I am not sure how to title this except PLEASE HELP! For almost 4 years now, I have battled with my house. We are in constant disarray. It makes me angry, Sean angry and then we are grumpy at the kids. I would never want anyone to stop over to my house unannounced right now and that is not how I want to live my life! I want unexpected visitors! What fun it is to get a surprise visit from a dear friend at your door. Am I in this battle all alone? Do you (my fellow friends) have it all together? I think you do! What are your secrets? Please spill them because I am just this close....to losing it big time!
posted by April @ 12:39 AM
6 comments
6 Comments:
Hi April,
Don't worry. You are not alone in this. There is never a day when all the rooms in my house are clean at the same time. And my house is TINY! But welcome visitors anyway because the only reason why their house seems to be so orderly is because they have that one special junk room that they throw all the mail, dirty clothes, school papers etc.... when expecting company (Or is that just me?!??!) Your doing great. Your a busy Mom, enjoy your kiddos and the rest will fall into place.
PS Thanks for all the clothes. We love them and appreciate them very much. They grow so fast and I can't afford to buy new things all the time!
Lvoe, Kate
April- I'm sure you have it more together than you think you do!! (And, any friend who shows up at your door honestly won't care what your house looks like...) I think the hardest part is the kids' toys, things will get easier once your little guy and Lauren are playing with similiar toys and when you can pack up all the "baby equipment," that stuff takes up tons of room! I think the biggest thing that helps me is I try to do things as they come along, clean things up when they are happening rather than waiting until I have little messes in every room. Lauren can probably help by picking up her toys, etc. I know I've tried to get Emma to do that and it helps a lot! I drive myself crazy sometimes trying to keep our house in order and sometimes I wonder if it's worth it (however, weird me can't function if it's not!) ;) So... none of that is really good advice, however, you are busy and have 2 little kiddos at home so if things seem crazy for a while, it's fine!! Good luck... I know the feeling and can't stand it! Hope all is well. :)
Hi April,
One of the greatest pieces of advice I ever received on this subject was from Darlene Easterly. She said, "NEVER store toys in your living room or kitchen. Always have them in the kids' room or a play room. That way, you always have the front rooms that are kid-toy-free (not that they can't bring an activity out there to play with...they can, but it just doesn't LIVE there), and folks can stop by without you feeling embarrassed."
I have done that for 12 years now, and it has set us free. I know that with 7 kids a home can get quite crowded - we have minimized our toys to one shelf in the hallway, one small toybox in the family room, and a basket of baby toys that we keep in the living room (yes, the living room) when we have a baby-aged child. THat's IT. Very few toys + no toys at ALL in the front rooms, and we're a much happier family.
It's not easy, though. The Lord told me to "Be Ruthless"...so I was, and it's so incredibly rewarding. Give me a call or give it a try. I know the struggle (and the marital stress it causes!)...you'll find victory soon, I just know it.
Girlfriends- You are simply the best. I am so encouraged from your words! Thank you for helping me and my family. I cleaned yesterday and it felt so good. I didn't stop for 2 hours and picked up every room except ours and sisters. It is a little cluttered tonight as I type but I feel confident that I could pick it all up in an hour or less. :) I love my friends! Thank you!
April
I don't keep any toys down in our living area either. I have four boys and my house is generally clean and organized. This is because we have a dorm style life. All four boys have beds in one bedroom (our house is pretty small by the way) and then we have our room and the other upstairs bedroom is a toy/office room. which is usually trashed at any given moment, but at least I can close the door to it (which I frequently do!) Also, the comment about baby stuff taking up a lot of space is SOO true, baby bouncers, swings, etc. You just got to live with them for awhile, plus I have stopped by your house and it was great! People just want to see you and your precious family:-) Bless you sweetie!
Kim
Hi! I saw your sweet comment on Sarah's blog and came over to yours to check it out...hope that's ok! :)
Your blog entry really caught my eye since this is the very thing I've been pushing through for several months. I have not "arrived" and still have to work on this area every day, but it's gotten a lot better than it was when I first had my 2nd baby last year.
For me, I realized that I was waiting for things to get done and getting really frustrated when they weren't -- instead of being really intentional about each day. I wrote down all the things that need to be taken care of each week and assigned a day to each task. After that I was freed up for ONLY getting done what was on the list for that particular day.
It's so hard with little ones -- especially when they are "un-doing" what you've just cleaned up ALL day long.
I have a giant toy basket and have my family room arranged "just so" behind a chair when you walk in you can't see all the toys thrown in there...BUT they are contained and out of the way. And my 3 year-old can also quickly put them into the basket.
Lastly, we are always our worst critics when it comes to our house. We are the only ones that know when things are not really clean. Most people who "pop on by" won't even know it.
Hope that helps! Good luck! You can do it!! :)
My link is:
http://roseswillbloom.blogspot.com
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