 minutes!)
One thing that I have really stuck to that I learned from FLY LADY, is a morning routine. It gives me a place to start in a home that is most of the time overwhelmingly messy. If I do my routine it really does make me feel like I have more control over everything.
My morning routine is:
1. Make my bed.
2. Deal with dishes. (empty or run dishwasher)
3. Swish and Swipe bathrooms.
4. Start a load of laundry.
5. Get dressed to the shoes (really that is #1 but I won’t go back and fix it!)
Swish and Swipe bathroom is the one that may have you questioning. It has been such a blessing, especially in a home with 4 boys in it! I buy those pre-soaked Clorox disinfecting wipes. (totally awesome home essential with boys around) I use one to wipe off the sink (toothpaste and grime) and then I use one to wipe off the toilet seat! WA-LA CLEAN bathroom in 1 minute and NO sitting in pee! (at least for 5 minutes! maybe) At any rate it sure helps!
The other thing I really like about FLYLADY are the zones and KELLY's missions. Spending one week working on one area of the house. It really does keep things from becoming overwhelming if you can keep it up over time! (which seems to be my problem)
When I cleaned out my hutch to paint it back in June, I found my Control Journal I had created and used before HSSH left. Back when we used to Home School and life was SO much different than it is now! It was of no use to me now that is for sure, nothing is the same as it was back then.
Finding balance in this new normal we live in. I know we’ve been living in it for a long while now, but just starting to LIVE again.
A project I would really like to take on is organizing our entryway. Laura from I'm and Organizing Junkie brought up the subject, and I am trying to come up with a solution to this dilemma in my house. The dilemma is 6 bookbags. 6 coats. 12 shoes. 2 gym bags. A multitude of papers. And a partridge in a pear tree.
So, help me with this… here is what I have to work with.
This is a tiny coat closet that is right inside my front door. This is choice #1 to put the “stuff”, but is always just seems to get “stuffed” in and there is no organization.
Another option is the hall closet. Around the corner from this one. Still accessible to the family and much larger space to work with. Not sure I want to give this up for the storage space though.
A third option is to use the space right outside of my garage door. This would require keeping it much cleaner than it is right now, and is as a norm, and I am not sure that they would really use it. It would take much retraining, and I am not sure I am up for that.
Okay, give me suggestions. How do I keep my house from becoming insta-cluttered at 3:30 each day of this school year? How do I utilize the space I have and the options I have the best? I don’t know, maybe the garage idea would work. New hooks, some cubbies, and some carpet?
Headed to make dinner. Not using my new menus this week yet, cleaning out some of the ready made things I had in the pantry instead. Next week though, that is the goal!
Happy Monday!
Pam
4 comments:
I love clorox wipes. They are a necessity with little boys. I don't worry about sitting in pee, it's the standing in it. Gross! Also, TMI. Sorry.
Isn't it amazing/depressing how quickly summer is just slipping by? We're stuck in the same situation, not really ready to give up summer, yet needing to attend to all the stuff around here. Losing out on just kicking back and having fun.
Good luck with the organizing. Unfortunately, I'm no help. I'm still wiping off the drool from you having all those potential places. Our house is TINY, and built in 1960 when closet space was definitely not a priority. I know you don't have a lot of choices, but you've got some! For what it's worth, I like the garage idea. I know what you mean about the retraining though--definitely a huge undertaking.
I'm a fly-lady dropout. I hate wearing shoes in the house, and I could never keep up with her. I think it's a great system in theory though. Maybe you'll motivate me to give it another try. Baby steps, right?
yeah, I was going to mention the floor... just stepped in that tonight... sigh...
I am leaning towards the garage too, but then I remembered we try to park 2 cars in there in the winter and I am not sure that it would work then. I'm gonna have to clean up some things in there and try it out before i work on it.
I am surely not a flylady die hard, there are some things about it i really use though! hope you take some baby steps!!
Pam
Mom24 said it all. I agree with it all. The garage does sound like the best bet. We have about the same thing you do, only less closets. We have a coat hook inside the door in the hallway, which helps, but the shoes are another issue. I always look in catalogs and things to see how they organize. The problem is the cost. Good luck, I want to know the outcome.
Hey Pam!
Thanks for the link to FlyLady. I am hooked. I've already got the kids ready for the school year with control journals and the three daily routines. Gosh I hope it works!
As for me, my sink is shiny, my bed is made, and my laundry is not sitting in the washer getting stinky!
Thanks again,
Kateri
www.thefiveofus.typepad.com
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